Monthly Archives: August 2022

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It doesnt seem like that long ago when the 2019 World Championships concluded in Hachioji, Japan, and climbing fans around the world were presented with their first cohort of Olympic qualifiersSlovenias Janja Garnbret, Team USAs Brooke Raboutou, and Canadas Sean McColl among the earliest to earn Olympic berths. It also doesnt seem like that long ago when fans were embroiled in debatesheated, at timesabout the pros, cons, and complexity of the Olympics proposed Combined format, which was to conjoin Speed, Boulder, and Lead disciplines into a single successive event. How could we forget the Czech Republics Adam Ondra describing the combining of the three disciplines as a circus back then and denigrating speed climbing by calling it an artificial discipline? Understandable, emotions were high, and so too were the Olympic stakes.

Yet, at the same time, now that climbings Olympic debutwhich took place officially one year ago this weekis in the rear-view mirror, it feels like the Tokyo Olympics took place in a wholly different era. That three-discipline Combined format from Tokyo seems to be gone forever, replaced by a format for the 2024 Olympics in Paris that will combine just two disciplines (Boulder and Lead) and leave the Speed discipline as its own separate entity. Also, everyone knows that the Tokyo Olympics were originally scheduled for the summer of 2020 but postponed for a year due to the COVID-19 pandemicand rife with ultra-stringent restrictions and mitigation strategies. Hopefully such widespread COVID disruptions of life and leisure are gone forever too. See, it already kind of feels like the Tokyo Olympics were not a fairly recent happening, but some intriguing rarity thats annotated in a history textbook.

Whether the Tokyo Olympics feel recent or long ago, theres no denying that they changed climbing. On a base level, they brought more eyes to the sport than ever before. (Some reports indicate that the Tokyo Olympics were watched by more than three billion people.) Amid that, the Tokyo Olympics recalibrated what it means to be a competition climbing superstar. Consider that in the early 2000s, competition climbers received coverage almost exclusively from endemic media outlets like, well, Climbing. Compare that to the media entities that reported on the Olympic journeys of Janja Garnbret, Brooke Raboutou, and othersNPR, CNN, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, ESPN, etc. For lack of a better word, the Olympics made competition climbing mainstream news in a way the sport and its athletes had never been before.

Before Janja Garnbret, Martina ufar Potard Ruled The Comp World

As an extension of all that big media coverage, the Tokyo Olympics popularized competition climbings various disciplines. Its probably too early to gauge any long-term metrics, but a quick Google search shows a heckuva lot of articles from this past year in the vein of Yahoos What the Hell is Speed Climbing? The Tokyo Olympics are solely responsible for such widespread curiosity. And shortly after the Tokyo Olympics, writer Michelle Bruton noted in Forbes that interest [in climbing] has spiked to an all-time high.

But all of that is a more panoramic view of how climbing has changed over the past year, gazing outward rather than inward. What about the Tokyo Olympics climbers themselves? It might sound a bit extreme to play a game of Where are they now? after just one year, but theres also no better time than this one-year anniversary to look at how the field of competitiors has changed and grown.

From a global perspective, the biggest star to emerge from the Tokyo Olympics was also the biggest star heading into themSlovenias Janja Garnbret. In fact, Garnbrets greatest Olympic accomplishment was likely that she was able to be so heavily favored in the media before the Gamesalmost to an unfair degreeand still deliver on all the hype. Other competitors likely would have caved under such pressure, and there would not have been any shame in that. But Garnbret managed to harness the immeasurable expectations into something magicalthe first-ever womens Olympic gold medal in climbing, and the third-ever gold medal for a Slovenian woman at a summer Olympics.

In this year following the Tokyo Olympics, we have seen that such an immaculate gold-medal performance came with a price. After taking part in the first Boulder World Cup of the current 2022 season, Garnbret chose to take a hiatus from competition climbing, specifically citing the physical and mental toll the Olympics had taken on her. But she returned for the start of the Lead World Cup season in late-June, seemingly mentally refreshed and per formatively better than ever. So far Garnbret has won every Lead World Cup of the 2022 season and is widely considered to be the greatest competition climber ever. Suffice to say, she has continued to crush since the Tokyo Olympics.

