Category Archives: Olympics

Jockeying to represent Canada in team curling at the 2022 Beijing Olympics escalates Wednesday in Ottawa with a pair of events designed to complete the trials and pre-trials fields this winter.

Five men's teams are chasing two berths and five women's foursomes will compete for three spots in November's Tim Hortons Curling Trials in Saskatoon.

Regina's Matt Dunstone, Saskatoon's Colton Flasch, Glenn Howard of Penetanguishene, Ont., Winnipeg's Jason Gunnlaugson and Mike McEwen will vie to join Edmonton's Brendan Bottcher, Toronto's John Epping, Brad Gushue of St. John's N.L., and Calgary's Kevin Koe already qualified for the men's trials Nov. 20-28 in Saskatoon's SaskTel Centre.

Charlottetown's Suzanne Birt, Corryn Brown of Kamloops, B.C., Edmonton's Kelsey Rocque and Laura Walker and Casey Scheidegger of Lethbridge, Alta., seek to join Kerri Einarson of Gimli, Man., Tracy Fleury of East St. Paul, Man., Ottawa's Rachel Homan and Winnipeg's Jennifer Jones in Saskatoon.

The men's and women's champions in Saskatoon will wear the Maple Leaf in team curling in Beijing.

Another longer road to trials is entry via a pre-trials tournament Oct. 26-31 in Liverpool, N.S., which will produce the final two men's and last two women's entries for Saskatoon.

A parallel tournament running Wednesday to Sunday at Ottawa's RA Centre will complete that pre-trials field.

Eight teams of each gender compete in a triple knockout draw for two men's and women's berths in pre-trials.

Fans aren't allowed into the RA Centre because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Curling Canada will stream games lives on its YouTube channel.

Curling Canada revised its qualifying criteria for both team and mixed doubles Olympic trials because the COVID-19 pandemic wiped out the majority of 2020-21 events that would have determined those fields.

Six duos have already qualified for the mixed doubles trials Dec. 28 to Jan. 2 in Portage la Prairie, Man.

Ten more will earn spots via bonspiels from September to December or by a high ranking in Curling Canada's Canadian mixed doubles rankings as of Dec. 14.

Canadian champions Einarson and Gushue, runners-up Kadriana Sahaidak and Colton Lott, Jocelyn Peterman and Brett Gallant, Jones and Brent Laing, Nancy Martin and Tyrel Griffith, Homan and John Morris, andEpping and Lisa Weagle have already gained entry into the mixed doubles trials.

Morris and Kaitlyn Lawes won gold in the Olympic debut of mixed doubles in 2018.

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Road to Canada's Olympic curling trials crowded in Ottawa tournaments - CBC.ca

Japanese experimental musician Keigo Oyamada, better known as Cornelius, resigned from his role as a composer for the Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony in July after old interviews, in which he apparently admitted to bullying and abusing schoolmates with disabilities, began recirculating online.

I sincerely apologize to my classmates and their parents who have been hurt by my words and actions, and I feel deep regret and responsibility for not being a good friend in school life, which is supposed to make good memories, but being in a position to hurt them, Oyamada said at the time.

But now that the Olympics and Paralympics are over, Cornelius is denying that he ever bullied or abused anyone, claiming that the original interviews which ran in Rockin On Japan and Quick Japan in 1994 and 1995 misquoted him and got his stories wrong. I wish to clarify the facts, Oyamada writes in a new post on Instagram.

I had talked about bullying that I experienced at school when I was in elementary and junior high school, Oyamada says. The headlines of the widely reported Rockin On Japan, stated that I had forced my classmates to eat feces and masturbate. I had never forced my classmates to do such acts or ever make any suggestions to do so.

In one story, I spoke of on the way home from elementary school where a classmate said jokingly that he could eat dog feces that was on the side of the road and picked it up and put it in his mouth and immediately spat it out, Oyamada explains. All the children there laughed, including the classmate who performed the act.

The other story is that I forced a classmate to masturbate, which I also did not do, he continues. The perpetrator was a senior student who was older and intimidating to us. I mentioned during that interview that I had witnessed outrageous violence, beyond my moral limits, when I was a student and that I had become withdrawn and distanced myself from these people.

I spoke of such things during the interview but the magazine that was published had misleading headlines mentioned that I had violated a classmate. Since I could not check the manuscript for Rockin On in advance, it was only after the release of the publication that I saw the article, he adds. I was shocked with the factual inaccuracies, but at that time I did not have the maturity to realize that I should correct them. In hindsight, I regret that I did not set the record straight directly with Rockin On.

