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CONTENTS
4
10
A Note from
the Editor and Publisher
A Look Back at the
2001 Election Controversy
6
12
Who’s Nex for
IOC President?
Reshaping the
Sports Program
14
Rogge’s Gallery
16
Russian Expectations
for Sochi
18
22
Sochi Torch Relay
Inside
Buenos Aires
20
24
Winterlands: Olympic
Candidates for 2022
26
The Olympics
in the Crystal Ball
Challenges
for Brazil
BUENOS AIRES
EDITOR & FOUNDER
Ed Hula
PUBLISHER
Sheila Scott Hula
EUROPEAN EDITOR
Mark Bisson
EDITORIAL STAFF
Nick Devlin, Associate Editor
E.B. Hula III, Assignment Editor
Philip de Wit, Brazil Correspondent
Brian Pinelli, European Correspondent
Karen Rosen, Americas Correspondent
Norman Li, Tencent, China Correspondent
Christian Radnedge, Reporter
Aaron Bauer, Editorial Assistant
Nicole Bennett, Editorial Assistant
Joe Longoria, Public Relations Intern
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20 YEARS AT #1
SINCE 1992
A Note from the Editor and Publisher
For the second time in 12 years,
we stand at a turning point for
the Olympic Movement.
After a fast-paced few days in Buenos Aires, we’ll
know which of three cities will host the 2020 Summer
Olympic Games.
We should have a good idea
which sports will comprise the
2020 Olympic program.
And perhaps most important
of all, we’ll know the next
president of the International
Olympic Committee.
We’d like to take this
opportunity to congratulate
Jacques Rogge on his tenure as
the first IOC president elected
in the 21st century. With a steady
hand and unflappable demeanor,
he has guided the IOC through
the challenges and triumphs of six
Olympic Games.
and we’re proud to be here in Argentina as a new
chapter begins.
This special edition devotes plenty of attention
to the election.You’ll find profiles of each of the six
candidates, while ATR’s Americas correspondent Karen
Rosen revisits candidates for the 2001 election.We’ve
also taken an in-depth look at the charms Buenos
Aires has to offer us, as well as the
challenges that lie ahead for Brazil
as they host the World Cup and the
Summer Olympics over the next
three years.
But perhaps most
entertainingly, ATR founder
and editor Ed Hula seizes the
opportunity to consult his crystal
ball to see what the future holds:
will it reveal the outrageous,
the cheeky – or will it be
merely prescient?
We’d also like to extend our
best wishes to whomever wins the
election and to whichever sports
Ed Hula, Editor and Sheila Scott Hula, Publisher
are selected for the 2020 program.
Likewise we’d like to say congratulations to the next
summer host city.The path leading to this moment
Around the Rings was on the scene at the 112th
has sometimes been torturous, but it’s never been dull.
IOC Session in 2001 in Moscow when Juan Antonio Around the Rings will be with you as we move into the
Samaranch handed over the reins of power to Rogge, next presidential era of the Olympic Movement. n
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AROUN D
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Evolution, Not Revolution
Presidential candidates talk of building Thomas Bach
Bach says his experience as
on Rogge’s progress. No matter who
Olympian, IOC member and
wins when the votes are counted
NOC president has prepared
him to lead the IOC. He
September 10, the new president
describes the president of the
as the conductor of an
of the International Olympic Committee IOC
orchestra “where you have
many instruments and where
will not be a revolutionary.
Written by Ed Hula
There are no firebrands among this band of six IOC
members, nearly all of whom have been members for 20 years or
more and are 60 or older.
More than one of the candidates promise “evolution, not
revolution,” and all of them are careful to praise the tenure of
Jacques Rogge as he reaches his 12-year term limit. All say they
are ready to grow the IOC from the Rogge era.
The candidates are among the most accomplished of
IOC members, whether helping to raise billions for the
Olympics, directing the preparation of the Games, or leading
federations and national Olympic committees. Three of them
are medal-winning Olympians.
Thomas Bach of Germany, Sergey Bubka of Ukraine,
Richard Carrion of Puerto Rico, Ser Miang Ng of Singapore,
Denis Oswald of Switzerland, and C.K.Wu of Chinese Taipei
are the six men in the race to succeed Rogge. It’s the largest field
ever to vie for the post, surpassing the five in 2001 when Rogge
was elected.
There are differences among the group in style and
experience. Some of those distinctions are apparent in interviews
Around the Rings conducted in July, which can now be heard as
podcasts at AroundTheRings.com.
Manifestos from the candidates are also online. Under IOC
rules, they are the only documents that can be distributed to
fellow members to provide specifics about their plans as president.
Those IOC rules prohibit debate among the candidates;
likewise members are not allowed to declare their support for
a favorite.
In a last-minute change of the rules, the candidates were
allowed to make 15-minute speeches to the IOC Extraordinary
Session held July 4 in Lausanne.The speeches were made behind
closed doors without press coverage.
Despite these quirks, the six candidates have been as
ubiquitous as the three 2020 bid cities, making themselves
available around the world during the past few months of IOC
meetings and international sports events.
6
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each member should play the
instrument he or she prefers.
Thomas Bach of Germany (ATR)
“I think of the IOC President as a kind of conductor of this
orchestra, responsible to bring out these talents, to allow these
individual strengths to unfold,” Bach tells Around the Rings in a
podcast interview.
Bach’s manifesto spans 14 pages, calling for more deliberation
and debate among IOC members and flexibility in the way
cities bid for the Games as well as the way IOC selects sports for
the Olympic program. Bach endorses the idea of an Olympic
television network to keep interest high in between Games.
He supports the Youth Olympic Games but believes a
review after 2014 is needed. Bach says changes to the member
retirement age of 70 should also be studied carefully.
“If you say you want to increase this, then again you
have to be honest. You have to say,‘What does it mean for the
number of members?’ and ‘What does it mean for the reelection
procedures?’,‘What does it mean for the overall structure of the
IOC?’,‘What does it mean for the position of IF presidents?’,
‘What does it mean for the position of NOC presidents?’, and so
on and so on,” says Bach.
Sergey Bubka
After a legendary career
as an Olympic and world
champion pole vaulter,
Sergey Bubka may be
the best known of the six
presidential candidates.
