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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡
1. WADA asserts its primacy, U.S. Congress slaps back, hard
2. Russian Valieva appeals dismissed, U.S. to get Beijing golds
3. Special Paris 2024 mascot award for medalists
4. Paris 2024: U.S. women throttle Zambia, 3-0, in opener
5. Gallup poll shows modest U.S. interest in Paris Games
● The war of words between the World Anti-Doping Agency and the U.S. continued following the IOC Session, in which a termination clause for disrespecting WADA was inserted into the hosting contract for the 2034 Winter Games now awarded to Salt Lake City. WADA chief Witold Banka called again for control of NCAA competitions and the U.S. professional leagues and was closely questioned in a tense news conference in Paris. Meanwhile, the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee sent a letter with 13 questions and a demand for a staff briefing to Banks, with an 8 August reply date. Oy.
● The Court of Arbitration for Sport dismissed the three Russian appeals on the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games figure skating Team Event, confirming the U.S. and Japan in the first two places and clearing the way for the medal ceremony to take place in Paris on 9 August … more than two years after the event was concluded.
● The Paris 2024 organizers announced that Olympic medal winners will be presented with an official Games poster on the victory stand and receive a specially-created Phryges mascot doll with gold, silver or bronze medals on the chest (and gold, silver or bronze shoes!). Let’s see how long it takes to change the protocol and award the Phyrges on the victory stand.
● Paris 2024: Competition continued with the U.S. women’s football team overpowering Zambia in their opener by 3-0, scoring all the goals in the first 25 minutes. Trinity Rodman got the first goal, followed by two from Mallory Swanson in the 24th and 25th minutes. It was no contest.
● Gallup released polling data which indicated American viewing interest for the Paris Games is the lowest it has seen since it began asking the question in 2000. However, there is no doubt about the most eagerly-anticipated sport on the program: women’s gymnastics, with men’s and women’s track & field a distant second and third, and swimming (men and women) and men’s basketball further back in a tie for fourth.
● Panorama: Los Angeles 1984 (Washington Post looks back at 1984 in words and in a podcast!) = Paris 2024 (6: ticket sales up to 8.7 million; opening ceremony spectators urged to arrive four hours early; Reuters reports 155 individuals under special security surveillance; AP reports on movement of homeless to actual housing during Games; British complain about Village food, are eating in British House; TASS collects reports of complaints so far) = French Alps 2030 (2: Turin mayor says speed skating will be there; World Ath and UCI plotting cross country and cyclo-cross for OWG) = NBC (Snoop Dogg says “My preparation for prime time is being me”) = Football (Argentina files complaint with FIFA over Morocco match and fans running onto the field) = Judo (IJF chief says “many things are missing” at arena) = Tennis (Murray to play only Doubles in Paris) ●
● Errata: An error in Thursday’s preview on the women’s long jump, as Monae Nichols – not Quanesha Burks – is on the U.S. team for Paris. Sorry about that, Monae. Thanks to the one and only Duffy Mahoney for the correction. ●
● Schedule: With the opening of the Paris Games on Friday, look for same-day coverage – reviews, previews and intel – from TSX, generally by 8 p.m. Eastern time daily (at least that’s the goal!). ●
1.
WADA asserts its primacy, U.S. Congress slaps back, hard
Wednesday’s scripted imposition of a “we’ll take the Games back if the U.S. doesn’t respect WADA” clause into the hosting agreement with the Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Games for the 2023 Olympic Winter Games was only part of the beginning of the tug-of-war between the International Olympic Committee, the World Anti-Doping Agency and the U.S. government.
WADA President Witold Banka (POL) – a 46.11 400 m runner in his youth – released a statement following Wednesday’s IOC Session and the imposition of the “respect WADA or else” clause into the hosting agreement. It included a reminder that WADA’s objectives with the U.S. only start with a reduction in hostility, but hardly end there:
“Following concerns expressed by many within the global anti-doping community about the politization of anti-doping within the U.S., it is very encouraging to hear their stated commitment to WADA and willingness to help strengthen the American anti-doping system, in particular for young athletes coming through the college system and for the professional leagues. WADA stands ready to support them every step of the way for the good of athletes in the U.S. and everywhere.”
