Tag: Olympics

U.S. broadcasts diplomatic boycott of Beijing Winter Olympics over human rights abuses

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The US announced a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing on Monday, a move that had received non-partisan support from critics of China’s human rights record.

While US athletes will continue to compete, President Joe Biden’s administration will not send an official representation to the Games in China amid “the ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang and other human rights abuses”, White House press secretary Jen said Psaki, told reporters.

Psaki was referring to China’s reported treatment of Uighur Muslims in this northwest area, known as genocide from both Biden and former President Donald Trump’s administration.

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“The Team USA athletes have our full support. We will be 100 percent behind them if we cheer them on from home. We will not be contributing to the fanfare of the Games,” said Psaki.

“The US diplomatic or official mission would be faced with these games [People’s Republic of China’s] egregious human rights violations and atrocities in Xinjiang, and we just can’t do that, “she said.

“We will continue to take action to advance human rights in China and beyond,” she said.

The expected move was preventively criticized on Monday by the spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Zhao Lijian. “It is a travesty of the Olympic spirit, it is a political provocation and an insult to the 1.4 billion Chinese,” he said, according to a translation of his remarks.

“If the US insists on going the wrong way, China will take necessary and decisive countermeasures,” said Zhao.

The Chinese government under President Xi Jinping has been condemned by dozens of countries for its actions in Xinjiang and its crackdown on pro-democratic protesters in Hong Kong in 2019 and 2020.

More recently, Beijing has come under fire after having disappeared for weeks Tennis star Peng Shuaiwho disappeared after publicly accusing a former Chinese Communist Party senior official of sexual assault.

The women’s tennis association announced last week it will suspend tournaments in China immediately due to concerns about the treatment and safety of Peng and other players.

Disclosure: CNBC parent NBCUniversal owns NBC Sports and NBC Olympics. NBC Olympics holds the U.S. broadcast rights to all Summer and Winter Games through 2032.

Sioux Falls Culver’s to boost cash for Particular Olympics South Dakota on Tuesday

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SIOUX FALLS, SD (KELO) – Culver’s in Sioux Falls is helping raise funds for the Special Olympics South Dakota.

The restaurant chain is partnering with the South Dakota Law Enforcement Torch Relay for Special Olympics on Tuesday, August 17th for Butterburgers & Badges. Local law enforcement agencies will team up with Special Olympics athletes to serve customers indoors and outdoors from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Culver’s four locations in Sioux Falls.

Convicted sex offender accused of looking in the bedroom window of a 10-year-old in Sioux Falls

“We love to help our community, find organizations that need help, and Special Olympics is one that we have loved very much over the past few years and really see what we can do to help them with this event,” said Chad Pearson, the owner and operator of Culver, said.

The tips collected will benefit the Special Olympics South Dakota directly. Culver’s also donates $ 2 for every full-size cement mixer sold Tuesday.

Simone Biles return helped Olympics viewership, common 16.eight million

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Simone Biles from the USA in action on the balance beam, finals, Ariake Gymnastics Center, Tokyo, Japan, August 3, 2021.

Lindsey Wasson | Reuters

The Tokyo Olympics had an average of 17.4 million viewers for Tuesday’s coverage, and NBCUniversal’s overall prime-time average stayed at 16.8 million viewers on its platforms, the media company said on Wednesday.

Gym star Simone Biles returned to the competition Tuesday morning and helped attract the crowd. Galle pulled back from the events last week because of psychological concerns but returned to catch a bronze medal in the women’s balance beam on Tuesday. The 24-year-old Biles now has seven Olympic medals, which is what Shannon Miller has most in common among Olympic gymnasts in the USA.

NBCUniversal, the parent company of CNBC, found that only television attracted 16.8 million viewers as of Tuesday. The start of track and field competitions helped too, and US women’s football and US men’s basketball were two of the top attractions for the Tokyo Olympics earlier this week. The US women’s team fell 1-0 against Canada and was eliminated from the hunt for gold. This competition ended early Monday morning. The men’s knockout round victory over Spain (quarter-finals) was shown on NBC’s streaming service Peacock and ended at around 2 a.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday.

