Monthly Archives: March 2022

Chicago casino: Who has the hot hand? – Chicago Sun-Times

Posted: March 29, 2022 at 1:46 pm

Mayor Lori Lightfoot pulled off a card trick last week in Chicagos casino deliberations. Or maybe she dealt a new hand. Pick your metaphor.

In her administrations announcement that it has winnowed the casino bids to three, she jostled the order of things and left at least one player at the table feeling pretty good, a player not Neil Bluhm.

Its Bluhm who many insiders believed had the inside track on this. He still might. The chairman of Rush Street Gaming, which owns the Rivers Casino in Des Plaines thats the most lucrative such operation in Illinois, Bluhm combines real estate development skills with knowledge of gambling, and his political and business contacts here are peerless.

Bluhm was behind two of the five initial bids for a casino site. He formed a strong local partnership to boldly propose taking over Lakeside Center, the oldest and least used convention hall at McCormick Place and the one needing the greatest amount of fixing up. Another bidder, Ballys also turned in a plan to use other parts of McCormick Place property.

But under the citys process, nobody was allowed to communicate with the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority, which runs McCormick Place. That was a problem. Last month, Larita Clark, CEO of the authority, delivered a blistering critique of the proposals involving convention center property. Saying that all she knew about the casino was what she saw in the public proposals, Clark warned that the authority would need to spend maybe $1 billion to replace space if the meetings industry continues to recover from the pandemic. There was talk of bureaucratic hurdles, including a need to change state law, before any deal could be struck.

Clark conjured an image of delays and cost escalations for the citys casino ambitions, stymied for most of the last 30 years. It took the Lightfoot team just over a month to respond.

It discarded the two bids involving McCormick Place. MPEA and convention center business drives $1.9 billion of economic impact for the City based on 2019 events. Losing even one convention due to a casino could have significant adverse impacts on City and State revenues and jobs, City Halls evaluation said.

So it buried the notion that table games would butt up against trade shows. Most in the meetings industry dont want the distractions. They dont want gambling to compete with their trade shows. They want it to be like another city amenity, like a great steak dinner, said Laurence Msall, president of the nonpartisan Civic Federation, which has no position on a casino site.

The three bids still standing include the Bluhm pairing with Related Midwest for the vacant Near South Side piece known as The 78, another Ballys proposal at the Chicago Tribune printing plant at Chicago Avenue and Halsted Street, and a Hard Rock pitch to build over the Metra tracks west of Soldier Field on part of a proposed development called One Central. Hard Rock has said its casino can proceed without the broader project, which requires state funding for a transit hub.

From the looks of it, Ballys is gaining on Bluhm, if it hasnt pulled ahead, and the complex Hard Rock air rights deal, touching many public agencies, is hanging by a thread. Three main points the city made in its report invite that conclusion. The factors listed in picking a winner: 1.) How much money the casino will make? Remember, this is supposed to bail out the police and fire pension funds. 2.) How quickly can it get started? 3.) Does the company have any conflict with other casinos?

Bluhm is in Des Plaines and Hard Rock operates in Gary, Indiana. One reason for Chicago to do this is to get a cut of the estimated $331 million in annual gaming revenue that goes from Illinois to Indiana. Ballys is the only bidder that does not already have a property in the Chicagoland market and, therefore, is more likely to operate with independence in maximizing revenues for the Chicago casino, the city said.

The report said the Ballys site could be up quickly with a temporary casino because it can retrofit a building north of the Tribune printing site. It suggested that could happen in mid-2023, but that seems a stretch. Lightfoot has delayed her selection until this summer, after community hearings. The River North Residents Association has raised alarms about the Ballys site and an advisory group for The 78 released a poll showing most people near it oppose a casino. The City Council has to weigh in. Lightfoots pick has to go through the Illinois Gaming Board, which can take months for a review that includes background scrutiny of casino investors.

The mayoral election is a year off. This deck still has some wild cards.

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Is the Fair Bitcoin Casino Is The Best Choice? – UrbanMatter

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Boku and Payforit – which is the better solution for mobile casino deposits? – Hardware Times

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Mobile phones have a ton of clever tech hidden deep within them. Advanced processors and high-res screens make it possible to not only complete everyday tasks. But also use your smartphone as an entertainment center as well.

