Page 31 - Olympics

Paris Games 2024: Welcome to weird world of men's soccer at Olympics

Kylian Mbapp wanted to be there. France coach Thierry Henry wanted it too. In the end, not even French President Emmanuel Macron could pull enough strings to free up his country's finest soccer player to compete in the Paris Games. Welcome to the weird world of men's Olympic soccer. The world's most popular sport occupies a strange space at the Games confused by compromises and contortions that appear designed to ensure it remains a part of the roster so long as it provides the least possible disruption to teams, players and authorities, whose priorities lie elsewhere. It's become a complete mishmash over the years from being something that was quite important... to something that quite a lot of people would like scrapped because the calendar is so clogged up, soccer author Steve Menary told The Associated Press. Men's soccer has been part of the Olympics since the 1900 Games, also in Paris. The only time it hasn't featured since then was in Los Angeles in 1932 to help promote th

Delhi's Tulika Maan secures Paris Olympics quota for India in Judo

Commonwealth Games silver medallist Tulika Maan on Tuesday secured a Paris Olympics quota for India in judo, according to the international body's list. International Judo Federation (IJF) on Tuesday published a list of judokas who have qualified for the Paris Games and 25-year-old Tulika's name featured in the +78 kg category. The Delhi girl was ranked 36th with 1345 points. The qualification period was between June 22, 2022 and June 23, 2024. "The next step will take place on July 2 when the NOCs (National Olympic Committees) will have to nominate which athletes will represent them, knowing that only one judoka per NOC can participate in the Games in each weight category," the IJF said on its website. "In other words, if a country has several judoka qualified in a given weight category, only one can be chosen to participate this summer." A country can enter a maximum of 14 judokas, seven each for both men and women per bodyweight category. France, as host country, received a sp

Athletes have lost faith in WADA: Olympic gold winners tell US Congress

The USA Olympic athletes have lost faith in the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to rid their sports of cheaters ahead of next month's Paris Olympics, two former gold medalists told a House subcommittee. The testimony by Michael Phelps and Allison Schmitt followed revelations this spring that 23 Chinese swimmers had tested positive for a banned heart medication ahead of the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 but were allowed by WADA to compete. Five of those swimmers went on to win medals, including three golds. Phelps is the most decorated swimmer in history and a 23-time Olympic gold medalist. Schmitt, a four-time gold medalist, was part of the US 800-meter freestyle relay team that finished a close second to China at the Tokyo Games. Both the Chinese and U.S. teams broke the previous world record in the relay. We raced hard. We trained hard. We followed every protocol. We accepted our defeat with grace, Schmitt said. Many of us will be haunted by this podium finish that may have been impacted

Paris Olympics: Geothermal rooms, hi-tech recovery space for athletes

Indian Olympic Association to organisers: Ensure all our rooms have fans

India will be sending full six-member archery contingent to Olympics

For the first time in 12 years, India will be sending a full six-member archery contingent to the Olympics, making them eligible to compete in all the five events at the Paris Games. This was made possible after the Indian men and women secured the team quotas based on the updated world rankings on Monday. Team qualification guarantees participation in all events in archery at the Olympics. The last time India fielded a six-member team at Olympics was in London 2012 where they competed in all the four events. The mixed team event was introduced in the last Olympics in Tokyo. India have never won a medal in archery at the quadrennial extravaganza. In the men's section, India and China made the cut, while in the women's category Indonesia were the second nation to secure the team quota. The team events will have 12 sides in each section, while five outfits will compete in the mixed competitions. For the first time, team quotas are offered to the top-two nations after the three-leg

IOA proposes to start medical insurance, pension for all former Olympians

The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) is set to bring in medical health insurance and pension scheme for all former Olympians, the top sports body's president PT Usha said here on Sunday. Usha has proposed the recommendations to the IOA's Executive Committee which will come up for discussion soon. The IOA will solely cover all these expenses from its coffers and the idea came to Usha's mind after she witnessed the plight of Indian archer Limba Ram. "The IOA is taking many athlete-centric steps and one of these is medical insurance and pension for all our ex-Olympians," Usha told PTI while felicitating legendary Indian athlete Gurbachan Singh Randhwa on the occasion of International Olympic Dat at his residence here. "We have submitted the proposal to all EC members for all ex-Olympians. It is a small help from IOA for all ex-Olympians. We should remember all our ex-Olympians," she added. Usha said the idea struck her after she met ailing Olympian Limba Ram, who has suffered a brain