Now president of the
Ukraine NOC, Bubka
became an IOC member
in 1999. At age 49, he is
the youngest of the six
candidates. Bubka says the
Ukraine’s Sergey Bubka (ATR)
IOC must take steps to
secure the interest of young people in the Olympics.
“If we lose the youth, if we lose this generation today,
this will be very damaging. For that, we need to focus and to
make a deep study,” says Bubka in the ATR podcast.
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In his 26-page manifesto, Bubka calls for the creation of
a Youth Council to tap into young people’s interests as well
as a Council of Elders made up of retired IOC members to
capture their expertise. Bubka says he favors review of the
retirement age but doesn’t endorse any specific change.
Richard Carrion
Richard Carrion of
Puerto Rico brings his
experience as a banker
to the field of candidates
for IOC president. While
he has helped negotiate
record-setting television
rights for the IOC, he is
cautious for the financial
future of the Olympics.
“We are living in an
age where economies are
Puerto Rico’s Richard Carrion (ATR)
dictated more and more
by austerity, by people who are on the streets demanding
accountability,” Carrion tells ATR.
RINGS
president needs to work on
connecting young people to
the Olympic Movement.
“[There are] 3.5 billion
youth under the age of 25,
about half of the world’s
population. Not many
of them will become
Olympians and many of
them will not get the chance
to practice sport. Not many
of them are touched,” Ng
tells Around the Rings.
Bubka says new events that appeal to young people
must find their way to the Olympic program while striking a
balance with traditional sports.
“It’s a very important point and it is also the key of the
future of the Games because the program must be balanced
with past and relevant future interest and excitement of
the youth. We must bring new disciplines which are really
enjoyable and attractive and popular,” he says.
THE
Ser Miang Ng of Singapore (ATR)
“When we talk about
reaching out to youth, we are saying that youth is our future. If
we don’t do something now, then there’s really no future.We’re
just talking,” he says.
Ng, 61, an IOC vice president, joined the IOC in 1998. He’s
a diplomat and businessman by profession.
Ng wants to summon all IOC members to a retreat in
Olympia to plot new directions for the IOC. He believes more
flexibility is needed to change the Olympic program. On the
questions of allowing visits to bid cities and raising the retirement
age for IOC members, Ng says debate is needed first.
In his 28-page manifesto, Ng says he wants IOC members to
be empowered.
“I hear a lot about the desire of members to be more actively
involved and I believe in empowering the members to do their
job as IOC members. I believe in empowerment, which means
they should be involved in all major decisions,” Ng says.
“To think we are immune from all that, because we’ve just
had three Games that have been wildly successful, because we’ve
had good television contracts, because we’ve had good financial
returns…I think is irresponsible,” he says.
Denis Oswald
Carrion has played a key role in the financial success of the
IOC, negotiating billions in TV rights deals and the new revenue
sharing agreement with the U.S. Olympic Committee. He is
chair of the IOC Finance Commission.
In “My Five Rings”, the title of his manifesto, Denis Oswald
says there are three reasons he’s running for IOC president: to use
his experience and knowledge, to defend his vision of clean sport,
and to give back “some of what I
have received from sport.”
Elected to the IOC in 1990, he has served two terms as an
Executive Board member.
In his 16-page manifesto, Carrion advocates for more
efficiency in IOC administration and operation of the Games. He
says unchecked complexity and cost means fewer cities will bid
for the Games.
He’s not sure whether the ban on member visits to bid cities
should be maintained but believes the IOC retirement age should
rise to 75 from 70. Carrion is 60.
Ser Miang Ng
Ser Miang Ng, who helped lead Singapore to host the
first Youth Olympic Games in 2010, believes the next IOC
Oswald, 66, became an IOC
member in 1990. He’s served on
the IOC EB for multiple terms
as president of the Association of
Summer Olympic International
Federations. He chaired the IOC
Coordination Commissions for
Athens and London.This year he is
due to step down as president of the
International Rowing Federation
after 24 years.
Denis Oswald of Switzerland (ATR)
“Few people have been
involved in such a significant way or have successfully managed
international leadership roles in so many significant areas of the
Olympic Movement,” Oswald says.
continued on page 8
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7
AROUN D
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Evolution, Not Revolution
continued from page 7
Oswald says a review of the Youth Olympic Games
should be carried out, possibly to lower the minimum age
for participants. He believes the retirement age for IOC
members should be raised to 75. He supports IOC member
visits to bid cities as a way to cut costs. Oswald also says new
sports can be added to the program without increasing the
size of the Games.
Based on his experience in Athens and London, Oswald says
he has ideas on cutting the costs of the Games.
“We should restrict the requests. Some stakeholders are
asking for more. Especially in the
technology side, they are asking
for more.Television is asking for
more,” Oswald tells Around the
Rings.
C.K. Wu
Elected to the IOC in
1988, C.K.Wu is the most senior
of the six presidential candidates
and the only one who says he will
serve only eight years instead of
the 12-year maximum allowed.
C.K. Wu of Chinese Taipei (ATR)
“Many countries’
presidents serve eight years. Why IOC have to stay for 12
years? Those are my many concerns. Give the room for
future generation to come up,” says Wu, who turns 67 this
year and is the eldest of the candidates.
Wu currently serves on the IOC Executive Board as a
representative of the summer federations. In 2006, he was
elected president of AIBA, an international boxing federation
that he has led through a period of reform and expansion.
He was the driving force behind the museum for Juan
Antonio Samaranch that opened in April in Tianjin, China.
Wu would entertain changes to the Youth Olympics,
such as lowering the age for participants, expanding the
program to non-Olympic sports, and perhaps using the YOG
as a test event for Olympic host cities.
Wu favors allowing host cities to select a sport for the
program. And he would back a return of IOC member visits
to bid cities.
“At least let them come…see and we can discuss and
answer their questions. Then, they can make a decision to
vote,” he told ATR.
In his manifesto, Wu says he would seek to increase the
maximum number of IOC members to 130 to include all IF
presidents and study whether to change the retirement age of
members. n
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9
AROUN D
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2001 Presidential Election Controversy
Bribery, favoritism, shifting rules
plagued runoff
Written by Karen Rosen
Allegations of bribery and European favoritism
alongside ever-changing rules marked the IOC
Presidential election of 2001, the last contested race for
the post.
