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    • John Foyne

      Birmingham Announces Three Competition Venues for 2022 World Games

      John Foyne

      This morning, the Birmingham Organizing Committee announced the first four of potentially twenty-five venues for next year's World Games. With this announcement, we are beginning to see how the clusters will play out and which sports will be grouped together as we approach the long-awaited schedule release which is expected at some point this summer. 
       
      The first venue to be announced last summer was the opening of the brand-new Protective Stadium, which is expected to complete construction this summer. The 47,000 seat stadium will be the site of the opening and closing ceremonies. After the games, the stadium will become the official home of the University of Alabama-Birmingham's football team and most likely replace Legion Field as the city’s main stadium attraction. 
       
      Legion Field will also be used at the 2022 World Games as it will host the Flag Football tournament. Flag Football will make its first appearance at the games as an invitational sport. Choosing Legion Field as the site for Flag Football is an interesting decision. The version of flag to be used at the World Games is the 5 on 5 version, which only uses a 50-yard field. Unless the BLOC plans to add infield seating, or maybe run two games at the same time it seems like too big of a venue for the event. Regardless, the Flag Football competition will be very exciting with qualifiers taking place this fall at the IFAF Flag World Championships in Spain, where seven other nations (men’s and women’s) will stake their claim in Birmingham alongside the hosts.   
       
      The Boutwell Auditorium will be the site of the "ring events" in Birmingham. The concert venue, which has a capacity of 5,000 seats will be transformed to host Kickboxing, Muay Thai, and Sumo Wrestling. These three sports all shared the same venue, Orbita Hall, at the 2017 World Games in Wroclaw. Sumo was the first sport, followed by Kickboxing and closed with Muay Thai. Expect a similar timeline in Birmingham.
       
      Perhaps the biggest venue news comes with announcement of the Birmingham CrossPlex. The CrossPlex has three facilities available for use: a 5,000 seat indoor arena (Bill Harris Arena), an indoor swimming complex (Natatorium) which seats 1,400 spectators, and an indoor track. The Birmingham CrossPlex has a history of hosting marquee sporting events such as NCAA Division I and Division II Championships. 
       
      The Bill Harris Arena will host Roller Hockey and Artistic Roller Skating events. Again, this is like the last version of the World Games when both sports were the only occupants of the Swidnica Icerink, just outside of Wroclaw. Artistic Roller skating started the competition and Roller Hockey closed it out. 
       
      The Natatorium will be utilized to host the two swimming events of Fin-Swimming and Lifesaving. It will also host the Canoe Polo competition which will be held indoors unlike Wroclaw. Expect a loud exciting environment, with noise echoing off the Natatorium walls from fired up fans excited to see a live sports competition again. (fingers crossed)
       
      Track Speed Skating heads indoors to the Indoor Track section of The CrossPlex where it will be teamed up with the invitational sport of Wheelchair Rugby. Road Speed Skating will stay outdoors but expect the starting and finish lines to be in the parking lot of The CrossPlex.
       
      The 2022 World Games will take place from July 7 - 17, 2022 in Birmingham, Alabama. The Birmingham Organizing Committee looks well on their way to organizing not only a historic World Games, but most likely one of the first multi-sports games coming out of the pandemic.
       
       
      Source
       
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    • John Foyne

      Nicol David Wins World Games Greatest Athlete of All-Time Award

      John Foyne

      In a year that has not given sports fans much to be optimistic about, the International World Games Association decided that there was no better time to determine the greatest World Games athlete of all-time than right now. The IWGA wanted to conduct the vote at the beginning of 2021 to mark the 40th anniversary of the creation of the World Games in 1981. 
       
      On January 8th the IWGA launched the fan centered competition by posting profiles of 24 athletes nominated by their international federation. The list was cut cut down to athletes in the top 10 of voting on January 20th, and 1.2 million votes later, Nicol David, a squash athlete from Malaysia was declared the victor.
       
      David, 37, the former women's world number 1 - a title she held for almost a decade until September of 2015, won the competition with 318,120 vites. During her time David appeared in four editions of the World Games, capturing gold in 2005 (Duisburg), 2009 (Kaohisung), and 2013 (Cali). In 2017 (Wroclaw), David was upset by rival Joey Chan of Hong Kong in the semi-final, but was able to rebound and defeat Fiona Moverley of Great Britain in the bronze medal match. 
       