Banka has repeatedly chided the U.S. for not having WADA’s authority extend to NCAA athletes (all divisions) and to Major League Baseball, the NFL, NBA, NHL and other leagues. Whether there will even be an intercollegiate athletics system in the U.S. in the future is questionable at this point, and in the case of professional leagues, doping controls are negotiated directly between owners and player unions. In such cases, the players have a true say – a direct one – in doping controls, in startling contrast to WADA’s “athlete voice” which is less than a shadow of the power of a true union.
If the short-term goal is to reduce the impact, or begin the process of revoking the Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act of 2019 – inspired by the Russian state-sponsored doping project from 2011-15 – which creates extra-territorial jurisdiction for the U.S. Justice Department, the U.S. Congress has to be involved. And on Thursday, the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce, before whom a sub-committee hearing on 25 June that Banka did not attend, issued a six-page letter co-signed by the Chair and the Ranking Member, which included:
“WADA purports to maintain the integrity of sports by creating a fair and competitive sporting environment free from doping. As a U.S. taxpayer supported entity, WADA has a responsibility to the American people to ensure this integrity by enforcing international testing requirements. We believe WADA has fallen short of this important mission.”
And concern over the January 2021 Chinese doping incident was further underlined from a political perspective:
“We are particularly concerned with the excessive deference being extended toward CHINADA – a state-funded operation with leadership deeply intertwined with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), as current CHINADA director Li Zhiquan also serves as a Committee Secretary for the CCP.”
The Committee submitted 13 specific questions for WADA to answer by 8 August – while the Paris Games are still underway – and “and provide a date at which a representative can be available to brief our staff.” Included in the requests was for a copy of the complete case file.
Banks appeared for a news conference on Thursday at the Paris Main Press Center, described in an AIPS report as:
“The lack of trust in the room was palpable as countless journalists demanded accountability for WADA’s decision on the case, with Witold Banka, President of the WADA and Olivier Niggli, Director General of WADA, in the hot seat.”
Said Banka of the changes forced on the Salt Lake City-Utah bid team:
“This decision was not to cut criticism, because we are always open for constructive criticism. It was to ensure the harmonisation of the anti-doping system is protected.
“WADA is the global anti-doping regulator, and we oversee the system. We have almost 700 code signatories, including 200 countries. Our role is to make sure that the anti-doping rules in respective countries are working in accordance with the code.
“Yesterday’s decision by the IOC is to make sure that stakeholders respect WADA’s position in the global anti-doping landscape.”
And he was clear about his disdain for the Rodchenkov Act, explaining, “Well, it’s highly incorrect for one country to try to impose jurisdiction on the anti-doping decisions on the rest of the world because, clearly, the extraterritorial clause is obvious and gives the USA power to investigate all the anti-doping cases in the world.”
And regarding the comments from U.S. Anti-Doping Agency chief Travis Tygart:
“How can we comment on such unprofessional comments? I’m speechless.”
Bur Banka said WADA will follow through on its plan to hold the USADA responsible for the Rodchenkov Act:
“Our role is to make sure that our stakeholders are following our regulations, rules and national legislation under the world anti-doping code.
“The Rodchenkov Act, especially the extraterritorial clause, will be the subject of our upcoming compliance review in order to see whether or not this legislation is in line with our World Anti-Doping Code.
“One of the tools which we have is a compliance monitoring programme. We are monitoring whether our stakeholders are acting by the code.
“Sometimes, in some countries, the anti-doping regulations and rules are implemented through national legislation, and in other countries, they are implemented through our system.
“One of our duties is to make sure that the system is harmonised, and that these rules are in accordance with the code. So now we’re going to analyse very carefully whether the Rodchenkov Act and this clause is in line with the WADA Code.”
Banka also said WADA could not guarantee that there will be no athletes who are doping in Paris, explaining, “Our role is not to give the stamp of credibility to every single athlete, it’s obvious that you will never eliminate doping from the sporting landscape. You will always find someone who wants to cheat.
