Uncovering Determinants of Sexual Abuse of Gymnasts

LIVE - C-Span
Watch C-Span1 Live Stream from testimony to a Senate subcommittee with former MSU President Dr. Lou Anna Simon about sexual abuse of Olympic athletes by its former employee and physician to USA Gymnastics, Dr. Larry Nasser. Unfortunately, former USA Gymnastics President Steve Penny departed after invoking the Fifth Amendment, restricting the exchange of information. The desired outcome will be new protections for all athletes, preventing future recurrence by other abusers. 

Olympic pin trading, a competition of its own!

• What's up with trading Olympic pins? 
• Why do spectators and athletes become excited when receiving a new and unusual pin?
• Why do some wait in line to view vendor product demonstrations with the expectation of a pin reward?

Staff and volunteers decorate lanyards holding accreditation cards with colorful enamel pins. Each pin tells a story of an encounter with a guest from another country, conversation with an athlete or chance encounter in the canteen. I brought several bags of USA flag pins and have enjoyed giving these away, especially to children and young adults who approach me to practice English language skills! 

According to Kyle Vanhemert of wired.com, "Pin trading dates to the dawn of the modern Olympics, when three designs were produced for the 1896 Games: One for judges, one for athletes, and one for officials. Production skyrocketed with the 1936 Games in Berlin; the Nazis manufactured them in the millions as tiny propaganda pieces.

In the years since, pins have become highly collectible. Nearly every country competing arrives with boxes of them, and some produce unique pins for individual sports...The International Olympic Committee offers its own dignified designs, and of course sponsors hand pins of their own to anyone who asks."

Some of my favorite pins acquired during the 2018 Paralympic Winter Games are: a Romanian Paralympic Team pin given by an athlete, lion-headed pin from GBR Paralympics, happy Bandabi mascot received from an art and tourism volunteer, and "119" (known in the US as 9-1-1) pin from an EMS tech, who was stationed nearby our volunteer team during Opening Ceremonies. Can't wait to get some new pins before the end of the Games! 

Celebrating accomplished para-athletes during Winter Games

PyeongChang, ROK - 14 March, 2018

During the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Paralympics, teammates, spectators, volunteers and media mingle in Olympic Park during evening medals ceremonies. This is a great opportunity to meet exceptional athletes and acknowledge their achievements! As flags are raised, the national anthem plays for the Gold medalist and spectators show respect.

Cross-country skiing is challenging. Imagine excelling at this sport with a visual impairment! We felt in awe of the medalists of the Women's 1.5km Sprint Classic - Visually Impaired:
Sviatlana SAKHANENKA of Belarus (Gold) with a time of 4:29.9, Mikhalina LYSOVA of Neutral Paralympic Athletes (Silver) with a time of 4:44.0, and Oksana SHYSHKOVA of Ukraine (Bronze) with a time of 4:45.6. Oksana graciously agreed to meet with our group briefly to receive personal congratulations.

We applauded Gold Medalist Andrew SOULE of USA, Silver Medalist Dzmitry LOBAN of Belarus, and Bronze Medalist Daniel CNOSSEN of USA, winners of the Men's 1.1km Sprint Sitting.

Our group of volunteers also celebrated winners of the Men's 1.5km Sprint Classic Final, Standing: Alexandr KOLYADIN of Kazakhstan (Gold), Yoshihiro NITTA of Japan (Silver), and Mark ARENDZ of Canada (Bronze). One member of our Team hails from Kazakhstan and was thrilled to spend time with her countrymen!

Daniel CNOSSEN of Team USA, Bronze Medalist, 1.1km Sprint Sitting

Andrew SOULE, Gold Medalist of Team USA, 1.1km Sitting Sprint

CNOSSEN, SOULE and Dzmitry LOBAN of Belarus, Silver Medalist

Team Australia poses with smiling volunteer!

Following medals ceremonies, live musical presentation and fireworks cap off the evening.
The weather has dramatically changed from -1C earlier this week to +11C and rain today. We have changed from wearing snow suits to removing warmer layers. Several sport events (Para Alpine Skiing Men's and Women's Slalom) will be rescheduled due to weather.

46 Siblings Sets Competing During 2018 Winter Olympics

From thisisinsider.com, February 08, 2018
Reported by Caroline Praderio

Marissa Brandt - Team Korea, & Hannah Brandt - Team USA

Hannah Brandt and her adopted sister Marissa grew up playing hockey in Minnesota. Now they're skating for their home countries in the Winter Olympics.

Marissa, who was born in South Korea but adopted at 4 months old, was invited to join the South Korean women's national team back in 2015, Sports Illustrated reported. Hannah was named to the US women's team in January of this year, according to Team USA's website.

"You can't really script something like this," Hannah said in a recent interview with CNN.

Matt and Becca Hamilot, Team USA

According to Team USA, the Hamilton siblings will be the first American team to compete in mixed doubles curling, a new event debuting at the Pyeongchang Olympics. They're also on the US men's and women's curling teams.

