Grassmarket

I know that in various periods of Revolutionary France people threw off reactionary old Christian names & adopted new Republican ones - best-known are Anacharsis Clootz & Gracchus Babeuf - so I’m guessing this is one of those. Rare for them to survive this long, because during the frequent periods of anti-Revolution, most people thought it best to go back to being Jean, Marie etc again. https://www.nancy.cc/2011/09/09/revolution-era-names-in-france/

British medal targets set for Beijing - three to seven medals for the Olympics, five to nine in the Paras. Not sure about the Paras, but I think the Olympics are possible. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/winter-olympics/59981942

In North America it’s like cycling - ie lots of people do it, but don’t necessarily follow it as a professional sport. In Italy, Germany, France it’s a regional sport, very strong in some areas, unknown in most. In other countries, it’s popular when a fellow countryman is winning, less so when they’re not.

A World Cup top 16, according to ES UK comms. Actually, is going to miss that, unless he can repeat his shooting on Sunday.

And !

Now, this must be annoying for everyone involved at Les Rousses. After cancelling the CC World Cup, we find out that it could have gone ahead after all as King Emmanuel I decides that les sangs impurs can once again visit la Patrie. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-59977978

Youtube coverage with English comms. https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=paralympic+games

US authorities use new law to prosecute suppliers of doping products. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10395325/Man-charged-supplying-performance-drugs-Olympians.html

The great thing about crowds at German venues is that it means we don’t have to listen to all this awful music. Is it some kind of secret weapon designed to drive out immigrants?

Oh dear, Stina Nilsson did not need that bad day.

Some real big throw-downs today.

Ooh, back to her old form for Shiffrin.

It’s the fields of pineapples.

I suspect the first thing that any lawyer is going to say is "Try to resolve this within the Brazilian Skiing Governing Body" and then, failing that, within the Brazilian Olympic Committee, and after that via the FIS and it's only after all those roads have been exhausted that the CAS is going to even consider taking the case. In other words, you will be in for a long fight. I was in a discussion on another board this week about Claudia Pechstein's 2009 doping ban, and as far as I could see from Wikipedia the litigation arising from that is still being argued about & is not fully resolved.

No, but I guessing that a lot of money would be the foundation stone.

To get into Singapore in the 70s I needed four injection certificates. Mind you, one was life-long, a couple of others were every few years and only cholera (I think) was every six months.

Not at all: his Dad might only be Joseph.

I guess the rationale is that overall & long-term team sponsorship depends on maximising the number of medals won, so it makes sense to get your best chances selected in every discipline. We see this sometimes in Britain in sports like rowing where some individuals will sacrifice their place in the eight, for example, in the hope that in four years time they get another chance.

London 2012 Long Jump Gold Medallist Greg Rutherford made his GB debut in the Lamin Deen sled today. He was a bit average in terms of getting loaded smoothly, but the start was fairly quick. He's certainly not getting anywhere near the medal prospect Brad Hall sled though.

Stina Nilsson not doing her Olympic selection chances any good here.

Roeiseland is surely not going to repeat Loginov’s mistake. With Sola out should be an easy day for her. Nilsson making up ground.

What on earth was Loginov doing? Didn’t even hesitate after missing two shots by miles.

Loginov keeping it boring, Martin Fourcade style. Everyone else having an Oberhof shooting day. Meltdown!

Much cruel laughter & mockery in Britain today as Third Division* Cambridge United beat Saudi billionaire-backed Newcastle United 0-1 in the FA Cup. At Newcastle’s home as well. * Imperial measurements. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/59911355

There are quite a lot of Serbs in Aus, but I don’t know if they occupy crucial swing constituences.