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☆ Yaroslava Mahuchikh: ‘When I see Russian athletes …. I see every city destroyed,’ says Ukrainian high jumper
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( George Ramsay | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Mahuchikh won her first world championship title in August, then successfully defended her Diamond League Final victory in September. That’s often a source of anxiety for Mahuchikh, especially when Russian attacks target the eastern city. This year’s Olympics, Mahuchikh believes, will enable Ukrainian athletes to promote a message of peace, though perhaps inevitably, the Games have also become entwined in geopolitics. However, international federations have the first say on whether Russian and Belarusian athletes can qualify for the Olympics. “When I see Russian athletes … I see every city destroyed, every life that was destroyed by Russian people, by the Russian Federation,” she says, adding that she would find it “difficult” to compete against athletes from Russia and Belarus.

Persons: Yaroslava Mahuchikh, Mahuchikh, “, ” Mahuchikh, –, Ben Stansall, itinerancy, ”, ‘, it’s, ’ ”, General’s, Kirby Lee, Vadim Guttsait, Greg Baker, shouldn’t, …, Emmanuel Macron, Dean Mouhtaropoulos, Guttsait, Karsten Warholm, Duplantis, Puma – Organizations: CNN, CNN Sport, Diamond League, Paris Olympics, Getty, Department, USA, Reuters, Olympic Committee, International Olympic Committee, Games, Olympics, Athletics, Ukrainian, Russian Federation, IOC, Millrose, Puma Locations: Ukraine, New York, Glasgow, Budapest, AFP, Europe, Dnipro, That’s, “, ’, ’ ” Dnipro, Russia, Belarus, Xiamen, China, Paris, Belarusian, Russian, Silesia, Poland, Tokyo, Cottbus, Germany

ROME (AP) — José Mourinho is leaving Roma “with immediate effect,” the club announced Tuesday — ending an at times successful but also turbulent stay in the Italian capital for the veteran coach. Mourinho was in his third season at Roma and his contract was due to expire in June. He led the Giallorossi to the UEFA Conference League title in his first season and Roma was a Europa League finalist last season. “AS Roma can confirm that José Mourinho and his coaching staff will leave the club with immediate effect,” the club said in a statement. “Arrivederci, Roma,” Mourinho said on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, next to a photo of him carrying the Conference League trophy.

Persons: — José Mourinho, Roma, Mourinho, —, José Mourinho, ”, Dan, Ryan Friedkin, “, ” Roma, Daniele De Rossi, Antonio Conte, “ Arrivederci, ” Mourinho, Paulo Dybala, Lukaku, ___ Organizations: ROME, Roma, AC Milan, Serie, League, Lazio, Italian, UEFA Conference League, Europa League, UEFA, Sevilla, Milan, “ AS Roma, AS Roma, ”, Twitter, Conference League, Porto, Inter Milan, Manchester United, Chelsea, Real, Stadio Olimpico Locations: Saudi Arabia, Roma, Real Madrid, Portuguese

☆ Esports joins Pan Am Games, but medals won't count
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Steve Keating | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

But any medals won will not be added to their country's official total as they were at the recent Asian Games where esports had full medal status and was one of the most popular events drawing huge enthusiastic crowds. Like the Asian Games the Pan Am competition will be closely watched by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as Esports makes a push for a spot on the Olympic programme. While esports is making its Pan Am Games debut, gamers have been part of many other multi-sport competitions, including the Commonwealth and the European Games. One reason esports medals are not being counted at the Pan Am Games is that gamers are not subject to doping controls like every other athlete in Santiago. Authorities in Hangzhou ploughed $627 million into building a new esports venue while the Pan Am Games competition will be staged in a tent in a grassy corner of the Games fan zone.