Jacques Rogge defeated four opponents to become
the eighth IOC president and the second from
Belgium.
On the first ballot at the 112th IOC Session in
Moscow, Rogge had 46 votes, followed by Un Yong
Kim of South Korea with 21, Dick Pound of Canada
(20), Pal Schmitt of Hungary (11) and Anita DeFrantz
of the United States (9).
Rogge, who was rumored to enjoy the support of
outgoing President Juan Antonio Samaranch, captured
victory by gaining the majority on the second ballot
with 59 votes, followed by Kim with 23, Pound 22 and
Schmitt 6.
The losing candidates are unanimous in their view
that it is easier to run an effective campaign today.
They praised the current regulations that allowed the
six contenders to present their ideas to the membership
in Lausanne in July.
Dick Pound of Canada (ATR)
“All
we could
do was
write a
letter to our
colleagues,”
said
DeFrantz,
the first
– and
still only
-- woman
to run
for IOC
president.
“They kept modifying the rules, which was driving
me crazy,” added DeFrantz, who was then an IOC vice
president. “At first people were able to raise funds, and
then they weren’t. Then you were allowed to travel, but
then you weren’t. Every time I would tell Juan Antonio
what I was doing, the next week we would find out
10
WWW.AROUNDTHERINGS.COM
you couldn’t
do that.”
DeFrantz
and Pound,
who was then
the influential
head of the
IOC Marketing
Commission
and the World
Anti-Doping
Agency, felt they
were hindered by
geography.
Pound
said restrictions
banning fundraising made it
hard for candidates
Anita DeFrantz of the United States. (Getty Images)
who didn’t already
have money to devote to meeting with colleagues.
“In my position, there was not a voting IOC
member within 2,000, 3,000 miles,” Pound said.
“Compared to Rogge and Pal Schmitt, in that same
radius you would have something like 65 percent of
the members.”
At that time, 57 IOC members lived in Europe.
“With the rules we have now,” Pound said, “it’s not
very hard in the sense that you’re not allowed to travel
and importune potential voters once you’re a declared
candidate.There was a certain amount of travelling going
on before the deadline. After that it’s having a platform,
getting that out.”
Richard Carrion of Puerto Rico, one of the six
candidates to succeed Rogge, moved his base to Barcelona
in the lead-up to the Sept. 10 election.
“Travelling is not necessary in today’s technological
world,” Schmitt said. “In my time I did not visit any of
the IOC members, first of all, because I did not have
the resources to do so. Regarding Mr. Carrion’s move to
Barcelona, I think it will not affect the outcome of his
candidacy at all.”
Although Rogge is not endorsing a candidate,
Samaranch was far from impartial. David Miller wrote
in The Official History of the Olympic Games and the
IOC, “Indications were that Samaranch was clandestinely
lobbying for Rogge.”
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“Juan Antonio,” DeFrantz recalled, “said that he
wanted to make sure that the next president of the IOC
came from Europe. He made it clear that was his goal.”
Schmitt, the other European in the contest, said
it seemed as though
Samaranch was
“favoring” Rogge.
THE
RINGS
The presentations in Lausanne, Kim said, were “a
big, big deal.”
Although he had been a front-runner, Kim’s
campaign was derailed shortly before the election amid
reports he was promising
$50,000 to
each IOC member
to maintain an office.
Kim denied it, but
the damage was done.
He did not attend
the announcement
ceremony after the vote.
“Two years before the
elections,” Schmitt said,
“President Samaranch
gave tasks to him
(including coordination
commission chairman for
2004) that provided an
“It was not a race with
opportunity to present
fair play,” he said at the
his abilities and appear in
time.
the media, which were
not granted to other
Some of the election
candidates. Today, I don’t
rules are the same as
see this kind of favoring,
they were 12 years ago.
Pal Schmitt of Hungary (ATR)
though Ms. Nawal El
IOC members are still
Moutawakel was given similar tasks to fulfill. However,
told to make “no public declarations of intentions to
she is not running for the presidency.”
vote for a candidate.” Prior to the 2001 vote, Kevan
Gosper of Australia was reprimanded for saying in an
Pound was
interview that he backed Pound.
quoted in 2001
as saying the
Though Samaranch served 21 years, Rogge was
outcome was
the first president elected under rules stipulating an
“Euro-centric” eight-year term followed by the option to stand for an
and the IOC
additional four-year term. Rogge ran unopposed in
needed to be
2009.
careful that
DeFrantz said that a maximum of 12 years is “the
it did not
appropriate time for someone to be president of a major
become a
sports organization. We need to have more of that in the
trend.
international sports elected offices.”
“I’m worried
about bloc
While Pound said that campaigning for president in
voting,” Pound 2013 isless expensive, “it’s no easier in the sense of ego.
Un Yong Kim of South Korea. (ATR)
said at the time. There can only be one winner of those six.”
“I think every
member should try and decide every question on the basis And none of them really know where they stand
with their colleagues.
of what he or she thinks is best for the movement and
should not be regional.”
As Schmitt recalled, “Out of pure courtesy,
In 2013, his feelings hadn’t changed. “No continent
should consider it a right to have the president come
from that continent,” he said.
Kim, who was hoping to become the first IOC
president from Asia, also remembered the frustrations of
campaigning.“It’s a different picture from the last one,”
he said.“The only thing we could have done was issue
some programs in documents.This time, at least I see them
moving around for different functions and many meetings
where they could get together with other IOC members.
They have been buzzing around all over the place.”
everyone praised my manifesto and ensured me of their
support. I remember well that Mr. Anton Geesink (of
the Netherlands) was the only person who honestly told
me, face to face, that he will vote for someone else. I
have to say, his honesty strengthened our friendship.
“On the other hand, expressing sympathy can
be very dangerous,” Schmitt added, “as many of the
IOC members vote for someone that they either find
sympathetic or for their good friends in the first round,
and vote for their real choice of president in
the second.” n
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11
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New IOC President to Reshape the Sports Program
One sport will be chosen for the 2020
Olympics this week but the controversial
review of the Olympic program is
sparking calls for a fresh approach
to the addition of sports under the
new IOC president.