“Our role is to oversee the system, to make sure the system is robust, to make sure that we are using all the existing tools to test athletes properly.”
For his part, U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee President Gene Sykes – now an IOC member – said there is hope:
“That is the opportunity for WADA and USADA to agree. They don’t agree yet, but they really haven’t been talking to each other. “They’ve been playing a game of ping-pong with media bullets, and it’s obviously been distressing. It’s been especially distressing to the international sports movement because they see this as something that undermines the United States’ acceptance of the World Anti-Doping Code.”
“We’re not trying to escape from the World Anti-Doping Code. We’re trying to support it and make it stronger. What we want to do is cool the tempers and find a way for these organizations to constructively work together.”
Observed: Sykes and SLC-Utah Committee chief executive Fraser Bullock are trying to be the adults in the room, but it won’t be easy, at least in the short run.
Both WADA and USADA want effective anti-doping administration and USADA chief Tygart’s whole issue with the Chinese swimming incident is that the rules of the World Anti-Doping Code were not enforced! And there are unspoken truths about this case which are being conveniently ignored.
Beyond the direct WADA-USADA fight and that with the U.S. Congress – which may well not even be discussed until after the U.S. elections in November – the IOC has now placed itself in the position of a diver on the 10 m platform.
It can execute a dive perfectly, with a minimal splash and all-around appreciation. It can make a bigger splash and have points deducted, but still win, or it could hit its head and suffer a potentially ghastly injury. The IOC has no interest in making life difficult for either the LA28 organizers or the new team to be formed in Salt Lake City, and it has very significant business interests in the U.S.
The IOC and the U.S. need each other, but the IOC’s imposition of a new termination clause into the Salt Lake City hosting agreement now heightens tensions and raises questions about whether IOC chief Thomas Bach (GER) will stay on beyond his current 12-year term, what the policy views of a new IOC President might be, and how future U.S. broadcasters will view this development.
The current contract with NBC ends with the 2032 Games in Brisbane, and Salt Lake City 2034 would be the first Games in a new agreement with one or more U.S. rights-holders.
And forgetting the Rodchenkov Act entirely for a moment, there are much more devastating actions that the U.S. government could take against the IOC, if it were motivated to do so. Let’s hope it is not so motivated, now or in the future.
2.
Russian Valieva appeals dismissed, U.S. to get Beijing golds
“[T]he appeals are dismissed.”
The Court of Arbitration for Sport announced Thursday that the three appeals by various Russian entities – the Russian Olympic Committee, the Russian figure skating federation and the members of the Russian team that competed in the Team Event at the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games – have all been thrown out.
The immediate impact is to clear the way for the U.S. team, which was elevated to gold-medal status after the doping disqualification of Kamila Valieva, will be able to receive their medals at the Paris 2024 Champions Park on 9 August. Same for Japan, which finished third on the ice, but is now confirmed as the silver medalists.
Per the announcement:
“The Appellants had sought a ruling from CAS re-ranking the figure skating Team Event and awarding the gold medal to the ROC. Following the hearing that took place on 12 June 2024, the Panel deliberated and concluded that the results of Ms Valieva in the Olympic Figure Skating Team Event were correctly disqualified in the Challenged Decision, and that the ROC Skating Team could not be awarded the gold medal. Consequently, the above-mentioned appeals are dismissed.”
The International Olympic Committee was thrilled:
“This decision comes just in time to still be able to make the medal allocation for gold and silver possible during the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
“The IOC will now work with the @ISU_Figure, USOPC and the JOC to bring the athletes to Paris in order to hold the ceremony here in the Champions Park based on the amended results from the ISU.
“We are glad that this opportunity can be offered to the athletes and teams who, unfortunately, had to wait for a very long time for their medals due to the ongoing legal case.”
The International Skating Union’s statement included:
“The ISU has taken note of today’s CAS decision, which brings the case a step closer to being finalized, allowing the skaters to finally receive the medals they deserve. The ISU extends its gratitude to the athletes for their patience and resilience throughout this process. Following this decision, the ISU will coordinate with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) with regard to the awarding of the medals.”