Another Tokyo Olympian who is currently performing better than ever on the World Cup circuit is Team USAs Brooke Raboutou. Since placing fifth at the Olympics, Raboutou has stood on three Boulder World Cup podiums and two Lead World Cup podiums. Whats particularly compelling is that Raboutou is inching closer and closer to Garnbret in results. Case in point: At this years Lead World Cup in Villars, Raboutou earned a silver medal, narrowly beaten in the final round by Garnbret.

South Koreas Chaehyun Seo has followed a similar trajectory, improving greatly since advancing to the finals at the Tokyo Olympics. Once considered a specialist in the Lead discipline, Seo has broadened her skill setparticularly this seasonand advanced to the final round multiple times in Boulder World Cups. The fact that Seo is only 18 years old makes heralong with Garnbret and Raboutouone of the early favorites for qualifying for the forthcoming 2024 Olympics. The same could be said for Team USAs Colin Duffy, also 18 years old, who followed up his appearance in the Tokyo Olympics last summer by historically earning gold medals in both the Boulder and Lead World Cups at Innsbruck this year.

As much as Garnbret, Raboutou, Seo, and Duffy made the Tokyo Olympics a jumping-off point for newfound success, other competitors made the Tokyo Olympics the ultimate conclusion. In particular, Great Britains Shauna Coxsey and Japans Akiyo Noguchi retired from elite-level international competition following the Tokyo Olympics. After years of being ready, years of preparation, off-seasons spent fighting to get to the start line, years of harnessing the desire, the determination and the belief, it feels so wrong to admit I no longer want to do competitors, Coxsey, who had battled several injuries in the lead-up to the Olympics, revealed at one point.

Noguchis retirement was noteworthy because she earned a bronze at the Tokyo Olympics, proving that she was still in her performative prime when she chose to gracefully exit. Noguchi had also made a World Cup podium the year before the Tokyo Olympics, and she had been one of the competitors to pose the biggest challenge to Janja Garnbret throughout the 2019 Boulder seasonwhich Garnbret eventually swept.

But Noguchis retirement from the competition scene also left a figurative void for the Japanese team. To many fans, Noguchi was viewed as the longtime athlete-leader of Team Japan and a savvy veteran that helped guide the teams teenage rising starsAi Mori, Natsuki Tanii, and others. Whether Noguchi has continued to aid and mentor the young members of Team Japan in retirement is unknown, but it is generally accepted that no other national squad has the elite depth that the Japanese team has. Many expect one of Noguchis mentees, 25-year-old Miho Nonaka (who earned the silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics) to assume the athlete leadership role in Noguchis absence. If this seasons World Cup results (i.e., medals) are any indication, the Japanese Team has managed to handle the void left by Noguchi just fine.

Still, a majority of the Olympian climbers have not necessarily surged to even greater heights or faded into retirement over the past year. Instead, they are currently residing in a nebulous spaceoften due to circumstances out of their control or simply bad luck. For example, Canadas Sean McColl suffered a shoulder injury at one of this years World Cups in Salt Lake City and has not participated in a competition since then. Also, Team USAs Nathaniel Coleman, silver medalist at the Tokyo Olympics, revealed hes dealing with a bum finger and has not taken part in any World Cup since April. Germanys Jan Hojer admitted to dealing with some finger injuries last year and is yet to take part in any World Cup this season; his last elite-level international competition was the 2021 World Championships nearly a year ago.

Yet, the most significant injury is likely that of Alberto Gins Lpez, since he is the competitor who won gold in the mens division at the Tokyo Olympics. Currently dealing with a tweaked finger of his own, Gins Lpez took part in four World Cup this season but has been absent from the circuit since May to rehab the finger.