After the publication of the next interview in Quick Japan, which Cornelius says he agreed to in part to correct the misinformation, a blog post was edited to make it seem as if I were the perpetrator of the gruesome acts of violence and was published. This false information spread through various forums and social media and is now used as a source for most publications, even though the interview with Quick Japan clearly states that the violent acts were not committed by me.

I believe that it is my own fault for not taking appropriate actions in explaining or correcting the false information about me that has been circulating over the internet for nearly 20 years, Oyamada concludes. As a result, I believe I have caused secondary damage to my classmates, their families and those who had the same experience, and I am truly sorry. Read his full statement below.

In July 2021, I resigned from the creative team of the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics following reports of past statements in a magazine interview that had said I bullied a classmate when I was a student. Now that the Olympics are over, I wish to clarify the facts.

What triggered the report was an interview I did 27 years ago (1994 and 1995) for two magazines, ROCKIN ON JAPAN (Jan. 1994 Issue) and QUICK JAPAN (Aug. 1995 Issue) which stated that I had talked about bullying that I experienced at school when I was in elementary and junior high school.

The headlines of the widely reported ROCKIN ON JAPAN, stated that I had forced my classmates to eat feces and masturbate. I had never forced my classmates to do such acts or ever make any suggestions to do so.

In the interview, I discussed my experiences growing up and attending school.

In one story, I spoke of on the way home from elementary school where a classmate said jokingly that he could eat dog feces that was on the side of the road and picked it up and put it in his mouth and immediately spat it out. All the children there laughed, including the classmate who performed the act.

The other story is that I forced a classmate to masturbate, which I also did not do. The perpetrator was a senior student who was older and intimidating to us. I mentioned during that interview that I had witnessed outrageous violence, beyond my moral limits, when I was a student and that I had become withdrawn and distanced myself from these people.

I spoke of such things during the interview but the magazine that was published had misleading headlines mentioning that I had violated a classmate. Since I could not check the manuscript for ROCKIN ON in advance, it was only after the release of the publication that I saw the article.I was shocked with the factual inaccuracies, but at that time I did not have the maturity to realize that I should correct them. In hindsight, I regret that I did not set the record straight directly with ROCKIN ON.

I had agreed to an interview with QUICK JAPAN (Aug. 1995 Issue) with bullying as the theme, as I had felt that I wanted to correct the misinformation. The publishers plan and intention of using bullying as the main subject of the article, to my current understanding, is unethical and lacking consideration for the feelings of the victims and people that were in the same position. However, at the time, I did not think about this and did the interview and explained what I had witnessed as a child.

After the publication of the two magazines, a blog post was edited to make it seem as if I were the perpetrator of the gruesome acts of violence and was published. This false information spread through various forums and social media and is now used as a source for most publications, even though the interview with QUICK JAPAN clearly states that the violent acts were not committed by me.

I am fully aware that my tone of speech for both interviews was vulgar and inappropriate. I would like to sincerely apologize to the people involved for this and for bringing up such horrific events and not taking into consideration, the humiliation, pain and suffering I caused to the bullying victims by exposing their personal trauma to the public.

I believe that it is my own fault for not taking appropriate actions in explaining or correcting the false information about me that has been circulating over the internet for nearly 20 years. As a result, I believe I have caused secondary damage to my classmates, their families and those who had the same experience, and I am truly sorry.

I deeply regret both my actions in the past and the way I talked about them in the articles, which reflected a past attitude that I am not proud of. Over the past two decades I have tried to think with a broader perspective and an awareness of how I should relate and contribute to society, and I will continue to reflect on this more than ever before, as a person and as a musician.

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Cornelius Denies Bullying Incidents That Led To His Removal From Olympics Ceremony - Stereogum

Kobe Bryant left a lasting impact on almost everyone he crossed paths with throughout his life. He wasnt just one of the greatest basketball players to ever play, but he also had a personality people gravitated toward including Olympic gold medalist Susan Francia.

During the 2008 Summer Olympics, Bryant and Francia a rower got to know each other throughout multiple conversations. And during one of them, he made a comment she will likely never forget.

Following Bryants tragic 2020 death, Francia penned a column in The Philadelphia Inquirer; she and Bryant both lived in Philly when they were kids, but didnt meet until their paths crossed at the 2008 Olympics.

Francia and her U.S. rowing teammates had just won gold in 2008, and while she was out enjoying her time in the Olympic Village, Dwight Howard took an interest in her medal. Bryant then joined him in admiring it, and Francia quickly couldnt believe that she had something Kobe wanted.

I cant even explain the feeling that I had as I realized that, despite all of his trophies at home, in this moment Kobe wanted something that I had and he didnt have yet, she wrote.

