Olympic chat

spaminator

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HOLY SEE RUNNERS: Vatican launches track team to compete in Olympics
Associated Press
Published:
January 10, 2019
Updated:
January 10, 2019 10:49 AM EST
Athletes of the Athletica Vatican team pose for the media in front of St. Peter's Basilica, at the Vatican, Thursday, Jan. 10, 2019. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
VATICAN CITY — The Vatican launched an official track team Thursday with the aim of competing in international competitions as part of an agreement signed with the Italian Olympic Committee.
About 60 Holy See runners — Swiss Guards, priests, nuns, pharmacists and even a 62-year-old professor who works in the Vatican’s Apostolic Library — are the first accredited members of Vatican Athletics. It’s the latest iteration of the Holy See’s long-standing promotion of sport as an instrument of dialogue, peace and solidarity.
Because of the agreement with CONI, the team is now a part of the Italian track association and is looking to join the International Association of Athletics Federations. It is hoping to compete in international competitions, including the Games of the Small States of Europe — open to states with fewer than 1 million people — and the Mediterranean Games.
“The dream that we have often had is to see the Holy See flag among the delegations at the opening of the Olympic Games,” said Monsignor Melchor Jose Sanchez de Toca y Alameda, team president and the head of the Vatican’s sports department in the culture ministry.
But he said that was neither a short-term nor medium-term goal, and that for now the Vatican was looking to participate in competitions that had cultural or symbolic value.
“We might even podium,” he noted.
Vatican pharmacist-runner Michela Ciprietti told a Vatican press conference the aim of the team isn’t exclusively competitive, but rather to “promote culture and running and launch the message of solidarity and the fight against racism and violence of all types.”
Team members wearing matching navy warm-up suits bearing the Holy See’s crossed keys seal attended the launch. Also on hand were two honorary members of the team, migrants who don’t work for the Vatican but are training and competing with the team, as well as a handful of disabled athletes. The Vatican aims to sign similar agreements with the Italian Paralympic committee.
CONI president Giovanni Malago welcomed the birth of the Vatican team, even though he acknowledged that it might one day deprive Italy of a medal.
“Just don’t get too big,” he told Vatican officials at the launch, recalling how an athlete from another tiny country — Majlinda Kelmendi — won Kosovo’s first Olympic medal when she defeated Italian rival Odette Giuffrida in the final of the women’s 52-kilogram judo event at the Rio de Janeiro Games.
In recent years, the Vatican has fielded unofficial soccer teams and a cricket team that has helped forge relations with the Anglican church through annual tours in Britain. The track team, however, is the first one to have a legal status in Vatican City and to be an official part of the Italian sporting umbrella, able to compete in nationally and internationally sanctioned events and take advantage of the Italian national coaching, scientific and medical resources.
While St. John Paul II was known for his athleticism — he was an avid skier — Pope Francis is more of a fan, a longtime supporter of his beloved San Lorezo soccer team in Argentina.
Vatican Athletics’ first official outing is the Jan. 20 “La Corsa di Miguel” (Miguel’s Race), a 10-kilometre race in Rome honouring Miguel Sanchez, an Argentine distance runner who was one of the thousands of young people who “disappeared” during the country’s Dirty War.
The choice is significant: Francis, the former Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, was a young Jesuit superior in Argentina during the military dictatorship’s crackdown on alleged leftist dissidents.
http://torontosun.com/news/weird/holy-see-runners-vatican-launches-track-team-to-compete-in-olympics
 

