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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡
● Olympic Games 2024: Paris ● Three United Nations Special Rapporteurs issued a statement on Tuesday which alternately praised and criticized the French government for its successful security procedures during the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games:
● “French authorities took a number of reasonable measures to ensure that the Olympic Games were free from terrorist violence.”
● “Yet, some security measures appeared to be unnecessary or disproportionate, while others were discriminatory or even unlawful.”
● “Under international law, governments must act diligently to prevent threats to life posed by terrorism, but must always comply with human rights law.
● “In too many cases, security measures were seemingly applied in an indiscriminate or overbroad manner, that was not necessary or proportionate to meet any specific, evidence-based risks posed by particular individuals.”
● “The authorities’ strategy of ‘optimised disruption’ of individuals deemed radical or suspect reflects a political determination to reassure the public that all possible precautionary security measures are being taken.”
It urged the French government to review the procedures used at the Games. The three contributors to the statement were Special Rapporteurs Ben Saul (AUS), Gina Romero (COL) and Alexandra Xanthaki (GRE).
Observed: The statement is all well and good, sent after the fact of a safely-conducted Games.
The statement insisted “Excessive measures are not necessary for security,” but that is easy to say from a comfortable office, more than six months after the Paralympic flame was extinguished in Paris. None of the three were indicated to be on the ground with the French authorities to ensure security during the Games.
In truth, an Olympic Games with an opening ceremony on the Seine River, that had no significant security breaches was a remarkable, noteworthy accomplishment. If there had been a security breach, the report from these three “experts” would have had a much different tone.
● Athletics ● World Athletics confirmed the 11 wild-card entries for the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing (CHN) as winner of the World Athletics Indoor Tour in 2025.
Of the 11, two Americans were included: Brian Faust, from the men’s 400 m, and two-time World Champion Chase Jackson in the women’s shot.
● Curling ● Briane Harris is a Canadian curler and the Lead for Kerri Einarson’s rink and a two-time World Championships bronze medalist. She was provisionally suspended in 2024 for the use of muscle-builder Ligandrol by the Canadian Centre for Ethics for Sports, which she appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport and was reinstated as “she was exposed to Ligandrol due to intimate contacts with her husband” and “bears no fault or negligence for the violation and ‘no period of ineligibility’ is imposed.”
Harris is now filing a complaint against CCES with the World Anti-Doping Agency for a breach of confidentiality on the Reddit social site. CCES denies that there was a leak. WADA said it will not appeal the Court of Arbitration holding, but skipped comment on Harris’ complaint on the leak.
● Figure Skating ● The International Skating Union’s Figure Skating Awards will be presented during the ISU World Championships in Boston on 30 March, with voting open now through 9 March (Sunday). The categories include:
● Best Costume
● Most Entertaining Program
● Best Coach
● Best Choreographer
U.S. nominees for the Best Costume include Ilia Malinin, Amber Glenn, Isabeau Levito, Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea and Madison Chock and Evan Bates. Chock and Bates, Glenn and Malinin were all nominated in the Most Entertaining Program category as well.
There will be also be awards for Lifetime Achievement and Best Newcomer, but these are not subject to voting.
● Gymnastics ● Jordan Chiles, who won a Paris 2024 Team gold with the U.S. before the continuing bronze medal-controversy in the women’s Floor Exercise final, has released a memoir, I’m That Girl: Living the Power of My Dreams, written with Felice Laverne.
She appeared on ABC’s “Good Morning America” to promote the book and was asked about a possible third Olympic appearance in Los Angeles in 2028, a home Olympic Games for her:
“I have another year after this season to represent UCLA and then we’ll see. I think the biggest thing is just to stay positive.
“As an athlete you can mentally do whatever you want to do, but it’s the physical part of everything. So making sure that I can continue physically in a way that I feel comfortable.”
She said her attorneys are continuing to pursue her appeal on the removal of her Floor bronze by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, despite late-arriving video evidence that appeared to clear her.
● Nordic Skiing ● The unstoppable Norwegian star Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo continued his sweep of the men’s cross-country events at the FIS Nordic Skiing World Championships in front of delirious home fans in Trondheim (NOR) with a win in the men’s 10 km Classical race on Tuesday.
Klaebo led a second straight Norwegian men’s event sweep, winning in 28:16.6, followed by Erik Valnes (28:25.4) and Harald Amundsen (28:27.6). Gus Schumacher was the top American, in 13th (29:16.1). For Klaebo, it was his third win in three races and his 12th career Worlds gold.
The women’s 10 km Classical was another repeat, this time for Swede Ebba Andersson, who followed up her 20 km Skiathlon win over Norwegian star Therese Johaug at the line with a more comfortable win, 30:19.8 to 30:21.1, again over Johaug. Fellow Swede Frida Karlsson was third in 30:31.9; Rosie Brennan was the top American, in 22nd place (32:49.0).
The Nordic Worlds continue through Sunday.
¶
A Norwegian anti-fossil fuel group has threatened to infiltrate the course for a protest at Saturday’s men’s 50 km Freestyle Mass Start race.
Folk Mot Fossilmakta (“People Against Fossil Power”) said it would cancel its protest if a short anti-oil video is shown on the scoreboards and the logo of sponsor Equinor – Norway’s state-owned oil company – is removed.
The answer was no and the protestors plan to “occupy” a location on an uphill part of the course early in the race. They will tell the police the location on Friday, and authorities have promised to stop the protest, but are also constrained by strong legal guarantees for freedom of expression.
The U.S.’s Schumacher met with the protest group and told FasterSkier.com his message to them was:
“The biggest goal for us, in that meeting, was to convince them that obstructing the race wasn’t going to help them advance the message. Because it would stop athletes from wanting to speak out in support of them.”
Discussions are continuing with athletes, protesters and police; it is possible that an agreement not to show on Saturday could be reached ahead of time.
¶
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