The Tokyo Games rebounded from the low ratings during the opening ceremony, which drew around 17 million viewers. The opening weekend included 19.8 million viewers for the July 25 coveragein which the US men’s basketball team lost to France.

After that, however, the numbers began to decline, as viewership averaged 15.5 million viewers on TV and streaming last Friday. However, viewers streamed around 3 billion minutes of Tokyo Olympics content through its platforms, including Peacock, and NBCUniversal estimates the total will surpass the 2016 Rio Olympics, which streamed 3.3 billion minutes.

If advertisers don’t get negotiated impressions, they’ll get finished goods inventory on other NBC programs. Historically, the Summer Olympics have been a huge draw for spectators. In 2016, the two-week event drew an average of 27.5 million viewers across all NBC platforms. The 2012 London Games attracted around 31 million viewers, while the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing attracted an average of 27 million viewers.

Sydney McLaughlin from the United States poses with her gold medal for the women’s 400m hurdles, Olympic Stadium, Tokyo, Japan, August 4, 2021.

Lindsey Wasson | Reuters

Olympic profiles raised and new names discovered

Unless sponsors get the impressions from the US viewer site, athletes cannot maximize their advertising deals, said Edward shudder, a sports attorney with the Phillips Nizer law firm.

Schauder has negotiated advertising deals with top athletes, including Tiger Woods and the US Olympic ice hockey team from 1980.

However, performance can trump ratings, and winning multiple gold medals would help overcome the low impressions as companies make long-term use of iconic Olympic names.

“Anyone who wins gold medals like Mark Spitz will always be known,” said Schauder. “You win 28 medals like Michael Phelps, you will always be known.”

This year, Swimmer Caeleb Dressel, who won five gold medals in Tokyo, shone. He joined Spitz and Phelps to win at least five medals in one summer. And with $ 37,500 per gold medal, Dressel earned a six-figure payday. Dressel is already affiliated with top sponsors, including Toyota and coke, and made national media rounds on Tuesday after returning to the US

US swimmer Katie Ledecky also stood out, especially in the fight with Australian Ariarne Titmus in the women’s 400m freestyle. Ledecky won four medals at the Tokyo Games and now has 10 medals in her Olympic career.

US athlete Sydney McLaughlin (gold) set a new world record in the women’s 400-meter hurdles on Tuesday. McLaughlin, the former Gatorade High School Athlete of the Year, defeated his US runner Dalilah Muhammad and finished in 51:47 seconds.

McLaughlin, 21, works with watch manufacturer TAG Heuer and has a contract with clothing company New Balance.

“There will also be one or two athletes that everyone is talking about,” said Schauder. Marketing and film producers could “identify cool stories people will hear after the Olympics”.

Gymnast Suni Lee and golfers Xander Schauffele than two of the more exciting storylines that emerged from the Ames.

After Biles retired from the competition, Lee, 18, stepped in and won the women’s all-round tournament, extending the United States’ 17-year streak of victories at the event. Schauffele was involved in a final kick with the Slovak Rory Sabbatini. Also women wrestlers Tamyra Mensah stick was second on the Facebook list after becoming the first black woman to win gold in the competition, which first took place in 2004.

The 13-year-old bitches Momiji Nishiya (Japan) and Rayssa Leal (Brazil) were also on the international front. popular with the Tokyo games. Nishiya graduated with gold and Leal took silver in the Women’s street skateboard competition, one of the new sports added to the Olympics. And 13-year-old Sky Brown became Britain’s youngest Olympic champion when she finished bronze in the women’s park skateboarding final.

College athletes should also benefit from the name, image, and likeness when they return to universities.

“You will be able to add Olympic medalists to your profile and be a member of an Olympic team,” said Schauder. “It’s like when Christian Laettner benefited from being the college kid who played on the Dream Team.”