Written by Mark Bisson
Wrestling, baseball/softball and squash made the shortlist
set by the IOC Executive Board meeting at the SportAccord
Convention in St. Petersburg. But wrestling’s selection at the
expense of cable wakeboard, karate, roller sport, sport climbing
and wushu came less than four months after it was recommended
for exclusion by the EB from a list of 25 “core” sports for the
2020 Games.
After almost two years of lobbying, including a significant
spend on their campaigns, several of the losing sports expressed
dissatisfaction with the process that led to them being dropped
and wrestling surviving the cut.
IOC presidential candidate Denis Oswald, former head of
the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations,
has backed ASOIF in calls for a rethink of the process by which
sports and disciplines are added.
The head of the International Rowing Federation
weighed in on the 2020 sports bidding debate over the
summer, telling Around the Rings the IOC had initially made
a “big mistake” in recommending the ancient Olympic
sport of wrestling be eliminated. He called for an overhaul
of the way the sports program is reviewed. If wrestling won
the bidding battle with squash and baseball/softball for the
2020 Games, he claimed the plan to bring a new sport to the
program would have failed completely.
The 66-year-old advocates a “more creative approach”.
One idea he put forward involves the IOC not sticking rigidly
to its cap of 28 sports. He said the Olympic program should
be streamlined by removing disciplines which were not so
“universal” to create space for additional sports and bring some
“fresh blood” to the Olympics.
The inflexibility of the current process was underlined
by outgoing IOC president Jacques Rogge in July when he
confirmed that no new disciplines or events would be added to
the Rio 2016 Games, despite many requests from international
federations. For those seeking innovation in the Olympics,
the ruling was a major disappointment. It means no 3-on-3
basketball, mixed relay in triathlon or BMX freestyle, which were
among events considered.
Rogge faced down the criticism by claiming federations had
failed to keep their sports quota-neutral, asking for more medal
events and athletes. In total, they went over the IOC’s cap of
10,500 athletes and about 300 medal events.
The new IOC president is charged with steering an indepth study of the summer Olympic sports program based on
disciplines rather than sports – but without expanding the size
of the Games. In partnership with ASOIF, this will conclude in
2017 for the 2020 Olympics.Work will also take place to reshape
the program for the 2024 Summer Games.
ASOIF director Andrew Ryan tells Around the Rings that the
wrestling debacle “was not in the best interests of the IOC or the
Olympic Movement.”
“We are not against adding new sports and disciplines
but there are other ways of achieving it without the removal
of sports,” he said.
“The main thing is to look at it with fresh eyes.We have
been a bit straitjacketed in the way we have approached this in
the past,” Ryan added, noting the focus on adding or removing
sports to create space for others.
ASOIF leaders agree that the restriction on athletes should
remain to avoid adding to the cost and complexity of the Games.
Ryan said ASOIF had a number of ideas to share with the
new IOC president. Among them are: reducing the quotas of
athletes for the 28 federations to make way for new sports to join
the program; reviewing sports’ disciplines leading to a decrease in
events for some sports and an increase for others.Venue sharing
for sports was another option for the IOC and OCOGs to cut
costs. He claimed the Youth Olympic Games could also serve
as “an appropriate entry point” for a sport, a “less pressurized
format” providing a stepping stone to the Olympics. n
Karate, roller sport, and cable wakeboard (pictured) hope the path to the Olympics
will get a bit clearer with new leadership. (Getty Images)
12
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13
Rogge’s Gallery
As Jacques Rogge prepares to
step aside, we take a look at a few
of the moments that have
marked his reign.
Rogge and spouse Anne with Olympic flag at the Great Wall.
Rogge and spouse Anne with Olympic flag at the Great Wall.
Mitt Romney and Jacques Rogge on a 2001 visit to venues
for the 2002 Winter Games
Mitt Romney and Jacques Rogge on a 2001 visit to venues
for the 2002 Winter Games
At the unveiling of the new logo
for Rio 2016, Jan. 1, 2011
Athens 2004 Pres. Giannna Angelopoulos and IOC Pres. Jacques Rogge
Visiting a favella in Rio, Dec, 2010.
Rogge meets the press following his 2001
election as IOC president. (ATR)
CK Wu, Jacques Rogge and Chinese officials unveil statue of
Juan Antonio Samaranch in Tianjin.
Rogge and Sheikh Ahmad go head to head at the Asian Games in Doha, 2006.
Rogge congratulates London 2012 chair Seb Coe
following London’s selection as host city. (ATR)
Rogge with Youth Olympic Games Ambassador Yu Na Kim, 2011.
Greetings at the airport on the eve of the 2006 Winter Games
At the opening of the aquatics venue for the 2012 Olympics, July 2011.
Rogge with Vancouver 2010 mascots. (ATR)
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Great Expectations for Host Nation in Sochi
For the Russian Olympic Committee and
its athletes, the upcoming Sochi Games
present one of the loftiest challenges in
recent times: succeeding in the medals
table after a disappointing showing at the
previous Winter Olympics.
Written by Brian Pinelli
While the home snow and ice may provide a competitive
advantage, the pressure to excel will certainly be higher.
In Vancouver 2010, Russia garnered just 15 medals, placing
11th in the medal count. The country’s haul of three gold medals
was its smallest since the fall of the Soviet Union.
Russian Olympic Committee President Alexander Zhukov,
who is poised to become an
IOC member pending the
September vote, spoke to ATR
about the Russian Federation’s
medal hopes in Sochi during
May’s SportAccord Convention
in St. Petersburg.
“We will have better
results [than] in Vancouver,” said
Zhukov, 57, who became ROC
President in 2010.“Of course, we
would like to help our athletes
get more medals in Sochi.This
year actually was quite successful
for the Russian team; we got
seven gold medals in the world
championships this year, so we
will try to improve our results.”
“There will be 98 medals in 14 sports, but in winter sports
we are not as strong as in summer sports,” Mutko said.“Our
traditional sports are cross-country skiing, figure skating, speed
skating, biathlon and ice hockey.”