They see their sibling relationship as a strength in their sport.

"We're both a little less timid around each other," Matt said in an interview with USA Today last year. "Some of these teams that are newish, they kind of have that honeymoon phase where they don't want to yell at their partner or criticize or anything, walking on eggshells ... We're way past that."

Logan and Reese Hanneman, Team USA

"We have been competing against each other, in one sport or another, for our entire lives, and the brotherly competition and cooperation has undoubtedly propelled us to this point," Reese, the older of the two brothers, said in an interview with Alaska newspaper The Daily News-Miner.

Pyeongchang is the first Olympics for both brothers.

READ MORE

Outstanding athletes to watch during the 2018 Winter Games

Excerpted from Time.com, By SEAN GREGORY and ALICE PARK Updated: February 8, 2018 11:31 AM ET

Every Winter Olympics has its breakout stars—the rookie defying the odds to win her first gold medal, the legend defying time to win his last. The 2018 Winter Olympic Games in PyeongChang, South Korea has no shortage of candidates on both counts, from teen phenoms like Russian figure skater Alina Zagitova and American snowboarder Chloe Kim, to hardboiled veterans like U.S. skier Lindsey Vonn and the man known as Legend, 45-year-old Japanese ski jumper Noriaki Kasai.

From French figure skaters to Nigerian bobsledders, here’s your GUIDE to the Olympic athletes to watch.

Magnus Kim - South Korea rejoiced when cross-country skiing phenom Kim, 19, announced he would compete for the host country in PyeongChang. Kim’s mother is South Korean, his father is Norwegian and Kim held citizenship in both countries. In 2016, Kim became the first South Korean to win a gold medal at a major international cross-country event, when he took two golds and a silver at the 2016 Youth Winter Olympics. No Asian country has ever won an Olympic cross-country medal. While skiers from Norway, Sweden and Italy provide stiff competition, Kim has home-field advantage—and the hopes of a nation behind him.

From Salt Lake Tribune

Maame Biney - Maame, 18, became the first African-American woman to qualify for a U.S. speedskating team. She moved to Maryland from Ghana at age 5, and took up the Winter Olympic sport when her father spotted a sign offering lessons. Biney started out in figure skating. An instructor, noting how fast she was moving on the ice, suggested Biney try speedskating instead. The high school senior is taking online classes during her intense Olympic year, and is interested in studying chemical engineering in college.

MORE

Lifetime Olympic Bans Overturned by Court

Excerpted from BBC Sport, 03 February, 2018 --

"Despite International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach's condemnation of Russia's 'unprecedented attack on the integrity of the Olympics', the neutral competitors cleared to take part will be the third biggest group at the Games in Pyeongchang - behind only Canada and the United States.

And on Thursday a court overturned lifetime Olympic bans on 28 Russian competitors..there were 232 Russians competing at Sochi, when the host nation topped the medal table. Since then, 13 of those Russian medals - including four golds - have been stripped from the athletes because of doping.

However, Thursday's Court of Arbitration for Sport decision to overturn doping bans given to 28 Russian athletes means these may end up being given back - and Russia could once again sit top of the 2014 standings. Confused? So is the IOC...

Russian athletes are also expected to 'refrain from any public form of publicity, activity and communication associated with the national flag, anthem, emblem and symbols' at any Olympic site.This includes a ban on sharing or posting any such images or messages on social media...

Russian athletes from Sochi Games in 2016; www.dailymail.co.uk

And why should athletes who can prove they play by the rules not be allowed to take part in the biggest sporting event of their lives? The IOC found a compromise, and even though the Russians have complained at the exclusion of some of their top athletes, it has been accepted.

Many people will deplore the way this has played out, they will feel that Russia has been let off lightly, even though its athletes must adhere to a strict set of regulations governing their behaviour during the Games."

What sports will be featured during 2018 Paralympic Games?

The 2018 Paralympic Games to be held 9-18 March, 2018 will feature exciting snow and ice sports, including Para Alpine Skiing, Para Biathlon, Para Cross-Country Skiing, Para Ice Hockey, Para Snowboard and Wheelchair Curling. 

For instance, Para Alpine Skiing debuted as an Olympic sport in Sweden in 1976 by injured veterans who wanted to practice their sport following WWII. Within this classification are Downhill, Super-G, Super Combined, Giant Slalom and Slalom. Athletes are classified into Visually Impaired (B1-B3), Standing (LW1-LW9) and Sitting (LW10-LW12) categories. 

A second Paralympic Winter sport is Para Ice Hockey. Fifteen athletes compete during three 15-minute periods with a time out between each period. Five players (two defensemen and three forwards), plus a goaltender may be on ice for play at one time. 