      David faced stiff competition from other World Games greats throughout the voting. Finishing in second place was James Kehoe, a tug-of-war athlete from Ireland. Kehoe competed in NINE editions of the World Games from 1981 to 2013, winning nine medals in total. Rounding out the podium was Larysa Soloviova, a Ukrainian powerlifter who has won four consecutive World Games gold medals in powerlifting.   
       
      David also competed in other multi-sport games including both the Commonwealth (2 golds, 1 silver, 1 bronze) and Asian Games (7 golds, 1 silver, and 1 bronze). Despite retiring in 2019, Nicol David continues to be the face of the squash world. With squash continuing to be left off the Olympic programme, I cannot think of a better person to lead the charge to help squash one day land that coveted spot that it so much deserves. 
       
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    • Vojthas

      Boxing and shooting join 2023 European Games programme

      Vojthas

      Boxing and shooting are the latest sports to be officially confirmed for the 2023 European Games. The third edition of the Games will be held in Kraków and Małopolska.
       
      With that the programme now has eight disciplines, including badminton, beach handball, canoe slalom, karate, modern pentathlon and taekwondo which have been confirmed earlier. Boxing was not on the provisional list but it will join the programme of the Games for the third time with an opportunity to get medals. Still it's role in the Olympic qualification process, which is said to be the aim for the Olympic disciplines included in the programme, is unknown.
       
      That's also the case for the shooting, but this discipline already gave some quota for Tokyo 2020 Games to the European athletes, so a similar decision is expected also for Paris 2024. On the contrary to boxing, the shooting's future in the Olympic Movement is not endangered, which is the case for boxing as the result of bad governance issues within AIBA, leading in the suspension of the federation by the IOC and leading the Tokyo 2020 tournament and its qualifiers by the IOC Working Group.
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    • Olympian1010

      Nicol David Voted Greatest World Games Athlete Of All-Time

      Olympian1010

      Nicol David (MAS) can now officially lay claim to being the Greatest World Games Athlete of All-Time after she won an online fan-vote. 
       
      The Malaysian Squash superstar won the vote with 318,943 votes to her name. David is a three-time gold medalist in women’s singles at the World Games. She also has a bronze medal to her name from the most recent edition of the Games. 
       
      Speaking about the honor, David said, “It came as a surprise to see me amongst these other top athletes and I’m grateful for this...hopefully it can elevate attention for the future of Squash, and it’s a proud moment to represent my country and Asia.”

      World Squash Federation President Zena Wooldridge commented, “Nicol has beaten a number of distinguished athletes to first place and her victory is recognition of a wonderful career that saw her break numerous records and win everything there was to win in the sport.”
       
      She continued, “Not only is Nicol one of the greatest athletes of all time, she is also a tremendous role model for thousands of people across the globe and a true ambassador for our sport. I’m also delighted to see the support Nicol enjoyed from our passionate and loyal squash community and we are all proud to see Nicol named as The World Games Greatest Athlete of All Time.”

      The runner-up for The World Games Greatest Athlete of All Time honor was James Kehoe (IRL). Kehoe, who finished the vote with 113,120 votes to his name, is a nine-time medalist at the World Games in Tug of War. 
       
      Speaking about the support he received during the vote, he stated, “It’s been a very different but exciting few weeks. I am a shy person by nature and prefer to be out of the spotlight, but as the competition progresses, much to my surprise I am enjoying it more. I am totally overwhelmed by the amount of support I am receiving. It is an honour for me and my club to have been chosen as a competitor in this competition.”
       
      Powerlifter Larysa Soloviova (UKR) finished third in the vote. Soloviova has four World Games gold medals to her name. 
       
      Commenting on her performance in the vote, Soloviova stated, “During these weeks, we had a great challenge. People all over the world had to choose between many GREAT sportsmen. Each of these sportsmen deserve to be written down in the history of The World Games. I want to express my gratitude to all the powerlifters and friends of our sport from all the part of the World for their dedication and support! Thank you for constant everyday voting for me and for Powerlifting in general.”
       
      She continued, “Thanks to the Ukrainian National Powerlifting Federation, Regional Powerlifitng Federations and International Powerlifting Federation for the media support and encouragement! I am very happy that we reached our goal together. My Friends, you proved to the World that Powerlifting is a big and strong sport Family, which unites many thousands of faithful hearts beating in one rhythm – rhythm of Sport. I strongly believe that our achievement will make a huge push in the promotion of powerlifting."
       
