Belarus coach who removed sprinter from Olympics charged
The Belarusian track coach who tried to force a sprinter to return home from the Tokyo Olympics after she was critical of the team has been charged with breaching the sport's integrity standards. The charges stem from the ouster of 200-meter sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya, who went on social media during the Olympics to question why she had been entered in the 4x400 relay without her knowledge, the AIU said. Tsimanouskaya sought help from police, who were able to take her away from the Belarusian officials. Four days after the episode, the IOC revoked credentials for Maisevich and another coach, Artur Shimak. Tsimanouskaya, 26, has gained Polish citizenship and has said she hopes to compete for that country at the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
wftv.comBelarus coach who removed sprinter from Olympics charged
The Belarusian track coach who tried to force a sprinter to return home from the Tokyo Olympics after she was critical of the team has been charged with breaching the sport's integrity standards. The Athletics Integrity Unit, which oversees disciplinary actions in track and field, announced the charges against Yury Maisevich on Thursday, alleging he broke rules in the sport's integrity code of conduct involving honesty, dignity and protecting reputation. The charges stem from the ouster of 200-meter sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya, who went on social media during the Olympics to question why she had been entered in the 4x400 relay without her knowledge, the AIU said.
news.yahoo.comJapan investigators raid Dentsu in widening Olympic probe
TOKYO — (AP) — Japanese prosecutors raided the headquarters of major advertising company Dentsu on Friday, as the investigation into corruption related to the Tokyo Olympics widened. Major local TV broadcasters showed Tokyo District Prosecutors and Japan Fair Trade Commission officials entering Dentsu headquarters. The companies involved in the earlier sponsorship scandal include Aoki Holdings, a clothing company that dressed Japan’s Olympic team, and Sun Arrow, which produced the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic mascots named Miraitowa and Someity. Tokyo prosecutors do not comment on such daily news developments. The International Olympic Committee has said it’s watching Japan’s investigation, stressing it had “every interest in the full clarification of this case.”___Yuri Kageyama is on Twitter https://twitter.com/yurikageyamaCopyright 2022 The Associated Press.
wftv.comJapan investigators raid Dentsu in widening Olympic probe
TOKYO — (AP) — Japanese prosecutors raided the headquarters of major advertising company Dentsu on Friday, as the investigation into corruption related to the Tokyo Olympics widened. Major local TV broadcasters showed Tokyo District Prosecutors and Japan Fair Trade Commission officials entering Dentsu headquarters. The companies involved in the earlier sponsorship scandal include Aoki Holdings, a clothing company that dressed Japan’s Olympic team, and Sun Arrow, which produced the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic mascots named Miraitowa and Someity. Tokyo prosecutors do not comment on such daily news developments. The International Olympic Committee has said it’s watching Japan’s investigation, stressing it had “every interest in the full clarification of this case.”___Yuri Kageyama is on Twitter https://twitter.com/yurikageyamaCopyright 2022 The Associated Press.
wftv.comFrance is already courting Joel Embiid for World Cup, 2024 Paris Olympics
At least some members of Les Blues are already making a push for Joel Embiid to join them for both the World Cup next year and the 2024 Olympics now that he’s a dual citizen. With the World Cup set for next year in the Philippines and then Paris set to host the Olympics in 2024, Embiid would be a tremendous addition for France at both tournaments. If Embiid were to join France, their team would undoubtedly have a great chance at taking home the gold medal in Paris. Embiid doesn’t have to make a decision on either the United States team or the French team just yet. Though his newfound American citizenship changes things a bit for the French team, Collet knows there isn't anything he can do about it.
wftv.comSwim cap for Black hair gets race approval after Olympic ban
LAUSANNE, Switzerland — (AP) — A cap designed for Black swimmers' natural hair that was banned from the Tokyo Olympics has been approved for competitive races. Swimming governing body FINA said on Friday the Soul Cap was on its list of approved equipment. Last year, British swimmer Alice Dearing was refused permission to wear a Soul Cap in the 10-kilometer marathon swim in Tokyo, with FINA suggesting the size could create an advantage. Soul Cap welcomed the approval that has come more than one year later as "a huge step in the right direction" in a sport that historically has had few Black athletes. “For a long time, conventional swim caps have been an obstacle for swimmers with thick, curly, or volume-blessed hair,” the company said.