Gaming on your smartphone is now perfectly possible. And the result is just as good as its large screen predecessors.

Some of the top processors featured on modern mobile devices are beginning to rival tablets and laptops as well. Apple certainly leads the way with its Bionic A15 chip that has an incredible 3223 MHz and six cores.

But Android customers are just as well looked after with the 8th gen Snapdragon chips producing an incredible 3000 MHz over 8 cores.

Refresh rates and multitasking is now a standard requirement rather than a luxury. Smartphone users choose the convenience and speed of these devices to access all manner of internet-based tasks.

Online gaming, for example, is now a top addition to the list of options. And this includes online casino games as well.

But it isnt just the gaming action that is now possible thanks to this top tech. Mobile payments are also truly mobile thanks to the software integrated within these devices

Casino users can access funds held in their top-up credit to make deposits to their favourite casino sites. And pay by phone casinos are now extremely popular.

You can also choose to add cash to your monthly bill within some jurisdictions. In the UK, for example, the major network providers have this facility available. A player simply needs to create an account at a pay by phone casino and they will have this option at their fingertips.

And the great thing is that there is no special software to download or any hardware amendments to make to your device. All you need is your phone number, and you are able to access this fantastic payment gateway.

There are plenty of companies around the world that provide this kind of service. But within the UK, pay by phone casino sites usually employ the services of Boku or Payforit.

These top payment providers are able to seamlessly transfer cash from your top-up credit or monthly bill and add it instantly to your pay by mobile casino. Some customers will choose to pay with phone credit while others will add it to their monthly bill. It is up to you which method you prefer.

The simple answer is they are both as good as each other. Both companies use the same technology to get your cash moving quickly and securely. They have encryption protocols in place and dont require any personal data to get cash moving.

In fact, pay by mobile casinos are one of the safest ways to get money into your gaming account.

Boku first hit the scene in 2009 thanks to three entrepreneurial brains who combined their assets. Their previous involvement in the industry gave them the knowledge and experience necessary to make this dream a reality.

They raised over 13 million in investment to get the venture off the ground. And quickly went on to garner a top reputation in the e-commerce industry.

This amazing payment provider gives businesses everything they need to accept mobile payments directly from the carrier. And they also utilise mobile identity products that give a network provider the ability to verify ID quickly and efficiently.

They have won several awards over the years and are considered a major player in the world of pay by mobile casinos.

And if you are interested in finding out more about these top casino sites, then you can read reviews of pay by mobile casinos here.

An alternative pay by phone casino company that is also highly regarded in the UK. Payforit not only has a first-class payment integration system for gambling sites. Moreover, they also allow their payment gateway to create express transactions for several other industries.

This product is just as good as Boku. And its very difficult to tell which one you may prefer to choose over the other.

One plus that Payforit has going for it is that it creates innovative alternatives for several other areas of our lives. One key part of their product offering is the Pay Schools product.

Children are able to use this tech to manage online lunch accounts to stop them from needing to carry cash around with them. This has many advantages and the education sector enjoys the benefits.

It is also a great method for collecting fees for various trips and clubs that take place in school. And also gives parents a wider range of options to pay for incidental costs that occur during the school year.

It is a great all-round product that many industries hold in high regard.

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Farmworkers Recognition Breakfast to be held at Four Winds Casino – ABC 57 News

Posted: at 1:46 pm

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- For the first time in two years, Proteus Inc. will be hosting a Farmer Recognition Breakfast at the Four Winds Casino on Thursday, March 31.

The event begins at 7:30 a.m. with guest speakers beginning their addresses at 8 a.m. These speakers include career coach, Jesusa Rivera, South Bend Mayor Mueller, and a number of Indiana State Representatives.

This opportunity bookends National Farmworkers Awareness Week that runs from March 27 to March 31.

Proteus Inc. is a nonprofit that serves agricultural workers across Iowa, Nebraska, and Indiana. They work to aid workers in job training, education assistance, and providing health services.