spaminator

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Brother of four-time Olympic gold medalist charged with triple homicide
Aidan Wallace
Published:
August 30, 2019
Updated:
August 30, 2019 6:31 PM EDT
Simone Biles with her brother, Tevin Biles-Thomas.Twitter
The brother of U.S.A gymnastics four-time Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles — arguably the greatest female gymnast of all time — has been charged with a triple homicide that occurred on New Year’s Eve in Cleveland, Ohio.
Tevin Biles-Thomas, 24, was arrested Thursday and has been charged with murder, voluntary manslaughter, felonious assault, and perjury, Cleveland.com reports.
The alleged triple homicide occurred at an AirBnB where Biles-Thomas, an active-duty U.S. Army soldier, started shooting Devaughn Gibson, 23, a barber; DelVaunte Johnson, 19, a student; and Toshon Banks, 21, a labourer.
All were found dead with multiple gunshot wounds when police arrived.
The shooting allegedly started after the three men showed up uninvited to the party being held at the AirBnB.
A fight broke out and the situation quickly escalated. The shooter fled the scene before police arrived.
Two others were injured in the volley of gunfire, a 21-year-old who suffered a gunshot wound to the back of his head as well as a 23-year-old woman who was shot in the arm.
“The relentless persistence of Cleveland police homicide detectives helped secure an indictment in this case,” Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael C. O’Malley said in a statement.
“It is through their hard work that we can begin to seek justice for these victims,” it read.
After news of her brother’s arrest was spread by media outlets, Simone sent out a tweet that said, “eating my feelings don’t talk to me.”
Biles’ brother is the only one charged in connection with the shooting that took place nine months ago.
Top USA Gymnastics board members resign in wake of abuse case
In a statement, Cleveland Division of Police Chief Calvin Williams said: “The investigators within the Cleveland Police Homicide Unit remained committed to securing an arrest in this tragic case,” adding, “We appreciate our partnership with the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office and are confident that their efforts will bring justice for the families affected by this terrible incident.”
Biles-Thomas was held without bond in Georgia and is set to next appear in court on Sept. 13 in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court for arraignment.
http://facebook.com/tev.thomas.3
http://cleveland.com/metro/2019/08/...her-charged-in-cleveland-triple-homicide.html
http://torontosun.com/news/world/br...ic-gold-medalist-charged-with-triple-homicide
 

Blackleaf

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In showing concern for Muslims, they're forgetting the millions of people suffering around the world at the moment because of the lockdowns imposed because of the Chinese flu.

They should take it away from Beijing and give it to Almaty, which narrowly missed out.

It's weird that they gave it to Beijing anyway because it hosted the real Olympics not long ago.
 

spaminator

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Calls grow to relocate 2022 Winter Olympic Games from China
Author of the article:
Reuters
Reuters
Steve Keating
Publishing date:
Feb 17, 2021 • 15 hours ago • 3 minute read
A journalist looks at a display at the exhibition centre for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics in Yaqing district, Beijing, China, Feb. 5, 2021. Photo by Kevin Frayer /Getty Images
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With the Beijing Winter Games less than a year away, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) are looking closely at human rights abuses in China, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Tuesday as calls to move the 2022 Games continue to grow.

“In regards to the Olympics, we continue to be very, very vocal in standing up for human rights around the world and calling out human rights abuses, as I have personally in the past directly with Chinese leadership, among many others,” Trudeau told reporters during his daily press briefing.

“We know that the International Olympic Committee, the Canadian Olympic Committee, the Canadian Paralympic Committee and others are looking very closely at this issue and we will certainly continue to follow carefully.”

While Trudeau offered a measured response to what is becoming an increasingly tricky position, Conservative leader Erin O’Toole and Green Party leader Annamie Paul were more direct.
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O’Toole told reporters on Tuesday it was not appropriate for China to host the world’s biggest sporting event in light of its human rights abuses, calling the country’s treatment of the Uighur minority in its Xinjiang region a genocide.

China has been widely condemned for its complexes in Xinjiang, which it describes as “vocational training centers” to stamp out extremism. It denies accusations of abuse.

Paul, meanwhile, urged the Canadian government to support the relocation of the 2022 Winter Olympics set for Feb. 4-20 and for the country to step in as a replacement venue.

“What more evidence does your government need to see before it concludes whether or not a genocide is occurring in China,” said O’Toole calling out the Trudeau Liberals during his morning briefing. “And given we’re even discussing the possibility of a genocide, is Beijing an appropriate venue for the Olympics?”

China’s human rights record has for years been a source of dispute with Western governments. China routinely dismisses Western complaints about its rights record.