wftv.comWorld Athletics Championships: Two world records fall, U.S. wins three more golds on final night
The finals were less than two hours later, and while the world record was great, Amusan and the seven other women in the hurdle final were there to win gold. Amusan is the first man or woman from Nigeria to win Worlds gold. Athing Mu, the 20-year-old New Jersey native, became the first American woman to win Worlds gold in the 800 meters, out-kicking Great Britain's Keely Hodgkinson. Kenya's Mary Moraa won bronze in 1:56.71. The U.S. won the final two races of the meet, the men's and women's 4x400 meter relays.
wftv.comFahnbulleh wins 100 and 200 meters at NCAA championships
EUGENE, Ore. — (AP) — Florida's Joseph Fahnbulleh pulled away at the finishes to win the 100 and 200 meters at the NCAA track and field championships Friday night. Fahnbulleh, who competed for Liberia at the Tokyo Olympics, won the 100 title first in a personal-best 10 seconds. Boosted by Fahnbulleh's performance, the Florida Gators won the men's team title with 54 points. Wisconsin's Olin Hacker won the 5,000, surging in the final 80 meters to finish in 13:27.73. His father, Tim Hacker, won the 1985 NCAA cross-country championship.
wftv.comTokyo Olympic film debuts in Japan; headed next to Cannes
Olympics Tokyo Documentary Film FILE - Japanese film director Naomi Kawase speaks during a press conference in Tokyo on Oct. 23, 2018. The documentary film produced by Kawase about the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Olympics premiered on Monday, May 23, 2022, shown to reporters and other invited guests in the Japanese capital. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, File) (Eugene Hoshiko)TOKYO — (AP) — The documentary film about the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Olympics premiered on Monday, shown to reporters and other invited guests in the Japanese capital. After Tokyo, the film will be shown on Wednesday at the Cannes Film Festival in the Bunuel Theatre, named for Spanish-born iconoclastic filmmaker Luis Bunuel. The film looks at refugee athletes, and athletes who have defected.
wftv.comBidens to host 2020 US Olympic Team at White House
Biden President Joe Biden speaks during a reception to celebrate Eid al-Fitr in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Monday, May 2, 2022. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh) (Susan Walsh)WASHINGTON — (AP) — President Joe Biden plans to host the 2020 U.S. Olympic Team at the White House on Wednesday, staging a much-delayed, in-person celebration for participants of the Japan Games — which were themselves pushed back a year by the coronavirus. The president and first lady Jill Biden will host the Olympians on the South Lawn, the White House said. Last summer, the Bidens hosted a virtual celebration for Team USA from the Tokyo Olympics from their home in Delaware. The president said then that he'd like to host the team at the White House in the future.
wftv.comZverev fined $40K, loses prize money, points for outburst
Tokyo Olympics gold medalist Alexander Zverev was fined $40,000 by the men's professional tennis tour and will forfeit more than $30,000 in prize money and all rankings points from the Mexican Open after hitting the chair umpire’s stand with his racket following a loss in doubles. In addition to those penalties, the ATP announced Thursday it would undertake “a further review of the incident.” Zverev was the 2020 U.S. Open runner-up.
news.yahoo.comSha'Carri Richardson — the US sprinter barred from the Olympics for marijuana use — says the only difference between her and Valieva is their race
Richardson was not allowed to compete in the Summer 2020 Games after a failed drug test, but Valieva can compete after failing a doping test.
news.yahoo.comMental health hovers over Olympics, on its way to mainstream
ZHANGJIAKOU, China — (AP) — At the Tokyo Olympics, mental health was the breakout star. She said that she had been feeling pressure, something every elite athlete feels and is distinct from the more complicated mental health challenges many have been talking about. “I think that it really has become normalized with so many athletes talking about their mental health, and there has been such a push for parity with mental health and physical health,” said Jess Bartley, director of mental health services for Team USA. Amanda Fialk, who is the chief clinical officer at The Dorm, a mental health treatment program for young people, is heartened by the increasingly open conversations happening. She underscores that there are vast cultural differences — across countries and between communities within any given country — that affect access to and the stigma around mental health care.