Additionally, Austria Jakob Schubertthe bronze medalist from the Tokyo Olympicshad his participation in the 2022 World Cup season altered when he contracted COVID shortly before the start of the Chamonix World Cup in early July. Almost thought I can get around Covid, Schubert wrote on Instagram, but no, it now got me as well.

Adam Ondra and several other athletes have also had their current World Cup season disrupted by positive COVID tests promptly after World Cup events. Its presumed that Ondra and most other competitors in the upper echelon of the current World Cup circuit will at least make some attempt to qualify for the next Olympics, although most are staying tight-lipped about specific Olympic plans and goals at this juncture.

Above all else, the Tokyo Olympics gave everyone a roadmap for the Olympic and post-Olympic frenzy; we now know what kind of hype to expect in the lead-up and the wane. We know there will be Highs and Lows, promotion and puffery, fun and funkiness for all involved. And, lest you think that we have a lot of downtime until the hype ramps up for those 2024 Olympics, lets conclude with the fact that their Olympic qualification pathway begins next seasonapproximately one year from now. In other words, its almost time to do it all again.

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Climbing Lived Up To The Olympics. Now What? - Climbing - Climbing Magazine

Utahns really seem to want another Olympics.

A whopping 79% of Utahns approve of the Winter Games coming back to the state, according to the latest Deseret News/Hinckley Institute of Politics poll, while only 16% disapprove, and just 5% werent sure how they felt about hosting again.

That is incredibly strong. Wow, said Fraser Bullock, a leader of the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City who is now president and CEO of the Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Games bidding for the 2030 or 2034 Winter Games.

Jason Perry, director of the University of Utahs Hinckley Institute of Politics, said Utahns across the board back the bid because of the success of the 2002 Winter Games, deemed superb by the late IOC President Jacques Rogge during the Closing Ceremonies held at the U.s Rice-Eccles Stadium.

In a world where people are so divided about everything, they are united on the Winter Olympics. Regardless of age, gender, party or political affiliation, Utahns want the Olympics back, Perry said. There is an Olympic spirit that has not gone away.

Salt Lake City is competing for the 2030 Winter Games against two other cities that also have previously hosted a Winter Games, Sapporo, Japan, and Vancouver, Canada. Just over half of the residents in both Sapporo and Vancouver have backed bidding for another Olympics in recent surveys.

In Utah, the new poll found 44% strongly approve of bidding again, with 35% saying they somewhat approve. Only 8% strongly disapprove of trying to bring back the Winter Games, with another 8% saying they somewhat disapprove.

The poll was conducted for the Deseret News and the University of Utahs Hinckley Institute of Politics by Dan Jones and Associations July 13-18 of 801 registered voters in Utah. The statewide survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.46 percentage points.

The results track with past polling done by the states Olympic Exploratory Committee in 2017 that put support for bidding again at 89%, and by the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee, which measured it at 82% before selecting Salt Lake City a year later to bid on behalf of the United States for an unspecified Winter Games.

The new numbers come on the heels of pushback by the IOC over some of the U.S. response to Beijing hosting the 2022 Winter Games despite Chinas human rights record that appears to make choosing Salt Lake City for 2030 already a difficult pick because the 2028 Summer Games are in Los Angeles even more of a long shot.

And IOC President Thomas Bach has also made it clear that naming the 2034 host city will have to wait until after his term ends in 2025. Theres been speculation that the IOC Executive Committee would advance its picks for both the 2030 and the 2034 Winter Games to the contract negotiation stage set to start this December.

Those developments mean its now likely to be several more years before Utahns know whether the Olympics are returning.

Bullock said Utahns dont seem to be deterred by the back-and-forth over the bid.

Even though there is uncertainty around us potentially hosting in 2030 or 2034, or the timing of awards, we still see strong support, he said, noting, too, that support is still incredibly resilient despite the COVID-19 pandemics impact on both last winters Beijing Games and the 2020 Summer Games in Tokyo that were delayed a year.