Aside from the aforementioned sports, it seems likely that
Russia will medal in bobsleigh and could also contend for
podiums in luge, snowboarding and freestyle skiing.
Nowhere will expectations be greater than on Russia’s
superstar-filled men’s hockey team.The last time a Russian
hockey team won an Olympic gold medal was in Albertville
1992, when they competed as the Unified Team, shortly after the
break-up of the former Soviet Union.
In Vancouver 2010, Russia was eliminated by Canada in
the quarterfinals, while suffering the same fate at the 2013 IIHF
World Championships in Helsinki, losing to the United States.
“I am really worried
about it,” Mutko admitted,
referring to the country’s
chances of achieving hockey
gold at the Bolshoi Ice Dome
in February. “At the world
championships, there were a
lot of champions from the last
team, but now our success is
not guaranteed like before.
But with [Evgeni] Malkin,
[Alexander] Ovechkin and
[Ilya] Kovalchuk playing
together [in Sochi] it will be a
different team.”
Russia has topped
the medals table once at
the Winter Olympics, in
The Russians hope to celebrate in Sochi the way they did after
Lillehammer, when the
the IIHF final in Helsinki last year. (Getty Images)
Earlier this year, Zhukov
country’s athletes claimed 11
said that “it is possible (for Russia) to perform well and take first
gold medals. In Sochi, the Russian Federation is expected
place in the team table” with 15 gold medals in Sochi. However,
to have a delegation of approximately 220 athletes at its first
a few months later he lowered the ambitious target, hinting that
home Winter Olympics.
fifth place overall would be a respectable accomplishment.
Fortunately for Russia – if history is any indication
Zhukov also emphasized the importance of the Games for
– host nations have traditionally fared well at the Winter
Russia’s youth and the added benefits that could be felt for years
Games: Norway led all countries with 26 medals at
to come.
Lillehammer in 1994, the U.S. was second overall with 34
medals at Salt Lake in 2002, and Canada captured a record 14
gold medals in Vancouver three years ago.
“I think it’s a great opportunity for Russia, especially for
young people because it’s a very good example for them,”
Zhukov said.“Also, we will have a great legacy from these Games, “We’ve worked very hard for the past three years and
the new facilities. Everything is new.” during this winter season of 2012-2013, where we had a
total of seven gold medals during world championships,”
Mutko said.
In July, at the FISU Summer Universiade in Kazan, Russian
Deputy Minister of Sport Vitaly Mutko also spoke to ATR
regarding goals and expectations for Russian athletes competing
“We moved one step ahead, but we need to develop and
in Sochi.
keep this level to repeat these results at the Olympics Games.” n
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Russia Readies for Longest Torch Relay in Winter Olympic History
14,000 torchbearers will travel
65,000 kilometers
Written by Brian Pinelli
Beginning its journey in Moscow, the Sochi 2014
Olympic Torch Relay, presented by Coca-Cola, will travel
65,000 kilometers with approximately 14,000 torchbearers
carrying the flame through 83 regions of Russia.
The cauldron at Fisht Olympic Stadium in Sochi will
be lit at the opening ceremony on February 7th, concluding
the longest Torch Relay in Winter Olympic history
encompassing a distance of more than one and a half times
the circumference of the Earth.
Along its 123-day tour, the nearly one-meter tall, 1.8
kilogram chrome torch which is adorned with red detail, will
travel by car, train,
plane, reindeer
sleigh and Russian
troika, passing
through 2,900
towns and cities.
For the first
time in history, the
Olympic Torch
will be sent into
outer space. On
November 7th, the
Soyuz TMA-11M
spaceship – with
torch on board –
will travel to the
International Space
Station (ISS) on
a four-day space
excursion.
cardiovascular surgeon Maksim Strakhov and hockey star
Alexander Ovechkin.
“I’m very excited,” Ovechkin said about the opportunity
to participate in the torch relay. “It’s a big thing in Russia and
it’s a very good thing. I’m very proud that I’m one of the
guys who is going to have the torch. I’m very happy and it
means a lot to me.”
Included in the list of 6,000 torchbearers released in
July, are 136 representatives from foreign nations, including
citizens of the United States, Brazil, Japan, Korea, Sweden,
Ukraine, Great Britain and Spain, among others. The Sochi
2014 Organizing Committee is expected to release the final
list of approximately 8,000 additional torchbearers at the end
of September.
After the ceremonial lighting in ancient Olympia, Greece,
on September 29 the flame will be transported to Moscow on
October 7.The
Torch Relay
begins its journey,
spiraling out
from the capital,
before being
flown from St.
Petersburg to the
Russian exclave
of Kaliningrad,
its westernmost
point. From there,
it heads north by
plane to the port
city of Murmansk,
which is the relay’s
northernmost
destination.
After traveling
across the White
Sea, the Torch
The torch for the Sochi Games will be carried by a who’s who of Russian Olympians, dignitaries,
Once in
Relay continues
and celebrities on its long journey. (Getty Images)
space, Russian
its long trek east
cosmonauts Sergei Ryazan and Oleg Kotov will chaperone
through nine time zones en route to the port city of Anadyr,
the unlit torch on an unprecedented spacewalk.
the easternmost point in Russia.
“Nobody has done this before,” said Sochi 2014
CEO Dmitry Chernyshenko in an official statement. “The
spacewalk by two Russian cosmonauts with the Sochi 2014
Olympic torch will be a historic moment in the history of
the Olympic Torch Relay. I want to thank the Federal Space
Agency for its support, which will take the Sochi 2014
Olympic Torch Relay to the final frontier.”
Among the 14,000 torchbearers who will have the
honor of carrying the Olympic Flame during the relay are
the world’s first female astronaut Valentina Tereshkova, fourtime Olympic gymnastics champion Alexei Nemov, recently
retired Olympic pole vault champion Yelena Isinbayeva,
Olympic synchronized swimming champion Maria Kiseleva,
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Next, the journey travels southwest to Vladivostok,
near Russia’s borders with China and North Korea, before
venturing west, back towards Moscow, across lower Siberia
via Lake Baikal, the world’s largest freshwater lake.