After chatting about what it took for Francia to get to gold, they then ran into each other multiple times following that first interaction.

One instance came at a McDonalds in the dining hall, in which Bryant invited her and her teammate to eat with the mens U.S. basketball squad.

He was always interested in peoples stories and did his best to make us feel included, she wrote. I didnt care that it was Kobe. He was just a cool guy.

While on a media tour after the Olympics, however, the two athletes ran into each other again. This time, their conversation came while sitting on a bus, and Kobe made a comment that Francia will likely never forget.

We all know how hard Bryant worked to become one of the best players in the NBA. His dedication to his craft likely made it easy for him to just trust his abilities, even if he didnt know whether the ball was going in or not.

And it appears that sometimes he actually had no idea if the ball was, in fact, going to go in.

We went on to talk (on the bus) about his love of basketball and what its like to be such a big sports star, she wrote in the Inquirer. One of my favorite quotes was when he said, Im going to be honest. Sometimes I just chuck the ball up there in the direction of the basket, and I am just as surprised as everyone else when it goes in. And then it plays on SportsCenter for a week! Um, what?

For years, Bryant surprised everyone with a plethora of incredible shots during some of the biggest moments in NBA history. But, apparently, sometimes he was just as shocked as the rest of us when the ball went in.

His elite shot-making abilities, though, also helped him get a gold medal of his own at the 2008 Olympics.

Team USAs mens basketball team had just come off a disappointing showing at the 2004 Games when it settled for a bronze medal.

During the 2008 Olympics, however, Kobe Bryant who wasnt on the 2004 team led the Redeem Team to gold.

The U.S. went 8-0 at the 2008 Games and won 118-107 over Spain in the gold-medal game. Bryant was one of the teams top scorers that year, as he averaged 15.0 points to go with 2.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.1 steals. The only players on Team USA ahead of him in scoring were LeBron James and Dwyane Wade.

James averaged 15.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 2.4 steals. Wade, on the other hand, was essentially the teams MVP. He played fewer minutes per game than James and Bryant but led the team in scoring with 16.0 points per game to go with 4.0 rebounds and 2.3 steals.

Bryant may have been wanting something Francia had while at the 2008 Olympics. But as expected, his hard work paid off and helped him win his own gold medal that year. He then later won it in 2012 as well.

It would, however, be nice to know how many shots he just chucked up during those runs.

Stats courtesy of Basketball Reference

RELATED: Kobe Bryant Once Said Phil Jackson Would Take Conversations They Had in Confidence and Use Them to Manipulate the Media Against Him: Im Done With This Guy

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Kobe Bryant Once Told an Olympic Gold Medalist That He Would Sometimes Just Chuck the Ball Toward the Basket and Get Surprised Whenever It Went In: It...

The Age's coverage of Perec's departure during the Sydney OlympicsCredit:The Age

The situation did not improve after Perec, by now hysterically sobbing, clicked off her mobile telephone to board a flight to Melbourne, where she spoke to Menant again shortly after midnight.

She seemed calmer this time and told Menant she was looking forward to seeking comfort from her family. Menant implored Perec to stay, begged her not to give up and Perec hesitated but finally boarded her Singapore flight.

But her family, in the form of boyfriend Maybanks, only served to tarnish her increasingly hysterical image upon landing in Singapore early yesterday. Maybanks and airports and TV crews have proved a lethal combination during his partners ill-fated bid for a third Olympic 400 metres title.

Arriving in Sydney, Maybanks had attempted to block a Channel 7 cameraman with his baggage trolley. The incident in Singapore created more concern.

Give me the tape, demanded Maybanks, a relay runner who did not make the US Olympic team, You do not come near me or I will hurt you.

Late yesterday, police in Singapore said they would not be pressing charges against Maybanks, after the couple had departed Singapore for Europe.

Given that Perec has been seen by Australia as the woman standing between Freeman and Australias first Olympic track gold medal since Seoul 1988, you might think that the Frenchwomans torturous and strange retreat from the Sydney Olympics proved a source of celebration yesterday in the Freeman camp.

Not so. Those close to Freeman were not saying much except that the favourite was surprised by Perecs departure. It was also pointed out that as long as Perec remained a confirmed starter in tonights heat, she would be considered a threat.

The strong French theory in several reports, however, was that it has been Freeman who unknowingly psyched out Perec with her starring role in the Olympic opening ceremony. Perec and Freeman have seen each other only on television in recent weeks but when Perec, who did not march with the French team, watched Freeman light the cauldron, she reportedly fell apart emotionally.

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The story of Marie-Jose Perec, who grew up in Guadeloupe in the Caribbean and became Reeboks highest-paid female athlete after her two gold medals in Atlanta and also a popular French catwalk star, appears to have ended in farce and sadness but there was little sympathy for Perec from the French contingent in Sydney yesterday.

