Page 31 - Olympics

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 ...

French security officials foil plan to attack soccer events during Olympics

The French interior minister said Friday that security authorities have foiled a plan to attack soccer events during the Paris Olympics. Gerald Darmanin said in a statement that an 18-year-old man from Chechnya was arrested on May 22 on suspicion of being behind a plan to attack soccer events that will be held in the city of Saint-Etienne, southwest of Lyon. The Paris Olympics will run from July 26-Aug 11. Soccer matches will take place in cities across France before the final in Paris' Stade de France.

Uber to offer Seine river cruises, day trips in Paris during Olympics rush

Uber also plans to make a significant investment in driver incentives and discounts for riders

Ex-Olympic pole vault champion Braz banned for doping, to miss Paris Games

Olympic pole vault gold medalist Thiago Braz was banned for 16 months for doping and will miss the Paris Games, track and field's Athletics Integrity Unit said on Tuesday. Braz won the Olympic title at his home Rio de Janeiro Games in 2016 and took bronze in Tokyo three years ago. The 30-year-old Braz's ban expires in November and he has filed an appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport, the AIU said. Braz claimed his positive test for ostarine was caused by a contaminated nutritional supplement and the anti-doping tribunal judges accepted by a 2-1 verdict he was not at significant fault, the AIU said. The track and field investigation unit said it would consider an appeal to CAS after asking the first tribunal to impose a four-year ban. Braz was reckless and acted with indirect intent, the AIU said, because he was aware of concerns with Brazilian pharmacies and manifestly disregarded that risk. He tested positive at the Diamond League meeting in Stockholm last July, several

Olympics 2024: Indian relay team's plan for qualification revealed by Jacob

Determined to improve its time and qualify for the Paris Olympics, the Indian men's 4x400m relay squad had planned to shadow the formidable USA team at the World Athletics Relays, sprinter Amoj Jacob had revealed. The Indian men's squad comprising Muhammed Anas Yahiya, Muhammed Ajmal, Arokia Rajiv and Jacob qualified for the Paris Games after finishing second in their heat at the World Athletics Relays in Nassau, Bahamas earlier this month. The Indian quartet finished with a collective timing of 3 minutes and 3.23 with USA (2:59.95) expectedly topping the heat. "We knew that we had the US in our Heats and they mostly run below 3 minutes. So, our plan was to stay close to them in the race, which will not only improve our time but also help us qualify for Paris Games," Jacob told SAI Media. "Our target was to register a time between 3:00 and 3:10 so that our confidence is high going into the Paris Olympics," he added. The Indian team was in third position when anchor-leg runner Jaco

Paris Olympics 2024: Rohan Bopanna to pair with either Balaji or Yuki

India's top doubles player Rohan Bopanna will pick either N Sriram Balaji or Yuki Bhambri as his partner for the Paris Olympics and All India Tennis Association (AITA) will most likely approve his choice even as the combinations will be discussed by the selection committee. Ranked four in the world, 44-year-old Bopanna, being a top-10 player, can pick a player of his choice as per the rules. The men's doubles draw at the Paris Games will be a 32-team affair, where one nation can have a maximum of two teams. The qualification criteria gives top-10 players the privilege to pick their partners, who should be inside top-300 on the ATP and WTA ranking charts. The rankings of June 10 after the conclusion of the French Open will be considered for qualifications. According to AITA sources, Bopanna had recommended names of Balaji and Bhambri to the national federation for inclusion in TOPS as his potential partners for Paris Olympics. "Usually, it's the player's choice (to pick his partne

Paralympics opens in 100 days; Paris organisers push ticket sales

With 100 days until the Paralympics begin, Paris organizers are delivering a message from the athletes in a bid to boost ticket sales: I am not missing anything, except you. The countdown campaign for the August 28-September 8 Paralympic Games begins Monday. It features three Paralympic athletes, each of them alone in an empty stadium. The campaign slogan Il ne me manque rien, sauf vous (I'm not missing anything, except you) is a rallying call to get people to come along and watch them compete. The French athletes featured in the campaign are Arnaud Assoumani, a long jump and triple jump specialist who won gold at the 2008 Games in Beijing; wheelchair tennis player Pauline Droulde, and blind soccer player Gal Rivire who was a European championship winner two years ago. He plays at club level for Bondy Ccifoot Club in the same suburb where France star Kylian Mbapp grew up. National broadcaster France Tlvisions will show the campaign in a bid to raise awareness and ultimately bo

Paris Olympics: Opted for athletics due to father's passion, says Jyothika

An academically-inclined child is a dream realised in most Indian households and that's why Olympic-bound runner Jyothika Sri Dandi aspired to be a doctor before she realised that her father would be happier seeing her excel in sports. The 23-year-old from Tanuku town in West Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh, secured 97 per cent in Class X while studying at the Montessori School at her home town. But, her father Srinivasa Rao, a body-builder in his younger days, nudged her into taking interest in sports as he wanted to see her in the Olympics some day. That dream is going to be a reality in less than three months' time. Jyothika was part of the Indian women's 4x400m relay team that qualified for the Paris Olympics during the World Relays in Bahamas earlier this month. "I got 97 per cent in class X and when I was in school I actually wanted to be a doctor. But, once I started doing sports, I could not go back and think about becoming a doctor," Jyothika, who is taking part in the

Aman Sehrawat seals Paris 2024 Olympics quota; Deepak Punia crashes out

Sehrawat, a U23 world champion, beat Chongsong Han of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea 12-2 in the semi-final for India's sixth quota in wrestling for the Paris 2024 Olympics

Neeraj Chopra to compete before Indian fans for first time in 3 years

Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra's presence will turn the National Federation Cup, starting Sunday, into a high-profile domestic competition though several top athletes have decided to skip the four-day Senior Championships. The 26-year-old Chopra will be competing in a domestic event for the first time in three years, after featuring in the 2021 edition of the same event. It will also be the first time that Chopra will compete in India after winning a historic gold in Tokyo Olympics in 2021. Chopra last took part in a domestic competition at the same Federation Cup in March 2021, when he won a gold with a throw of 87.80m. Since then, he has mostly been training and competing abroad, accumulating silverwares and titles. He became a world champion, won three individual Diamond League titles, one DL champion's trophy and defended his Asian Games gold in China. The superstar Indian, who is hoping to defend his Olympic gold during the Paris Games, is heading to India from Doha where he

Nisha Dahiya secures India's fifth Paris Olympic quota in woman wrestling

Nisha Dahiya became the fifth Indian woman wrestler to qualify for the Paris Olympics after prevailing over Romania's Alexandra Anghel in the 68kg semifinals at the World Olympic Qualifiers here on Friday. This will be the first time India will have five women wrestlers at the quadrennial extravaganza. This was a day after all six Greco-roman wrestlers came up with forgettable performances. Nisha, a World U-23 bronze medallist and Asian Championships silver-medal winner last year beat Anghel 8-4 by points to enter the final and secure another Olympic quota for India. This will be the first time that five Indian woman wrestlers will be competing in the Olympics. Against Anghel, Nisha zoomed to a 8-0 lead with a flurry of attacks in the first period. She began with a right leg attack and converted that into a takedown. She quickly followed that up with a two-pointer and rolled her rival for a comfortable 6-0 cushion. Before the end of first period, she had taken what became an ...