After reaching Nizhny Novgorod northeast of the
Russian capital, the Torch Relay dips south, proceeding
to complete the four-month journey in the 2014 Olympic
host city of Sochi on February 7th. This is believed to be
the earliest torch lighting ceremony for a Winter Olympics.
Normally, for a Winter Games, the ceremony takes place
much closer to the Games, usually in November or
December. The Vancouver ceremony took place
October 22, 2011. n
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Winterlands: Olympic Candidates for 2022
As one city stands on the verge
of celebrating its status as host of
the 2020 Summer Games, another
selection process is set to begin.
Written by Matthew Grayson and Nick Devlin
The submission deadline for the 2022 Winter Olympics
looms a little over two months from now. After taking an
early look in May, let’s see where the candidates
stand now.
BIDDING
Zakopane, Poland/Poprad, Slovakia
With the blessing of both nations’ prime ministers, a
joint bid was submitted this spring. Plans call for the Games
to be held in the Polish resort village of Zakopane and the
Slovak city of Poprad with the Tatra Mountains spanning
both locales. Krakow would play host to other events, and
Slovakia would stage the ice hockey tournament.
The Polish resort town of Zakopane hosted a World Cup
Ski Jumping event in January.
(Getty Images)
Astana is the capital of Kazakhstan. (Getty Images)
Astana/Almaty, Kazakhstan
Astana and Almaty teamed up to stage the 7th Asian
Winter Games and announced in August they will attempt
to do so for the 2022 Olympics as well. Almaty failed to
advance past the applicant stage for the 2014 Olympics but
was later awarded the 2017 Winter Universiade.
LIKELY TO BID
Oslo, Norway
Oslo hosted the 1952 Winter Games and would use
mostly legacy venues from Lillehammer 1994. Officials
estimate the Olympics
could cost as much
as $3.6 billion this
time around. The
city council has
approved the bid
pending a September 9
referendum.
DEPENDS
ON 2020
Lviv, Ukraine
While feasibility
studies are complete,
city leaders and the
Ukraine NOC are
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President Yanukovych is a well-known proponent
of a Ukrainian Games. (Getty Images)
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An existing venue in Ruhpolding would be a big part of
Munich’s bid for 2022. (Getty Images)
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Like Munich, Barcelona has an opportunity to become the first city
to host both a Summer and a Winter Olympics. (Getty Images)
waiting on the outcome of the IOC vote in September.
However, President Viktor Yanukovych has been so adamant
about making a push for the Games that he could push
forward a bid even if a European candidate wins the Summer
Games in 2020.
Munich, Germany
Munich is moving closer for 2022 after DOSB
announced its involvement with the Bavarian city and
winter sports federations to improve on the failed 2018 bid.
Discussions include relocating biathlon and cross country
skiing from Garmisch-Partenkirchen to an existing venue
in Ruhpolding. A decision would only be made after the
coming IOC vote, as well as important federal and state
elections this month.
LONGSHOTS TO BID
Barcelona, Spain
The mayor of Barcelona said in early August that the 1992
Summer Olympics host will launch a bid if Madrid’s 2020 bid is
unsuccessful. Ceremonies and indoor sports would be staged in
Barcelona while ski resorts in the Pyrenees would play host to
outdoor events. In addition to the coming IOC vote, Spain’s
ongoing financial crisis could affect the bid.
Zhangjiakou, China
The vice mayor of Zhangjiakou says his city has confirmed
plans for a joint bid with Beijing despite little interest from
Chinese authorities.The resort boasts a strong ski infrastructure
but would face a tough challenge to win given PyeongChang’s
hosting rights for 2018. China last tried for the Winter Games in
2010 when Harbin failed to become a candidate city. n
TIMETABLE
Nov. 14 – Applicant city nominations due
from NOCs
Dec. 4-6 – Applicant City Seminar in Lausanne
Feb. 7-23, 2013 – Applicant cities observe
Sochi 2014
March 14, 2014 – Application files and guarantee
letters due at IOC
July 2014 – IOC EB decides on candidate cities
January 2015 – Bid books due at IOC
February-March 2015 – IOC Evaluation
Commission visits
May-June 2015 – Evaluation Commission report
and Candidate City Briefing to IOC members
PyeongChang’s successful bid for 2018 may be China’s biggest hurdle for 2022.
(Getty Images)
July 31, 2015 – IOC members vote in Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia
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Old World Style Meets
New World Imagination in Buenos Aires
Sometimes called “the Paris of South
America”, Argentina’s sprawling capital of
13 million is a lively urban destination where
the Río de la Plata meets the Atlantic.
Written by Nicholas Gill
With a mild climate, there is never a bad time to
be in Buenos Aires. Highs during the summer, from
December to March, hover around 22C, though many
porteños find it humid and escape to coastal resorts
like nearby Mar del Plata or Punta del Este in Uruguay.
Winters can be quite cool, averaging about 15C, the
perfect time to enjoy iconic cultural haunts like Café
Tortoni for warm media lunas (croissants) and café con
leche (coffee with milk). Most prefer the spring, when
the jacaranda trees found all over the capital bloom with
striking purple flowers, or the fall when football seasons
kicks into gear and bitter rivalries like Boca Juniors and
River Plate heat up.
Art, architecture, and culture are the preeminent
attractions in Buenos Aires, and much of it can be seen
without a guide. A highlight is the 200-year-old La
Recoleta Cemetery, which holds the graves of some
of the most famous Argentineans, including Eva Perón.
Like a city within a city, the cemetery is laid out in
city blocks with wide tree-lined walkways. Each block
contains elaborate marble mausoleums adorned with
statues in a wide variety of architectural styles, each with
the family name etched into it.
The city’s eclectic barrios radiate out from the
pulsating core, Plaza de Mayo, where Juan de Garay
in the late 16th century and, later, first lady Evita
would famously address the public from a balcony
at the presidential palace, the Casa Rosado. Other
Tango was born in Buenos Aires and is an indelible part of the city’s social fabric.
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important buildings surround the plaza, such as the
Catedral Metropolitana and the Cabilido.