Spectators will gather in the Olympic Stadium in PyeongChang for opening and closing ceremonies; snow sports will be held in PyeongChang and Jeongseon Area. Ice sports will be held at Gangneung in Olympic Park and at Kwandong University. Planners have mapped routes for autos, express buses, shuttles and train, moving fans and athletes between venues. 

Identity of the Games - "The emblem symbolises a world open to everyone. It combines the image of ice and snow, winter sports stars (athletes), and people from all over the world, coming together in PyeongChang where heaven meets earth."

Paralympics Emblem

Countdown to Pyeong Chang and 2018 Winter Games

Anticipation is building for 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games hosted by South Korea
in three dynamic alpine regions, Pyeong Chang, Gangneung and Jeongseon beginning 9 February. 

Exciting new venues have been constructed to welcome athletes, coaches and fans from across the Globe! The shape of a pentagon symbolizes five goals of the Winter Games: the economy, the environment, IT, the arts and peace.

Pyeong Chang Olympic Stadium

Pyeong Chang Introduction to the Host City - cited in the Alps of Korea, 700 metres above sea level features many activities, including skiing, cave tours, traditional marketplace, Daegwalryeong Flower Snow Festival, winter trout fishing, and more! 

Two mascots, Soohorang and Bandabi, playfully welcome fans of all ages. Soohorang, the white tiger, is Korea's guardian, who represents protection for the athletes. His partner is Bandabi, an Asiatic black bear. Bandabi stands for equality and harmony and will encourage athletes to excel. 

Watch for more updates!

Largest Paralympic Team to Compete for USA in Rio

During the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, the USA will be represented by 289-members. This is the largest US Paralympic team and includes 35 military veterans and active duty, guides and pilots for the visually impaired. Athletes will compete for medals in 20 sports; three athletes will compete in 2 sports. 

New spots were allocated by the IPC following suspension of Russia's paralympic team. According to U.S.Paralympics, "The Rio 2016 Paralympic Games will be the largest edition of the Games yet, with an estimated 4,350 participating athletes. Athletes from more than 176 countries will compete in 528 medal events in Rio." [Source]

How may you view the Games?

NBC Olympics will combine to present more than 70 hours of coverage of the Rio Paralympic Games across NBC, NBCSN, and the NBC Sports app beginning on Wed., September 7 and ending on September 18. On most days, NBCSN primetime programming will air from 7 – 9 p.m. ET; daytime from 2 – 5 p.m. ET; and late night from 1 – 5 a.m. ET.

In addition, the USOC will provide live online coverage at TeamUSA.org.

United Nations Office on Sport for Development and Peace

En route to Brazil during the spring, the Olympic torch for the 2016 Summer Games stopped in Geneva.  The spirit of the Summer Games was touted at the United Nations Office during a special "Celebrating the Olympic Spirit" Program. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) awarded the Olympic Cup to the U.N., recognizing its continuing efforts to promote peace and sustainable development through friendly sport.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon commented, "I sincerely thank you for this powerful recognition of the talented, dedicated and selfless women and men of our Organization...I thank all the United Nations bodies that are leveraging the power of sport. We are collaborating with athletes to inspire children. We are making the Games more green. We are joining forces to use this massive, global celebration of the human spirit as a reminder of our common humanity." (Source: https://www.un.org/sport/)

[Photo: www.un.org/sport/]

Within the U.N., its Office on Sport for Development and Peace (UNOSDP) promotes exchange of ideas, information and new partnerships to enhance education, health, development and peace. Youth may participate in Leadership Camps, learning to work on social and development projects benefiting their communities.

UNOSDP partnership examples include 1) strengthening access for girls to sport and promoting women's rights through the Tajikistan National Taekwondo Federation supported by U.N. Women, and 2) increasing disability sport and physical activity in Haiti through a partnership with BlazeSports, a non-governmental organization.  Other organizations working with the UNOSDP include International Paralympic Committee, International Judo Federation,  Gwangju Universiade 2015 Organizing Committee, International Volleyball Federation, Union of European Football Associations, SportAccord, Peace and Sport and Korean Air.

We look forward to recognition of sport and development projects by the UNOSDP during the Rio2016 Summer Games! 

2016 Paralympic Track and Field Team Announced - 66 athletes will represent Team USA in track & field at the 2016 Paralympic Games. The 40 men and 26 women on the roster, in addition to three guides for visually impaired athletes, will compete in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from September 7-18 (Source: TeamUSA.org).


(Photo: Joe Kusumoto, 2016)

2016 Paralympics Swim Team Announced - 31 athletes, 21 women and 10 men will represent the USA in Rio during 2016 Paralympic Games.  Seventeen on the roster have Paralympic Games experience. Two are U.S. military service members. Twenty-five of these outstanding athletes are currently ranked in the top 10 in the world across 89 events

The Rio 2016 Paralympic Games is expected to be the largest to date, with more than 4,500 athletes from 176 countries expected to compete (Source: TeamUSA.org).

(Photo: Joe Kusumoto, 2016)