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Olympics
Little sign of Olympics in Milan with only 3 years to go
MILAN (AP) — Perched incongruously on the 44th floor of one of Milan’s modern glass skyscrapers is a ski lodge. The “baita,” which is made of reclaimed wood from trees felled in a devastating storm that hit northern Italy in 2018, is in the headquarters of the organizing committee for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics. The […]2 years ago
Dentsu and others charged in Tokyo Olympic bid-rigging probe
TOKYO (AP) — The Tokyo Olympic bid-rigging scandal widened Tuesday with Japanese advertising giant Dentsu and five other companies charged by Tokyo district prosecutors. Executives or management-level officials at each of the accused companies, and a Tokyo Olympic organizing committee official, were charged with violating anti-monopoly laws. No trial dates have been set. The charges […]2 years ago
Paul Cayard resigns as boss of US Olympic Sailing Team
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Paul Cayard has resigned as executive director of the U.S. Olympic Sailing Team, the latest upheaval for a once-dominant squad that has become an afterthought on the world stage. Cayard, one of America’s most successful sailors, said Saturday that he couldn’t work under a restructuring of the Olympic team’s management. He […]2 years ago
Russia’s sports exile persists 1 year after invading Ukraine
One year after the invasion of Ukraine began, Russia’s reintegration into the world of sports threatens to create the biggest rift in the Olympic movement since the Cold War. Russia remains excluded from many international sporting events, but that could soon change. Next year’s Paris Olympics are fast approaching and qualifying events are under way. […]2 years ago
Nations: No clarity on neutrality, no Olympics for Russia
The governments of 35 nations released a statement Monday calling on the IOC to clarify the definition of “neutrality” as it seeks a way to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes back into international sports and, ultimately, next year’s Paris Olympics. “As long as these fundamental issues and the substantial lack of clarity and concrete detail […]2 years ago
SafeSport Center suspends former interim CEO
The former interim CEO of the U.S. Center for SafeSport has been temporarily suspended by the center he used to run for failure to report a case. The center posted the suspension for Regis Becker earlier this week. It also included a charge of abuse of process. Becker served as a member of the center’s […]2 years ago
Lawmakers ask EU countries to pressure IOC for Russia’s ban
BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union lawmakers have condemned the International Olympic Committee’s decision to set out a path for some athletes from Russia and Belarus to try to qualify for the 2024 Paris Games. In a resolution adopted Thursday by 444 votes in favor, 26 against and 37 abstentions, EU legislators said allowing them to […]2 years ago
Tokyo Olympic bribery trial opens; accused accepts guilt
TOKYO (AP) — A trial looking into widespread bribery at the Tokyo Olympic organizing committee began Friday with a former head of a major ad company admitting to the charges. Shinichi Uneo, who formerly headed ADK Holdings, quietly told the Tokyo District Court the allegations were accurate. In Japan, a trial continues even if a […]2 years ago
Australian governments agree funding split for 2032 Olympics
BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — The federal and the Queensland state government have agreed on an almost 50-50 funding split to build or remodel venues for the 2032 Brisbane Olympics. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visited the Queensland state capital Friday to make the formal announcement about a deal worth an estimated 7 billion Australian dollars […]2 years ago
Sweden emerges as sudden front-runner to host 2030 Olympics
GENEVA (AP) — Sweden emerging as the front-runner in a troubled search for a 2030 Olympics host is as much a surprise in Stockholm as elsewhere. The year started with Sweden not on the radar of a Winter Games race where longtime favorite Sapporo faded during a criminal investigation of alleged bribery linked to the […]2 years ago
Ukrainian Olympic head on Russian rival: ‘He is my enemy’
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — They fought on the same side and together won Olympic gold, young men from Russia and a newly independent Ukraine, joined for one last medal-winning hurrah on a short-lived post-Soviet Unified Team at the 1992 Barcelona Games. Now, former fencers Vadym Guttsait and Stanislav Pozdnyakov are on opposite sides of the […]2 years ago
IOC’s Bach says Olympics on history’s side in Russia issue
COURCHEVEL, France (AP) — Insisting sports had to respect the human rights of all athletes, International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach on Sunday denied that the organization was on the wrong side of history by helping Russians and Belarusians qualify for the 2024 Paris Summer Games. Bach and the IOC have faced a widespread backlash […]2 years ago