Persons: SANTIAGO, Esports, esports, Paul Foster, Foster, Steve Keating, Toby Davis Organizations: Pan American, Asian, International Olympic Committee, Pan Am, Commonwealth, European, IOC, Global Esports Federation, Doping Agency, Esports, Ams, Pan Am Games, Thomson Locations: Sunday's, esport, Santiago ., Hangzhou, Santiago

☆ Fact Check: Photo of Israeli flag on Azerbaijan skyscrapers from 2015
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-11 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A photo from 2015 of the Israeli flag projected on three skyscrapers in Azerbaijan’s capital Baku is falsely claimed online to have been captured after this weekend’s attack on Israel by the Islamist militant group Hamas. However, the image was first shared on social media in June 2015 by the Consulate General of Azerbaijan in Los Angeles. The consulate said at the time that the display honoured the Israeli sports team at the European Games, held in Azerbaijan. On Oct. 7, Azerbaijan’s foreign ministry shared a message after the Hamas attack. The image of the Israeli flag on the Flame Towers in Baku dates to 2015.

Persons: “, Read Organizations: Hamas, Reuters, Facebook, Consulate, European Games, Twitter, Thomson Locations: Azerbaijan’s, Baku, Israel, Azerbaijan, Caucasus, Los Angeles, Palestine, Gaza

☆ Poland says it will bid to hold Olympics in 2036
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Poland, which hosted the multi-sports European Games this summer in Krakow and Malopolska, has never hosted an Olympic Games, summer or winter. The International Olympic Committee has awarded the 2032 Games to Brisbane, while there are already several interested potential candidates for the 2036 Games. "From everything the EOC saw there, Poland is well qualified to host the Olympic Games too," Arat said. The IOC usually awards the summer Olympics at least seven years in advance. Paris will host next year's summer Games while Los Angeles will stage the 2028 Games.

Persons: Henryk Reyman, Sarah Meyssonnier, Andrzej Duda, Hasan Arat, Arat, Alan Charlish, Pawel, Karolos Grohmann, Sharon Singleton Organizations: European Games REUTERS, Rights, Olympic Games, Polish Olympic, Sport, Games, Olympic, European Olympic, European Games, Olympics, IOC, Thomson Locations: Krakow, Poland, Indonesia, Mexico, India, Malopolska, Zakopane, Brisbane, Turkey, Hungary, Gulf, Paris, Los Angeles

But the future of the Games was thrown into doubt on Thursday when the province of Alberta withdrew its support for a bid, dealing another blow to the embattled Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF). Victoria withdrew due to projected cost overruns, with Commonwealth Sport Canada saying it believed the Australian state's decision had prompted Alberta's pullout. The expense to host a Commonwealth Games in any country is significant," Cary Kaplan, president of Canadian marketing firm Cosmos Sports & Entertainment, told Reuters. MARKET DISPARITYDespite the disparity, Payne said the Commonwealth Games could not be written off. "That will in turn erode the relevance of the Games unless the Commonwealth Games steps up its marketing and branding efforts in the years ahead.

Persons: Matthew Klugman, Victoria, Alberta's pullout, Cary Kaplan, Klugman, Michael Payne, Payne, Kaplan, Queen Elizabeth, Rich, Karolos Grohmann, Aadi Nair, Ed Osmond Organizations: Commonwealth, Commonwealth Games Federation, Victoria, Games, Reuters, Commonwealth Sport Canada, Commonwealth Games, Cosmos Sports & Entertainment, European, Birmingham Commonwealth Games, Paris Olympics, Olympic Committee, Olympic, Birmingham, Thomson Locations: Canada, Alberta, Hamilton , Ontario, COVID, Australia, Great Britain, Britain

☆ Belgian shot putter Boumkwo runs 100m hurdles to save team from disqualification
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Had no Belgian athlete competed in the event, the team would have been disqualified. The 29-year-old finished the race without knocking any of the hurdles down in 32.81 seconds, 19 seconds after Spanish sprinter Teresa Errandonea who won with 13.22. Boumkwo was applauded by the audience and congratulated by her rivals as she earned two points for the team. The points could be crucial as the bottom three countries will be relegated from Division 1. Reporting by Anita Kobylinska in Gdansk Editing by Christian RadnedgeOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Aleksandra Szmigiel, Jolien Boumkwo, Boumkwo, Teresa Errandonea, Anita Kobylinska, Christian Radnedge Organizations: Silesian, Heat, Belgian, Thomson Locations: Chorzow, Poland, Belgium, Gdansk

