Tag: IOC
Olympic chief ‘very satisfied’ with Paris 2024 Village
SAINT-DENIS, France, Dec 1, 2023 (AFP) – Olympic chief Thomas Bach said he was “very satisfied” with the state of preparations for the Olympic Village of the Paris 2024 Summer Games after a visit to the new build north of the French capital on Friday. “As an Olympian it’s always a great moment to be in an Olympic Village,” said Bach, who won Olympic fencing team gold for West Germany in the 1976 Games and […]
Olympics chief Bach ‘faces dilemma over Russian athletes’
by Pirate IRWIN Agence France-Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — Olympics chief Thomas Bach faces “the toughest decision of his presidency” as he weighs whether Russian and Belarus athletes should be allowed to compete in the 2024 Games, a senior former IOC executive has told AFP. The signs coming from bodies such as the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) in the past fortnight suggest athletes from Russia and […]
Russian Olympic champion accuses IOC chief of creating ‘new war’
PARIS, France (AFP) — Russian Olympic high jump champion Mariya Lasitskene on Thursday accused IOC president Thomas Bach of having created a “new war” by recommending Russian athletes be banned from international competition. Following the invasion of Ukraine in February, the International Olympic Committee had recommended a ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes, a request followed by most federations. “You say you made this decision for our safety but it’s not true. Russian tennis players who […]
IOC calls for ban on Russians from world sport
The International Olympic Committee on Monday urged sports federations and organisers to exclude Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials from international events following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The recommendation could trigger further announcements with FIFA in “advanced discussions” to expel Russia from the 2022 World Cup, a source with knowledge of the talks told AFP. Russia are due to take part in the play-offs next month, but plans to play on neutral territory were dismissed […]
‘Most challenging’ Tokyo Olympics declared closed
by Talek HARRIS Agence France Presse The Tokyo 2020 Games were declared closed by IOC chief Thomas Bach on Sunday, ending the “most challenging Olympic journey” after a year’s pandemic delay and threats of cancellation. Bach called them “unprecedented Olympic Games” as he addressed the 68,000-seat Olympic Stadium, which was bereft of fans as Japan battles to contain a record coronavirus outbreak. “In these difficult times we are all living through, you give the world […]
Japan PM denies IOC pressure to hold Olympics: report
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan’s Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has denied he was pressured by the International Olympic Committee into holding a Games that remains deeply unpopular as virus cases surge in Tokyo. And with just days until the opening ceremony, the Japanese leader said Tokyo was “in the right place, and we’re ready to go.” In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, the 72-year-old insisted he was “absolutely not” pushed into going ahead […]
Russia banned from 2018 Winter Olympics over doping
by Eric Bernaudeau and Ben Simon Agence France-Presse LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AFP) — Russia was banned Tuesday from the 2018 Winter Games by the International Olympic Committee over its state-orchestrated doping program, but clean Russian athletes will be allowed to compete under an Olympic flag. The sanction was the toughest ever levelled by the IOC for drug cheating and was delivered just 65 days ahead of the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. In announcing the decision, IOC […]
Olympics: Bolt loses gold as IOC strip Jamaica of 2008 relay win
LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AFP) -Usain Bolt lost one of his nine Olympic gold medals Wednesday when the International Olympic Committee stripped Jamaica of their 4x100m relay win at the 2008 Beijing Games after Nesta Carter was caught doping. The decision which follows the retesting of hundreds of samples from the Beijing event, means that Bolt, as Carter’s teammate, loses one of the three gold medals he won at that Olympics. Carter was found to have tested positive […]
Olympics: Italians officially abandon Rome bid
ROME, Italy |(AFP) – Italian Olympic Committee president Giovanni Malago put a definitive end Tuesday to Rome’s bid to host the 2024 Olympic Games after the city’s newly elected mayor refused to support the project. “I wrote to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) today to withdraw Rome-2024 from the running,” Malago told a specially convened press conference. Rome’s ill-fated bid to host the Games was effectively killed off last month when the city council voted in […]
Olympics: Russia anger after Rio ban appeal rejected
LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AFP) – by Agnès Pedrero in Lausanne and Ben Simon in Geneva The international sports tribunal on Thursday rejected an appeal by Russian athletes against a Rio Olympics ban amid mounting pressure for action over state-run doping in Russia. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruling on track and field is seen as a key indicator as the International Olympic Committee (IOC) debates whether to order a blanket ban on Russia from the Rio […]
Olympics: Athletes and federations face Olympic doping bans – Bach
LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AFP) – IOC president Thomas Bach said Wednesday that athletes and federations face tough sanctions up to a lifetime ban as he warned that doping has hit “an unprecedented level of criminality”. The International Olympic Committee leader also stepped up calls on Russia to clear up accusations of interference in testing at its doping laboratory during the 2014 Sochi Winter Games. In a new sign of pressure on Russian sport, the New York […]
