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☆ BWF extends ban on 'spin serve' until after Paris Olympics
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 29 (Reuters) - The Badminton World Federation (BWF) has extended the ban on the new "spin serve" until after next year's Paris Olympics and Paralympics, it said on Monday. The BWF this month temporarily banned the serve, which involves a player spinning the shuttle before launching it, after it proved to be tough to return or completely unplayable. "After consultation with the badminton community, BWF Council believed it best to forbid the 'spin serve' for another 15 months so as to not impact the Olympic and Paralympic qualifying periods and the Games themselves," the BWF said. The BWF secretary general Thomas Lund said the governing body "welcomed innovation in badminton" but added that "more evidence was needed on the potential effects" of the serve before introducing it. Reporting by Pearl Josephine Nazare in Bengaluru, editing by Ed OsmondOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

TOKYO, May 28 (Reuters) - Proxy adviser Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) has recommended that shareholders of Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T) vote in favour of a resolution urging the automaker to improve disclosure of its lobbying related to climate change. ISS in a report also said it regarded three of Toyota's four outside board director nominees as not truly independent. Toyota's board said the fluidity of such disclosure made the proposal unsuitable for enshrining in the articles of incorporation. A spokesperson previously said few firms globally have made climate policy engagement-related disclosure to the extent of Toyota. "Toyota does not provide shareholders with enough information to evaluate its lobbying activities," ISS said.

☆ Marieke Vervoort: How one Paralympian and triathlete's euthanasia papers extended her life by a decade
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Amy Woodyatt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN —Throughout her storied career, triathlete and Paralympian Marieke Vervoort captured the imagination of her native Belgium and the wider world. … The fact that that had given her so much mental liberation and spiritual liberation, I thought, was a fantastic story,” Rapaport told CNN Sport. “If I didn’t have the papers, I think I would have already committed suicide,” Vervoort told reporters in 2016. And in this case, having control over decision-making about the end of your life,” Rapaport explained. Vervoort died in October 2019.

CNN —When Erin Kennedy returns to the boat at the upcoming European Rowing Championships, the occasion will certainly be a joyful one. “It’s something I’ve been sort of dreaming of and kind of manifesting and trying to work towards for the last year. Erin Kennedy is hoping to defend the title she won in Munich alongside Francesca Allen, Giedre Rakauskaite, Edward Fuller and Oliver Stanhope. Kennedy will be back in the boat exactly a year to the day since her diagnosis. So that’s that’s my goal: if I can keep the tears in until after we finished, hopefully on the top of the podium.”

☆ British Gymnastics chief calls for independent welfare body
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MANCHESTER, England, May 16 (Reuters) - The head of British Gymnastics wants the government to set up an independent body to ensure the welfare of athletes, saying many sports lack the resources to adequately safeguard competitors. "The solution, I believe, is to establish a new independent body to ensure athlete welfare across all sports." The safeguarding crisis in gymnastics, Darcey said, had created a backlog of hundreds of historical complaints. "The issues raised by this backlog, and the parallels we are seeing in other sports, lead us to call for a centralised independent body to prioritise the welfare and safeguarding of athletes across all sports," Darcey said. The United States is among countries which have a centralised body - the U.S. Center for SafeSport - to handle abuse complaints.

☆ USA Boxing withdraws from Russian-led world body IBA
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

April 27 (Reuters) - USA Boxing, representing the most successful country in the sport's Olympic history, has left the International Boxing Association (IBA) and will join the breakaway federation World Boxing. Mike McAtee, chief executive of USA Boxing, wrote in a letter to members on Wednesday that the withdrawal was effective immediately. "USA Boxing will immediately begin the World Boxing application process and submit the required application on the first day of acceptance, on or about May 1, 2023," he added. "USA Boxing is committed to work tirelessly with World Boxing, like-minded national federations and worldwide Olympic-style boxing community to earn the privilege to be part of the Olympic Movement now and in the years to come." USA Boxing is certified by the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee as the national governing body for Olympic-Style boxing in the United States.

☆ Paralympics TikTok account uses 'edgy and unique content' but has been critiqued by some for lack of sensitivity
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Ben Morse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN —Social media is awash with memes and GIFs and, at times, ‘edginess,’ but it can be a difficult balancing act as the official Paralympics TikTok account is discovering. The account is run by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), the organization which organizes and manages the Paralympic Games. In the comments, the official Paralympic account replied: “This is Brad Snyder. Mixed reactionsAs a result, the videos posted on the official account have received a mixed reaction, with commentators on many of them left disbelieving that the content published there is permitted. “Looking through that whole account, I might have seen one or two [videos] where the athlete actually does something successfully.

