Athletics-Bolt predicts return in two weeks

June 14, 2010 By Leave a Comment

June 12 (Reuters) – Triple Olympic champion Usain Bolt is on the road to recovery from a sore Achilles that kept him off the track for two weeks, the Jamaican said on Saturday.

2010 Winter Olympics

“So far it’s feeling good and the treatment is working,” Bolt told NBC television in an interview at the New York Diamond League meeting, where he was a spectator.

He had been scheduled to run a 100 metres but pulled out late last month as a precautionary measure after his left Achilles became inflamed.

Wearing a white New York Yankees cap and a long-sleve sweatshirt, Bolt watched fellow Jamaican Veronica Campbell-Brown run the year’s fastest women’s 200 metres before chatting about his recovery and the upcoming season.

“It is not serious, but my doctor said you have got to take an Achilles injury very seriously so he told me to take a couple of weeks off to make sure I could get better,” Bolt said.

“I’ll be starting back (training) next week.”

His next race will be a 200 metres in Lausanne on July 8 (Reporting by Gene Cherry. Editing by Alastair Himmer. To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)

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Stick to the construction timetable, IOC urges Sochi

April 30, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Organisers of the Sochi 2014 winter Olympics were urged on Thursday to keep up their construction pace as Europe’s largest building site is still a long way away from resembling an Olympic city.

Sochi, which won the Games in 2007 with the majority of its venues needed to be built from scratch, has pledged to start construction of every venue by the end of this year.

It has also got to build sufficient accommodation for visitors and working staff, the IOC said.

“We are happy to see the progress… mainly in the field of construction,” Gilbert Felli, the International Olympic Committee’s Games Executive Director told reporters.

“But this project is a huge project. The timing is always something we are scrutinising very carefully. We are happy with the deadlines but there is still a lot to do.

He said organisers must meet the volume of necessary accommodation for visitors, workers as well as athletes and officials while also moving more organisation staff from Moscow to Sochi “to be hands-on on the preparations.”

The IOC earlier on Thursday was briefed on the progress by Sochi Games chief Dmitry Chernyshenko who confirmed that an ally of Russia’s Prime Minister Vladimir Putin would become the new Russian Olympic chief.

Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Zhukov, the government’s point man for the Sochi Games preparations, will replace Leonid Tyagachyov, who resigned as Russian Olympic chief following the country’s worst ever showing at February’s Vancouver Olympics.

“Zhukov is the only candidate,” Chernyshenko told reporters, adding he would be appointed ROC chief on May 20 but would also remain as head of Sochi’s supervisory board.

“It is a unique model of a lack of conflict of interest,” Chernyshenko said.

(Editing by Justin Palmer; To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)

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Olympic star Bright flashes gold in Cooma

April 10, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Olympic gold medal-winning snowboarder Torah Bright will be back in her home town of Cooma tomorrow for a parade in her honour.

Bright won the women’s halfpipe at the Vancouver Winter Olympics in February.

She says her life has been surreal since the win.

“Life’s been pretty hectic, still trooping around the world to finish off the rest of the winter and sponsor commitments and all sorts of media requests,” she said.

“I’m really looking forward to the weekend actually, heading home and sharing in the excitement with everybody.

“And then have some time with the family.”

Bright says the parade will also celebrate the achievements of other Cooma and Jindabyne locals on the Winter Olympics team.

“There’s one pretty cool little thing; there’s three of us all from the same [Cooma] primary school.”

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New airline to fly in ‘Our Torah’

April 10, 2010 By Leave a Comment

The airline that is soon to begin services to the New South Wales Snowy Mountains will fly Olympian Torah Bright to the area tomorrow for a big celebration.

Aeropelican has taken over the daily Sydney to Cooma flight after Regional Express pulled out of the service two years ago.

The airline will fly the winter gold-medallist and her family to Snowy Mountains Airport tomorrow morning, in time for a parade at Cooma.

The newly-elected Mayor of the Cooma-Monaro Shire, Dean Lynch, says he encourages the community to attend the event.

“If they get there to cheer on the athletes, it should be a sight to be seen so if everyone, the whole town and anyone that wants to be here can be there then, I’m sure they’re going to get a treat,” he said.