On Wednesday, the US remains in first place with a total of 79 medals (25 gold). China has 70 medals (32 gold) and the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) is third with 53 total medals.

Disclosure: CNBC parent NBCUniversal owns NBC Sports and NBC Olympics. NBC Olympics owns the U.S. broadcast rights to all Summer and Winter Games through 2032.

Hurling fashion objective for Argentina within the Tokyo2020 Olympics

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When 24-year-old Nicholas Keenan scored a hurling-style goal for Argentina against Japan in men’s hockey at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, it is remembered that Keenan has a grandfather from Cork, Ireland, the home of hurling.

What could have been! Keenan’s grandfather was a Cork man before moving to South America (although he may have been good at such skills @OfficialCorkGAA Slingshot)@ Munster_Hockey https://t.co/V6hncocez9

– The hook (@hookhockey) July 26, 2021

It was a goal the great Jimmy Barry Murphy would have been proud of when Keenan picked up the ball, flicked it up, and over his shoulder with a twist of his wrists and shoulders doubled the ball in the air, toward the back of the host’s net.

Irish Argentines

Many may not know that Argentina is home to the fifth largest Irish community in the world, the largest in a non-English speaking nation, and the largest in Latin America.

Irish Argentines are Argentine citizens who are wholly or partly of Irish descent.
Irish emigrants from the Midlands, Wexford and the Southeast, and even from many of Ireland’s counties, came to Argentina mainly from 1830 to 1930, with the largest wave occurring between 1850 and 1870. The modern Irish-Argentine community of some Irish descendants is estimated at 500,000 to 1,000,000.

Hurling in Argentina

Still playing ?⚾️.#GAA # Gaelic football #sling #still play #stilltogheter #quedateencasa #Stay at home #stay at home #stay at home #Homeland #Stay at home pic.twitter.com/9Pypo0XvMK

– ArgentinaGAA (@ArgentinaGaa) May 13, 2020

The earliest reference to hurling in Argentina comes from the late 1880s in the ranch town of Mercedes in Buenos Aires, a major center of the Irish-Argentine community. However, the game was not actively promoted until 1900 when writer and newspaper man William Bulfin became aware of it. The Argentine Hurling Club was founded on July 15, 1900 under Bulfin’s patronage.

On August 17, 1900, Bulfin printed the rules and a diagram of a hurling pitch in The Southern Cross, the official newspaper of the Argentine Irish community. The enthusiasm quickly spread and teams were quickly formed in both the Buenos Aires neighborhoods and the surrounding farming communities. The Order of the Passionists and Pallotines played an important role in promoting the game.

The future of hurling is certain in Argentina, well done Santi O Reilly https://t.co/D7MXh2JJIg

– Go in Gaelic (@GoGaelic) July 6, 2020

One moment please…

Dressel to begin Phelps-style medal bid at Tokyo Olympics

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US swimmer Caeleb Dressel opens his Michael Phelps-style medal hunt at the Tokyo Olympics on Monday, while Judo Shohei Ono will try to hold the gold medal for Japan.

Dressel sat out in the 4 x 100 meter runs on Sunday, but the United States still qualified second behind Italy and will be favorites for the morning final.

It could be the start of a seven-title streak for Dressel, 24, whose 13 world titles have sparked inevitable comparisons with Phelps – winners of eight gold medals in 2008 and 23 total.

The pressure is on the US team to emulate the golden generation of retired Phelps along with Ryan Lochte, Nathan Adrian and Tony Ervin who failed to qualify.

“I think everyone who is on the team we have to increase the pace because what they have left is huge,” said Dressel.

In the men’s 100m breaststroke final, Adam Peaty is the clear favorite as he seeks to become the first British swimmer to successfully defend an Olympic title.

Peaty, who has lowered the world record five times, won his semifinals in 57.63 seconds and led the timekeeping ahead of the Dutchman Arno Kamminga in 58.19 seconds in the final.