      Speaking on David’s victory, and more so about the vote itself, IWGA President José Perurena stated, “I would like to warmly congratulate Nicol David, and also all the other candidates in the race. Nicol David is an inspirational athlete, and a fine role model for younger athletes. The race was incredible, and it was good to see how athletes got support not only from their own sport, but also from their country and the highest sports authorities there. Sports really unite people in a special way. This vote was a celebration of that.”
       
      The World Games are a quadrennial international multi-sports games mainly for sports not present at the Olympic Games. The next edition of the Games is scheduled to be held in Birmingham, Alabama in 2022. 
       
      To view full results of the online vote, click here.
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    • Olympian1010

      Para Bobsleigh Once Again Left Off Paralympic Games Sports Program

      Olympian1010

      The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Governing Board decided against the inclusion of Para Bobsleigh at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Paralympic Games, and thus has finalized the sports program.

      In December 2020, the IPC announced that a decision on Para Bobsleigh’s inclusion at the 2026 Paralympic Winter Games would be deferred until early 2021 pending clarification in several areas. After clarifying these matters, the IPC Board decided not to include Para bobsleigh due to the sport not meeting the minimum criteria for the number of nations and regions regularly participating in the sport.
       
      According to data provided by the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) to the IPC, the sport was widely and regularly practised in 10 countries and three IPC regions over the 2016/17-2019/20 seasons.
       
      The International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation seemed to counter this claim in a press release on the matter. The statement read, “Statistics provided to the IPC showed that in the past two seasons 13 Nations regularly participated but in the year 2016/17 only eleven and 2017/18 only twelve nations can be seen as “regularly participating”. In the previous season 2019-2020 even 16 Nations participated.”

      Under the IPC Handbook, for the Paralympic Winter Games an individual sport must be widely and regularly practised at the performance level in a minimum of 12 countries and three IPC regions over the designated four-year period.
       
      IPC President Andrew Parsons, said, “The IPC Governing Board decided not to include Para bobsleigh in the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games after the sport fell short of the minimum criteria required in terms of global participation over the last four seasons. In our review of documentation provided by IBSF, 10 countries can be considered as widely and regularly practising the sport over the last four seasons. This is two short of the minimum criteria for inclusion in the Paralympic Winter Games.”

      He continued, “I know this will be understandably disappointing news to the Para bobsleigh community. However, the sport should be encouraged that if it can maintain the participation levels it had during the 2019/2020 season when 16 nations took part in performance competitions, it will be in a strong position for inclusion in the 2030 edition of the Games.”
       
      IBSF President Ivo Ferriani stated, “This is an extremely disappointing decision and we will follow-up with the IPC Governing Board accordingly. The IBSF has a strong commitment to Parasport and will continue so in the future. We all know how important it is for all para athletes to be accepted in the Paralympic program for their national fund programs. Most of our athletes are self-funded with a great financial and operational support from the IBSF side.”
       
      He continued, “Para Bobsleigh shows gender equity by not making a difference between a female or male athlete but having both gender slide with the same equipment and under the same conditions in one race. We will not give up fighting for our sports.”

      The International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation was officially recognized as the governing body for Para Bobsleigh and Para Skeleton back in 2014. Regular IBSF Para World Cup races have been held since the 2014-2015 season. There has also been an annual world championship held in the sport since 2016.

      With the exclusion of Para Bobsleigh, the IPC confirmed that five para sports will feature on the program for the 2026 Paralympic Winter Games. Para Alpine skiing, Para Ice Hockey, Para Nordic Skiing, Para Snowboard and Wheelchair Curling will compose the sports program. The Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games are scheduled to take place between 6-15 March 2026.
       
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    • Olympian1010

      FIL Prepares For 50th Luge World Championships

      Olympian1010

      Königssee, Germany is set to host the 50th FIL Luge World Championships.
       
      The 50th FIL Luge World Championships are due to take place from January 29 to January 31, 2021. It has been confirmed by the FIL that 149 athletes will compete at the world championships. 
       
      The women’s event will feature the most entires with 48 sliders competing for the world championship title. The men’s event will feature 43 entries, while the doubles event will feature 29 pairings.
       
      The nations represented at this year’s Luge World Championships are: Argentina, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Czech Republic, Great Britain, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Korea, Latvia, Moldova, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Switzerland, Slovakia, Sweden, Chinese Taipei, Ukraine, and the United States of America. 
       