The Bohemian quarter of San Telmo should be
your starting point for shopping, particularly at the
Sunday street flea market, which runs the length of the
neighborhood’s Calle Defensa. Artists sell their work,
roving vendors sell empanadas, antique shops have
sales, and performers dance tango for tips. Higher-end
shopping is concentrated in Recoleta and Palermo,
though for better prices with similar quality seek out the
shops of Argentine designers like Prüne or Bensimon.
Don’t forget to stop by one of the locations of Havana,
to pick up a box of alfajores, Argentina’s signature sweet.
They are layered cookies filled with dulce de leche.
Caminito, Argentina’s version of Little Italy in the
working class district of La Boca, may be a bit of a tourist
trap, though it is still worth a stroll to see the kitschy,
brightly painted houses called conventillos (immigrant
houses).Waiters with menus will try to lure you into
sidewalk cafes where free tango performances are being
held. A more authentic experience is a few blocks away
at the Estadio Boca Juniors.The famed futból stadium,
sometimes called La Bombonera (the Chocolate Box),
fills with 49,000 screaming fanatics dressed in blue and
white. Even if you cannot get a ticket to a match, you can
check out the Museo de la Pasión Boquense, a museum
dedicated to the team.
On the waterfront in Puerto Madero, the old port
has been gentrified over the past decade, attracting internationally known architects to build posh new hotels and
residential towers. Outdoor enthusiasts will appreciate the
adjacent Costanera Sur Ecological Reserve, which features
a number of trails for cycling, jogging, and bird watching.
Eating and drinking may be some of the most
memorable experiences one will have in Buenos Aires.
Excellent beef, grass fed on the never-ending plains,
is everywhere, and it will almost always be delicious. Most
visitors make their first meal a giant portion of Bife de
Chorizo (sirloin strip) or 800-gram slab of Baby Beef,
paired with a frighteningly cheap bottle of Malbec or
Bonarda.You can get a decent steak at almost any corner
bistro, but for top cuts head to meat-centric La Cabrera in
Palermo SOHO, which has become so popular they had
to open a second restaurant a few doors down. A flashier
option in Puerto Madero is Cabana Las Lilas, where the
cows are sourced from private estancias.
While the economy has seen its ups and downs since
2001’s collapse, South America’s cultural capital continues
to reinvent itself. Combining old world style with new
world imagination, Buenos Aires has much to look
forward to. n
VINOS AIRES
Argentina has no shortage of outstanding wine options, no matter
the budget. Kyle Wilkinson explains.
Argentine wine can be described in two words: quality
and value.These are wines of freshness and vibrancy that
punch far above their weight in terms of cost. The highest
quality Argentine wines come from along the foothills of the
Andes Mountains and are grown in high elevation which
lengthens the growing season, allowing flavors to become
complex and intense.
Mendoza is the leading red wine region in the country,
offering powerful Malbecs. The region of San Juan produces
wonderfully fragrant and balanced Bonarda, Syrah, and
Cabernet, leaning toward an old-world style.The Salta region
in the far north is responsible for intensely aromatic, beautifully
fresh wines from the Torrontes grape.
Regardless of what style you enjoy, you can find it in
Argentina. Here are a few of my favorites:
For value
2011 Don Miguel GasconMalbec – Flavors of plum and
mocha and a long finish mark this rich and smooth wine.
2010 TiliaBonarda - Cherries, mint, and black pepper
combine for a beautifully dry wine.
2012 Michel Torino CumaTorrontes - Fresh orange
peel and melon linger over white flowers and a strong acidic
backbone.
A step above
2010 Luca Syrah - Flavors of raspberry and candied
cherries overlay a smoky, oaky quality.
To cellar
2009 Bodega Catena Zapata Nicasia Vineyard Malbec
– Note beautifully complex aromas of raisins, blackberries,
coffee, and chocolate with the structure to last. Drink
2019-2025.
Kyle Wilkinson attended culinary school at Le Cordon Bleu
Chicago before working in Sonoma County and joining the wine staff
at Charlie Trotter’s in Chicago. n
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Brazil Faces Epic Challenge
With World Cup and Summer Olympics
bearing down, the nation rushes to
meet its myriad deadlines.
Written by Mark Bisson
With the FIFA World Cup looming and less than
three years to Rio 2016, the Brazilian government and
organizers are juggling both projects – and finding it
hard to keep them both on track.
Six more World Cup stadia are scheduled to
be delivered by the end of the year, but there are
serious doubts these deadlines will be met. Transport
infrastructure upgrades, including modernization of
airports in the 12 host cities, are taking their time.
Despite an acceleration in preparations and assurances
from the Brazilian government and sports minister Aldo
Rebelo, FIFA leaders are concerned.
The Rio Olympics faces similar challenges, as Nawal
El Moutawakel’s IOC Coordination Commission found
during its just-completed inspection trip.
One commission member tells Around the Rings that
Rio 2016 is likely to be “a carbon copy of the Athens
Olympics” where organizers faced a race against time to be
Construction delays and protests over rising transportation costs have
marked Brazil’s World Cup and Olympic preparations. (Getty Images)
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finished for the Games. Final preparations were still going
on “until the last minute.They were painting the walls of
stadiums the day before.”
Despite the gloomy forecast, Rio 2016 preparations
would deliver a “great Games with a Latino flavor”, the
panel member said.
Another member of the IOC’s 2016 watchdog
group told ATR that “the clock is ticking” yet concerns
are only slowly being addressed. Among them is the
provision of accommodation for the different Olympic
stakeholder groups. There are also question marks about
whether the public transport infrastructure and venues
will be completed, according to the schedule submitted
to the IOC.
One significant challenge for Rio 2016 leaders is
development of the second Olympics hub in the Deodoro
Zone where eight sports are to be accommodated.
Hockey and rugby have only recently been relocated
there. Keeping the revamped venue construction and
renovation plan on timetable for the entire Olympic
project will require a hastening of the pace.
London 2012 organizers managed their east London
‘Big Build’ with a little time to spare ahead of the necessary
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pre-Games dress rehearsals that helped iron out the
wrinkles in venue operations and event management.
commitments, and working rationally to stage excellent
Games in 2016,” Nuzman said. Test events will come thick and fast for Rio 2016.
The lessons from the Brazilian delegation’s observer
status at the London Games
and Sochi 2014 to come
will prove invaluable.