For more, go to the South East News blog at http://bit.ly/dgL1SN

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San Francisco Fun Seekers About to Get a BC Experience

April 3, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Olympic Gold Medalists Shani Davis and Ashleigh McIvor Join British Columbia and
Ziptrek Ecotours, Aboriginal Dance Group and More Coming to Justin Herman Plaza
in April
VANCOUVER, British Columbia–(Business Wire)–
One of the most popular public activities during the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and
Paralympic Winter Games is coming to San Francisco as part of The British
Columbia Experience, an 11 day celebration kicking off on April 8th.

Ziptrek Ecotours are used to taking tourists soaring through mountain treetops
in British Columbia but starting in April, they will be giving San Franciscans a
chance to experience their own free urban zipline that will bring them flying
over 600 feet across Embarcadero Square. This unique event will let visitors
experience the thrill and exhilaration of ziplining – brought to prominence in
North America by Ziptrek Ecotours` flagship operation in Whistler, British
Columbia. During the Winter Olympics, thousands of visitors enjoyed a similar
urban zipline in downtown Vancouver.

The zipline is just one element of The British Columbia Experience, an event
taking place in Justin Herman Plaza from April 8th until April 18th. The event
will also feature free public dance performances by the world-renowned
Aboriginal dance group the Le-La-La Dancers, an interactive video display, a 3D
art installation, and more.

To help launch The British Columbia Experience two gold medal winning Olympians,
US Speed Skater Shani Davis and Canadian Ski Cross Racer Ashleigh McIvor will be
among the first to try out the zipline and participate in a public autograph
signing on April 8th.

When: Thursday, April 8 – Sunday, April 18th
10:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.

What: The British Columbia Experience, featuring:
– Free 600 ft. Urban Zipline: Open to the Public
Note: There are no age restrictions, but guests must weigh more than 65 pounds and no more than a maximum of 275 pounds. The ride will be free of charge.
– Interactive Video Display, 3D Art Installation and more

Who: – Launch event on April 8th from 12:30-2:00 featuring a public meet and greet with 2010 Olympic Gold Medalists Shani Davis (US Speed Skating Team) and Ashleigh McIvor (Canadian Freestyle Team – Ski Cross)
– Performances by the world renowned Aboriginal dance group the Le-La-La Dancers (April 8th – April 11th at 12:00pm and 5:00pm)

Where: Justin Herman Plaza at Embarcadero Square, San Francisco, California

Optimum Public Relations, Vancouver
Paul Marr, 778-231-1256
paul.marr@cossette.com

Copyright Business Wire 2010

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Dannii Minogue tops 25 Most Beautiful People list

April 1, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Wellington, Apr 1 (ANI): Pregnant star Dannii Minogue is the most beautiful celebrity, according to Who Magazine.

The stunner has topped the magazine’s annual 25 Most Beautiful People list, reports Stuff.co.nz.

Minogue, who is six months pregnant, also graces the cover of the magazine in a form-fitting blue strapless gown.

Other Aussie stars on the list include actresses Teresa Palmer and Rose Byrne, singer Lisa Mitchell, newsreader Chris Bath and Winter Olympics gold medalist Lydia Lassila. (ANI)

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London 2012 Olympics could see prostitutes striking gold

March 27, 2010 By Leave a Comment

London, Mar. 27 (ANI): The London 2012 Games could become a magnet for prostitutes trafficked from Eastern Europe by criminal gangs, it is feared.

According to The Telegraph, the number of prostitutes working near the main Olympic site in Stratford, east London, has reportedly doubled already since work began on the stadium, with an accompanying rise in cases of sexually transmitted diseases.

Tessa Jowell, the Olympics minister, has held meetings with officials from the Vancouver Winter Olympics, where the number of sex workers increased five-fold to around 1,000 during the Games, and is working with police on preventing a similar influx here.

“Trafficking women for prostitution is a vile trade and we need to treat very seriously any suggestion the Olympics might encourage it,” she was quoted, as saying.

Police and council staff in the five London boroughs surrounding the main Olympic site, where 10,000 construction workers are based, have reported a sharp rise in the number of prostitutes on the streets, from around 125 to more than 250.

Figures from the time of the 2004 Athens Olympics show an increase of 95 per cent in prostitution, with the number of trafficked women increasing from 93 to 181.

After the Games the figures in relation to both prostitutes and trafficking remained higher than before. (ANI)

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Date for next year”s Oscars confirmed

March 27, 2010 By Leave a Comment

London, Mar 27 (ANI): The date for next year”s Academy Awards has been confirmed as February 27, 2011.

The event will be held a week earlier than the 2010 Oscars, which was delayed so as not to clash with the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, reports the BBC.

Nominations for next year”s awards will be announced on January 25, with final polls closing on February 22.