      As a consequence of their state-run doping program, athletes from the Russian Federation will not be permitted to compete under their own flag, nor hear the anthem at the victory ceremonies. They will be allowed entry into the competition as neutral athletes, and will hear the FIL anthem should they stand on the top step of the podium.
       
      The Berchtesgaden track was chosen to host this years Luge World Championships, after the Covid-19 pandemic forced the FIL to reallocate the event from Whistler, Canada. As another consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic, no spectators will be allowed at the venue to watch the world championships in-person.

      Luge fans will be able to follow the 50th World Championships via live streaming and television production. The first televised events will be the sprint events on Friday. Luge fans can also catch a live stream of the virtual opening ceremony on Thursday evening courtesy of BSD-TV. 
       
      The 50th FIL Luge World Championships will begin on Friday with the men’s, women’s, and doubles sprint events.
       
       
       
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    • Vojthas

      IOC EB closes the case of CONI, but still concerned about AIBA and IWF

      Vojthas

      The first IOC Executive Board meeting in 2021 was held remotely this Wednesday. The meeting was concentrated on Tokyo 2020 preparations, but also on current topics important for the Olympic Movement.
       
      One such case was the autonomy of CONI, the Italian NOC. After a decree was accepted and presented to the IOC Executive Board by the Council of Ministers in Italy, the EB decided to close the case, ensured of the autonomy of the CONI.
       
      However, concerns remained around the two international federations, that are still under the microscope of the IOC due to their governance problems. The IOC Executive Board has not seen progress in the AIBA, while the IWF's problems with both governance and the anti-doping code have been noted as worsening.
       
      In terms of Tokyo 2020, IOC President Thomas Bach made it clear during his press conference, that the IOC is still on it’s way to organizing the Games in the best possible manner during the times of pandemic. He denied the idea of cancellation, as well as, postponing them to 2032. Instead, he put the incoming playbook for Tokyo 2020 participants as the main source of the decisions prepared by the IOC experts.
       
      The upcoming IOC meetings will be held in March, including the 137th IOC Session - this one will be held remotely, although earlier planned to be hosted by Athens. The proposal has been made by the IOC EB to hold the 2025 Session in the capital of Greece instead.
       
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    • Olympian1010

      IFF Launches Fan Survey

      Olympian1010

      The International Floorball Federation has launched a new fan survey, with the chance for fans to win a prize.
       
      The new fan survey centers around the topic of sustainability. The IFF hopes to discern the views of the greater floorball community on environmental sustainability, in order to drive future initiatives related to the sport.
       
      The IFF has partnered with the Glion Institute for Higher Education in order to carry out the survey. Students at the school composed the questions for the survey, and will also perform analysis on the results.
       
      UNIHOC, a sponsor of the International Floorball Federation, will support the survey by giving participants a chance to win one of their SUPERSKIN sticks.
       
      The survey closes on January 28th. You can participate in the survey by clicking here.
       
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    • Vojthas

      Egypt takes it all in Modern Pentathlon World Championships

      Vojthas

      Just a few days after Minsk, Belarus was stripped of the 2021 Modern Pentathlon Senior World Championships hosting rights due to a political situation in the country, the UIPM made a decision on the new host. The final Olympic qualifcation event in the sport will be held in Cairo.
       
      This way Egypt will host all the 2021 Modern Pentathlon World Championships, as Alexandria will host the Junior and U19&U17 Youth World Championships in July, after it was postponed from February due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The capital of the country has already held the Senior World Championships not long ago - in 2017. It has also become a regular host of World Cup events, being the only venue of 2020 World Cup, before it was suspended and later cancelled because of the outbreak.
       
      As we've learned from Florent Boas, the UIPM Media Operations Manager, Cairo was not the only bidder. A few experienced hosts of UIPM events applied, but the readiness of the Egyptians to prepare all the bidding documents and facilities in the short time which remained to the World Championships was the reason Cairo was ultimately chosen by the UIPM. The dates remain the same as originally scheduled for the Championships planned in Minsk - which are 7-13 June. It is going be the final event of the Olympic qualification process for Tokyo 2020, having three direct places in each gender for the medalists, as well as offering the biggest amount of ranking points in the 2021 season.
       