☆ Ukraine bans its national teams from competing with Russians and Belarusians
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

April 14 (Reuters) - Ukraine has banned its national sports teams from competing in Olympic, non-Olympic and Paralympic events that include competitors from Russia and Belarus, the sports ministry said in a decree published on Friday. The decision, criticised by some Ukrainian athletes, comes after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) angered Kyiv by paving the way for Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete as neutrals despite Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Ukraine had previously warned its sports federations that it would strip them of their status as governing bodies if their athletes competed on the international stage with Russians and Belarusians. Some Ukrainian athletes, including Olympian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych, criticised the ban saying it would lead to the destruction of Ukrainian sports. The IOC sanctioned Russia and Belarus but in late March it recommended allowing their athletes to compete as neutrals in international competition.

☆ The EV industry is gaining momentum. But public charging is a long way from being accessible to all
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Anmar Frangoul | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Equally important is making sure these EV chargers are accessible to all. Ensuring EV chargers are accessible to all is a big task, and organizations like Motability are pushing hard to create conditions for change. In collaboration with the U.K. government's Office for Zero Emission Vehicles, it commissioned the British Standards Institution to develop a "national accessible charging standard for EV chargepoints." Separately, it received funding from Motability to develop design guidance for those involved in the charging industry. In July 2022, the U.S. Access Board, an independent federal agency, issued design recommendations for accessible charging stations.

Summary Pistorius to appear at parole hearing next year - authoritiesMother of Reeva Steenkamp against release"Blade Runner" gained global fame for Paralympic titlesJOHANNESBURG, March 31 (Reuters) - Former South Africa Paralympic star Oscar Pistorius, jailed in 2016 for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, has been denied parole, South Africa's prison authorities and a lawyer for the victim's family said on Friday. "Come August 2024, he would have reached the minimum detention period, then the (parole) board will make a decision," prison spokesperson Singabakho Nxumalo told a media briefing. [1/7] Olympic and Paralympic track star Oscar Pistorius leaves court after appearing for the 2013 killing of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria, South Africa, June 14, 2016. He was not available to comment after Pistorius was denied parole. The basis for his argument for Pistorius' parole consideration was that "there doesn't seem to be any negative factors precluding his being released on parole because he meets the requirements of the department in terms of their policies and procedures".

☆ South Africa's Pistorius seeks early release 10 years after killing girlfriend
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

JOHANNESBURG, March 31 (Reuters) - Former South Africa paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius, jailed in 2016 for murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, will ask a parole board on Friday to release him early from prison, lawyers and prison officials said. Pistorius, behind bars for almost seven years, became eligible for parole after serving half of his 13-year prison sentence. The closed-door parole board meeting is scheduled to start at 10 a.m. local time (0800 GMT) at the Atteridgeville prison near capital Pretoria. The independent parole board must determine, among other issues, whether Pistorius is at risk of committing similar crimes in the future, prison spokesperson Singabakho Nxumalo said. Pistorius' lawyer, Julian Knight, told Reuters he was not in a "position to comment until such time as the Parole Board has made a decision".

☆ Oscar Pistorius: from 'Blade Runner' hero to convicted murderer
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

JOHANNESBURG, March 31 (Reuters) - Oscar Pistorius, known as the "Blade Runner" for his carbon-fibre prosthetic legs, went from public hero as a Paralympic champion to a convicted murderer in hearings that drew worldwide attention nearly a decade ago. 2004 - Running on carbon-fibre prosthetics which earn him the nickname "Blade Runner", Pistorius becomes a Paralympic gold medallist when he wins the 200 metres in Athens. 2008 - Pistorius wins three golds at the Paralympics in Beijing. 2014 - Sept. 12 - A high court judge convicts Pistorius of culpable homicide, letting him off the more serious charge of murder. Aug. 19 - South Africa's justice minister blocks Pistorius' expected release on parole after serving 10 months of his five-year sentence.

☆ Keep Russian, Belarusian athletes banned-German Olympic Committee
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BERLIN, March 17 (Reuters) - Germany's Olympic committee (DOSB) said on Friday it was in favour of maintaining a ban of Russian and Belarusian athletes but opposed any plans to boycott the Paris 2024 Olympics over their participation. Ukraine has spearheaded a call to ban athletes from Russia and its close ally Belarus from the Paris Games next year after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in January said it was open to including them as neutrals. "We remain in favour of a ban of Russian and Belarusian athletes and sports administrators from international competitions," the DOSB said in a statement. "Russia and Belarus must not get the chance to misuse the participation and successes of their athletes at international competitions for war propaganda purposes." Athletes from Russia and its neighbour Belarus, which aided Moscow's invasion of Ukraine a year ago, have been banned from many international competitions since then.