The bid committee plans to start reaching out to Utahns this fall, through events set up by the communities with venues from 2002 that have remained in use in anticipation of another Winter Games, like the sliding track and ski jumps at the Utah Olympic Park near Park City and the Utah Olympic Oval speedskating track in Kearns.

Meanwhile, work continues on the bid details the IOC would require for the contract negotiation stage, which include thousands of pages of plans. Bullock and other bid leaders are also staying engaged with U.S. and international sports officials, recently attending the World Athletics Championships in Oregon.

What we want to signal to the IOC is were fully prepared, were a bid that they can count on, he said. Anything can happen in bidding. Dynamics can change very, very quickly. More preparation is better, so we are committed to being fully prepared with a complete bid, even in advance of when its required.

The bid is expected to cost less than $2 million, money thats coming from private sources. The plans being pulled together for an event with a $2.2 billion price tag also without using tax dollars are intended to show that Salt Lake is not only ready, but ready ahead of schedule to host in 2030 also cover a 2034 Winter Games, Bullock said.

We will follow the IOCs lead and see what happens late this year. Then, based on that decision, well make whatever decisions are necessary after that, he said when asked what would happen to the bid effort if Salt Lake City ends up out of the running for 2030.

I still strongly believe that well be awarded either 30 or 34. We are one of the best cities in the world to host a Games, for all the reasons we all know about, whether its compact Games, whether its the unified support, whether its excellent economics or just the love of the Games in Utah, Bullock said.

Chris Karpowitz, co-director of Brigham Young Universitys Center for the Study of Elections and Democracy, said most Utahns arent paying much attention to the ups and downs of the Olympic bid, given other more pressing concerns in their daily lives such as inflation.

And if the 2030 bid is not successful, having to wait a few more years to find out about 2034 could put new pressures on the bid over growth-related issues like air quality, water scarcity and housing prices, even though the poll shows the effort is starting now from a pretty good place, he said.

I think what these results suggest is a widespread base of support for the idea of the Olympics coming back to Utah, Karpowitz said. I think it suggests some residual pride in the success of 2002 and some forward-looking excitement as well about the possibility of the world coming to Utah again.

Excerpt from:

Heres something nearly 80% of Utahns can agree on another Olympics - Deseret News

Kamari Graham, a sophomore from Homestead, Florida,was named the 2022 USA TODAY High School Sports Awards Special Olympics Athlete of the Year during the live show on July 31.

The USA TODAY High School Sports Awards is the largest high school sports recognition program in the country. More than 800 athletes were honored and winners for 29 sports and other special awards were announced during the show, which was hosted by former NFL tight ends Rob Gronkowski and Vernon Davis.

Grahamnot only has an intellectual disability, but at a young age suffered injuries from a firework accident that left him without his left hand. A participant in Special Olympics since attending Homestead Middle School, Grahamparticipates in multiple sports and was instrumental in the team winning an FHSAA state championship in Unified flag football. He then helped Homestead becomea two-time national champion, catching a key touchdown pass in the semifinals of the 2022 USA National Games in Orlando.

Homestead represented Florida at the Games and brought home a gold medal.

Grahamis also a leader in the classroom, serving asVice President of his school's Unified Club.

Original post:

Kamari Graham named Special Olympics Athlete of the Year - USA TODAY

Aug 1 (Reuters) - One year ago, sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya's life was upended when she refused to board a plane back to her native Belarus after being kicked out of the Tokyo Olympics by her team.

What began as a controversy over Tsimanouskaya's entry in the 4x400 metres relay snowballed into a defection that became one of the biggest stories of the Games and highlighted the pressure Belarusian athletes face for challenging authority.

Forced out by her national team after criticising coaches for entering her in an event that was not her customary distance, Tsimanouskaya feared for her safety if she returned to Belarus and sought refuge in Poland.

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She is in the process of receiving Polish citizenship and the necessary documents to compete at national team level there.