Adam Taloni, the manager of Perecs home in Sydney, the Grand Mercure apartments, denied she had been threatened or that an intruder had banged on her door and harassed her. French chef de mission Michel Vial, who tried without success for two days to contact Perec before she departed, said Perec had made a bad decision not to stay at the village.

Asked whether Perec had arrived in Sydney and trained periodically at Narrabeen on Sydneys northern peninsula purely to satisfy sponsors, Vial replied: It would be a shame if it was (the reason). It would be detestable.

Perec had contested only one 400 metres race since losing to Freeman late in the 1996 season and has trained in secrecy all year in Rostock on the Baltic Sea under the latest in a string of coaches, Wolfgang Meier. For years, Perec had claimed Meiers wife, the 400 metres world record-holder Marita Koch, was a drug cheat. Then at the start of the year, she employed him as her coach.

In July, she agreed to a rare interview with Frances TV6 but when the crew arrived in Rostock, she said on camera: I dont give a shit with TV. I dont give a shit with the media and you cant imagine how I dont care about you. I dont need you.

She has run as determinedly from the French media as she has from the Australian she has accused of harassing her. Said Le Figaros Cedric Voisard yesterday: She built the problems in Australia for herself. The most secure place you can live in the Games is the village. She is paranoid. The real question is, did she really want to race? That is the big question for Reebok, her sponsor.

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The biggest Australian winner as far as Perecs heat one tonight, however, was Nova Peris-Kneebone. Her heat remains tough, even without Perec. Now two of Freemans biggest threats for the 400 metres final are Britains Katharine Merry and Jamaicas Sandie Richards, and both will line up against Peris-Kneebone.

And Freemans response to the Perec saga? Cathy was gracious and brave in addressing the issue at the Australian news conference on Tuesday, said Athletics Australia chief executive Simon Allatson. Cathy Freeman is a class act and I think she has flourished enormously since she has been allowed and decided to front more of these things herself.

While Perecs midnight departure has caused some happiness in some areas of the Australian camp, Freeman was not celebrating.

Just as Perec watched from afar as Freeman lit the Olympic cauldron last Friday night, Freeman has been watching Perec. And for all the times she has watched the small screen shots of Perec running away, Freeman has never seen her disappear.

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From the Archives, 2000: Freeman rival Perec flees the Sydney Olympics - The Age

Sep 20, 2021

Following his impressive performance which resulted in Team Gold and Individual Silver medals at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Great Britain's Tom McEwen shared some of his top tips to keep in mind when walking your cross-country courses with the USEA.

The first thing to be sure of in your mind is that you are walking the correct course, so check what color the fence numbers are and what the optimum time is. How many fences are there and how many jumping efforts?

Start your course-walk from the start box itself - dont be tempted to skip those first few yards and cut in at fence one. For me, cross-country is about rhythm and flow and understanding your horse, because every horse is different. Do you need to let him run a little bit quicker out of the start box so he settles down, do you need to build up speed as you go round, or is he quite consistent? There are many factors. But dont complicate things too much. The simpler you keep things, the better they tend to go.

The most important thing for me is knowing your line and having a point to aim for, mainly for a combination fence, of course, but also for single jumps. The point also comes into your preparation as you are approaching a fence.

Usually the line between fences one and two isnt in a straight line, its on a curve, so you want to consider whether you should be left of center or right of center. If you can make your lines a bit tighter naturally by being clever about where you jump a fence and how you go round a corner, you can save meters there without having to go at top speed in order to finish as close to the optimum time as possible.

The most difficult thing I find about walking a course is keeping full concentration all the way round, so its good to keep making yourself look ahead for your line, and also look behind you to see the line from the previous fence. Its sensible to find your line and then re-evaluate and also check to find the line that takes you the quickest route and the one with the most flow which takes the least out of your horse. A bit like Formula 1 racing, touching the apex of a corner and almost letting them fall off it, rather than turning very tightly, will make it easier for you and them.

When walking a distance, think about whereabouts on the course that particular combination comes, because that always changes things. I do ride to a stride, personally, but not everyone does. Some just ride the line. But if you are riding on the right line with the right balance, you will always be ok from wherever you are. Thats more important than riding for the distance itself, I think.