      According to the UIPM proposal, the Laser-Run World Championships shall be held along with the Modern Pentathlon World Championships. However, the plan is still being worked on with the Development Department, which is responsible for the newest discipline under the governance of the UIPM. As Boas told Totallympics Media, there is still nothing 100% sure, but different options are being considered, including holding the Laser-Run Championships on another date or in a different venue than the Modern Pentathlon event.
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    • JoshMartini007

      Water Polo: Women’s Olympic Roster Complete With Conclusion of Olympic Qualification Tournament

      JoshMartini007

      The women’s water polo tournament at the 2020 Olympics has been decided with the results of the Women’s Water Polo Olympic Qualification Tournament. The two finalists of the eight-team tournament qualified to the games. The format included a round robin group stage where all eight teams advanced to the quarterfinals. The event was held in Trieste, Italy from January 19th to January 24th 2021.
       
      A draw between the Netherlands and Italy (7-7) saw the two nations finished atop of Group A with five points each. With a better goal differential, it was Italy who finished first in the group. Third place was won by France who fought off a second quarter comeback by Slovakia to win the match 17-9.
       
      Group B came down to Greece and Hungary as the two nations had back-to-back victories over Israel (20-1 and 27-2 respectively) and Kazakhstan (13-5 and 23-6 respectively). In the deciding match, it was Greece which finished with an 8-5 victory. The third-place match of the group between Israel and Kazakhstan ended in a 7-7 draw and thus the latter finished ahead due to goal differential.
       
      The quarterfinals saw no upsets as the four European powerhouses dispatched their opponents. The Netherlands defeated Kazakhstan 19-6, Greece won over Slovakia 22-3, Hungary finished ahead of France 20-7 and Italy was the victor over Israel 15-6.
       
      The semifinals and the Olympic qualification deciding matches saw Greece take an early lead over the Netherlands where they held a 4-3 advantage at half-time. However, the Netherlands were able to prevent Greece from scoring again as they won the match 7-4. The second Olympic quota was won by Hungary who took a 3-1 first quarter lead over Italy and thanks to a six-goal effort by Rita Keszthelyi, won the match 13-10.
       
      The final and bragging rights was won by Hungary who defeated the Netherlands 13-11. Third place went to Greece as they won over Italy 10-4.
       
      This will be the Netherlands’ first Olympic appearance since winning the gold medal at the 2008 Olympics. The team will be hoping to repeat that performance at the 2020 Olympics. Hungary on the other hand, will be looking to win their first Olympic medal after finishing fourth at the previous three Olympics. This completes the Olympic roster for the women’s water polo teams. The final men’s teams will be decided at their respective Olympic qualification tournament scheduled to be held in February.
       
      Qualified Nations
       
      Women's Tournament
      Hungary
      Netherlands
       
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    • Games and Rings

      Top Ten Wishes for Tokyo 2020

      Games and Rings

      Along with millions of Olympic and sports fans, I'm wishing for a successful, smooth, and healthy Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021. After this year's postponement, there are still serious lingering concerns on participant and spectator Covid-19 protocol, which likely won't be answered until 2021's springtime at the earliest. But we do need a "beacon of hope" to help frame a pandemic recovery. And, today, I choose to look at the glass half-full to start off the year.
       
      I certainly am an Olympics fan. I have been since first falling in awe with the spectacle at Los Angeles 1984. From tradition of ceremony, to compelling competition, and from unsung heroes to the camaraderie of various athletes coming together, I am all in.

      That said, my fandom doesn't mean that I don't have some recommendations. So, in honor of the new year, here are Games and Rings' top ten wishes for the Olympics in 2021.

      Chime in with your own wishes for Tokyo 2020 in the comments. And, follow Games and Rings here for roundups on Olympic sports athletes.
       
      Run, Caster, Run

      Middle-distance runner Caster Semenya has one more appeal up her sleeve, to the European Court of Human Rights. Double Olympic champion in the 800 meters, Semenya is currently blocked from defending her title unless she takes testosterone-inhibiting measures, under somewhat arbitrary and selectively exclusionary new World Athletics rules.

      As argued a few months ago, World Athletics is on the wrong side of history's trajectory toward human rights in this case. Semenya was born female and is female. She - like some others - is just a female with elevated - but natural - testosterone, and who happened to win the genetics lottery suited for a career in athletics. Why should she be punished for that? Let her run.

      Protest for Change

      Team USA recently announced not only that "It is a human right to peacefully call upon racial and social injustices during the...Games" but also that "denying the right of respectful demonstrations...runs counter to the Olympic...values."