Away from the pool, three-time world champion Ono awaits a life-and-death struggle at Nippon Budokan, the spiritual home of judo, as he strives for his second Olympic gold.

“Olympia is not a place to enjoy,” he said in a recent interview with the public broadcaster NHK. “For me it’s a life or death battlefield.”

After an exceptionally rocky run-up to the Games, with a year-long delay and fan bans due to the pandemic, Japan got off to a strong start in the first two days with five gold medals.

As skateboarding continues its Olympic debut, women’s road world champion Aori Nishimura hopes to emulate Japanese teammate Yuto Horigome, who won the men’s competition on Sunday.

Briton Jonny Brownlee will win triathlon gold in the absence of his brother Alistair, who won the last two Olympic titles but failed to qualify this time.

The story goes on

Brownlee, who took bronze in 2012 and silver in 2016, wants to be the first athlete to win three Olympic medals in swimming, cycling and running.

Elsewhere, Serbia’s number one tennis player, Novak Djokovic, meets Jan-Lennard Struff from Germany in the second round, who is following his fight for the first Olympic title.

The 2008 bronze medalist has won the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon that year, giving him a chance at the Golden Slam – he won all four majors and the Olympics in the same season.

th / jc

Welcome to the Tokyo Olympics, the place public well being, cash, and politics collide

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It is night on the streets of Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan, when the Olympic torch burns out. A viral video shows the slow jogging of the torchbearer past the spectators along the street. Then, as the flame goes by, a woman in the crowd shoots a water pistol.

“Put out the Olympic flame! Face the Tokyo Olympics! ”She screams. Security is racing around them.

This is the backdrop to the upcoming Olympic and Paralympic Games due to begin in Tokyo on July 23 – where Covid-19 cases are on the rise, causing the city to declare its fourth state of emergency since the pandemic began. The rise in the number of cases is particularly worrying as the country’s vaccination rate remains low. Only 18% of the Japanese population are fully vaccinated.

Nevertheless, the International Olympic Committee continues. Are at stake billion dollars in sunk costs—Tokyo’s Olympic Stadium alone cost 1.4 billion US dollars – as well Billions more potential revenue for the IOC, Japan, local organizers and broadcasters.

A global health crisis that is far from over, an incredible amount of money and a government that is paying off: the forces colliding in Tokyo are unprecedented. And even with strict new rules for the games, experts fear that Covid-19 could worsen in Japan.

Protect athletes

Nearly 100,000 athletes, staff and family members and others are expected to travel to Japan for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, and organizers are claiming to do their best to protect them.

Brian McCloskey, chairman of an independent body advising the IOC on Covid-19 containment measures for Tokyo, acknowledges the concerns. To reduce the risk of the virus spreading, athletes, employees and others are closely monitored, he says.

“The goal is to have no coronavirus in Tokyo,” says McCloskey. “The aim is to prevent these individual cases from becoming clusters and spreading events.”

Athletes, staff and officials are tested at various intervals during the games. For example, the residents of the Olympic Village are tested daily, while the Japanese workers who are in close contact with athletes are tested more frequently than the traffic drivers. McCloskey says a contact tracing system is being used at the Olympic Village to help contain any cases that arise. Everyone entering Japan must download a contact tracking app, and athletes and media outlets are asked to enable GPS tracking on their phones. The organizers say location data is only used when there are Covid cases.

The closer the games got, the stricter the measures became. Viewers from other countries were banned months ago, and it was announced earlier this month that there will be no audience at all at venues in and around Tokyo.

“It’s not just the event itself, but everything else related to the event: the hotels, the restaurants, the means of transport.”

Linsey Marr, professor at Virginia Tech

McCloskey says there is a precedent for holding the Games amid a public health threat – even if previous Games have not been on the order of Covid. When advising the IOC on the London 2012 Olympics, organizers considered the potential for a SARS pandemic, he says. And before the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, there were concerns about Zika (the WHO later said no cases were reported among athletes or spectators).