Walking a course isnt just about assessing the actual fences. Youve also got to consider the ground you are crossing; is it flat, is it undulating, is it uphill, is it downhill? All of those things will change the way your horse feels underneath you and possibly the way you need to balance yourself and him. And is the fence an upright or an oxer? That changes the way your horse will land. When jumping an oxer, you will be landing a little bit shorter and closer to the back bar and an upright fence tends to send you quite far out, especially if it has a bit of hedge on top of it, you land a lot further out than youd ever imagine when walking the course. And take something like a log on top of a hill, some horses will launch and land at the bottom of the hill, whereas some will land about 30cm after the log! Every horse is different and its about learning what yours does and how to react when he does something that you dont expect.

It can be really helpful to have pictures of each fence on your course to refer to. I use CrossCountryApp quite a lot, especially towards the end of a long season when Ive jumped a lot of courses on a lot of different horses. Being able to flick through pictures of the fences, be it on the app or your own phone pictures, is useful. And some people write notes on their phone about things they want to remember about the course such as I need slight outside flexion at this tree before turning left into this fence, for example, which can be very handy.

The fresher in your mind the course is, the better. If the event takes place over a couple of days, I love doing a bit of a wander round the track the first time, then the second time doing it properly. But I will always walk the course on the morning [at a three-day event] of cross-country day.

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Olympic Team Gold and Individual Silver Medallist Tom McEwen's Top - United States Eventing Association

The bedtime stories Harmilan Kaur Bains was told as a child were seldom fairytales. When you are the daughter of two international athletes, it is not just good genes that you inherit. Stories of the parents sporting careers will also dominate conversation in the house.

Mother Madhuri Saxena, 800m silver medallist at the 2002 Asian Games, and father Amandeep Bains, 1,500m medallist at the South Asian Games, couldnt be faulted if they felt their young one would be excited by their experiences on the track.

Initially at least it only stoked defiance in Harmilan, the young girl rebelling against running and being pushed by over-enthusiastic parents to wake up before dawn to hit the track. Good at studies, any little enthusiasm she had in athletics vanished after losing to a boy in a local race.

Her mother then threw a gentle challenge. Madhuri cajoled her young daughter to run one more race, beat the boy and leave athletics as a winner. That got Harmilan interested. She trained for a year and won the race, beating the boy to whom she had lost the previous year. And she no longer wanted to quit.

That first success made the seven-year-old fall in love with athletics. With the high the past week, Harmilan, 23, announced herself as Indias latest middle-distance queen at the Open national athletics meet in Warangal, Telangana.

She broke the 19-year-old national record in 1,500m, set by Sunita Rani in the 2002 Busan Asian Games while winning gold. Harmilans mother was fourth in that race. Harmilan's timing of 4:04.39 brought good cheer to Indian track and field post the Tokyo Olympics where javelin thrower Neeraj Chopras gold headlined Indias performances.

Harmilan completed a double on Saturday, winning the 800m clocking 2:03.82. Sunita Ranis national mark in 1,500m was 4:06.03, which is still the Asian Games record.

The sprint which helped me beat that boy when I was only seven infused interest for running in me, Harmilan says. I love to win all the time.

Her mother comes from Uttar Pradesh and father is from Punjab. But Harmilan, who has grappled with frustration due to slow progress and injuries, went away to Dharamsala to train in altitude, which was also to escape her parents' interference in her training. Running was something my parents knew and understood, and they wanted to pass it on to me, but I wasnt interested at all, she recalls.

Harmilan grew as an athlete at school and then at Punjabi University. In 2019, she broke the universitys 1,500m record clocking 4:16.68. A bronze at the 2016 Asian Junior Athletics Championships and double gold in the Khelo India University Games followed. Soon, she was being spoken of as the next big thing in Indias domestic circuit. Chasing the Olympics 1,500m qualification mark (4:04.20), she won the Federation Cup and Indian Grand Prix titles but failed crack even 4:08.

The 1,500m has fascinated her while Harmilan has grown up hearing about the 2002 Asian Games. Her mother managed only fourth (4:14.78) in 1,500m, but won the 800m silver (2:04.94).

The Warangal effort is consolation after Harmilan failed to achieve the qualifying mark for the Tokyo Olympics. This despite her 800-1,500 double at the National Inter-State Championships in Patiala in June.

Madhuri, who comes from Lucknow, could not realise her Olympic dream, narrowly failing to qualify for 2004 Athens. It was quite satisfying when Harmilan broke Sunitas record, I wanted to do such things myself.

She is delighted her daughter has followed in her path. Today, I feel proud that my daughter is on the right track. For sure she will fulfill my dream of winning a medal at the Olympics.

Harmilan is happy to chase her mothers dream, especially in the longer distance. I dont know why but its easy for me, I love the 1,500m more. I felt so good, relieved, after breaking the record. I can run freely now, she says.

The parental pressure has eased now, but only just.

I used to tell her my stories of sport every night at bed time, she didnt like them ever at that time, Madhuri laughs.