Cancelled for the past two years due to COVID-19, Proteus Inc. hosts this event to recognize and honor the laborers that provide food for family's tables.

For more information on the event, you can visit its webpage.

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Farmworkers Recognition Breakfast to be held at Four Winds Casino - ABC 57 News

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Bangkok Likely Home of First Thailand… – Casino.Org News

Posted: at 1:46 pm

Posted on: March 28, 2022, 11:21h.

Last updated on: March 28, 2022, 01:14h.

Not surprisingly, the government committee spearheading the effort to potentially bring casino gaming to Thailand is pushing for the countrys first integrated resort to be located in the capital city of Bangkok.

The committee appears open to the idea of permitting more casino resorts in the country if the venue in Bangkok proves successful. A report in Thaiger indicates talks regarding bringing regulated gaming to the Southeast Asian country are still in the formative stages, and no official announcements have been made as of yet.

In an interview earlier this month with the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Goldstein said Sands had interesting conversations with a major Asian country, noting that multiple nations in the region have approached the operator over the years.

That prompted speculation among analysts that the country Goldstein is referring to is most likely Thailand, though neither Sands nor Thai officials have confirmed that.

Tourism is a major contributor to the Thai economy, and Bangkok leads that charge, underscoring the capitols allure for gaming operators.

In 2019, prior to the coronavirus pandemic, Bangkok lured 22.78 million visitors from around the world, displacing London and Paris atop Mastercards Global Destination Cities Index. Thats a statistic Las Vegas Sands is likely aware of, and one the casino giant finds compelling as it looks to diversify its Macau-heavy portfolio.

Additionally, Phuket and Pattaya ranked 14th and 15th, respectively, on the 2019 Global Destination Cities Index. That confirms Thailand is a favored spot for tourists, and that other areas of the country could eventually be credible homes to integrated resorts.

Thailand also offers casino operators plenty of diversity in terms of regions from where tourists arrive. In Macau, Sands and the other concessionaires are heavily dependent on arrivals from Hong Kong, mainland China, and Taiwan. Conversely, Thailand is heavily visited by Chinese, Indian, and Japanese travelers, among others from Asia, as well as by tourists from Australia, Russia, the UK, and the US.

It appears Thai officials want to mimic the template used by their counterparts in Singapore, where Sands runs Marina Bay Sands. Meaning they want to keep the focus on driving foreign visitors to a gaming venue while making it cumbersome for locals to gamble.

For Thai gamblers, theyd need to show their identity card, career information, source of income, financial status, saving account, statement, and financial credits. The casino complex would also have a minimum age limit and entry fee, according to Thaiger.

Foreigners looking to gain entry into a regulated Thai casino will simply need to show their passports.

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List of Olympic Games host cities – Wikipedia

Posted: at 1:45 pm

This is a list of host cities of the Olympic Games, both summer and winter, since the modern Olympics began in 1896. Since then, summer and winter games have usually celebrated a four-year period known as an Olympiad; summer and winter games normally held in staggered even years. There have been 29 Summer Olympic Games held in 23 cities, and 24 Winter Olympic Games held in 21 cities. In addition, three summer and two winter editions of the games were scheduled to take place but later cancelled due to war: Berlin (summer) in 1916; SapporoGarmisch-Partenkirchen (winter) and TokyoHelsinki (summer) in 1940; and Cortina d'Ampezzo (winter) and London (summer) in 1944. The 1906 Intercalated Olympics were officially sanctioned and held in Athens. However, in 1949, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) decided to unrecognize the 1906 Games.[1][2] The 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo were postponed for the first time in the Olympics history to summer 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic with the 2022 Winter Olympics being held roughly six months later in Beijing.[3][4]

Four cities have been chosen by the IOC to host upcoming Olympic Games: Paris for the 2024 Summer Olympics, MilanCortina d'Ampezzo for the 2026 Winter Olympics, Los Angeles for the 2028 Summer Olympics, and Brisbane for the 2032 Summer Olympics.