Zelenskyy tells summit ‘no place’ for Russia at Olympics
LONDON (AP) — Russian athletes have “no place” at next year’s Paris Olympics while their country’s invasion of Ukraine continues, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told a summit of sports officials from 36 countries Friday. The International Olympic Committee argues it would be discriminatory to exclude Russia and ally Belarus from sports ahead of the 2024 […]2 years ago
Probe into US Olympic failings stunted by red tape in DC
DENVER (AP) — More than 27 months since it was greenlighted by Congress, the panel established to investigate the inner workings of the U.S. Olympic structure has yet to conduct a formal interview because of bureaucratic red tape and slow action from the same lawmakers who had expressed a pressing need for better oversight. Two […]2 years ago
Svitolina calls for Russians to be banned from Olympics
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian tennis player and Olympic bronze medalist Elina Svitolina pushed for a total ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes from the 2024 Paris Games in an interview with The Associated Press on Wednesday. Svitolina, who won her bronze medal in singles at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, is visiting Ukraine for […]2 years ago
IOC responds to Paris mayor on Olympic plan for Russians
GENEVA (AP) — The International Olympic Committee pushed back against the mayor of Paris on Wednesday, insisting there were no plans for “a Russian or Belarusian delegation” at the 2024 Games while also acknowledging some athletes from those countries could be welcomed. The IOC statement came a day after Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo said no […]2 years ago
Tokyo Olympic official, 3 others held in bid-rigging probe
TOKYO (AP) — A senior official with the Tokyo Olympic organizing committee and three company executives were arrested Wednesday in an ongoing bid-rigging scandal related to the Games. Yasuo Mori, the Olympic official, was arrested along with Koji Henmi, who headed the sports division at Japanese advertising giant Dentsu. Two other business executives were also […]2 years ago
Paris mayor: No Russian team at 2024 Games if war continues
PARIS (AP) — Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo says there should be no Russian delegation allowed at the Paris Olympics next year if Moscow continues its war against Ukraine. Hidalgo previously said Russian competitors could take part under a neutral flag but she backpedaled on Tuesday in an interview with French media France Info. Acknowledging that […]2 years ago
Nordic sports bodies urge IOC to ban Russian athletes
COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — The five Olympic committees in the Nordic region on Tuesday urged the International Olympic Committee to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials from “international sports participation” because of the war in Ukraine. The bodies from Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Iceland and Norway said they wanted to expressed their “steadfast support once […]2 years ago
Snowboarders sue coach, USOPC in assault, harassment case
Olympic bronze medalist Rosey Fletcher has filed a lawsuit accusing former snowboard coach Peter Foley of sexually assaulting, harassing and intimidating members of his team for years, while the organizations overseeing the team did nothing to stop it. Fletcher is a plaintiff in one of two lawsuits filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles […]2 years ago
Column: IOC talks tough on Russia — until Paris on horizon
The IOC likes to talk tough — as long as it’s not heading into an Olympic year. Not surprisingly, as we draw ever closer to the cash cow that is Paris 2024, the hypocrites running the Olympic movement are eager to get Russia back in the games. They’ll surely find a way, despite Vladimir Putin’s […]2 years ago
Olympic echoes of boycott era as Ukraine vs IOC intensifies
LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — A contest that could define the 2024 Paris Olympics is playing out 18 months before medals are awarded. It’s giving the International Olympic Committee a political challenge with echoes of the 1980s. Ukraine fired up its campaign on Friday to have Russia and military ally Belarus excluded from the next Summer […]2 years ago
Olympic bans and boycotts go back a century
Ukraine and the three Baltic countries, all former Soviet republics, moved a step closer Friday to boycotting next year’s Paris Olympics because of the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes. The International Olympic Committee plans to allow Russians and Belarusians to compete as “neutral athletes” despite their invasion of Ukraine, saying it can’t discriminate athletes […]2 years ago