wftv.comBubble life: China takes COVID sports routine to new extreme
Beijing Olympics Inside The Bubble FILE - A worker in protective gear walks past the Olympic rings at the National Indoor Stadium at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Feb. 1, 2022, in Beijing. The venues are open to members of the Olympic family, while the rest of Beijing is basically closed. He tested positive before even coming to China, meaning he couldn't even get into the bubble. Much like this bubble, masks and testing were the rule inside the NBA's bubble. But this Olympic bubble has taken safety to a higher level than even the NBA did, especially given China's zero-tolerance policy for positive tests.
wftv.comBeijing Olympics get 'gold for repression' in labor report
The Belgium-based International Trade Union Confederation issued its report Tuesday — "China: A gold medal for repression" — highlighting human rights violations. “We want governments to take a stand in defense of their own athletes’ safety, and we want sponsors to actually review their association with the Beijing Winter Olympics,” she added. “John always puts the Olympics before the issue of human rights," Burrow said. IOC President Bach touted his efforts to bring the two Koreas together during 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Promises of largely unfettered access were granted grudgingly by China for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, under pressure from the IOC.
wftv.comHu wins horizontal bar, Uchimura shines at gymnastics worlds
KITAKYUSHU, Japan — (AP) — China’s Hu Xuwei upstaged Tokyo Olympic champion Daiki Hashimoto of Japan to win the horizontal bar gold medal on the final day of the 50th artistic gymnastics world championships on Sunday. Uchimura, who last won the horizontal bar world title in 2015, was sixth with 14.600 points in what could have been his last world championships. Uchimura fell from the horizontal bar during the Tokyo Olympics and did not qualify for the final, won by Hashimoto. I felt like they were waiting for me and and it felt good to perform for them.”It was the second gold medal on the day for Hu. Mai Murakami, appearing in her last worlds before retiring, took gold in the floor exercise with 14.066 points.
wftv.comBeijing Olympics open in 4 months; human rights talk absent
China Olympics Beijing Up Next Residents wearing masks pass by a countdown clock for the Beijing Winter Olympic Games at the Wangfujing retail street in Beijing Sunday, Oct. 3, 2021. When the International Olympic Committee awarded Beijing the 2008 Summer Olympics, it said the Games would improve human rights and civil liberties in China. There is no such lofty talk this time with Beijing's 2022 Winter Olympics — the first city to host both the Summer and Winter Games — opening in just four months on Feb. 4. Beijing landed the 2008 Games after a long pursuit — its poor rights record helped end its bid for the 2000 Olympics. “Although Xi was in charge of 2008 Olympic Games, these Winter Games are truly Xi’s Games,” Xu wrote.
wftv.comParalympic closing marks end of Tokyo's 8-year Olympic saga
“The Tokyo Games were a model of efficiency and friendliness,” Olympic historian David Wallechinsky said in an email to The Associated Press. “It’s difficult to define the difference.”Tokyo was also haunted by a vote-buying scandal during the bid process that forced the resignation 2 1/2 years ago of Japanese Olympic Committee president Tsunekazu Takeda. He was also an International Olympic Committee member. Next up are the Beijing Winter Olympics, opening in five month. The Winter Olympics after Beijing are in Milan-Cortina in Italy in 2026.
wftv.comParalympic closing marks end of Tokyo's 8-year Olympic saga
“The Tokyo Games were a model of efficiency and friendliness,” Olympic historian David Wallechinsky said in an email to The Associated Press. “It’s difficult to define the difference.”Tokyo was also haunted by a vote-buying scandal during the bid process that forced the resignation 2 1/2 years ago of Japanese Olympic Committee president Tsunekazu Takeda. He was also an International Olympic Committee member. Next up are the Beijing Winter Olympics, opening in five month. The Winter Olympics after Beijing are in Milan-Cortina in Italy in 2026.
