phelps

https://www.spin.com/2019/10/r-kelly-sexual-misconduct-allegations-timeline/

not only that, but when I connected this morning, there were no new posts in this thread since yesterday afternoon... it was quite strange, but probably I had a problem with my pc and this website (also other threads that now have posts through all the day, until this afternoon seemed to be "dead" since yesterday afternoon)... so, sorry for not having listened to the podcast and for having posted such "old" news as if it was "fresh"...

tragic accident at the general test before the Opening Ceremony of the 2020 YOG in Lausanne... https://www.en24.news/2020/01/vaudoise-arena-a-serious-accident-tarnishes-the-preparations-for-the-yog-switzerland.html https://www.olympic.org/news/ioc-and-lausanne-2020-statement-on-opening-ceremony-rehearsal-accident

Thrilling 2020 season to start with anticipated Karate 1-Series A Santiago The year 2020 is set to be historic for Karate. As the Olympic debut of the sport is getting closer and closer, the season is expected to start with a much-anticipated event: the Karate 1-Series A Santiago. Karatekas are ing the days to shine in the Olympic debut of Karate, and while that moment comes, the first major event of the new year is going to be held in Santiago (Chile) from January 10 to 12. The tournament to take place at Polideportivo Estadio Nacional not only opens the historic season for Karate. It's an event not to be missed by athletes and fans alike, and here it is why: 1. OLYMPIC QUALIFICATION The Karate 1-Series A Santiago is one of the last six events that are left in the Olympic qualification process. Karatekas who want to win the qualification for the Olympic Games will attend the event as they need the points being attributed at the event in order to improve their chances in the Olympic standings. As the differences in the Olympic categories get closer and closer, every point counts. Top-ranked karatekas are expected to travel to Santiago to earn the points at stake. A competitor winning in Santiago may take around 500 points for a gold medal at the event. This means that the quest to the victory and to the points in Chile will be electric. 2. LAST IN AMERICA Karatekas from the Americas have a unique opportunity with the Karate 1-Series A in Santiago. This event will be the last Olympic qualifying tournament to be held in the continent before the qualifying process ends on April 6. Athletes from the region are expected to be part of the tournament as they may earn the coveted points without the inconvenience of long-distance travelling. After Santiago, karatekas from the Americas will have to travel to places like Paris (France), Dubai (UAE), Salzburg (Austria) or Rabat (Morocco) to try to fight for the points. 3. CRUCIAL FOR KARATE 1-PREMIER LEAGUE The Karate 1-Series A Santiago will be the only Series A event to be held before April 6. The uniqueness of the tournament to take place in the capital of Chile is especially relevant for karatekas who are not placed among the top 100 of WKF World ranking. As the participation in Karate 1-Premier League is limited, competitors aiming to be among the top 100 may want to compete in the Karate 1-Series A Santiago as a way to improve their position in WKF World ranking thus winning the right to participate in Karate’s first-class events. 4. OPEN TO SURPRISES The Karate 1-Series A is the tournament of surprises. Karatekas have been able to produce remarkable shocks in the last editions of the Karate 1-Series A which makes this event highly unpredictable and perfect for competitors aiming to make an impact in Karate’s elite. 5. MEET THE BEST OF THE BEST Most of the best karatekas in the world are expected to participate in the 2020 Karate 1-Series A Santiago. Fans will have the chance to see their heroes in action. Also, karatekas will find in Santiago the stage they can test their abilities against some of the top stars of the sport. Since the registration is open, athletes wanting to fight the best karatekas in the world may do so in Chile. World champion Bahman Askari of Iran, European champion Luigi Busà of Italy, newly-proclaimed Grand Winner Sajad Ganjzadeh of Iran, continental championships runner-up Lamya Matoub of Algeria, World Championships silver medallist Jana Bitsch of Germany and European Games champion Bettina Plank of Austria are among the top competitors who have already confirmed their participation in Karate 1-Series A Santiago.