In 2022, Beijing became the first city that has held both the summer and the winter Olympic Games. Ten cities will have hosted the Olympic Games more than once: Athens (1896 and 2004 Summer Olympics), Paris (1900, 1924 and 2024 Summer Olympics), London (1908, 1948 and 2012 Summer Olympics), St. Moritz (1928 and 1948 Winter Olympics), Lake Placid (1932 and 1980 Winter Olympics), Los Angeles (1932, 1984 and 2028 Summer Olympics), Cortina d'Ampezzo (1956 and 2026 Winter Olympics), Innsbruck (1964 and 1976 Winter Olympics), Tokyo (1964 and 2020 Summer Olympics) and Beijing (2008 Summer Olympics and 2022 Winter Olympics). Stockholm hosted the 1912 Summer Olympics and the equestrian portion of the 1956 Summer Olympics. London became the first city to have hosted three Games with the 2012 Summer Olympics. Paris will become the second city to do this with the 2024 Summer Olympics, followed by Los Angeles as the third in 2028.

The United States has hosted a total of eight Olympic Games, more than any other country, followed by France with five and Japan with four editions. The United Kingdom, Canada, Italy and Germany have each hosted three Games.

The Games have primarily been hosted in the regions of Europe (30 editions) and the Americas (13 editions); eight Games have been hosted in Asia and two have been hosted in Oceania. Rio de Janeiro became South America's first Olympic host city with the 2016 Summer Olympics. Africa has yet to host an Olympic Games. Other major geographic regions which have never hosted the Olympics include the Middle East, Central Asia, the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, the South Pacific, Central America and the Caribbean. Between the first Winter Olympics in 1932 and the last ones to be held in the same year as the Summer Olympics in 1992, the Summer and Winter games took place in the same country three times.

Host cities are selected by the IOC membership, usually seven years in advance.[5] The selection process lasts approximately two years. In the first stage, any city in the world may submit an application to become a host city. After 10 months, the Executive Board of the IOC decides which applicant cities will become official candidates as based on the recommendation of a working group that reviews the applications. In a second stage, the candidate cities are investigated thoroughly by an Evaluation Commission, which then submits a final short list of cities to be considered for selection. The host city is then chosen by vote of the IOC session, a general meeting of IOC members.[6]

Cancelled Games Postponed to the following year

5 times

4 times (no entry)

3 times

2 times

1 time

Never held games

4 times

3 times

2 times

1 time

Never held games

First year

Last year

SummerOlympics

WinterOlympics

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Atlanta United holds signing day party for its Special Olympics Unified Team – The Atlanta Journal Constitution

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Players tried out for the 2022 Unified team last fall. The roster includes nine players with developmental disabilities who range in age from 16 to mid-to-late 20s and nine able-bodied athletes called partners who help move the game along the field and assist with setting up plays. The partners are high school and college soccer players.

Special Olympics athlete Brendan Jagielski, 29, of Johns Creek who helped lead Atlanta United Unified to a 3-2 win against Inter Miami CF Unified last year, has transitioned to assistant coach this year. He is one of four assistant coaches under head coach Marty Jelleme.

The team will play two competitive games this season against out-of-state teams which are scheduled before Major League Soccer matches. They will play Orlando City Unified July 17 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium and the New England Revolution Unified Team Oct. 1 at Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts.

The Unified team will train weekly at the Childrens Healthcare of Atlanta Training Ground. They start scrimmage matches Wednesday with a friendly match against Atlanta Area School for the Deaf. More scrimmages will take place during the season with the Atlanta United U-19 academy team and the organizations front office staff.

This year is professional player Guzans fifth as ambassador of the Unified team.

Im very fortunate to be a part of this, Guzan told the Unified players. The games ... are certainly a memorable experience but I think practice, week in and week out, putting in the work, coming together as a group, thats what this is all about and were certainly going to make some awesome memories.

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Democracy is a team sport: What the Olympics can teach us about politics – The Conversation

Posted: at 1:45 pm

Tensions and divisions in Canada are still running high more than a month after the so-called freedom convoy and, to borrow a sports metaphor, its time we call for a collective time out.

As public health professionals, we were shocked, angered and scared by the misinformation and co-opting of human rights rhetoric underpinning the protests. We were also angered and disappointed by responses from politicians who on all sides of the aisle met the protests with equally unproductive dogmatism and minimization.