The Kodak Theatre in Hollywood will once again play host to next year”s festivities, to be broadcast live in the US on the ABC network. (ANI)

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Date set for 2011 Oscars

March 27, 2010 By Leave a Comment

There are only 48 weeks left until the 83rd annual Academy Awards.

In its 2011 schedule, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has slotted February 27 for its next ceremony.

The Oscars this year took place on the first Sunday in March to avoid going head-to-head with the closing ceremony of the Winter Olympics.

Next year’s show will return to the last Sunday in February – a spot on the calendar the Oscars has occupied since 2004. As a result, Hollywood’s awards season will be shortened by at least a week.

Academy Award nominations will be announced on January 25.

- Reuters

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Aussies push for snowboard green light

March 20, 2010 By Leave a Comment

International Paralympic team officials will meet on Friday to consider adding snowboarding to the roster of competitions at the games.

The informal meeting in Whistler, venue of alpine events during the current winter games, was organised by Canadian ski and snowboard associations, Australian Paralympic Committee chief executive Jason Hellwig said.

“There’s a whole movement around the world of people practicing the sport, and there area lot of countries coming to the conclusion snowboarding belongs in the Paralympic games,” he said.

Hellwig said if there is enough support, from enough countries, to convince the International Paralympic Committee to add snowboarding, it is already likely too late to include a snowboard event in the next winter games in Sochi.

“Australia would support it,” he said.

“We’d love to see it as a Paralymic program.”

Snowboarding was added as an Olympic sport in 1998 at Nagano.

There are currently three events – halfpipe, parallel giant slalom and snowboard cross – in the Winter Olympics.

- AFP

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Aussies push for snowboard green light

March 20, 2010 By Leave a Comment

International Paralympic team officials will meet on Friday to consider adding snowboarding to the roster of competitions at the games.

The informal meeting in Whistler, venue of alpine events during the current winter games, was organised by Canadian ski and snowboard associations, Australian Paralympic Committee chief executive Jason Hellwig said.

“There’s a whole movement around the world of people practicing the sport, and there area lot of countries coming to the conclusion snowboarding belongs in the Paralympic games,” he said.

Hellwig said if there is enough support, from enough countries, to convince the International Paralympic Committee to add snowboarding, it is already likely too late to include a snowboard event in the next winter games in Sochi.

“Australia would support it,” he said.

“We’d love to see it as a Paralymic program.”

Snowboarding was added as an Olympic sport in 1998 at Nagano.

There are currently three events – halfpipe, parallel giant slalom and snowboard cross – in the Winter Olympics.

- AFP

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Paralympians to inspire a nation

March 15, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Federal Sports Minister Kate Ellis is urging all Australians to get behind our athletes ahead of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Paralympics.

Australia’s largest ever Winter Paralympic team, made up of 11 athletes and three guides, is presently in Vancouver, with competition to officially get underway on Saturday.

Ms Ellis says the team is carrying on Australia’s proud Paralympic history.

“Sport shows us the great heights we as humans can reach and the hurdles that we can overcome,” she said.

“The Paralympics in particular show use the power we have to overcome adversity and shine.

“Like all Australians, I watched with great pride as Torah Bright, Lydia Lassila and Dale Begg-Smith won medals at the Winter Olympics. I’m sure we’ll feel that pride again as our Paralympians hit the snow and ice.”

Australia has participated in every winter Paralympics since the games were first held in 1976 in Ornskoldsvik, Sweden.

The past five Paralympics have resulted in medals, with Australia now boasting a total of 24 medals from nine appearances, 11 of them being gold.

The Australian team is likely to add to that tally in Vancouver, especially with both Shannon Dallas and Cameron Rahles-Rahbula going into the games as reigning world champions in the men’s sitting Slalom and the standing Slalom respectively.

All the results and highlights from the Vancouver Paralympics will be televised on ABC 1 from 6:30pm from Saturday March 13 to Monday March 22.

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Lindsay files $100m lawsuit over ‘boyfriend-stealing’, ‘milkaholic’ baby ad

March 11, 2010 By Leave a Comment

New York, March 10 (ANI): Lindsay Lohan has dragged financial company E-Trade to court in a 100 million dollar suit claiming that a boyfriend-stealing, “milkaholic” baby – also named Lindsay – in its latest advert is modelled after her.

The Mean Girls star has filed the lawsuit in Nassau County Supreme Court over the commercial that went on air during the Super Bowl this year.