Djurgården Stockholm, 1 vs Mountfield HK, 3 Mountfield take a lead into the second leg at home Four teams remain, but only two can advance and as the Semi-Finals get underway, Djurgården Stockholm played host to Mountfield HK of the Czech Republic with a spot in the 2019/20 Champions Hockey League Final on the line. One way to start a home game is to go on the attack straight away to get the crowd behind you, and that’s exactly what Djurgården did to start the game. They forced a goal review early on as Gustav Possler crashed towards the net, fighting off the defenceman and driving towards the crease, lifting the puck past Marek Mazanec, and after review, the officials agreed that the puck crossed the line before the net was dislodged to give Djurgården an early 1-0 advantage. It didn’t take long though for the visitors to issue their response, a turnover in the neutral zone sent Mountfield into the zone, and a pass back to Richard Nedomlel at the blueline, walked it to the middle and fired it through traffic, with the puck taking a slight deflection on its way to the back of the net. After that, it was a cagier affair as neither side could find the go-ahead goal, but Djurgården did run into some penalty trouble throughout the opening 20 minutes, but fortunately for the hosts, the visitors couldn’t capitalise in the first period. Starting the second period on the powerplay, Mountfield couldn’t get the go ahead goal on the powerplay, but they didn’t wait long after to score their second. As the puck found Matěj Chalupa out in front, he beat Djurgården goalie Karri Rämö to make it a 2-1 game just after two minutes played in the second period. Neither team could find the back of the net through the remainder of the second period of action, and as the clock ticked away in the third, Mountfield held onto their narrow lead 2-1 lead. Eventually somebody would have to add another goal, and it was for the visitors as Matěj Chalupa stole the puck and went all the way up ice, before finishing the rush with a nice backhand to beat Karri Rämö to give Mountfield a 3-1 lead. Djurgården tried to claw their way back into the game, but they couldn't find a way back onto the scoresheet as LGT MVP nominee Mazanec wasn't going to be beaten easily, stopping 20 of the 21 shots he faced as Mountfield held on for a 3-1 victory ahead of the second leg where they'll look to use home-ice advantage to carry them through to the Final. Match Highlights

Frölunda Indians, 2 vs Luleå Hockey, 3 Luleå take first leg lead in Gothenburg In a rematch of the 2014/15 Champions Hockey League Final, Luleå Hockey went into enemy territory and beat the Frölunda Indians 3-2, giving them a one-goal lead to start with next week on home ice. Frölunda started brightly against their opponents from the north, but were guilty of trying one too many passes when it would have been better to shoot. That failure to convert earlier chances came back to haunt them as Einar Emanuelsson scored a contender for goal of the round if not season – down on his knees he fired home to give Luleå the lead at 13:48. Just over two minutes later, the hosts ran into penalty trouble and the visitors made no mistake on a 5-on-3 with Daniel Sondell doubling Luleå’s lead. Period two was almost a reverse affair as Luleå hemmed the defending champions into their own zone for long stretches in the opening minutes. However, having held out Frölunda fought themselves back into the game and gave the crowd life with Viktor Ekbom’s goal at 23:27. The home fans were on their feet again a little over 10 minutes later thanks to Karl Stollery tying the game. The game stayed tied until late when there was still to be a final twist. With goalie Johan Mattsson stranded Filip Hållander set up Jack Connolly in front to put Luleå back in the lead with 6:25 to go. Match Highlights

Knockout Stage Semifinals, First Leg Tuesday 7.1.2020 - Results 18:00 Frölunda Indians (SWE) - Luleå Hockey (SWE) 2-3 19:00 Djurgården Stockholm (SWE) - Mountfield HK (CZE) 1-3

oh, man! Wilfredo "Willy" Leon is simply the best male Volleyball player in the world (Cuban born, then switched to Poland)...

Martina Moravcova

OK, it was a misunderstanding, then...as I didn't see the question mark... however, yes...it's the Christian Orthodox Church (mainly based in Eastern Europe, but with small communities well established also in the rest of the Continent and wherever the Diaspora from those Countries has chosen to live) celebrating their Christams Day (which comes about 2 weeks later than the rest of Cristianity because they still use the ancient Julian calendar and never accepted to adopt the "newer" Gregorian calendar used by all the other Christian communities)...

I know that! I wrote "those who celebrate today" only because I'm not one of them (actually, today here in Italy it's the first day after the end of the X'mas/New Year's vacation...the second worst day of the year, just behind the first day after the end of the Summer break )

Merry Christmas to all those who celebrate today!