Harmilan though hates their constant attention. Their continuous instructions keep me under pressure, so this time I came to Warangal on my own, Harmilan laughs. My father chased me here too and was watching me run from the stands when I broke Sunita Ranis record.

Her next target is to win gold at the World University Games next year and then make a big entry into her first major competitionsthe 2022 Asian Games and Commonwealth Games.

A gold medal at the World University Games with a record is my next mission, I am working hard for this. Success at the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games would help me achieve my biggest goal, to qualify for the Paris Olympics. My mom missed Olympics qualifying by five microseconds. I want to realise my mothers dream.

Harmilan has plans beyond athletics too. I want to travel the world, its my biggest dream. I want to build my own house somewhere in the world, but only after finishing my sporting career on a high (with an Olympic medal).

For now its only training. Me and my coach dont discuss sport all day as we feel it hurts performance, we talk about it only only on the ground, she says. I enjoy good music, it keeps me motivated. I love Punjabi music, it has a great beat.

Her mother wants her son also to take up athletics. I am keen my son also makes a mark in athletics, which has given me everything in life.

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Track queen Harmilan Kaur--hate, love and a burning Olympic dream - Hindustan Times

The NHL is heading back to the Olympic Games, after it was announced earlier this month that the NHL and NHLPA came to an agreement to send NHL players to the 2022 Beijing Olympics.

That means the best hockey players in the world will be coming together to represent their home countries and compete for a gold medal. It will be the first time since 2014 that NHL players have competed on the international Olympic stage.

With that, lets take a look at some of those players that could be participating in the Beijing Olympics.

There will be 12 countries competing in mens ice hockey for the gold medal in Beijing. The 12 will be split into three groups of four to kick off the preliminary round.

Group A will consist of the United States, Canada, Germany and China, who automatically got a bid as the host country. Group B will have the Russian Olympic Committee, Czech Republic, Switzerland and Denmark. Group C will be Sweden, Finland, Slovakia and Latvia.

For the first time in five Winter Olympic Games, the NHL did not send its players to the Olympics in 2018.

Previously, the IOC covered travel, insurance, accommodations and other costs for NHL players. However, the IOC decided against it for 2018. When that was announced, the NHL decided to pull its players from going to the Olympics, also citing injury concerns that would affect the rest of the NHL season.

As a result, countries were forced to look elsewhere to fill out their rosters. Players were pulled from the AHL, European professional leagues and the NCAA level to participate in the Olympics.

Part of the reason for the NHLs return in 2022 is because the IOC will cover those costs that they did not in 2018.

The Boston Bruins have quite the number of candidates to play in Beijing.

The pair of Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand should be representing Canada on the Olympic stage. It will be Bergerons third Olympic Games, with two gold medals under his belt already, and with three points in 13 Olympic games played. Hes still looking for his first Olympic goal, which could come in Beijing.

It will be the first Olympics for Marchand, who didnt make the cut in 2014. Hes vastly improved since then, becoming one of the top scoring wingers in the NHL. His 2016 World Cup of Hockey performance further proved he belongs on Team Canadas squad. Marchand led the tournament with five goals and three assists, as he, Bergeron and Pittsburghs Sidney Crosby combined for 25 points in six games. The Bruin winger scored a shorthanded goal to clinch a gold medal for Canada in the event. The line of Bergeron, Marchand and Crosby could make their return in Beijing.

Taylor Hall, who re-signed this offseason, has an outside shot at making Team Canada, but needs to go on a tear to begin the season to work his way onto a loaded Canada squad.

Speaking of dominant lines, the third member of the Bruins top line will also likely be in Beijing. David Pastrnak will be at his first Olympic Games, leading the way for Czech Republic. Pastrnak has plenty of experience playing for the Czechs, as hes been donning his home countrys jersey since 2012, playing at World Juniors and World Championships. A brief reunion with former Bruin David Krejci is likely in store for Pastrnak in Beijing, as Krejci could be playing in his third Olympics.

Given the Czechs lack of depth on defense, Jakub Zboril could find himself as one of the eight defensemen to make the roster, especially if he sees more NHL time in Boston. Newcomer Tomas Nosek is likely on the bubble for the Czech forward group.

As Charlie McAvoy continues to blossom into an elite NHL defenseman, he likely will get a nod to play for Team USA at the Olympics. A native of Long Beach, N.Y., McAvoy will join a defense core that will probably sport a number of other young stars like New York Rangers' Adam Fox, Chicagos Seth Jones and Columbus Zach Werenski. McAvoy is coming off his best season yet, finishing fifth in Norris Trophy voting.