☆ Britain confirms boycott of men's world championships
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, April 4 (Reuters) - British boxers will not take part in the men's amateur world championships in Tashkent after the country also boycotted last month's women's event in India amid mounting concern about the sport's Olympic future. The men's tournament starts on April 30 in the Uzbek capital and runs to May 14. GB Boxing had said in February when it announced a boycott of the women's championships that it was reviewing participation in the men's. GB Boxing will send a team to the European Games in Poland, an official qualifying event for the Paris 2024 Olympics. The U.S. and Irish federations announced in February they would not be participating in either the women's or men's world championships.

☆ IOC stance on Russians, Belarusians 'painful', says Wlodarczyk
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Bronze medalist Malwina Kopron of Poland watches gold medalist Anita Wlodarczyk of Poland celebrate on the podium REUTERS/Lindsey Wasson/File PhotoApril 3 (Reuters) - The International Olympic Committee's (IOC) recommendation to let Russian and Belarusian athletes return to international competition is painful, three-times hammer throw champion Anita Wlodarczyk said on Monday, hoping the decision would change. The IOC sanctioned Russia and Belarus after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 but recommended last week that their athletes compete internationally as neutrals. It should be a top-down message that athletes from both countries should not compete," added the 37-year-old Wlodarczyk. "I will still stand by my decision that they should be excluded (from all international competitions)," Wlodarczyk said. "I hope that this decision will change in the coming months and that the Russians and Belarusians will not be allowed in."

☆ Explainer: How Microsoft is addressing antitrust concerns over Activision deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Foo Yun Chee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WHAT IS THE ACTIVISION DEAL? The UK competition agency CMA has suggested divesting Call of Duty to address its concerns while the European Commission has warned Microsoft about the possible anti-competitive impact of the deal. A group of 10 gamers in the United States has filed a private consumer antitrust lawsuit over the deal. WHAT ARE THE NINTENDO AND NVIDIA LICENSING DEALS? Both companies have signed 10-year licensing deals that will bring Call of Duty to their gaming platforms but these are conditional on the Activision deal being approved.

WHAT IS THE ACTIVISION DEAL? A group of 10 gamers in the United States has filed a private consumer antitrust lawsuit over the deal. Both companies have signed 10-year licensing deals that will bring Call of Duty to their gaming platform if the Activision deal is approved. Spain's Nware also signed a 10-year deal to bring Xbox and Activision Blizzard games to the Spanish cloud-gaming platform. Microsoft's Smith said the company would fight the FTC's request to block the deal.

Persons: Tencent, Martin Coleman, Brad Smith, Smith, Spain's Nware, Meta, Microsoft's Smith, Foo Yun Chee, Aurora Ellis, Maju Samuel Organizations: U.S . Federal Trade Commission, Microsoft, Activision, ACTIVISION, HK, Sony, U.S . FTC, Britain's, Markets, FTC, Nintendo, Sony Group, CMA, Commission, WHO, United States, May, Games Development, UNI Global Union, Nvidia, MICROSOFT, Britain, NINTENDO, NVIDIA, Xbox, Activision Blizzard, Antitrust, Facebook, Thomson Locations: metaverse, U.S, United, Brazil, Chile, Serbia, Saudi Arabia

☆ Microsoft's president to push Activision deal at EU hearing; Google, Nvidia also present
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Foo Yun Chee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Smith will lead a delegation of 18 senior executives, including Microsoft Gaming Chief Executive Officer Phil Spencer, while Activision will be represented by its CEO Robert Kotick according to a European Commission document seen by Reuters. Alphabet's (GOOGL.O) Google and chip designer and computing firm Nvidia Corp (NVDA.O), which has a gaming business, will also be taking part in the hearing, the EU document showed. "The European Commission asked for our views in the course of their inquiries into this issue. We will continue to cooperate in any processes, when requested, to ensure all views are considered," a Google spokesperson said. The European Games Developer Federation (EGDF), which has said the deal will allow Microsoft to challenge Apple (AAPL.O), Google and Tencent, is one of the participants.

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