NO BOYCOTT

With the possibility of a federal election in Canada later this year, O’Toole could be in a far stronger position to decide on the country’s participation in the 2022 Winter Games if elected Prime Minister.

None of the three party leaders, however, mentioned a boycott.

The COC earlier in February came out strongly against boycott rumblings, saying such a move would only punish athletes and do nothing to force a change in China’s human rights record or bring home two Canadian men detained in the country for more than two years.
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China’s detention of businessman Michael Spavor and former diplomat Michael Kovrig has become a sore point with Canadians, a July poll finding more than half of those questioned believed Ottawa should take more aggressive action to secure the release of the two men who face spying charges.

Canada views their detention as retribution for the arrest of Huawei Technologies Co Ltd Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou on a U.S. warrant.

“It is in fact the federal government that ultimately decides whether our nation’s athletes will take part in an Olympics,” Paul said in a statement.

“While the Green Party also believes strongly in the power of sport, China has proven itself to be highly resistant to liberalizing human rights.

“The Green Party believes Canada should consider whether it would be feasible to offer itself as an alternative venue for the 2022 Olympics.”

Canada has twice hosted the Winter Olympics, 1988 in Calgary and 2010 in Vancouver.
 

spaminator

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Olympian's 'insane' breastfeeding photo sparks backlash
Author of the article:postmedia News
Publishing date:May 17, 2021 • 6 hours ago • 1 minute read • 19 Comments
Torah Bright.
Torah Bright. PHOTO BY SCREEN GRAB /INSTAGRAM
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Olympian Torah Bright’s social media “feed” raised a few eyebrows when she posted a photo of herself partially nude and breastfeeding her son — but she’s not apologizing for anything.

The decorated Aussie athlete who won gold in the halfpipe at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver and silver four years later in Sochi shared the photo to her Instagram and Facebook accounts on Mother’s Day.


She shared the photo as a celebration of motherhood and as a message of encouragement for fellow moms but instead faced some backlash.

Torah Bright. @torahbright/INSAGRAM
Torah Bright. @torahbright/INSAGRAM
“Reading some of these comments made me sad,” Bright wrote in a since-expired post on Instagram Stories, which included an image of her topless and in a headstand while breastfeeding her 10-month-old son.

One critic called the two-time X Games gold medallist’s photo “insane,” according to the New York Post.

Torah Bright and her son, Flow. @torahbright/Instagram
Torah Bright and her son, Flow. @torahbright/Instagram
“In my world, mothers should be each other’s cheerleaders (it’s hard enough). Embrace your quirkiness and finding the joy in every sh— thing that is motherhood,” the 34-year-old wrote.


“We all do it differently,” she added. “It is not wrong or right. Motherhood is pure.”
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spaminator

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China says U.S. plans to pay athletes to 'sabotage' Beijing Games
Author of the article:Reuters
Reuters
Yew Lun Tian
Publishing date:Jan 29, 2022 • 17 hours ago • 2 minute read • 49 Comments
Peoples Liberation Army soldiers march along the perimeter of the closed loop system at the Big Air Shougang ahead of the Beijing Winter Olympics on Jan. 29, 2022 in Beijing.
Peoples Liberation Army soldiers march along the perimeter of the closed loop system at the Big Air Shougang ahead of the Beijing Winter Olympics on Jan. 29, 2022 in Beijing. PHOTO BY DAVID RAMOS /Getty Images
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BEIJING — China’s foreign ministry and an official newspaper have accused the United States of planning to interfere with and “sabotage” the Beijing Winter Olympics by paying athletes from some countries to make half-hearted efforts in competition and to criticize China.

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The allegations were made a week before the Games start amid tensions between the two superpowers that has included a diplomatic boycott of the event by the United States, which has been joined by several other countries.

Asked about the Chinese allegations, the U.S. Embassy in Beijing on Saturday reiterated a previous position that Washington was not coordinating a global campaign regarding participation at the Olympics.