☆ Iraqis recount their struggles after Saddam Hussein's fall
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Amina Ismail | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

But he says ridding the nation of Saddam has just created anarchy for others to bleed the country dry. Under Saddam's rule minorities were tolerated and not singled out for their religious beliefs, but were oppressed if they opposed the government. After the fall of Saddam, they were targeted by Islamists for their religious beliefs and labelled apostates or devil worshippers. A CHRISTIAN: PASCALE WARDAWhen U.S.-led forces invaded, Iraqi Christian Pascale Warda was in London lobbying European leaders to depose Saddam. It was the same under Saddam," said Warda, who had several members of her family executed by the state.

☆ High jump pioneer and icon Fosbury dies at 76
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

March 13 (Reuters) - Olympic high jump champion Dick Fosbury, who revolutionised the event with a radically different jumping technique that was eventually named after him, died on Sunday aged 76, his agent Ray Schulte said on Monday. The straddle or scissor jump were common techniques in the high jump. "With his groundbreaking "Fosbury Flop" technique, Dick Fosbury not only won Olympic gold at Mexico City 1968 but also revolutionized the high jump. "I am deeply saddened by the passing of Dick Fosbury, a true legend and pioneer in the world of track and field. Dick's innovative technique of the 'Fosbury Flop' revolutionized the high jump event and forever changed the sport," said Max Siegel, CEO of USA Track & Field.

☆ 2 college friends created energy gum and mints that got the attention of Kevin O'Leary and Robert Herjavec on 'Shark Tank.' They turned down the offers and still built a 7-figure business while workin
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Kathleen Elkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

College friends Kent Yoshimura and Ryan Chen came up with the idea of making caffeinated gum in 2013. "Shark Tank" stars Robert Herjavec and Kevin O'Leary both wanted a piece of the company when the co-founders entered the tank three years ago. Yoshimura and Chen came up with the idea of creating energy gum and mints on a 2013 scuba diving trip. Courtesy of Kent Yoshimura and Ryan ChenIt was on a scuba diving trip in 2013 when the friends thought about creating an energy product more approachable than pills. Turning down a $1 million deal from Robert Herjavec on 'Shark Tank'In 2019, Yoshimura and Chen got a casting call from the hit business reality TV show "Shark Tank."

☆ Oksana Masters Had a Difficult Path to Athletic Triumph
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Emily Bobrow | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

“A lot of people have no idea that I was living in a car right before Sochi”—the 2014 Winter Games, when she took home a silver and a bronze for cross-country skiing. Her 17 medals are also for rowing, cycling and the biathlon. “People see me now, but they don’t see the hard parts that came before,” she says. That is why she decided to write her new memoir, “The Hard Parts,” out Feb. 21. It also covers her formative years in several abusive orphanages in Ukraine, where she was born with webbed fingers, one kidney and no weight-bearing bones below the knees.

☆ Australia to spend $5 bln on Brisbane Olympics venues
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] A view of the city skyline of Brisbane, expected to be announced as host for the 2032 Olympic Games, in Brisbane, Australia, July 4, 2021. REUTERS/Jaimi Joy/File PhotoSYDNEY, Feb 17 (Reuters) - The Australian federal government and the Queensland state government said on Friday they would spend a combined A$7.1 billion ($4.9 billion) to build new venues and refurbish existing ones ahead of the 2032 Olympics in Brisbane. This event is a great event for Queensland but it's great for Australia as well," Albanese said. Brisbane will become the third Australian city to host the Summer Olympics, after Melbourne in 1956 and Sydney in 2000. The event is expected to deliver A$8.1 billion in economic and social benefits to Queensland, and more than A$17.6 billion to Australia, Queensland state Deputy Premier Steven Miles said.

☆ Ex-Tokyo Olympics official, ad execs arrested in bid-rigging scandal
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Kantaro Komiya | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

TOKYO, Feb 8 (Reuters) - Japanese prosecutors arrested on Wednesday a former Tokyo Olympics organising committee official and executives at three advertising agencies on suspected bid-rigging of test events for the Games, the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office said. The media reports later said the prosecutors also arrested three executives at advertising and event-planning firms Dentsu Inc (4324.T), Cerespo Co (9625.T) and Fuji Creative Corporation, a subsidiary of Fuji Media Holdings Inc (4676.T). Dentsu said in a statement that a former employee, who currently works at a group firm in Japan, was arrested. The bid-rigging investigation comes after a bribery scandal, in which Haruyuki Takahashi, a former member of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics board and before that a Dentsu executive, was arrested in August on suspicion of receiving bribes from Olympic sponsors. Executives from ADK, suits retailer Aoki Holdings (8214.T) and publishing firm Kadokawa (9468.T) have also been arrested in connection with the bribery scandal.