The 25-year-old also wants another chance to compete at the Olympics and hopes to run at the 2024 Paris Games in the 200m, the event she had been set to run the day after Belarus removed her from the team.

"I'm disappointed that I didn't compete in the distance I had prepared for," Tsimanouskaya told Reuters in a video interview from her home in Warsaw.

"But I'm not losing hope. I'm still training here. I dream of going back to the Olympics and this time run my distance and show decent results."

Tsimanouskaya has only been able to run in lower-level meets as she awaits citizenship and says she misses elite competition.

"I'm grateful to Poland for having let me enter some competitions," she said. "But as an athlete who competed at the Olympics, it was tough to realise that I now was running at competitions with children."

Belarusians and Russians are currently barred from competing at international athletics meets because of Moscow's actions in Ukraine.

Tsimanouskaya became a symbol of resistance in Belarus, where opposition figures and those critical of the authorities have been prosecuted, jailed or fled since mass protests against leader Alexander Lukashenko in 2020.

The protests, followed by a violent crackdown on demonstrators, erupted after Lukashenko seized a sixth presidential term in an election that observers say was rigged. He denies electoral fraud.

"I didn't go to the Olympics to represent Lukashenko's authority," she said. "I went to the Olympics to represent Belarus. And for me, Belarus does not equal Lukashenko or the authorities."

Tsimanouskaya is slowly building a new life for herself in Poland, where she plans to study and hopes to one day open a gym with her husband Arseni, a fitness trainer.

She has also had her share of disappointments.

In addition to being sidelined from international athletics as a Belarusian national, Tsimanouskaya said some who had pledged their support since her defection had not followed through.

"I don't see myself as a hero, but maybe my actions will serve as an example for someone," she said.

"Over time, my life has started to fall into place. I'm continuing my career and making plans for the future. It shows that people shouldn't be afraid."

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Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Peter Rutherford

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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A year after Olympic defection, Belarusian sprinter dreams of 2024 Paris Games - Reuters

WORCESTER, Mass.The AYF-YOARF Central Executive and Worcester Steering Committee have announced an extension for the 2022 AYF Olympics Ad Book.

The deadline to submit an ad has been extended to Monday, August 8th at 11:59 PM ET.

The AYF Olympics Ad Book is the single largest fundraiser of the organizations calendar year and has become a memorable keepsake for all who appreciate the tradition that is the AYF Olympics. Inside the AYF Olympics Ad Book, one can find dedicated pages in memory of a loved one, numerous advertisements and encouraging messages from proud grandparents.

The AYF Olympics Ad Book will be readily available throughout the highly anticipated long weekend in Worcesterthe home of the first AYF chapter, Aram. The Worcester community will be hosting its first AYF Olympics since 1974.

The AYF stands strong in its 89th year with the financial contributions and moral support of generous alumni and community members. Help sustain this tradition and consider placing an ad to ensure the financial well-being of the AYF so that it is comfortably able to hold a full schedule of programs in 2022 and beyond.

All donations are tax deductible.

Founded in 1933, The Armenian Youth Federation is an international, non-profit, youth organization of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF). The AYF-YOARF Eastern United States stands on five pillars that guide its central activities and initiatives: Educational, Hai Tahd, Social, Athletic and Cultural. The AYF also promotes a fraternal attitude of respect for ideas and individuals amongst its membership. Unity and cooperation are essential traits that allow members of the organization to work together to realize the AYFs objectives.

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Final Call for Submissions for the 2022 AYF Olympics Ad Book - Armenian Weekly

AMERICAN FORK, Utah The two vaults MyKayla Skinner performed at last years Olympic finals in Tokyo were over in seconds but their combined result proved life-defining for the Latter-day Saint gymnast.

Prior to the Aug. 1, 2021, Olympics womens vault finals, Skinner had long been classified as an elite international athlete and a medal hopeful.

But when her second-place finish was announced, she graduated to rarified company that holds no expiration date: Olympic medalist.