For Tokyo, the IOC has published several “playbooks” with instructions for athletes, staff, volunteers and the press.

But despite strict rules, the games will inevitably lead to people mixing and interacting in ways that otherwise wouldn’t happen.

“It’s not just the event itself,” said Linsey Marr, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Virginia Tech who is a leading expert on airborne virus transmission. “It’s everything else that has to do with the event: the hotels, the restaurants, the means of transport.”

The Phelps issue: Kalisz claims return journey to Olympics | Leisure

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OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – Despite retiring from swimming five years ago, the influence of Michael Phelps was felt on the opening night of the U.S. Olympic Trials.

Chase Kalisz, who says Phelps is like a big brother, got himself another trip to the Olympics by winning the 400m individual medley on Sunday.

A hooded Phelps then cheered him on from the socially distant stands sauntered onto the deck to hug his former training partner at the North Baltimore Aquatic Club.

“Michael supports me a lot,” said Kalisz. “He’ll give me a kick in the butt when I need it, and sometimes I need it. Michael was an older brother to me in my life. I remember interacting with Michael when I was 6 years old – and here we are 21 years later. “

Phelps was impressed with Kalisz’s performance.

“His back half was great,” Phelps told the Associated Press. “I thought he might go a little faster. But he’ll be there soon. He took care of what he had to do. “

On the women’s side, the Americans had offspring: 19-year-old Emma Weyant prevailed against three Olympic veterans in her first tests and won an exciting 400 IM.

Another Olympic rookie, Kieran Smith, cut his previous personal best by almost 3 seconds to win the 400 freestyle and take his place for Tokyo.

Kalisz was halfway behind the top qualifier Carson Foster after the butterfly and backstroke course.

But Kalisz took the lead in the breaststroke and held it through the freestyles to the end, winning in 4 minutes, 9.09 seconds.

“I know where to be to get away from the breaststroke,” said the 27-year-old.

Phelps, who retired in 2016 after winning a record 23 gold medals in the Olympics, said everyone at the trials should get a boost from racing in front of fans.

USA Swimming allowed around 50% capacity in the 14,000-seat arena, with many of the empty seats filled with cardboard cutouts.

After more than a year without fans in the stands, the atmosphere for the swimmers was still a welcome change.

“You get that power from the fans,” said Phelps. “I got goosebumps when I entered the arena tonight.”

Another 2016 Olympian, Jay Litherland, followed Foster over the last 25 meters and took the expected second place on the Olympic team in 4: 10.33.

Foster finished third in 4: 10.86 – outside of the Olympic Games.

This ensured that some veterans would be the first swimmers to grab spots on the squad that will travel with high expectations to the Tokyo games delayed by the pandemic.

Kalisz took silver in the 400 IM at the Rio Olympics while Litherland finished fifth in that event.

Kalisz swam over to hug Litherland after seeing them finish 1-2. Both attended the University of Georgia and are still training together.

“It means the world to have my training partner with me,” said Kalisz.

The pandemic-related Olympics turned out to be a blessing for Kalisz, who hadn’t even qualified for the final of the 400 IM at the 2019 World Championships. He was struggling with a shoulder injury and was clearly not in full force.

An additional year of training was just what he needed before he could take on the grueling 400 IM on exams.

“I would definitely say that,” said Kalisz. “I don’t want to say that last year I wasn’t prepared because I was. But I’m 27. My body needs a lot more rest than ever before. “

Practically in sync with the top 4 In the final round of the 400 women’s IMs, Weyant touched first in 4: 33.81.

Hali Flickinger secured the probable second place for Tokyo with 4: 33.96, while Melanie Margalis (4: 34.08) and Leah Smith (4: 34.55) just missed out.

They set the four fastest times in the world that year, a testament to America’s strength and depth among women.