☆ Nordic countries jointly oppose Russian, Belarusian sports participation
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 7 (Reuters) - The Nordic Olympic Committees wrote to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Tuesday to reiterate their opposition to Russian and Belarusian athletes being allowed to take part in international sports. The IOC said last month that athletes from Russia and Belarus might be allowed to earn slots for the Olympic Games in Paris next year through Asian qualifying. Tuesday's joint statement by the Nordic Olympic Committees, Paralympic Committees and sports confederations said they stood firm in their opposition to Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials being allowed to participate in international sports. "We, the Nordic Olympic and Paralympic Committees and Confederations of sports, take this opportunity to reaffirm our steadfast support once again with the Ukrainian people and the demand for peace," it said. Last week, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Poland called on international sports bodies to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes from competing in the Olympics and other events while the war in Ukraine continues.

☆ U.S. snowboarders sue former coach alleging sexual abuse
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Daniel Trotta | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Feb 2 (Reuters) - Three former U.S. snowboarders sued their former coach, the national snowboarding federation and the U.S. Olympic Committee on Thursday alleging sexual abuse that was covered up by the two sporting bodies, court documents showed. Rosey Fletcher, Erin O'Malley and Callan Chythlook-Sifsof sued former coach Peter Foley, U.S. Ski and Snowboard (USSS), and the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) in U.S. District Court for the central district of Los Angeles. The suit alleges Foley exploited his position of trust with the athletes to "coerce sexual acts through force, manipulation, emotional abuse, intimidation, and retaliation". The U.S. Olympic Committee said at that time it had followed protocol and reported the allegations to the U.S Center for SafeSport, which handles reports of sexual abuse within the Olympic movement.

The Baltic nations and Poland earlier Thursday called on international sports bodies to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes from competing in the Olympics and other events while the war in Ukraine continues. "Efforts to return Russian and Belarusian athletes to international sports competitions under the veil of neutrality legitimize political decisions and widespread propaganda of these countries," it added. They called on "all international sports organizations and federations" to remove Russian and Belarusian athletes from international competitions until the war ends. Latvia joined Kyiv on Wednesday in threatening to boycott the 2024 Olympics and qualifiers if Russian and Belarusian athletes are included while the war continues in Ukraine. The Paris Olympics will be held from July 26-Aug. 11 next year and the Paralympics from Aug. 28-Sept. 8.

☆ Latvia threatens Olympic boycott if Russians compete
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The Latvian Olympic Committee is the first national Olympic body other than Ukraine which has threatened to boycott rather than compete against Russia. He broadened that position Wednesday by saying Latvia should boycott Olympic qualifying competitions, which are already under way in some sports, if Russians or Belarusians are allowed in. The Ukrainian National Olympic Committee has threatened to boycott and is due to hold talks Friday on the issue. Ukraine boycotted some sports competitions, including Olympic judo qualifiers, last year when Russians competed. Other national Olympic sports bodies, including the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee, back the IOC efforts to find a path for Russians to compete.

For the last three years, the 66-year-old has built up the "Toyota Times", hiring Japanese journalists and ramping up coverage of the company to counter what he sees as persistent misinformation and unfair criticism. "What I find unfortunate is that the media often thrives on conflict, setting BEVs against hybrids, for example," Toyoda said on the Toyota Times recently. After almost an hour of scripted presentations and banter, the Toyota Times host turned to questions from reporters. Toyoda has increasingly appeared to eschew traditional media as the company fell out of favour with environmentalists who once lauded its green technology. The Toyota Times also exclusively publishes the closely watched results of the company's spring wage negotiations with its union.

☆ U.S. Supports IOC Leader’s Aim to Include Russian Athletes in Paris 2024 Olympics
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Rachel Bachman | Louise Radnofsky | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Flag bearers Olga Fatkulina and Vadim Shipachyov of Team ROC carry their flag during the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Olympics. The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee backs the idea to include Russian and Belarusian athletes at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics, as long as they don’t compete under their nations’ flags or in their colors, said Susanne Lyons , chair of the USOPC board of directors. International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach said last week that he wants Russian and Belarusian athletes to be able to participate at the Paris Games, even if the Russian war in Ukraine continues.

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