The advert, a part of a series featuring toddlers who play the stock market, shows a boy apologizing to his girlfriend on video chat for not having called her the night before.

“And that milkaholic Lindsay wasn”t over?” the baby girl asks the boy.

“Lindsay?” the boy replies just when a baby girl sticks her head into the frame and says, “Milk-a-what?”

Lohan”s lawyer, Stephanie Ovadia, said the actress’s name was as recognisable as Oprah or Madonna.

“Many celebrities are known by one name only, and E-Trade is using that knowledge to profit,” New York Post quoted Ovadia, as saying.

She added: “They used the name Lindsay.

“They”re using her name as a parody of her life. Why didn”t they use the name Susan? This is a subliminal message. Everybody”s talking about it and saying it”s Lindsay Lohan.”

Ovadia is not only trying to get the advert banned but also wants every last copy of the commercial.

According to Ovadia, E-Trade has breached Lohan”s rights under New York state civil-rights law and used her “name and characterization” in business without her permission or paying for it.

She said the firm made huge profits since the commercial was seen by tens of thousands of people watching the Super Bowl and Winter Olympics finals.

Ovadia said the company owed Lohan 50 million dollars in exemplary damages, with an additional 50 million dollars in compensatory damages. (ANI)

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Canadian Government Backs Off Plan to Alter National Anthem

March 6, 2010 By Leave a Comment

TORONTO — Canadians basked in glory hearing their national anthem played a record 14 times at gold medal ceremonies at the Vancouver Winter Olympics. But they raised an outcry when the Conservative government surprised everyone by announcing it was considering changing a lyric to “O Canada.”

Just two days after sparking the furor, the government announced Friday that it has withdrawn its request to Parliament to consider changing a line in the anthem to make it more gender inclusive.

The government says it will no longer seek to have the lyric “in all thy sons command,” adopted in under 1980 legislation, replaced with the original 1908 line, “in thou dost us command.”

Dimitri Soudas, the spokesman for Prime Minister Stephen Harper, says his office has heard clearly from Canadians that they like the anthem as it is.

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Olympics-Ski jumping-Russia sack German coach after poor Games

March 2, 2010 By Leave a Comment

MOSCOW, March 1 (Reuters) – German Wolfgang Staiert has been sacked as coach of the Russian ski jumping team, paying the price for the team’s poor showing at the Vancouver Olympics.

2010 Winter Olympics | Ski-Jumping

“I’ve heard the news that Staiert had resigned,” president of the Russian ski jumping federation Vladimir Slavsky was quoted as saying by local media at the weekend.

“That is not true. I just fired him,” Slavsky said.

“I must say he has done a lot of good since being appointed the chief coach of our team six years ago. There have been good things as well as bad, but at this stage we have a lot more minuses than pluses.”

Staiert, regarded as one of the world’s top and best-paid trainers in the sport, became the first of what is expected to be many coaching casualties in the Russian Olympic team following the country’s dismal performance in Vancouver.

Russia, a traditional winter sports superpower, had it worst ever showing in Olympic competition, winning 15 medals but only three of them gold.

Russian ski jumpers had been regarded as medal contenders in Vancouver but their chances disappeared after team leader Dmitry Vasilyev suffered a serious knee injury on the eve of the Games.

Without Vasilyev, they did not qualify for the team final and finished outside the top 25 in both individual events. (Reporting by Gennady Fyodorov; editing by Justin Palmer) To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)

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IOC renews deal with IT partners Atos Origin until 2016

May 25, 2009 By Leave a Comment

IOC renews deal with IT partners Atos Origin until 2016 Lausanne, Switzerland- The International Olympic Committee and IT company Atos Origin have renewed their partnership by four years until the 2016 Summer Games, both sides announced on Monday.

The new deal covers the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi and the 2016 Games for which the host city will be elected by the IOC on October. Atos has been an official IOC partner since 2001.

Atos runs the Olympic IT system that relays competition results and information about athletes to spectators and media around the world. (dpa)

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Canada court reserves judgement in ski jumping case

May 3, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Vancouver – A court in Canada has reserved judgement in the case of female ski jumpers who are suing to to compete in the 2010 Winter Olympics. After five days of hearings, British Columbia Supreme Court Justice Lauri Ann Fenlon said Friday the issues behind the case were “very complex” and that she needed time to consider all the arguments.

Fifteen female ski jumpers took the Vancouver Organizing Committee to court for the right to compete at the Vancouver Games.