Olympics 2024: Pressure there, but we see it positively, say Chirag, Satwik

A medal prospect at the upcoming Paris Olympics, the crack team of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty say they are well equipped to handle the pressure of expectations as they "view it positively". As the Olympic Games approach, the duo acknowledged the high expectations placed on them. During an interaction with former India cricketer Dinesh Karthik on JioCinema's 'Get Set Gold' programme, Rankireddy emphasized their commitment to "make the country proud". "We take it as a responsibility to make the Indian flag fly high at the Olympics. We will work hard to achieve that," Rankireddy said. Shetty, unfazed by the pressure, aims to channel it positively to stay focused on their goals. "Pressure is there, but we view it positively". Rankireddy and Shetty, who won bronze at the 2022 BWF World Championships and gold at the 2022 Asian Games, were the first Indian men's doubles pair to achieve the world number one ranking. Shetty recounted their Olympic debut experience at Tokyo

India to push its 2036 Olympic bid in Paris, seek inclusion of Indic sports

India's sports administrators would be "lobbying" hard during the upcoming Paris Olympics to brighten the country's chances of hosting the 2036 Games where they will push for the inclusion of indigenous disciplines like yoga, kho kho and kabaddi if their ambitious bid is successful. The Sports Authority of India's Mission Olympic Cell (MOC) presented its detailed report on the measures needed for a successful bid to new sports minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Thursday. In this document, MOC has identified six disciplines, including yoga, kho kho, kabaddi, chess, T20 cricket and squash for inclusion in the 2036 Olympics if the country gets to host the quadrennial extravaganza. "We met the new Sports Minister yesterday and handed him the report. The minister said he will need a few days to go through it. But he asked us to prepare another report on how sports can be a career option in the country, how to build interest among youth, how to bring private players into sports," a senior memb

Novak Djokovic confirmed for Paris Games, says Serbian Olympic Committee

Novak Djokovic will compete in the upcoming Paris Games, the Serbian Olympic Committee confirmed. Djokovic had knee surgery after withdrawing from the French Open ahead of the quarterfinals and said he hoped to return to competition as soon as possible. The Serbian committee said in its announcement that Djokovic had confirmed he will play in Paris. It will be his fifth Olympics. The 37-year-old Djokovic had said surgery on his right knee went well. The tennis events for the Paris Olympics start on July 27 at Roland Garros, the site of the French Open. It was unclear if Djokovic will be ready to play at Wimbledon, where he has won seven of his 24 Grand Slam titles. That grass-court major begins on July 1. Djokovic has only won a bronze medal at the Olympics. That came in his first games Beijing in 2008.

Tennis stars Sabalenka, Jabeur rule out Olympics to avoid risking health

Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka and two-time Wimbledon finalist Ons Jabeur ruled themselves out of the Olympic Games in Paris. Both top-10 players said they didn't want to switch from grass at Wimbledon back to clay at Roland Garros for the Olympic tournament and then immediately start the hard-court season in North America. World No 3 Sabalenka from Belarus said she'd rather have a break. It's too much for the scheduling and I made the decision to take care of my health, she said in Berlin, where she's warming up for Wimbledon. I prefer to have a little rest to make sure physically and health-wise I'm ready for the hard courts. I'll have a good preparation before going to the hard-court season. I feel that this is safer and better for my body." World No. 10 Jabeur from Tunisia wrote on X that not being able to play at a fourth consecutive Olympics was unfortunate. We (and my medical team) have decided that the quick change of surface and the body's adaptation required w

Olympic Games: A billion-dollar business with political overtones

The Paris Olympics involve about 10,500 athletes from 200 countries or regions. But the Olympics are more than just fun and games. They are a giant business that generates billions of dollars in income for the International Olympic Committee. They're also a proxy for geopolitical influence seen through the standings in the medal tables, the presence of world leaders at the opening ceremony and the national anthems serenading gold-medal winners. Here's a look at how the IOC and the Olympics operate. It's a business, not a charity The International Olympic Committee is a not-for-profit, nongovernmental body based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It generates 91% of its income from selling broadcast rights (61%) and sponsorships (30%). Income for the latest four-year cycle of Winter and Summer Games ending with the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 was $7.6 billion. The IOC says it returns 90% of its income back into sports, although athletes directly get only a small slice. There may be a move afoot

Paris Olympics likely to be hottest one in the games 128-year-old history

Report by a group of Athletes, climate experts raise alarm bells on impact of heat on sportsperson

Making a racquet: Can Indian tennis match the success of badminton?