New goaltender Linus Ullmark looks to be in line to be one of the goalies selected for Sweden. There are only three goalies right now from Sweden in the NHL who have seen significant playing time -- Ullmark, Vegas Robin Lehner and Calgarys Jacob Markstrom. Lehner most likely will be the starter, but a strong enough start in Boston for Ullmark could see him pass Markstrom for the backup spot.

Another new face in Boston, Erik Haula will be fighting for one of the 14 forward spots on Finland. Theres a number of young Finnish forwards like New York Rangers Kaapo Kakko, Carolinas Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Nashvilles Eeli Tolvanen who could earn a place on the roster ahead of Haula. Hell need a strong beginning of the season to lock his spot in.

Depending on his health, former Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask could be on the roster for Finland. Hes expected to be ready by January or February,coming off surgery for a torn labrum. However, it may make the most sense for Rask to skip the Olympics if he is planning a return to the NHL.

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Which Bruins could play at the 2022 Beijing Olympics? - NBC Sports Boston

Balancing the relationship between sports and politics is often challenging. (Matthew Tate)

In the wake of continued human rights violations and outcries from advocacy groups and other organizations to boycott the Olympics, democracies like the United States have an important matter to settle: whether or not it should send its athletes to the upcoming 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.

The relationship between sports and politics is uniquely challenging and rarely presents a clear-cut moral direction. In the Olympics, the most international sports stage, there is a pressure imposed on democratic nations like the U.S. to balance obligations to athletes seeking to participate on the highest stage and sending a clear message to authoritarian nations like China. The Chinese government stands accused of various human rights abuses, including a genocidal campaign against the Uyghurs of Xinjiang.

Many recall triumphant images of Jesse Owens taking the gold in the heart of Nazi Germany, winning a victory not just against Hitlers perverted sense of German superiority but race supremacy in general. However, like other feel good moments in sports, this tends to gloss over the dark reality that was the 1936 Olympics.

While Hitler promised to eliminate all suggestions of Jewish persecution from the Berlin Olympics, his actual rhetoric and policy towards the Jewish people and other minorities both before and after the games is more than known. The hosting of the games in the Reichs capital city was in reality an opportunity for Germany to put its tyrannical and oppressive regime in the international spotlight. There is a real concern that the spotlight and revenue that China will receive by hosting the Olympics could be used to promote propaganda and further human rights violations throughout the nation.

The question to boycott an Olympics in China is not a novel one; the 2008 Olympics were also held in Beijing, and likewise many international entities voiced concerns over participating. While China pledged full transparency for news outlets and journalists, the International Olympic Committee admits to allowing the Chinese government to censor certain internet sites and media coverage throughout the 17 days of competition. At the time, the Chinese government received criticism due to excessive pollution and riots across Tibet.

Olympic boycotts are not uncommon either; notable examples besides 1936 including the 1976, 1980 and 1984 games. The 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow were famously boycotted by more than 60 countries as a response against the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. While the boycott was a clear message of intolerance from the international community towards the USSRs international agenda, it did little to abate the actual conflict it was seeking to protest, which would not conclude until 1989, albeit in a tactical disaster for the Soviets.

The case of the 2022 Beijing Games provides an opportunity for democracies around the world to finally send a clear message to the Communist Party of China that it will no longer reward genocide, espionage and other illiberal activities with international spotlight and prestige.

The U.S. should lead the charge in pressuring Olympic sponsors and the International Olympic Committee to relocate the games to a different country. By pushing for relocation as opposed to pure boycott, countries will be firm in their messaging against China without affecting the already narrow window of time that Olympic athletes have to compete in the games. Simply choosing to not participate will do little, if nothing at all. China will win more medals as more countries refuse to compete, which will only further fuel state propaganda and messaging.

Sports have never existed free from political and social factors. The opportunity for nations of the world to join together to set a clear and firm international precedent while still holding the Olympics in its full form is one that cannot be missed.

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From the Basement | US should boycott 2022 Olympic Games - Tulane Hullabaloo

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah The Utah Jazz open their season on October 20, just 36 days from today. With the clock ticking, we look at50 things for Jazz fans to be excited about leading up to the 2021-22 NBA season. Coming in at number 35, how Jazz players who played in the Olympics return to the court.

The Jazz had three Olympians travel to Tokyo to compete for medals and impressively, both Rudy Gobert and Joe Ingles came home with the silver and bronze.

Miye Oni was impressive in his own right, helping Nigeria qualify for the Olympics while finding a spot in the rotation among several more proven NBA players.

Now the question becomes how do these Olympic Jazz players who had heavier loads during the offseason return to the NBA floor?