      This doesn't just run counter to Team USA's own recent actions - just ask fencer Race Imboden and hammer thrower Gwen Berry for their thoughts - it runs against the International Olympic Committee's own Rule 50 of the Olympic Charter, which bans any political protest, including kneeling or even wearing an armband. The IOC even issued its Rule 50 guidelines at the start of the year.

      But a year filled with Black Lives Matter activism and increased racial awareness sure can change perspective. World Athletics, representing track & field, issued a President's Award to Mexico City 1968 protestors Tommie Smith and John Carlos (and fellow medalist Peter Norman), a surprising indication that maybe the organization will support its own athletes' Olympic protests. 

      For its part, the IOC did give a tepid "we'll look into it" response to Team USA's recommendations. Of course, determining "appropriate" allowable protest and over what issue would be problematic on a global stage like the Olympics, with the wide variety of national interests and backgrounds. But isn't the Olympic stage built on inspiration and striving for better-ness? Will we see a meaningful gesture that spurs conversation toward greater social good? Will the IOC act supportively? Yes, I'm anxious to see it.

      A Russian Comeuppance

      In its bid to dominate its home Games of Sochi 2014, Russia undertook a doping system that provided its athletes with performance-enhancement and an elaborate coverup. That this was a state-level scheme is no longer in dispute.

      What has been the punishment? Four years later, at Pyeongchang 2018, "Russia" was banned but Russian athletes were allowed to compete under an "Olympic Athletes from Russia" moniker. Huh? Essentially, Russian officials were absent, as was the Russian flag and anthem, but otherwise, the team carried on. Really, "Russia" still participated...their flag was honored and their anthem sung.

      In 2016, the IOC declined to ban Russia outright despite recommendations by the World Anti-Doping Agency to do just that and following confirmation of deeper state-level manipulation. World Athletics took matters into its own hands and heavily restricted Russian presence in track & field, but elsewhere across the Games, Russia flourished.

      Now, after an appeal of a stronger WADA ban, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has reduced penalties and restored possible Russian participation at the Games. This will likely again come under a "neutral" banner. The upcoming World Men's Handball Championship next month offers a template, with Team Russia becoming Team "Russian Handball Federation", while still wearing team colors. To paraphrase, if it looks like Russia and carries the name "Russian", it is Russia.

      Not much of a punishment for carrying out the largest doping affront against the Olympics, state-sponsored no less. Russia's actions in Sochi disrespected the Games, and its role as host, to say the least. And, so far, Russia has, as U.S. Anti-Doping Agency head Travis Tygart said in response to the recent CAS reduction, "once again escape(d) a meaningful consequence proportional to the crimes...".

      What can be done? A repeat of 2018's "Olympic Athletes from Russia" team seems on the way, which has shown to not be much of a deterrence. Although they didn't in 2016, perhaps individual federations should take World Athletics' lead in restricting participation within their own sports. In the meantime, I'm wishing for a subdued Russian presence...maybe somehow there's a team-wide demoralization that affects performance. That's unlikely, but something needs to shake Russia into sincere compliance. Fair, and trusted Olympic-spirit competition needs it.

      A Full-Strength Basketball Tournament

      The Covid-19 pandemic has upended the sporting calendar in 2020, with ripple effects across next year and beyond as all sports negotiate the Olympic behemoth planted now in 2021. At this stage, many rescheduled dates have been set, and one potential high-profile conflict has emerged over the last few weeks.

      The National Basketball Association's modified 2019-20 season, which should have ended in June 2020, finished in October. This pushed their 2020-21 season to start later than normal, in December, which then pushed the potential NBA Finals end to July 22. That's one day ahead of the Opening Ceremony for Tokyo 2020. This means a significant number of potential Olympians would not be available, or interested, in Tokyo participation given the tight turnaround between the NBA season and the Games, particularly for those that will be making deep post-season runs.

      U.S. stars are not the only ones affected. Spain's team usually features NBA-ers Ricky Rubio, Marc Gasol, Serge Ibaka, and Nikola Mirotic. Rudy Gobert plays for France, while Patty Mills, Ben Simmons, and Matthew Dellavedova feature for Australia.

      Olympic qualification is massively affected, too. Usually, the final Olympic Qualifying Tournaments are held in the NBA off-season. But now in 2021, the qualifiers are set for late June, which would mean in the middle of the NBA post-season play. Would-be stars for the teams trying to qualify in these tournaments include Slovenia's Luka Doncic and Goran Dragic, Greece's Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Serbia's Nikola Jokic...not having them available would carry serious implications for their national teams' Olympic dreams.