There is a remaining issue to be decided, concerning the bronze medal, which the ISU’s re-ranking left Russia with the bronze medal, in apparent contravention of its own rules. The Court of Arbitration for Sport release noted that the hearing on this matter was held on 22 July and “The second CAS Panel is now deliberating. It is not possible to indicate at this time when the second Panel’s decision will be issued.”
3.
Special Paris 2024 mascot award for medalists
Beginning with Rio 2016, the custom of awarding flowers on the Olympic victory stand – which was almost instantly discarded – was replaced with a souvenir keepsake of the organizing committee. Great idea.
The Paris 2024 organizers announced a special edition of their Phryges mascot for both the Olympic and Paralympic Games, with gold, silver or bronze shoes (or prosthetic), gold, silver or bronze medals on the chest and the word “bravo” sewn into the back.
According to the announcement:
“[E]ach athlete awarded a medal at the Paris 2024 Games will receive, alongside their medal, a medallist mascot together with the Games’ Iconic Poster.
“For the Olympic Games, the poster will be presented during the victory ceremony, whereas the mascot will be presented after the ceremony, in the Village.
“For the Paralympic Games, the medallist mascots will be presented during the victory ceremony, whereas the Paralympic poster will be presented at a later stage. These gifts will be presented by 515 Paris 2024 Volunteers.”
These items are made in France, in Brittany and are not on public sale: you have to win a medal to get one.
Observed: Hopefully, the organizers will change their protocol and give the medalist mascots on the victory stand so that they can be waived by the athletes as symbols of the Paris Games. Who wants to waive a poster?
4.
Paris 2024: U.S. women throttle Zambia, 3-0, in opener
In its last game before its Olympic opener, the U.S. women’s football team could not score against Costa Rica. But in Nice, the American women lined up a shooting gallery against Zambia, with an overwhelming, 3-0 victory in their Group B opener.
The U.S. had four chances in the first quarter-hour, with strikers Tiffany Rodman (9th) and Mallory Swanson (15th) hitting the crossbar, then Rodman took an entry pass from midfielder Lindsey Horan inside the box, turned to her right and around a defender and sent a hard shot from the middle of the box past an out-of-position Ngambo Musole for the 1-0 lead.
Then the goals came quickly, with Horan sending a perfect pass to the onrushing Swanson coming into the box from the right side, and sending a left-footed shot that cut back to the left for a 2-0 lead in the 24th. Just a minute later, Swanson was cutting through the box from right to left again and Sophia Smith found her for an easy goal and a 3-0 advantage.
It got worse for Zambia as defender Pauline Zulu defender was red-carded in the 34th for a foul on Smith, who was heading into the box again; Smith left and had to be replaced by Lynn Williams. The half ended at 3-0, and the U.S. with 74% possession and a 15-1 edge on shots.
The second half was calmer, with the U.S. maintaining possession and looking for opportunities and Zambia better concentrated on defense.
Horan, Swanson and Horan left the game for subs in the 65th minute, and while the attacks continued, the Americans were content to leave the final at 3-0. The U.S. finished with 79% possession and a 27-8 shots advantage.
Under new coach Emma Hayes (GBR), the U.S. is 5-0, with a 11-0 goals-against total. Next up will be Germany, 3-0 winner over Australia on Thursday, on Sunday in Marseille.
In the women’s Group A, defending champion Canada managed a 2-1 win over New Zealand with a goal by Evelyne Viens in the 79th, amid drone-spying issues by two now-removed Canadian officials of New Zealand practices. France defeated Colombia, 3-2, with three first-half goals.
In Group C, Spain edged Japan, 2-1 on a 74th-minute goal by Mariona Caldentey and Brazil got past Nigeria, 1-0 with Gabi Nunes scoring in the 37th.
¶
The second day of the Rugby Sevens men’s tournament saw the U.S. beat Uruguay, 33-17 and advance to the playoffs as the third team in Group C (1-1-1). However, Australia eliminated the Americans by an 18-0 score in the quarterfinals.