Church News readers have long followed the gymnastics career of the Arizona-born, lifelong Church member stretching back to her teenage days as a Team USA alternate on the 2016 Olympics squad, then as a decorated All-American collegiate at the University of Utah and, finally, as an Olympic medalist who became one of the biggest stars of the Tokyo Summer Games.

Her Latter-day Saint fans also appreciate that Skinner is as comfortable talking about her religious beliefs as she is breaking down her performances on the balance beam or uneven bars.

Days prior to the first anniversary of her 2021 medal-winning performance, Skinner spoke to the Church News, marveling over times speedy passage.

Its all gone by pretty fast sometimes I wonder where the time has gone, she said. Its definitely been crazy but a good crazy. Ive been busy doing so many things.

Skinners Tokyo story is well-known:

Just days before the Aug. 1, 2021, womens vault finals, her competitive gymnastics career appeared over after initially not qualifying for the apparatus final. But when her friend and American teammate Simone Biles withdrew from the vault competition, a spot opened up.

Skinner seized her unexpected Olympic moment, finishing second in the vault behind Brazils Rebeca Andrade. She returned to her homeland with a silver Olympic medal hanging from her neck and a fortified testimony of personal preparation, prayer, faith and family.

World-class gymnasts practice their routines over and over and over again to eliminate uncertainties. For over a decade, Skinner had been preparing for that magical day when an Olympic medal was on the line.

But nothing Skinner or her coaches trained for in the gym could have fully prepared her for Tokyos many Olympic surprises. So she found the additional strength she needed through prayer and the inspired words of her patriarchal blessing along with the long-distance encouragement of her husband, Jonas Harmer, and her family and many hometown friends, fans and fellow Church members.

Even though they werent there in person, I could still feel them in my heart. I knew that they were proud.

Now a year removed from the Games, Jonas Harmer can still recall his own battle with nerves while watching his wife compete in a distant Olympics from his laptop and television screens.

It was tough but fun, he said. I remember the watch parties with my co-workers and staying up until 4 or 5 in the morning to watch the vault finals.

Few Latter-day Saints will claim an Olympic medal after navigating a maze of setbacks and complications. But all will experience setbacks and uncertainties. After all hope of winning a medal seemed lost, Skinner took her burdens to the Lord.

I remember getting down on my knees and praying, she said. I just kept having a feeling that [my Olympics] was not over. It was as if the Spirit was telling me, This isnt over.

Her husband and her parents, Cris and Kym Skinner, were unable to attend the Olympics in Tokyo because of the ongoing pandemic. But on repeated phone calls and Zoom meetings stretching across two continents and multiple time zones, they encouraged her to remain in Japan even though it appeared her competition was behind her.

The rest of the story is, well, Olympic history.

But even now, a year later, when I sit back and think about it, it still doesnt seem real, said Skinner.

The past 12 months havesharpened Skinners appreciation for growth opportunities that double as difficulties and trials. I needed those challenges and struggles to become a better person. Im a stronger person now and hopefully I can now walk out of any situation or trial throughout my life.

Even prior to unprecedented events of the Tokyo Summer Games, Skinners path to her Olympic medal was rarely straight. It was never simple. She counts prayer and the guidance of her patriarchal blessing as priceless spiritual friends. They have helped her persevere and find joy in a journey that continues to this day.

My gymnastics journey is my mission especially to help the youth of the Church, she said.

Her gospel testimony, she added, allows her to face whatever the day brings.

Life is not easy, but knowing what I know as a Church member helps me know that its all going to work out in the end, some way or another.

Mykayla Skinner and her husband, Jonas Harmer, at their home in American Fork, Utah, on Friday, July 29, 2022. A photo of the couples temple marriage hangs on the wall.

Scott G Winterton, Deseret News

Harmer laughs recalling the whirlwind of activities that came in the aftermath of his wife winning an Olympic medal. Immediately after reuniting in the United States, the couple embarked on a wild, exhausting schedule to meet media demands and other promotional events.

