After four weekends of winter sports, we are slowly entering the middle of the winter season . And, as usual, it's time for statistics that I don't know which theared to put in      After 29 events, 20 different NOCs was already on the podium. After several seasons, Uzbekistan is also back on the podium thanks to figure skating (and two former Russians).   This weekend will be all about ice sports, with a total of 13 events: 4 in figure skating (first stage in Europe) and 9 in short track (second stage in Montreal, since SLC was cancelled)

World Boxing approved seven new applications from the National Federations in Andorra, Belgium, Iraq, Lithuania, Madagascar, Kyrgyzstan and Thailand. 

Catch of the year!    

Food court item!

Out of curiosity, I listened to a few podcasts about Turkmenistan today. This country has very large deposits of natural gas. In the 1990s, a simple a ordinary people lived quite well there. In the early 21st century, Turkmenistan signed several unfavorable gas deals with China and has practically gone bankrupt since then. 1/3 of the population (about 2 million out of 6 million- mostly young people) emigrated, mainly to Turkey, India, etc. The future of this country is blacka and uncertain. I don't know what other options they have? Russia, Turkey, the EU? Of course, in terms of selling gas. Perhaps sanctions of Russia's and isolation due to the war in Ukraine would be a chance for Turkmenistan to establish economic relations with the EU, but the new president would probably have to loosen and a little liberate up his country's domestic politics.

A friend of mine who visited 97 countries of the world be in Turkmenistan (with Kunshamara, are the onlyones i know) and he tell me something that never see in another country: his presence was enough to make nervous to all the people, in restaurants, markets, etc, the presence of an "outsider" generate that.

2024 Triathlon World Cup | Tongyeong, South Korea  (26 october)   Men’s: 1.  Dylan McCullough 2.  David Cantero 3.  Maciej Bruzdziak 4.  Maxime Hueber-Moosbrugger 5.  Roberto Sanchez 6.  Ben Dijkstra 7.  Aurelien Jem 8.  Nathan Grayel 9.  Sebastien Pascal 10.  Liam Donnelly   Women’s:   1.  Jolien Vermeylen 2.  Summer Rappaport 3.  Sian Rainsley 4.  Sandra Dodet 5.  Lea Coninx 6.  Gina Sereno 7.  Marta Pintanel 8.  Costanza Arpinelli 9.  Alissa Konig 10.  Beatrice Mallozzi    

2024 African Championships | Addis Ababa, Ethiopia  (12-19 october)   Men’s Singles: 1.  Omar Assar 2.  Youssef Abdel-Aziz 3.  Mahmoud Helmy 3.  Darara Mokonen Dufera 5.  Milhane Jellouli 5.  Aly Ghallab 5.  Mohamed El-Beialy 5.  Kokou Dodji Fanny   Women’s Singles: 1.  Hana Goda 2.  Mariam Al-Hodaby 3.  Hend Fathy 3.  Yousra Helmy 5.  Marwa Al-Hodaby 5.  Fatimo Bello 5.  Malissa Nasri 5.  Lynda Loghraibi   Men’s Doubles: 1.  Muizz Adegoke & Abdulbasit Abdulfatai 2.  Matthew Kuti & Olajide Omotayo 3.  Mohamed El-Beiali & Youssef Abdel-Aziz 3.  Aly Ghallab & Mahmoud Helmy   Women’s Doubles: 1.  Hend Fathy & Hana Goda 2.  Yassamine Bouhenni & Malissa Nasri 3.  Mariam Al-Hodaby & Marwa Al-Hodaby 3.  Fatimo Bello & Hope Udoaka   Mixed Doubles: 1.  Youssef Abdel-Aziz & Mariam Al-Hodaby 2.  Milhane Jellouli & Amina Kessaci 3.  Mahmoud Helmy & Hend Fathy 3.  Matthew Kuti & Ajoke Ojomu   Men’s Teams: 1.  Nigeria (Aruna, Abdulfatai, Kuti, Omotayo, Adegoke) 2.  Algeria (Kherouf, Jellouli, Azzala, Bella) 3.  Ethiopia (Habteyes, Mindahun, Dufera, Bireba, Hadsh) 3.  Tunisia (Sabhi, Khaloufi, Essid, Chaieb)   Women’s Teams: 1.  Egypt (Goda, Al-Hodaby Mariam, Helmy, Al-Hodaby Marwa, Fathy) 2.  Nigeria (Sezuo, Rabiu, Ojomu, Udoaka, Bello) 3.  Uganda (Nangonzi, Nakawala, Anyango) 3.  Algeria (Bouhenni, Kessaci, Nasri, Loghraibi, Merzoug)

2024 European Championships | Linz, Austria   (15-20 october)   Men’s Singles: 1.  Alexis Lebrun 2.  Benedikt Duda 3.  Dimitrij Ovtcharov 3.  Truls Moregard 5.  Felix Lebrun 5.  Patrick Franziska 5.  Dang Qiu 5.  Anton Kallberg   Women’s Singles: 1.  Sofia Polcanova 2.  Bernadette Szocs 3.  Maria Xiao 3.  Nina Mittelham 5.  Charlotte Lutz 5.  Jia Nan Yuan 5.  Yuan Wan 5.  Sabine Winter   Men’s Doubles: 1.  Alexis Lebrun & Felix Lebrun 2.  Anton Kallberg & Truls Moregard 3.  Maciej Kolodziejczyk &  Vladislav Ursu 3.  Mattias Falck & Kristian Karlsson   Women’s Doubles: 1.  Hana Matelova &  Barbora Balazova 2.  Sofia Polcanova &  Bernadette Szocs 3.  Izabela Lupulesku & Sabina Surjan 3.  Natalia Bajor &  Tatiana Kukulkova   Mixed Doubles: 1.  Alvaro Robles & Maria Xiao 2.  Robert Gardos & Sofia Polcanova 3.  Simon Gauzy & Prithika Pavade 3.  Annett Kaufmann & Patrick Franziska