New Zealand, Australia and defending champion Fiji were all 3-0 winners in their groups, with Australia advancing to the semis and Fiji defeating Ireland in a hard-fought, 19-15 game. However, New Zealand was eliminated by South Africa by 14-7 and will now face France, a 26-14 winner over Argentina.
The semis will be held on Saturday (27th).
¶
In the Archery ranking round, Korea’s three-time World Champion Woo-jin Kim led the men’s ranking round at 686/700, ahead of teammate Je-deok Kim (682). American Brady Ellison, the 2019 World Champion, was seventh (677) and reigning Olympic champ Mete Gazoz was eighth (676).
Fellow Korean Si-hyeon Lim – eighth at the 2023 Worlds – set a world record of 694 in the women’s round, breaking the 2019 standard of 692 by Chae-young Kang (KOR). American Casey Kaufhold was fourth at 672.
¶
Handball opened play in the women’s tournament, with Denmark, Korea and Sweden winning in Group A, and France, the Netherlands and Brazil in Group B.
5.
Gallup poll shows modest U.S. interest in Paris Games
“While the 2024 Olympic Games are still likely to draw sizable audiences compared with other concurrent entertainment options, far fewer Americans plan to watch the events than in prior years.”
That’s from Gallup, reporting on a poll of more than 1,000 Americans from 1-21 July about their viewing intentions for the Paris Games (4% margin of error). Their conclusion:
“The U.S. viewing audience for the 2024 Paris Games is poised to be the smallest for any prior Summer Olympics Gallup has measured. Thirty-five percent of U.S. adults plan to watch a great deal (10%) or fair amount (25%) of the games, which is down from 48% measured for the 2016 Olympics and figures just shy of 60% from 2000 to 2012.”
Gallup has surveyed television interest in the Olympic Games beginning with Sydney 2000, asking the same question, but with declining results (Tokyo 2020 not shown due to Covid lifestyle interference) on how much of the Games people expect to watch:
● 2000: 59% great or fair amount – 28% not much – 12% none (Sydney)
● 2004: 59% great or fair amount – 29% not much – 12% none (Athens)
● 2008: 56% great or fair amount – 29% not much – 14% none (Beijing)
● 2012: 59% great or fair amount – 28% not much – 13% none (London)
● 2016: 48% great or fair amount – 30% not much – 21% none (Rio)
● 2024: 35% great or fair amount – 34% not much – 30% none (Paris)
The question was “How much of the Olympics do you intend to watch – a great deal, a fair amount, not much or none at all?” and so not tied to a choice of network, cable or streaming, but simply “viewing” on any platform. In terms of the demographic spread:
All adults:
● 2000-12: 58% expected to watch quite a bit
● 2016: 48% (-10%)
● 2024: 35% (-13%)
By age groups:
● 2000-12: 57% ages 18-49 quite a bit
● 2016: 44% (-13%)
● 2024: 30% (-14%)
● 2000-12: 59% ages 50+ quite a bit
● 2016: 52% (-7%)
● 2020: 42% (-10%)
In terms of interest in specific sports, the first choices showed there is only one sport in the Paris Games for American audiences:
● 42%: Gymnastics/women
● 10%: Track & Field/men
● 7%: Track & Field/women
● 6%: Swimming/men
● 6%: Swimming/women
● 6%: Basketball/men
● 3%: Gymnastics/men
● 2%: Basketball/women
● 12% Others
● 6%: Any and all
In terms of sports in a respondent’s “top three,” women’s gymnastics was listed by 68%, followed by men’s track (33%), women’s track (32%), women’s swimming (30%) and men’s swimming (29%).
By gender, 85% of women had women’s gymnastics in their top three, followed by women’s swimming (41%) and women’s track (35%). For men, 52% had men/s track in their top three, with women’s gymnastics second (49%) and men’s swimming third (34%).
The sports interest reports came from a Web survey of 2,072 U.S. adults from 1-14 July, with a 2% margin of error.
NBC’s viewing data from the U.S. Olympic Trials broadcasts showed good interest and audience levels back at Rio 2016 levels, if not better.