      Team USA head coach Gregg Popovich is well aware of the timing conundrum, and he's in a tight turnaround, too, as an active NBA coach. Having an NBA-star-studded Olympic tournament has been a highlight of the Games since Barcelona 1992, and I'm hoping that Tokyo's version will also feature the world's best. I'm not sure how this will happen...it's unlikely a significant number of star players will miss the NBA playoffs and not be too tired to play on, but we'll see how it plays out. I also fear that, if NBA-ers pass on the Games en masse, it will set a precedent on not appearing at the Games, allowing the NBA to further push their World Cup at the expense of the Olympics.

      A Boxing Comeback

      Boxing is a classic Olympic sport, with global appeal and participation. Unfortunately, the sport is on the wrong side of competent governance and trusted integrity.

      Except for Stockholm 1912, boxing has been on the official Olympic program since St. Louis 1904. Boxing attracts a wide swath of nations at the Games - entrants from Uzbekistan, Mongolia, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, Mauritius, and Brazil have won medals across the last three Games, for example. And, supporting the IOC's goal of gender equality, women's events have been included since London 2012, with a targeted increase of equality at Paris 2024.

      But trusting boxing to be a fair sport has been an on-going, frustrating issue. Just some of the outrageous decisions include Evander Holyfield's loss to Kevin Barry in 1984, Park Si-Hum's victory over Roy Jones, Jr. at Seoul 1988, Eric Griffin's loss to Rafael Lozano at Barcelona 1992, Floyd Mayweather, Jr.'s loss to Serafim Todorov at Atlanta 1996, Satoshi Shimizu's loss to Magomed Abdulhamidov at London 2012, and Michael Conlan's loss to Vladimir Nikitin at Rio 2016.

      These aren't just examples of contested upset losses / wins - they're egregious examples of, at best questionable or, at worst, rigged judging. It seems there is more of a story when there isn't a controversy at an Olympics.

      Boxing's governing body hasn't done the sport any favors, either. Its governance and financial problems have forced the extraordinary step of the IOC taking over Olympic qualifiers. The recent election of a new International Boxing Federation president didn't stop the IOC from restricting boxing at Paris 2024 to fewer athletes than at 2020 and not allowing a full program of weight classes. That is a move that many see as punishment for the sport's continued mess.

      Can boxing have a smooth, non-controversial program in Tokyo? It'll have to in order to secure confidence and relevance beyond 2024.
       
      A Clean Weightlifting Competition?

      Speaking of trust, weightlifting is another sport on the precipice. It was on the original agenda at Athens 1896, and except for three early Games editions, it's been on the Olympic program ever since. Like boxing, it's a truly global sport, and with a bounty of spectator appeal. 

      Unfortunately, it's an Olympic sport dogged by doping. 16 medalists and four would-be medalists from Beijing 2008 have been stripped of their placements due to retroactive drug testing. Worse, London 2012 has disqualified 32 (!) weightlifters (and counting!), decimating the original medal table. Multiple recent infractions by specific nations means that many are facing total or partial restrictions at Tokyo 2020, including Russia, Egypt, Thailand, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, India, amongst others.

      Worse, the International Weightlifting Federation has been beset by misgovernment and corruption, causing a complete lack of confidence by the IOC, which put a humiliating reduction on the sport in place for 2024.

      If the sport is to get its act together, it needs to showcase itself well - and cleanly - in Tokyo. Weightlifting has given us fans so many favorite moments - let's hope there are more.

      Success for Modern Pentathlon

      I have a soft spot for the quirky sport of modern pentathlon. Despite its rather contrived origins ahead of Stockholm 1912, the sport nevertheless is a lasting testament to the modern Games' founder Baron de Coubertin and his respect for the ancient Olympic pentathlon event. It has grown into a sport enjoyed across the world, with a World Championship held annually since 1949.

      It's also a sport perpetually subject to IOC scrutiny and questioning when looking to reduce or alter the Games' agenda. It traditionally has struggled for visibility, as its not a television-friendly event, and had usually required multiple venues, neither of which helps when the IOC increasingly preaches downsizing and feasibility.

