it's not difficult when you have such a strict policy to enter or leave the country. Or when you have a dictator that can mask number as he wish, if he can convince their people that a highly censored and restrictive land can host a competition like the Olympic Games, i'm sure he can convince no covid case was detected.   One fun fact is that their guards and border control officers were very serious and strict with people from other nationalities when entering the country, but with us it was very different, they would look at our passport with serious face, look at the country, look at us, start smiling and say "Portugal?? Cristiano Ronaldo!!!!"   This behaviour happened in every single checkpoint in every single Central Asia land. It's like a vip pass in this area of the world   

I still remember watching the World Junior Championships in Moncton when ES was hyping her unbeaten streak of 100+ races or whatever the number was and she promptly came 2nd in 200m

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