'What I can tell you is that we have been able to create an ecosystem for badminton. I also believe that Indians have a physicality for the sport'

Quota belongs to country, not to athlete: Bindra backs Olympics' selections

Olympics gold winner Abhinav Bindra on Thursday said promising shooter Rudrankksh Patil was unfortunate to miss the flight to Paris Games, but emphasised that the quota belongs to the country and not to one athlete. Patil, who had bagged a 10m air rifle quota for the Paris Olympics, could not find a place in the 15-member Indian squad for the quadrennial extravaganza after finishing behind Sandeep Singh and Arjun Babuta in the selection trials organised by the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI). As per the Olympic guidelines, a country can only send top two shooters in one event from trials to the Games. See, it's not a call. It's a matter of selection. There's a due process laid out and they followed the process, Bindra told the media here on the sidelines of the IISM Convocation Ceremony 2024. You'll ask the same question in case the process was not followed. But a fair process was put out for everybody, and it was followed, Bindra added. Bindra further explained his ...

Russia, largely excluded from global sports, hosts athletes at Brics Games

Thousands of athletes in both major and obscure sports will be vying for medals in the Russian city of Kazan at the sixth BRICS Games, an international competition shadowed by politics amid Russia's exclusion from major sports events. The games opened Wednesday, which Russia observes as its independence day holiday, underlining the key role that sports plays in its national identity. Since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russia has been frozen out of the most prominent international competitions and sports associations; some Russian passport holders will be allowed to compete as neutral athletes in the Paris Olympics that begin July 26, but their results will not be credited to Russia. In that atmosphere, the BRICS Games are a way for Russia to underline its aggrieved claims of prejudice and inequitable treatment by the West and international sports organizations. Our country has always adhered to the principle that sport is beyond politics, but we are constant

Rohan Bopanna, Sumit Nagal secure Paris Olympics 2024 quotas for India

The qualification window for Paris Olympics ended on Monday for Tennis and the world number four Bopanna earned his quota comfortably

Olympic athletes turn to diabetes tech in pursuit of winning medals

The Paris Olympics, which start on July 26, are an opportunity to showcase the technology - even though there is as yet no proof it can boost athletic performance

Jacobs succeeded Bolt in 100-meter Olympic, still flies 'under the radar'

Hardly anyone outside of Italy had heard of Marcell Jacobs before he succeeded Usain Bolt as the Olympic 100 meter champion in Tokyo. Three injury-filled years have passed, and the Texas-born Italian is almost as big of a mystery now as he was then. American sprinter Noah Lyles is deservedly garnering the spotlight entering the Paris Games after sweeping three golds at last year's world championships. A host of other racers have dipped under the 10-second mark this year, too an achievement that Jacobs hasn't accomplished in nearly two years. So, Jacobs also has the unusual status of being both the defending champion while remaining an underdog for the biggest race of the Olympics. It's good because I can stay under the radar. I can do my preparation, my race, without think(ing) about what the other people think about me, Jacobs told The Associated Press. I don't need to win all the races, but I want to arrive at the Olympics and win again. Having dealt with a series of physical

Paris aims for most sustainable Olympics, organisers admit plan not perfect

Of all the decisions Paris Olympics organisers made about where to hold each sport, sending surfing competitions to the other side of the world in the Pacific waters of Tahiti provoked the strongest reactions. Tahitians and others railed against the building of a new viewing tower on Teahupo'o reef because of fears it would hurt marine life. But organisers say it wasn't just the world-class waves that lured them to the French territory 16,000 kilometres away. Paris Olympic officials had set an ambitious target of halving their overall carbon footprint compared with the 2012 London and 2016 Rio Games. Tahiti's surfing reef is too far offshore for fans to see the action clearly from the beach, so organisers say they calculated that most would watch on television instead of taking flights, a major source of carbon emissions. And fewer spectators, they said, would require little new construction, another key emissions source. We actually did the math, said Georgina Grenon, director

France files charges against teen accused of plan to attack Olympic fans

French authorities on Friday raised preliminary terrorism charges against an 18-year-old accused of a plot targeting spectators attending soccer games at the upcoming Paris Olympics. The interior minister said it was the first such thwarted plot targeting the Games, which start in eight weeks as France is on its highest threat alert level. The man is accused of planning a 'violent action' on behalf of the Islamic State group's jihadist ideology, the national counterterrorism prosecutor's office said in a statement Friday. The man, who was not identified, is being held in custody pending further investigation. Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said in a statement that members of the General Directorate of Internal Security arrested an 18-year-old man from Chechnya on May 22 on suspicion of being behind a plan to attack soccer events that will be held in the southern city of Saint-Etienne. According to the initial investigation, the man was preparing an attack targeting the ...