For Gobert and Ingles, the question may be one of exhaustion after each Jazzman played significant minutes during the runs to the medal rounds. Gobert played the 10th most minutes of any player in the Olympics while competing in all six outings.

Likewise, Ingles played in a full six games after reaching the medal rounds, and played a total of 185 minutes, the third-most of any player at the games.

How will those games, exhibition games, plus practice time and travel factor into their fatigue this season?

Additionally, how does the satisfaction of winning a bronze medal for Australia change Ingles outlook on his future as a professional basketball player heading into the final season of his contract? And, is Gobert motivated by falling just short of Olympic gold?

On the flip side, how might the experience of getting significant time while playing among fellow NBA players and against some of the best players boost Onis talent and confidence?

Oni averaged over 21 minutes per game during group play, and while the sample size was limited, averaged 6.7 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.7 assists while shooting an impressive 46 percent from the three-point line on 4.3 attempts per game.

With Georges Niang leaving the Jazz for the Philadelphia 76ers, the bench unit has lost its second-best three-point shooter behind Ingles. If Oni can keep up his hot shooting from the Olympics while continuing to develop his terrific 6-foot-6, with a 6-foot-9 wingspan frame, he could be a valuable 3-and-D option for the Jazz off the bench.

While all eyes will be on the Jazz progressing through the season, its the minutes and experience from the Olympics behind them that could change the outcome of the Jazz season.

With 35 days left to go, the Jazz three Olympic stars post-Tokyo play is one of the 50 storylines to monitor heading into opening night.

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35. Three Jazz Players After The Olympics - KSL Sports

Simon Biles revealed Wednesday that the sexual abuse she was subjected to by disgraced former USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar had a direct impact on her mental health at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, from where she unexpectedly withdrew from several events.

Biles and several other members of Team USA Gymnastics spoke before the Senate Judiciary Committee over the FBIs failed investigation into Nassar. Biles' impactful statement touched on a range of issues related to the investigation and went on to detail the lasting impacts the abuse has had on her and many other athletes years after allegations were first made in 2015.

US OLYMPICS GYMNASTS SLAM NASSAR INVESTIGATION, ALLEGE FBI TURNED A BLIND EYE, FALSIFIED REPORT

"I will close with one final thought. The scars of this horrific abuse continue to live with all of us," she said. "As the lone competitor at the recent Tokyo Games who was a survivor of this horror, I can assure you that the impacts of this man's abuse are not ever over or forgotten."

Nassar was charged in 2016 with federal child pornography offenses and sexual abuse charges in Michigan. He is now serving decades in prison after hundreds of girls and women said he sexually abused them under the guise of medical treatment when he worked for Michigan State and Indiana-based USA Gymnastics, which trains Olympians. (Graeme Jennings/Pool via AP)

"The announcement in the spring of 2020 that the Tokyo Games were to be postponed for a year meant that I would be going to the gym, to training, to therapy, living daily, among the reminders of this story for another 365 days. As I have stated in the past, one thing that helped me push each and every day was the goal of not allowing this crisis to be ignored. I worked incredibly hard to make sure that my presence could maintain a connection between the failures and the competition at Tokyo 2020."

She continued: "That has proven to be an exceptionally difficult burden for me to carry, particularly when required to travel to Tokyo without the support of any of my family. I am a strong individual and I will persevere, but I never should have been left alone to suffer the abuse of Larry Nassar. And the only reason I did was because of the failures that lie at the heart of the abuse that you are now asked to investigate."

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Biles competed at the all-around team event in Tokyo before withdrawing from the vault, individual all-around and two other apparatus events citing her mental health struggles. She would eventually return to close out the Games with a bronze medal in the womens balance beam final.

The four-time gold medalist made no mistake in placing the blame on Nassar but also looked for accountability from USA Gymnastics and the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee that she said was aware of the abuse.

"I blame Larry Nassar and I also blame an entire system that enabled and perpetrated his abuse," she said. "If you allow a predator to harm children, the consequences will be swift and severe. Enough is enough."

United States gymnasts from left, Simone Biles, McKayla Maroney, Aly Raisman and Maggie Nichols arrive for a Senate Judiciary hearing about the Inspector General's report on the FBI's handling of the Larry Nassar investigation on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, Sept. 15, 2021, in Washington. (Graeme Jennings/Pool via AP)

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The hearing is part of a congressional effort to hold the FBI accountable after multiple missteps in investigating the case, including the delays that allowed the now-imprisoned Nassar to abuse other young gymnasts.

At least 40 girls and women said they were molested after the FBI had been made aware of the problem.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Simone Biles details how Nassar's abuse impacted Tokyo Olympics: 'I never should have been left alone' - Fox News