China Daily, an English-language newspaper run by the ruling Chinese Communist Party’s Publicity Department, on Friday evening cited unnamed sources as saying United States has a plan to “incite athletes from various countries to express their discontent toward China, play passively in competition and even refuse to take part.”

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In return, it said, Washington would provide a large amount of compensation and “mobilize global resources” to help protect the reputation of athletes of who choose to compete passively.

Asked if the Chinese foreign ministry believes the allegation to be valid, a ministry spokesperson told Reuters on Saturday that the report has “exposed the real intention of some Americans to politicize sports and to sabotage and interfere with the Beijing Winter Olympics.”

The spokesperson said he strongly condemned the attempts by some Americans to “buy off” athletes and “cause trouble” during the Games, adding that these attempts are “doomed to fail.”

A U.S. Embassy spokesman told Reuters by email on Saturday, “We were not and are not coordinating a global campaign regarding participation at the Olympics.”

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“U.S. athletes are entitled to express themselves freely in line with the spirit and charter of the Olympics, which includes advancing human rights,” the spokesman said.

The United States announced in December a diplomatic boycott of the Games over what it called China’s human rights “atrocities,” a move that was followed by allies Australia, Britain and Canada but that does not prevent U.S. athletes from traveling to Beijing to compete.

China rejects allegations of human rights abuse and has repeatedly lashed out against the politicization of the Games.

In a message to convey greetings for the Chinese New Year festival next week, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told China-based foreign diplomats that China “has the confidence and ability to remove the interference” and turn the Winter Games into an event that promotes friendship and mutual understanding.
 

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Olympians posing nude in Playboy win gold in skin games
Both said in interviews with the iconic mag that they were confident in their "natural bodies"

Author of the article:Brad Hunter
Publishing date:Feb 08, 2022 • 1 day ago • 1 minute read • Join the conversation
Austrian Olympian Janine Flock and German star Lisa Buckwitz both posed for the German edition of Playboy.
Austrian Olympian Janine Flock and German star Lisa Buckwitz both posed for the German edition of Playboy. PHOTO BY HANDOUT /PLAYBOY
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Olympians Lisa Buckwitz and Janine Flock are going for gold in the skin games!

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The Teutonic temptresses are hitting the headlines just in time for the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing.

German bobsledder Buckwitz and skeleton racer Flock of Austria both posed nude for the German edition of Playboy’s Olympic issue. The split run features a cover of each athlete.

Reigning champion Buckwitz — who captured gold at the Pyeongchang Winter Games in 2018 — posed and pouted in a silk green blouse that exposed her breasts. The 27-year-old also wore black stilettos and a gold body chain that went around her waist.

Flock, who previously competed at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, doffed her duds while sitting in a chair and coyly covering her breasts with a fur blanket.

German star Lisa Buckwitz posed for the German edition of Playboy. HANDOUT/ PLAYBOY
German star Lisa Buckwitz posed for the German edition of Playboy. HANDOUT/ PLAYBOY
Both said in interviews with the iconic skin mag that they were confident in their “natural bodies” and said women are deserving of that uplifting feeling.

“Every woman can be naked and nobody should be ashamed of her body,” Buckwitz told the magazine. “For example, I have a few more muscles — so what? I wanted to show that this is also a woman’s body. I don’t have to hide as a competitive athlete. No woman has to hide.”

Ten-time world champion Flock, 32, agreed.

“I want to show that a natural body can also be beautiful, one on which nothing is done. I haven’t had any cosmetic surgeries and I stand by what I have,” she said.

“Every woman can be proud of her body. It’s important to have things other than sport on your mind every now and then, I think it could even give me an extra motivation boost.”

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Both shared the covers to their Instagram followers.

Buckwitz wrote: “Thanks for the opportunity to show me from a different side.”

bhunter@postmedia.com

@HunterTOSun
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Tecumsehsbones

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Why not? They ban Russia for PED violations but allow "Russian Olympic Committee" competitors. Then they expect them to be drug free.
Figure they'll catch 'em red-handed cheating and award "co-gold medals" to the actual winners (Canada) but not take away Russia's gold medals?

Like they did last time?