Weyant said her strategy is, “Stick to my race schedule and don’t worry about everyone around me. Stick to my strengths and always take them home with you when doing freestyle. “

Flickinger, Margalis, and Smith were on the U.S. Olympic team in 2016, but Weyant defeated them all.

“I’m not going to lie,” said the teenager. “I was really nervous so I tried to get that out of my system (in the morning preliminary round). Tonight’s plan was just to race. “

Kieran Smith’s Olympic debut will also be his first time with the national team.

He won in 3: 44.86 but knows that he has to be even faster to get a medal – especially against a strong Australian squad.

Reigning Olympic gold medalist Mack Horton drove a faster time than Smith in his country’s trials, and it wasn’t even good enough to make it onto the Australian team.

“I’m really excited about this swim,” said Smith, who had a best time to date of 3: 47.71. “I’m looking forward to hopefully improving this swim and being competitive with the rest of the world.”

No one else in the eight-man final was fast enough to meet the qualifying time for Tokyo.

Sunday too Michael Andrew has set two American records in the 100th breaststroke, 58.19 in the preliminary rounds in the morning and even faster – 58.14 – in the evening semi-finals.

He will be the clear favorite in the final on Monday.

“There’s a lot left in the tank,” said Andrew. “Maybe I tried too hard with the lights and cameras to go home. Hopefully I can fix that tomorrow. “

Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at https://twitter.com/pnewberry1963 You can find his work at https://apnews.com/search/paulnewberry

More AP Olympic coverage: https://www.apnews.com/OlympicGames and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Particular Olympics Swim Crew raises cash for Polar Plunge in a inventive method through the pandemic

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Raising money for the Polar Plunge this year looked a little different this year.

We spoke to some people from the Special Olympics Swim Team.

During the pandemic, people had to use their creativity to raise money for their important causes.

The Erie Swim Team did just that for the fundraiser.

For the swimmers in the Special Olympics Swim Team, it will be a little cooler with a new version of the Polar Plunge.

For one swimmer, she said that she looks forward to this event every year.

“It’s a lot of fun. The coaches are nice and everyone in the team is nice and accepts no matter what happens,” said Mireya Fairman, swimmer in the Special Olympics Swim Team.

With Polar Plunge canceled and turned into a virtual event, participants had to find a new way to recreate the ice cold jump.

“We just thought Arby’s wanted to participate and use Arby’s as an out-sponsor and participate in the Polar Plunge that way because it’s virtual,” said Lori Graham, Assistant to the Special Olympics Swim Team.

“Really on hold, all the fundraiser really just went down and we wanted to make sure we were making a difference,” said Brandy Bell, general manager of Arby’s on West 12th Street.

Now the Erie Special Olympics Swim Team does the Polar Plunge every year for fundraising.

This year, however, things got interesting because of the pandemic when they came up with a great idea of ​​filling that truck bed with water and ice to recreate the Polar Plunge.

It was freezing, but Mireya didn’t mind because she says the team could go to Florida with the donated money and get funny t-shirts.

“These custom shirts are really expensive and that will go a long way,” Fairman said.

If you want to donate to the Special Olympics, click here.

Springfield holds social-distanced Polar Plunge, elevating cash for Particular Olympics Missouri

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SPRINGFIELD, Mon. (KY3) – Dozens of people brave the cold water on Saturday in South Springfield during the sixth annual Polar Plunge.

This year’s Polar Plunge took place in the Ski Shack Cable Park, from which 1,700 Special Olympics Missouri athletes benefit every year.

Last year the event raised $ 45,730. The money will support various programs and competitions for Special Olympics Missouri.

The Springfield Police Department and the Missouri State Highway Patrol compose this event each year.

“With the athletes, they know our names. They come out, they love to see us and the uniforms, and it’s a big family for us now. The Special Olympics staff and the athletes, we’re just one big family, ”said Jeff Fugett of MSHP Troop D.

Twenty teams competed that year and crashed at a staggered pace, one team at a time, to keep everyone socially distant.

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