      But the sport's been flexible: moving from a five-day event to a single day at Atlanta 1996, combining the running and shooting portions at London 2012, and narrowing to a single venue for next year's event. And, in a bid to remain IOC-relevant, will be even further condensed to a 90-minute format at Paris 2024.

      I, for one, am looking for the sport to put on a show at Tokyo 2020. Enough to finally secure more respect and confidence from the IOC, and perhaps even expand the sport to include a mixed relay event, which has been at the World Championships since 2010 and at three Youth Olympics to success.

      Traditionally, the best decathlete in track & field has been dubbed the "world's greatest athlete", but perhaps we should look at modern pentathletes for that moniker. After all, with excellence across five very different sports - fencing, equestrian, swimming, running, and shooting - these competitors must deserve applause for perseverance.
       
      New Stars in Swimming

      Michael Phelps has been the dominant name in Olympic swimming for the last four Games, from Athens 2004 through Rio 2016, winning a total of 28 medals along the way. and becoming the focal point in the pool coverage. With his retirement after Rio, the air is clear for new swimming names to take center stage. 

      Who will be the swimming standard-bearer? Caeleb Dressel is the obvious Phelps-in-waiting, already a star in swimming circles. Maybe Adam Peaty, or Katie Ledecky, or even an Olympic newcomer -and feel-good story - like Rikako Ikee can make enough of an impact to take center stage. My wish? It's that we find multiple stars and multiple swimmers to champion. Let's spread the attention around and get to know the many, many athletes worthy of attention.

      It's good to have new names to cycle in. Not all past heroes need to stick around.

      A U.S. Gymnastics Team of Merit

      When Bela and Martha Karolyi were in charge of Team USA's women's gymnastics, they implemented a very subjective - and rather secretive - process to select the Olympic team. The Karolyis' Olympic trials were a marketing spectacle. A made-for-tv event separate from the annual national championships, the team makeup always seemed to carry a sense of marketing - a selection of not just who are the best athletes, but of who would be a good marketing mix. The fact that selection decisions were made behind closed doors only exacerbated the sense of potential unfairness at the expense of potentially deserving athletes. The men's team was similarly selected, and similarly drew skeptical concerns of unfairness.

      Cut to 2019, when USA Gymnastics (USAG) reckons with a Larry Nasser scandal that upends the governing body's structure and the destruction of public trust. In June last year, USAG announced a revamp of its team selection, promising "more transparency, defined discretionary criteria", in addition to other measures. With the smaller team sizes - now four members only - for Tokyo 2020, team selection will be even more precious and scrutinized than before.

      So...let's hope that the four women and four men selected for the U.S. will be the strongest and most deserving out of the trials. It's time.

      The Last Gymnastics Gala?

      Speaking of gymnastics, there is traditionally a gala that takes place after the artistic competition that features medal-winning and/or popular gymnasts in a non-judged showcase. Rumor is, this will return at Tokyo 2020. I hope it will be the last. It's a shameless outreach to television audiences and extra fan attendance, and the only non-competitive "official" event on the sports calendar of the Summer Games. 

      Certainly, dropping this exhibition wouldn't hinder the athletic spectacle of the sport, and would help clear the calendar for more (real) gymnastics competition. Rhythmic gymnasts currently lack apparatus-specific medal competition at the Games, and acrobatics has long been an official International Gymnastics Federation discipline, yet to appear at a Games.
       
      What do you want to see happen at Tokyo 2020?
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      1644 • 1

    • intoronto

      Santiago 2023 Sports Program Finalized

      intoronto

      Panamsports has officially added Basque Pelota, Bowling, Racquetball, Squash and Sport Climbing to the Santiago 2023 sports program. This means a total of 38 sports will be contested at the games, one less than in Lima 2019. These sports were originally left off the program, when it was announced back in March 2020.
       
      Felipe De Pablo, Executive Director of Santiago 2023 stated that: “It is an extremely robust and attractive sports program, reflecting tradition and new trends. We want to fill the sports venues, so that Chile feels proud of the event that we are going to offer. The sports program is one more step towards that goal ”.
       
      Sport Climbing will also be making its Pan American Games debut. A total of nine countries from the region competed at the last Continental Championships in early 2020 in Los Angeles. 
       
      Although the sports program is now finalized, the event program is not. It is understood that Panamsports would like to finalize this as soon as possible. 
       
      The games are scheduled to be held October 20 to November 5, 2023, the latest in a calendar year the games have been held. 
       
      Read more...

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