Following a welcome breather in Utah, Skinner joined Biles and several other female gymnasts at the end of 2021 for a multiweek gymnastics exhibition tour through dozens of U.S. cities.

Then we both started back in school, so it was like weve never had a chance to really enjoy the moment, said Harmer. Its all been nonstop. The year has passed in the blink of an eye.

Skinner and her 6-foot-7-inch husband also put their athletic skills to the test during recent appearances on American Ninja Warrior including a couples competition.

Now a 25-year-old retiree, Skinner is still adjusting to life as a public figure and Olympic medalist. But in her day-to-day interactions with family and friends, she still feels like the same Arizona girl they watched grow up.

It has been fun to enjoy life and not have to stress about gymnastics anymore, especially after ending my career on such a good note.

It is humbling, she added, when Latter-day Saints approach her and thank her for representing her Church and her country.

One of the great things about being a member of the Church is knowing that there is so much more to my life than just gymnastics, she said. I know that that can be hard for a lot of [retired] athletes, especially in the gym world. But the blessings that we have like being sealed in the temple for all eternity give me a bigger picture.

Skinner is, in her words super competitive, so she misses the thrill of matching her skills against other talented gymnasts. But other than that, Ive just been enjoying life.

Harmer and Skinner both have a semester of college to finish. They are looking forward to starting a family. I definitely want to have kids, she said.

For now, Skinner is uncertain how involved she will remain in gymnastics. She has considered coaching, but time will tell. Television work is more likely. She is studying sports broadcasting and, no surprise, shes comfortable in front of the camera talking all things gymnastics.

She also hopesto connect more with Latter-day Saint youth, write a book about her story and perhaps utilize the Harmer-Skinner YouTube channel and their other social media platforms to discuss Church-related items, such as the purpose of temples.

Id just like to help the younger generation know that life is going to be hard, she said, but you can get through it through Christ.

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Catching up with Latter-day Saint medalist MyKayla Skinner on the anniversary of her 'pure silver' Olympics - Church News

Bill Russell, the NBA great who after winning Olympic gold anchored a Boston Celtics dynasty that won 11 championships in 13 years the last two as the first Black head coach in any major U.S. sport and marched for civil rights with Martin Luther King Jr., died Sunday. He was 88.

His family posted the news on social media, saying Russell died with his wife, Jeannine, by his side. The statement did not give the cause of death.

Bills wife, Jeannine, and his many friends and family thank you for keeping Bill in your prayers. Perhaps youll relive one or two of the golden moments he gave us, or recall his trademark laugh as he delighted in explaining the real story behind how those moments unfolded, the family statement said. And we hope each of us can find a new way to act or speak up with Bills uncompromising, dignified and always constructive commitment to principle. That would be one last, and lasting, win for our beloved #6.

A Hall of Famer, five-time Most Valuable Player and 12-time All-Star, Russell in 1980 was voted the greatest player in the NBA history by basketball writers. He remains the sports most prolific winner and an archetype of selflessness who won with defense and rebounding while leaving the scoring to others. Often, that meant Wilt Chamberlain, the only player of the era who was a worthy rival for Russell.

The battles on the court between the centers were fierce signature showdowns in the NBA. Russell led the University of San Francisco to NCAA championships in 1955 and 1956 and won a gold medal at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics.

Russell, then 22, scored a team-leading 14.1 points per game as the U.S. won all eight games in Melbourne by an average of 53.5 points per game.

The gold medal is very, very, very precious to me, Russell said in an interview for NBCs Olympic Show in 1999. In terms of trophies and things, its probably my most prized possession.

Russell could have skipped those Games, which were held during the NBA season in November and December, but instead delayed the start of his Celtics career.