wftv.comOsaka tosses racket, loses US Open match to Fernandez, 18
US Open Tennis Naomi Osaka, of Japan, reacts during a match against Leylah Fernandez, of Canada, at the third round of the US Open tennis championships, Friday, Sept. 3, 2021, in New York. Another possible factor in her failure to close things out while serving for the victory against the left-hander Fernandez at 6-5 in the second set: Osaka hadn’t competed since Monday. That’s because the woman she was supposed to meet in the second round, Olga Danilovic, withdrew because she was sick. Seemed on track for a similar conclusion in the second set, leading 6-5 and serving. But when she sailed a forehand wide, Fernandez had her first break of the match to make it 6-all.
wftv.comUS forward Tobin Heath staying in English soccer at Arsenal
LONDON — (AP) — United States international Tobin Heath is staying in English soccer. The 33-year-old forward signed for Arsenal in the Women’s Super League on Friday, having played at Manchester United last season. Heath has played 177 times for the U.S. team, winning the World Cup twice. She returned from a long injury absence to play at the Tokyo Olympics, where she helped the Americans win a bronze medal. "She’s an incredibly talented player who will bring so much experience to our squad.”___More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsCopyright 2021 The Associated Press.
wftv.comParalympics open in empty stadium -- just like Olympics
(Joe Toth for OIS via AP) (Joe Toth)TOKYO — (AP) — The Paralympics began Tuesday in the same empty National Stadium — during the same pandemic — as the opening and closing ceremonies of the recently completed Tokyo Olympics. Tokyo and Paralympic organizers are under pressure from soaring new infections in the capital. Both have tried to distance the Paralympics and Olympics from Tokyo's rising infection rate. Paralympic organizers played a part last week in launching "WeThe15," a human-rights campaign aimed at 1.2 billion people — 15% of the global population — with disabilities. Shingo Katori, a member of boy band SMAP that had its roots in the 1980s, now works with Paralympic organizers.
wftv.comJapan extends, expands coronavirus emergency as cases surge
Japan Virus Outbreak Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga speaks to reporters about the extension of a state of emergency at his official residence in Tokyo Monday, Aug. 16, 2021. The emergency for curbing surging COVID-19 cases will continue through Sept. 12 rather than ending at the end of this month as initially planned, the government decided Monday. With the latest extension, they emergency will remain in force the Tokyo Paralympics, which open Aug. 24 and close on Sept. 5. “The surge in infections is reaching alarming record highs,” , Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga told reporters after meeting with other ministers about the move. Violent protests are extremely rare in Japan, where public order and conformity are highly valued.
wftv.comMattel says skateboarder Barbie was supposed to be Asian, admits 'falling short' on representation
Mattel has issued a statement regarding its alleged lack of an Asian doll in its Tokyo Olympics Barbie collection. First unveiled in February 2020, the collection reflects five sports that debuted at or returned to the Tokyo Games, namely (1) baseball/softball, (2) sport climbing, (3) karate, (4) skateboarding and (5) surfing. A press release from Mattel said that it highlights “inclusivity and innovation.”
news.yahoo.comColumn: Good start in Rio, Olympic golf hits stride in Tokyo
Tokyo Olympics Golf Xander Schauffele, of the United States, holds his gold medal in the men's golf at the 2020 Summer Olympics on Sunday, Aug. 1, 2021, in Kawagoe, Japan. (AP Photo/Andy Wong) (Andy Wong)KAWAGOE, Japan — (AP) — Her heart rate hit its peak only when Nelly Korda stood on the Olympic podium, not when she had a putter in her hand with a gold medal hanging on every shot. Schauffele wouldn't know the difference because while the gold medal elevated him into the elite in golf, he has yet to win a major. Korda won a major and a gold medal in a span of 42 days, and even she doesn't know the difference, not does she care to make the distinction. And while he would watch on TV, golf probably wouldn't be on his list.
wftv.comStrug pushed through, Simone stood firm -- why is there any debate as to which is more heroic?
Even if you haven’t been watching the Olympic Games like a hawk, you’ve likely heard the biggest news of the week: Gymnast Simone Biles, who is widely regarded as the greatest of all time, withdrew from the women’s team contest after her first rotation on the vault Tuesday, and then pulled out from the individual all-around competition the following day.