While its true the protests revealed deep political polarization, its also true that conversations provoked by the protests have provided us with the opportunity to create a more inclusive and participatory democracy.

Read more: People should be allowed to visit, say goodbye to those who are dying during COVID-19

After all, many people have valid reasons to be frustrated with COVID-19 restrictions. Instead of letting legitimate grievances be co-opted by the far-right, we can use better and smarter engagement strategies to move through this impasse, together.

As Canada continues to navigate this pandemic (and other major global issues), our diversity of experiences could be a source of strength and insight, instead of a source of division. Recognizing that Canada still has much to reconcile, its time for a new game plan maybe using the Olympics as an inspiration to build a new kind of Team Canada.

At the Olympics, athletes from all across the country convene under a common Canadian flag. We can take some valuable lessons from Olympic athletes, like thinking as a team, rather than an individual.

Thinking as a team requires mutual respect and trust that honours interpersonal relationships and opens possibilities to imagine better solutions to complex societal problems (like how to weather a pandemic) that work for everyone.

In order to play as a team, we need to stick to our positions, play to our strengths and extend trust to others to do the same. You would never pull star hockey forward Marie-Philip Poulin mid-game and stick her in goal or expect snowboarder Mark McMorris to start competing in the luge after watching a YouTube video.

We can extend this logic to other places as well, including in relation to our pandemic experts.

Although misinformation has eroded some trust in health experts, doctors and scientists still remain trusted authority figures among Canadians. Canada needs to continue to restore faith in expertise, and health experts need to do their work in ways that invite and value diverse voices, perspectives and experiences.

A better playbook calls on us to engage in authentic dialogue, where all parties are open and willing to listen and to understand.

This means being aware of our biases and working hard to counter them. Confirmation bias, for example, is when we favour information that confirms our already-held beliefs and subsequently dismiss any information that goes against it. This leaves no room for learning and growing through healthy debate. Good sportsmanship reminds us that we should not be striving to win at all costs or as a result of unfair advantages.

This means calling out double standards, like who is criticized as being part of profiteering conspiracies (such as Big Pharma) and who evades scrutiny (such as the trillion-dollar health and wellness industry).

Read more: Black and Indigenous protesters are treated differently than the 'convoy because of Canada's ongoing racism

This also means calling out double standards that exhaust our capacity to engage critically with the world around us. The most glaring recent example is the stark difference in how the freedom convoy protesters were treated compared with Indigenous land-defenders on their own territories.

Sometimes the game plan changes; a player gets hurt or the other team switches up their strategy. In a game, we need to be flexible and adapt to these changes in order to win. The same is true for our response to the pandemic.

Adapting guidelines to respond to emergent data is a feature not a flaw of good science. While critiques of inconsistent and confusing public health mandates are valid, critiques of the dynamic nature of our responses and guidelines as proof of conspiracies are less so.

The public, for its part, needs to grow more comfortable with the unknown especially in a rapidly evolving pandemic without jumping to conspiracies or all-or-nothing thinking.

Above all, we all need to remember we are all in this together and were all playing for the same team. Our neighbours and friends make up our health systems and governments and they are navigating the pandemic and its restrictions alongside us.

For better of worse, this pandemic has reminded us that we are all bound to each other. It has shown us the ways in which we are able to mobilize and accomplish things we never imagined were possible like developing a global COVID-19 vaccine in record time and revolutionizing the virtual care industry proving ourselves tremendously capable of adaptation.

We therefore call on all of us, Team Canada, to strive for better. Lets create new ways to participate in our democracy, by engaging and listening to each other. Lets learn about leadership from Indigenous nations that are reclaiming and re-imagining relationships with health-care systems like the Ktunaxa Nations xaqana itkini project.

Instead of staring in shock at a stalemate of divisiveness that leaves most of us behind or minimizing the foul forces driving confusion and divisiveness, lets direct our energy at fortifying our system so it doesnt collapse during the next pandemic, ensuring poverty doesnt exacerbate health inequities, improving global access to COVID-19 vaccines and helping those currently neglected by our systems.