≡ PANORAMA ≡
● Olympic Games 1984: Los Angeles ● The Washington Post’s Les Carpenter did an in-depth, months-in-preparation story looking back on the 1984 Olympic Games and the pivotal changes it brought to the Olympic Movement, and a podcast, with guests Joan Benoit Samuelson, Edwin Moses and even a few comments from then-LAOOC Vice President/Press Operations Rich Perelman.
The story was titled, “The miracle of 1984: How Los Angeles saved the dying Olympics” with the sub head of “Four decades ago, Peter Ueberroth transformed the Games from an unwanted burden to a coveted entertainment behemoth.”
The podcast title is “How the 1984 Olympics saved the Games.”
Enjoy!
● Olympic Games 2024: Paris ● The Paris organizers said Thursday that 8.7 million of the total of 10 million tickets for the Olympic Games have been sold, extending their record for the most tickets sold for any Olympic Games.
¶
The City of Paris sent an email notice to resident and Opening Ceremony spectators on Thursday that included:
“The opening ceremony will begin at 7:30 p.m. Spectators are invited to arrive as soon as possible, as soon as the doors open at 3:30 p.m., with their ticket (lower platforms) or access ticket (upper platforms) and an identity document. Access will no longer be allowed after 6:30 p.m.”
¶
“As part of a vast security operation for the Paris Games, which start on Friday, authorities have turned to powers passed under a 2017 anti-terror law, placing 155 people under surveillance measures that strictly limit their movement and oblige them to register daily with police even though some have never faced criminal charges, according to official data and a Reuters review of cases.”
The Reuters story, posted on Thursday, noted the agency reviewed 27 cases, of which six have been overturned and four partially revised. Activists and attorneys for arrestees decried excessive security outreach by the French authorities, who have made no apologies for attempts to keep the Games safe amid continuing threats.
¶
The Associated Press posted a Thursday story noting “French authorities have been clearing out migrant and homeless encampments for months leading up to the massive global sports event, which is an important moment for President Emmanuel Macron at a time of political turmoil. …
“Authorities also have been sharply criticized as they have bused camping migrants from the city center where the Olympics are taking place to the fringes of Paris or other areas. Activist groups and migrants have called the practice – long used in other Olympic host cities like Rio de Janeiro in 2016 – a form of ‘social cleansing.’”
French authorities stated that they are moving people off of the streets into real housing, as they have for years, with Ile-de-France regional government chief of staff Christophe Noel Du Payrat telling the AP:
“We are taking care of them. We don’t really understand the criticism because we are very much determined to offer places for these people.”
¶
“Our athletes have decided they would rather go and eat in our performance lodge in Clichy, so we are having to get another chef to come over as the demand is far exceeding what we thought it would be.”
That’s from British Olympic Association chief executive Andy Anson, speaking to The Times (London), adding:
“There are not enough of certain foods: eggs, chicken, certain carbohydrates. And then there is the quality of the food, with raw meat being served to athletes. They have got to improve it over the next couple of days dramatically.”
Carrefour, the French supermarket giant, said “the initial assessments of the meals consumed, it has been requested to revise upwards the quantities initially planned, which the group will be able to satisfy.” The catering management team, Sodexo Live!, said it is modifying its offerings to “satisfy the needs of the athletes” after noticing a “very high demand for certain products.”
¶
Complaints are always part of the run-up to any Olympic Games and the Russian news agency TASS posted a report which included some commonly-seen, early-on issues from prior Games, and some overstatements:
“European media have previously reported on the poor quality of service for athletes, robberies of Olympians, problems with food supplies, uncomfortable ‘cardboard’ beds, complaints about stuffiness in transport. Rats continue to terrorize Parisians and Olympic guests, and bedbugs have attacked France in the run-up to the competition.”
● Olympic Winter Games 2030: French Alps ● One of the open issues in the French Alps bid has been the speed skating venue, but Stefano Lo Russo, the Mayor of 2006 Winter Games host Turin, wrote on Instagram that the Torino Oval Lingotto (capacity: 8,500) would host the sport.