Despite IOC concerns, President Jacques
Rogge expressed “confidence” in Rio’s progress and
Every event in Rio,
including FIFA World Cup
games at the Maracana next
summer, will be treated as a
stepping stone to staging the
biggest show on earth.
The challenges of
policing anti-government
demonstrations caused
headaches for FIFA and
Brazil’s law enforcement
authorities before and
during the Confederations
Cup in June.The World
Youth Day in July, which
represented Rio de Janeiro’s
biggest logistical test
ahead of the 2016 Games,
highlighted the challenges
facing the city. Following
several organizational errors,
including a security shake-up
Construction at a number of World Cup venues, including Brasilia’s National Stadium, has run behind schedule. (Getty Images)
at the Pope’s arrival site and
transformation. After securing hosting rights in 2009, he
transportation issues that stranded thousands, questions
said the Rio 2016 bid team was delivering on pledges
came about Rio’s major event capabilities.
to deliver a “Games of celebration and transformation,”
Rio’s Mayor Eduardo Paes admitted to WYD mistakes, noting the new sporting and transport infrastructure
noting that the city “scored closer to zero than ten” on
already in use, new hotels under construction,
its organization. Rio 2016 officials drew lessons from that
renovation of the port area and social projects.
event as part of a WYD observer program organized by
“Rio 2016 is working hard to deliver on its vision
the Olympic Public Authority that offered insights into
and its commitments to the athletes of the world and to
operations for large-scale events.
the people of Brazil,” he added.
“The lessons learned will certainly be incorporated in
The IOC will be hoping Brazil’s World Cup does
our Games,” a spokesman for Rio 2016 said in a statement
not deflect attention from 2016 preparations. There’s no
to Around the Rings,“We already work in close partnership
time to lose.
with the security and liaison officials within our team and
we are highly integrated throughout the project.”
FIFA has sounded alarm bells many times about the
sluggish pace of work on World Cup venues. Recently, the
At the three years to go press conference in
federation decided to conduct a “tighter monitoring” of
August, Rio 2016 president Carlos Nuzman, COO
the six remaining venues under construction for its flagship
Leo Gryner and Mayor Paes sought to allay fears about
tournament. Several of the Confederations Cup stadia were
delays in preparations.
handed over late because of building delays, some linked to
Olympic chiefs said the legacy from the 2007
financial issues and labor disputes.
Pan-American Games meant half of the venues were
World Cup chiefs have the opportunity to use the
complete, with all construction on schedule to be
Dec. 6 draw for the World Cup in Salvador de Bahia to
finished by August 2015. “Thanks to the dedicated and
experienced team of Rio 2016, we are keeping up with present the project in its best light. n
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The Olympics in the Crystal Ball
As he did in the Around the Rings
Special Edition in 2001 for the last
election held for a new IOC president,
Around the Rings Editor Ed Hula
unpacks his crystal ball to offer his fearless
predictions for the Olympic Movement
12 years from now – in 2025
Written by Ed Hula
After Olympic Games in Asia, Europe and the U.S. ,
Africa is finally poised to host the 2032 Games. South Africa
is the odds-on favorite to be confirmed at the 2025 IOC
Session; Durban is the only bidder.
The solitary bid is the result of a change in IOC
procedures to encourage and develop a successful bid from
the continent while at the same time holding down the cost
of a campaign for the Games. Durban was the clear winner
of a continent-wide selection process during the previous
year that examined possible candidacies from Morocco,
Egypt, Nigeria and Kenya.
There were fears that the shift from TV broadcasts to
the digitally delivered Games would mean less revenue for
the IOC from rights holders. But the bottom line has defied
those fears, with income from rights to the Games now
double what they were in 2012.
Sponsorship revenues have increased as well with the
shift to digital media and the establishment of an Olympic
Network that offers programming in five languages 365 days
of the year. Coca-Cola was the first presenting sponsor for
the ON in 2022.
After 130 years of male leadership, the IOC appears
ready to elect is first female president. Already the IOC has
its first doyenne: Princess Nora of Liechtenstein – elected 41
years ago – is now the most senior member of the IOC.
But there’s even more excitement over the IOC
participation in the X Games, which are to be held under the
five rings for the first time in 2026. The new IOC property
is the result of its partnership with rights-holder ABC/ESPN,
which acquired broadcast rights from rival NBC in 2023.
IOC VP Anita DeFrantz of the U.S. – third in seniority
– is considering the presidency as a cap to nearly 40 years
on the IOC. But so is Nawal El Moutawakel, the Moroccan
trailblazer who came to the IOC in 1998 and has held the
vice presidency twice in her tenure. With 35 percent of the
members female – and some notice being paid by the public
to IOC male hegemony – observers say this is the time for
either El Moutawakel or DeFrantz to shatter the glass ceiling
at Vidy.
The Olymp-X will be held every year, the four-day
thrillfest now timed to avoid conflict with the Summer
or Winter Olympics. The event will maintain the edgy
presentation style for which the X Games are known, rather
than becoming another version of the Olympics.
The third name possible for the race is an intriguing one
– but would defy the seeming inevitability of the election of
a female president, if he wasn’t such an inevitable candidate
himself: Juan Antonio Samaranch, Jr, the son of IOC
president number seven. n
The traditional Summer and Winter
Olympic Games remain popular with an
expanded sports program that ranges from
28 to 32 sports, including X Games crossover
skateboarding. New procedures from the
IOC allow the Summer Games program to
be adjusted to fit the city hosting the Games,
such as baseball and softball in the 2024
Olympics held in the U.S.
The Youth Olympic Games, which
debuted in 2010, have evolved into a 10-day
camp for teenaged athletes without all the
pomp of the first few editions, which were
more like a miniature Olympics.
There’s been a notable change in the
way the Olympics are consumed by fans
worldwide. The majority watch via data
stream through a cable or WiFi, especially
with 6G signals that offer unlimited
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bandwidth. Free-to-air coverage has diminished steadily
and is seen as a quaint vestige of 20th Century technology.
Sponsors who once spent most of their advertising budgets
on old school TV have now shifted their strategies to
embrace the online world.
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IRB World Rugby Conference and Exhibition