Lawyers for the skiers argued that under Canadian gender discrimination law laid out in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms all ski jumpers should be allowed to compete.

If the court rules in their favour the Vancouver committee would have to tell the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to allow the ski jumpers to compete or cancel the men’s ski jumping events.

The Vancouver committee has argued that the February 12-28 Games programme is a matter for the IOC, which has said the women will not be ready for competition until the 2014 winter Games.

The IOC is the Games’ regulatory body and as a foreign organization is not obliged to follow the charter, its lawyer argued.(dpa)

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Foxtel cancels contract with ex-Olympian swimmer Thorpe

May 2, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Melbourne, Apr.28 (ANI): Ex-Olympian swimmer Ian Thorpe’s contract with Foxtel is finished and will not be renewed.

According to insiders, Thorpe’s lucrative million-dollar television contract was terminated as he had lost interest in his once-promising media career.

Media sources yesterday claimed Thorpe had in recent times become a reluctant participant in the Foxtel relationship as he focuses increasingly on his university study and the years lost to schooling while in the pool.

“Foxtel can confirm its marketing agreement with Ian Thorpe has concluded,” a spokesman said yesterday.

“We are in discussions with Ian and his management about future projects, including some related to Foxtel’s 2010 Commonwealth Games, the 2010 Winter Olympics and the London Olympics in 2012. Those associations will be on a project-by-project basis,” News.com.au quoted the spokesman, as saying.

Thorpe was signed to a four-year contract at Foxtel – said to have been worth a million dollars in 2005 after being brazenly poached from Channel 7.

At the height of his fame, Thorpe talked openly of his plans to launch his international television career and opened up about his ambitions to produce a television drama.

He subsequently became one of the faces of Foxtel along with Hugh Jackman, but a much-hyped lifestyle show never eventuated, nor did Thorpe ever get around to producing.

His manager, David Flaskas, last night confirmed Thorpe had recently taken on more courses at university and might not finish his studies until 2012. (ANI)

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Austrian anti-doping agency starts procedures against two cyclists

April 8, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Vienna – Austria’s anti-doping agency NADA has started procedures against two Austrian cyclists, one of whom is being linked to the country’s disgraced cross-country skiing coach Walter Mayer.

The names of Christoph Kerschbaum, 32, and Ferdinand Bruckner, 37, appeared on a list of banned or suspected cyclists published on the website of the Austrian Cycling Federation on Wednesday.

Kerschbaum is suspected of having bought and distributed the blood booster EPO. He was taken into custody in late March and spent 11 days in detention, along with his alleged supplier, a Vienna pharmacist.

Mayer was also arrested, on charges of having sold substances bought from the pharmacist. Mayer’s custody was extended for four more weeks on Wednesday, because of a flight risk and a danger of committing further crimes.

According to Kerschbaum’s lawyer, the cyclist has admitted using and passing on banned substances.

But he has denied making a profit, which would carry a maximum prison sentence of five years in Austria.

Ferdinand Bruckner is assumed to have tested positive for doping in Croatia in March.

While Kerschbaum won two Austrian races in 2001 and 2003, Bruckner was a stage winner in the 2008 Tour of Hungary.

Mayer’s case goes back to the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, when blood transfusion equipment was found in the quarters of Austria’s cross-country team after the Games.

Team director Mayer was subsequently banned, but his presence at the 2006 Games in Turin led to a raid on Austria’s cross-country and biathlon team in which syringes were found.

Other players in Austria’s doping scandal are the cyclist Bernhard Kohl, who has been stripped of his third place in the 2008 Tour de France, as well as sports manager and alleged supplier Stefan Matschiner. (dpa)

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Annecy looks to host 2018 Winter Olympics

March 19, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Annecy looks to host 2018 Winter Olympics Paris – The French Alpine town of Annecy was named Wednesday as France’s candidate city to host the 2018 Winter Olympics, holding off the challenge from Nice, Grenoble and Pelvoux-les-Ecrins.

Town mayor Jean-Luc Rigaut said 80 per cent of the necessary infrastructure was already in place in Annecy, which is situated beside the cleanest lake in Europe and Mont Blanc.

The German city of Munich, Switzerland’s Wallis and Pyeongchang, South Korea have already expressed an interest in hosting the 2018 Winter Games.

The 2010 edition takes place in Whistler, Canada with Russia hosting the 2014 event in Sochi.

The host city for the 2018 Winter Olympics will be announced in Durban in July 2011. (dpa)

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