¶
The FrancsJeux.com site reported that World Athletics and the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) are joining up to propose two new Winter Games sports: cross country and cyclo-cross.
According to UCI chief David Lappartient (FRA):
“Cross-country and cyclo-cross could share the same site. They would have the advantage of reinforcing the universality of the Winter Games, where few African countries are currently represented.”
Asked about the IOC requirement that Winter Games sports must be conducted on snow or ice, Lappartient opined, “It is not mandatory that they are contested all the time on snow or ice.” It is not at all clear that the IOC’s Program Commission will share their view.
● NBC ● During a call with reporters, rapper Snoop Dogg, in Paris as part of the NBC team, was asked about his preparation for the Games:
“My preparation for prime time is being me. Google me. Look me up, dog. I’ve done fighting a bit. I’ve done sporting events. This is what I do. I’ve been doing this since y’all have been goldfish. What they’re going to find out is I know the sport, I know the angle, I know the conversations. Tune in so you can be a part of it. …
“Just so you know, I’ve been sliding into the practice facilities with different teams, whether it was judo, weightlifting, 3-on-3 basketball, fencing. I’m one of those individuals that likes to get involved. Not only do I communicate and talk with them, I may try the event.
“[I’m] learning the backstory of these athletes and their families, and then learning the backstory of some of these events — these sporting events I have no clue about — but [I’m] learning and loving them at the same time.
“It’s going to be a great experience because the way I speak it, you tend to want to pay attention to it because it’s going to be something different, and it’s going to be a little bit more insightful because I have spent time with these athletes and some of their family members as well.”
● Football ● “Some of the fans thought it was the end of the match and decided to invade the pitch. The atmosphere was festive. At no time was there any security risk for players or spectators. Within minutes of the final whistle, a security bubble formed around the athletes.”
That’s the statement from Thomas Collomb, the deputy director of security for Paris 2024, about Morocco fans rushing the field near the end of the Argentina-Morocco men’s football match in Saint-Etienne on Wednesday. An Argentine goal late in stoppage time appeared to tie the game at 2-2, but was disallowed on video review after two hours, with Morocco winning the match by 2-1.
The stadium was cleared and the teams played out the final three minutes of stoppage time without fans. Argentina’s football federation filed a complaint with FIFA, and federation head Claudio Tapia said:
“Having to wait almost two hours in the dressing room, after Morocco fans entering the pitch, the violence that the Argentina delegation suffered, our players having to warm up again and continue to play a match that should have been suspended by the main referee, is really something that makes no sense and that goes against the competition rules.”
Argentina coach Javier Mascherano added: “What happened on the field was a scandal. This isn’t a neighborhood tournament, these are the Olympic Games. …
“The game was suspended because of security. At no moment did they talk to us about any revision [of the goal].
“Obviously it’s confusing, but we have to move forward. It’s already happened, it’s over. We have to focus on the two games [left]. Save up the anger and let it all out in the coming games.”
FIFA issued a statement that it will “appoint an integrity expert to support the necessary investigations into the potential breaches of the FIFA regulations following the incidents that took place during the match between the representative teams of Argentina and Morocco played on 24 July 2024.”
● Judo ● “I come to Paris with great enthusiasm, we are prepared from a sporting point of view, but unfortunately the place is not prepared and we are suffering.
“The entire IJF team is on site working with the local team to complete the site, but it should have been ready much sooner. … many things are missing in the installation.”
That’s International Judo Federation President Marius Vizer (ROU), speaking with Agence France Presse on Wednesday.
A Paris 2024 statement noted that the Champ-de-Mars Arena “will be ready on time for the competition … there are still some points [needing] attention, such as the assembly of certain equipment and the cleaning of the site.”
And: “Our teams are fully mobilised to ensure these finishing touches.”
● Tennis ● Britain’s Andy Murray, 37, withdrew from the Olympic men’s Singles competition and will only play in the men’s Doubles with Dan Evans:
“I’m getting a bit older now so it gets harder to recover from injuries. I just ran out of time really [for singles], but happy to be in the doubles with Dan and we play well together.”
Murray, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, has said he will retire following the Paris Games.
¶
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