Knockout Stage Semifinals, First Leg Tuesday 7.1.2020 - Schedule* 18:00 Frölunda Indians (SWE) - Luleå Hockey (SWE) 19:00 Djurgården Stockholm (SWE) - Mountfield HK (CZE) *All times CET Watch live Check here for details of live TV broadcasts: https://www.championshockeyleague.com/en/fans/where-to-watch All games are also live on the CHL website for free, subject to geo-blocking restrictions in certain countries due to TV rights.

https://tass.com/sport/1103261 https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1088640/bonnard-lawson-appointed-in-cas-case https://www.tas-cas.org/en/general-information/news-detail/article/list-of-cas-hearings-1.html

yeah, I just read about this... it was a desperate but necessary move, as he has only played 3 games with our NT so far this season... in September he signed a 1-month contract with HIFK Helsinki, but their coach didn't trust him at all and he never played, he didn't get a single minute on the ice... then he couldn't find another option since the November international break and I guess he was basically forced to accept MAC's offer (I also read that Bozen tried to offer him a job, but there have been a lot troubles with his agent and so a return close to home was never seriously taken into consideration)... imho, it's quite a waste of talent for him to play in this team (with all respect for MAC and the Slovakian Extraliga), but probably he didn't want to take on underpaid jobs nor be a full time backup in more demanding (prestigious) leagues... surely, for Italy it's absolutely vital that he can play regularly at a decent level in the next months, if we want at least a minimal chance to save our face at the next worlds (this time I don't think we're going to avoid relegation in any case...we've been lucky enough last year already)...

that goes "beyond" (whatever you want to add)... there's always something new to be discovered every day...

today's live streaming on the Czech website is blocked once again... as if I don't have any other option left...

he should make a trip to some Italian cities (especially in the south of Italy or in the big northern cities with a lot of people with southern heritage)... here it's just 9 p.m. and I could already hear at least a couple of "bombs" (I mean, those are not true fireworks, they are really homemade bombs)... I imagine what's gonna happen in the next 3 hours or so...

basically, the score must come from one of the 3 main perspectives of the Olympic motto (Altius = Higher, Citius = Faster, Fortius = Stronger), at least in a metaphorical way... to make it clear...all disciplines involving man vs man competition, the fight against the clock or any other objective form of measurement (Shooting = precision) are sports... those whose winners are only based on personal judgement with no explicit strict coding of execution of the execises can't be considered as sports (that's why diving and artistic gymnastics are and artistic swimming and rhythmic gymnastics aren't)... for "pure" mind games, it's mainly about the absolute lack of physical activity... and I'm pretty sure that my opinion is also heavily biased because of my personal taste...that's why I wrote that's just my opinion and I don't pretend to be "the Truth" at all...

about shooting you're wrong...try to shoot 60/100 shots in 60/75 mins without a proper physical training (at least a partial one, including the shooting arm muscles, everything related to breathing and, for those who shoot from a standing position, also the back muscles)... after 5 mins you're going to start hitting the roof instead of the target in front of you because your arm just won't keep straight anymore... however, I understand why most people who never tried to spend an hour or so at the shooting range have that deceptive opinion about the skills required by competitive shooting... Karate is about Kumite...Kata (the "forms") is just a small part of it... and in any case, also Kata is judged not because of personal taste, but according a strict code of execution (like artistic gymnastics)...the various routines do even have a proper name to make them recognizable in advance (so the judges already know what they're looking at and what they are looking for in any exercise)... p.s. meanwhile Kumite perfectly fits one of the 3 main points of Olympic Sports (Citius = Faster), as points are awarded when you execute a proper technique faster than your opponent (not only, there are a lot of versions where the contact between fighters is full, not even semi- or controlled like in the WKF kind of Kumite)...

Karate (and all Martial Arts) and Shooting? yes, definitely... and also Artistic Gymnastics, Eventing (even if that dressage part should be removed and replaced with something else closer to a sport discipline) and Diving (in AG and Diving the real problems are only the biased and/or corrupted judges)... most of the other disciplines you've just mentioned, no...some of them might have something really close to sport events (Surfing and Skateboarding, for instance), but others surely don't have anything to share with sport competitions (among those no-no: all forms of dancing, artistic swimming, dressage, bmx freestyle, rhythmic gymnastics and all the pure "mind games")... that's just my opinion, of course...and I respect all those who have a different one, even if and when I don't agree...

or maybe they will just cancel Khadjiev's name from the list of qualified wrestlers through the world champs and then add an available spot at the world qualification tournament in Sofia...

in an ideal world... but we have to be realistic...with this ioc members, that's not an option...

wow! you just rejuvenated me of about 25 years! now I'm ready to jump on the table and start dancing...