Ever since I was a kid, there were social and physical icons that I always heard about. And you think of these things in awe. And when I got to the age where I qualified for the Olympics, I wanted to go, Russell said,according to the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum. Then, the honor of The Olympics was to compete. Not to win, but to compete. I really wanted that. If I hadnt made that Olympic basketball team, I was going to participate in the high jump. I was ranked second in the country in the high jump [Editors Note:Track and Field Newsranked Russellthird in the U.S. and seventh in the world in 1956], so either way, I was going to Melbourne. I wanted to be a part of that Olympic experience.

Russells gold medal sold for $587,500 as part of an auction of hundreds of his personal memorabilia items last December.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement that Russell was the greatest champion in all of team sports.

Bill stood for something much bigger than sports: the values of equality, respect and inclusion that he stamped into the DNA of our league. At the height of his athletic career, Bill advocated vigorously for civil rights and social justice, a legacy he passed down to generations of NBA players who followed in his footsteps, Silver said. Through the taunts, threats and unthinkable adversity, Bill rose above it all and remained true to his belief that everyone deserves to be treated with dignity.

In Boston, Russell left a lasting mark as a Black athlete in a city and country where race is often a flash point. In 2011, President Barack Obama awarded Russell the Medal of Freedom. Two years later, a statue of Russell was unveiled on Bostons City Hall Plaza.

I cherished my friendship with Bill and was thrilled when he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, Silver said in his statement. I often called him basketballs Babe Ruth for how he transcended time. Bill was the ultimate winner and consummate teammate, and his influence on the NBA will be felt forever. We send our deepest condolences to his wife, Jeannine, his family and his many friends.

His family said that arrangements for Russells memorial service will be announced in the coming days.

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Bill Russell, Boston Celtics legend and Olympic champion, dies at 88 - Home of the Olympic Channel

Japanese corporate sponsors of the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics have distanced themselves from an executive of the games' now-defunct organizing committee currently being investigated for accepting bribes, recent interviews by Kyodo News showed Monday.

Of the 69 companies contacted, all 64 of those that responded said that they did not sign a contract with Haruyuki Takahashi's consulting firm.

File photo taken in Tokyo on Feb. 1, 2017, shows Haruyuki Takahashi, an executive of the now-defunct Tokyo Olympic organizing committee. (Kyodo)

Takahashi, 78, is believed to have received around 45 million yen ($340,000) until last July from Aoki Holdings Inc. after the company he headed reached a consulting deal with the suit retailer in September 2017, according to sources close the matter.

Separate to this, Aoki also transferred around 230 million yen to Takahashi to donate to sporting groups, but 150 million yen of that remained in his possession, the sources said.

Aoki had earmarked around 500 million yen for Olympic sponsorship contract costs, and around 250 million yen to help train athletes. The latter was facilitated by an official of Japan's largest advertising agency Dentsu Group Inc., with the funds transferred to Takahashi's firm via a company affiliated with Dentsu at the time.

Following the signing of the contract in 2017, Hironori Aoki, the founder and a former chairman of Aoki, and one of his subordinates met with Takahashi at a restaurant at which time, sources say, they handed him a letter of Olympic-related requests.

Takahashi, however, said the letter had nothing to do with the Olympics and that he destroyed it.

Takahashi, a former senior managing director at Dentsu, told investigators he used the funds to settle payments, such as those owed to financial institutions.

Aoki announced in October 2018 that it had become an "official supporter" of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, allowing it to use the games' emblems for business purposes and sell officially licensed products. It subsequently sold over 30,000 suits emblazoned with the logo.

When questioned about the sponsorship process, other companies stressed they had no relationship with Takahashi and did not even know him.

An official of bedding manufacturer Airweave Inc. said that the company had "absolutely no contact" with anyone on the Japan Olympic Committee and liaised solely with Dentsu, adding that "We were surprised to hear what has been reported in the news."

Separate to top-tier sponsors, which have contracts with the International Olympic Committee, sponsors that sign a contract with the Tokyo Games organizing committee are classified into three categories based on the amount invested.

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Read more from the original source:

Tokyo Olympic sponsors deny relationship with exec suspected of bribery - Kyodo News Plus