If ever there was a moment to invest in our society and in each other, with productive, equity-focused and imaginative conversations, this is it. All levels of government can leverage their platforms to invite inclusive engagement and to listen for direction. Rather than tolerating divisiveness and intolerance, we can and we should embrace this important moment to create a more participatory form of democracy.

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Jersey Mike’s Annual Effort Will Go Towards the Special Olympics – shoresportsnetwork.com

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If ever there was a day to buy subs and more fromJersey Mikesthen tomorrow is it. Not just because they make great sandwiches (which they do) but because Wednesday is their annual Day of Giving which involves all of their approximately 2,200 locations across the country and is the culmination of the companys 12thAnnual Month of Giving fundraising campaign.

In previous years the Manasquan-based company has had their individual franchises partner with local charities including hospitals, food banks, youth organizations and many others. However for the first time all owners and operators nationwide are teaming up to support the same causehelping local athletes attend the 2022 Special Olympics USA Games in Orlando, Florida. Jersey Mikes is the presenting sponsor and theres a good chance youve seen a TV commercial featuring founder/CEO Peter Cancro whose involvement with the Special Olympics dates back to 1975 when he owned the original location in Point Pleasant. Every four years more than 5,500 athletes and coaches from all 50 states come together to compete in the Special Olympics USA Games in 19 sports including swimming, gymnastics, basketball, tennis, track and field and many more.

Wednesday is the culmination of this month-long fundraiser as all stores nationwide will give 100% of the days total sales (not profit) to help athletes achieve their dreams and goals by competing against others in Orlando from June 5-12. Last year a record $15 million was raised and Jersey Mikes hopes to surpass that number.

So Wednesday make your plans to visit one of the three dozen locations in Ocean and Monmouth County. Whatever you spend on hot and cold subs, chips, cookies, water and soda will be donated and will make a difference. I have a lot of personal favoritesClub Supreme, Tuna, BLT, Famous Philly Cheese SteakRoast Beef. It wont be easy but Ill narrow it down to twoone for lunch and one for dinner.

The Jersey Mikes motto is GivingMake a Difference in Someones Life. Wednesday is your chance to share in this..

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Tony Martin auctions off silver medal from 2012 Summer Olympics to raise money for Ukrainian children – USA TODAY

Posted: at 1:45 pm

Pro-Ukraine protests continue amid ongoing Russian invasion

As the conflict between Ukraine and Russia enters a second month, protesters around the world are rallying in support of Ukraine.

Damien Henderson, USA TODAY

German cyclist Tony Martin won four time trial world championships over the course of his 14-year professional career, but only one Olympic medal.

Now he's parting with it,with hopes that it will help those in need.

Martin announced Sunday that he is auctioning off the silver medal he won at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London to raise money for Ukrainian children and their familiesthroughRTL Wir helfen Kindern, a German charity organization.

As of Monday night, the leading bid had already eclipsed 12,000 euros more than $13,300. The auction runs through April 9.

"It's not easy to separate me from the biggest trophy I could win in my career," Martin, 36, wrote on Instagram,"but considering the fact that millions of people lost almost everything, it is something I really want to do!"

Martin, who retired in September, wrote that he had been watching footage of Russia's invasion of Ukraine on television in recent weeks and "it feels so wrong to sit on the couch and accept this situation." So he figured he would try to help, by parting with the medal he won in the men's road time trial event in London nearly a decade ago.

A time trial specialist, Martin won four time trial world championships andfive Tour de France stages over the course of his career. After winning silver in London, he returned to the Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 but finished 12th in the time trial event there. It would prove to be his final Olympic appearance.

Martin wrote on Instagram that he auctioned his medal in hopes that it will help those most in need of protection during Russia's invasion: Ukrainian children.

More than half of the nation's 7.5 million kids were displaced in the war's first month according to UNICEF, which has described it as "one of the fastest large-scale displacements of children since World War II."

"I hope from the bottom of my heart that the people of Ukraine will get back their peace and freedom very soon," Martin wrote on Instagram.

Contact Tom Schad at tschad@usatoday.com or on Twitter @Tom_Schad.

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