★ The Sports Examiner: Chronicling the key competitive, economic and political forces shaping elite sport and the Olympic Movement.★
★ To get the daily Sports Examiner Recap by e-mail: sign up here! ★
≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡
● Olympic Games 2024: Paris ● The Carrefour Group reported that 4.3 million Paris 2024 souvenir items were sold in its regular and temporary stores, including 560,000 versions of the Phryges mascots.
Chief executive Alexandre Bompard explained, “We had an increase in activity and customers when the Games started. The figures for shops, particularly in the Olympic zones, increased by 25%.” Tote bags, water bottles and school supply items also did well.
¶
A preliminary Paris tourism report for the Paralympic Games, at least through 6 September, showed mostly local interest, with an increase of French day-trippers into Paris of 9.7% over the same period in 2023.
Air travel into France was projected to be down by 6.9% during the Paralympic period vs. 2023, but overall traffic in September is predicted to be 1.1% higher (the Paralympics ended on 8 September). Hotel occupancy was seen as comparable to 2023.
● Doping ● U.S. Anti-Doping Agency chief Travis Tygart commented on WADA’s Cottier report, released Thursday, including:
“While WADA management wants to close the book on this scandal regarding 23 positive TMZ cases by Chinese swimmers, the full report released today by WADA’s investigator only validates our concerns and even raises new questions that must be answered. … the information that Mr. Eric Cottier did gather clearly shows that China did not follow the rules, and that WADA management did nothing about it.”
Tygart added: “The solution to these concerns is an independent investigation where the scope and the investigator are identified by neutral third parties and a proper results management process to bring finality to these positive tests.”
¶
The Associated Press reported that WADA connected a well-respected doping-control scientist with the Russian Anti-Doping Agency for an experiment that might have shown the possibility of a defense offered for Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva for her December 2021 doping positive for Trimetazidine.
WADA Director-General Olivier Niggli (SUI) texted Gunter Younger (GER), the head of WADA’s investigations unit, that the agency “should absolutely not be involved in any way” with the scientists’ work for the Russian Anti-Doping Agency. The test was apparently completed, but not publicly revealed, and Valieva was eventually given a four-year ban and disqualified from the 2022 Olympic Winter Games figure skating Team event.
WADA commented to the Russian news agency TASS:
“The Associated Press article contains a number of factual inaccuracies, the experiment was conducted during the first instance proceedings by an independent expert on behalf of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA).
“Therefore, it was not for WADA to decide whether and how the results of this experiment could be used by RUSADA, the organization that commissioned it. The experiment was not part of the WADA investigation, there was no undue interference by WADA management in the work of I&I, which is operationally independent.
“WADA’s Director General noted that WADA should not be involved in any way in the preparation of reports commissioned by the parties in the first instance, not least given WADA’s right to appeal.”
● Athletics ● “A new award in honour of legendary US sprinter Jesse Owens will be presented to two outstanding young athletes at the Wanda Diamond League Final from 2024 onwards.
“The Jesse Owens Rising Star Award will honour the best performing male and female athletes aged 23 or under at each Wanda Diamond League Final, starting with this year’s edition in Brussels on September 13th-14th.
“The award, a collaboration between the Owens family, the Jesse Owens Foundation and the Wanda Diamond League, aims to celebrate young talent in athletics and honour the legacy of one of global track and field’s most iconic figures.”
The winners will determined by a points system comparing performances across events and the winners will receive a bronze statuette of Owens designed by Belgian sculptor Jan Desmarets. Owens – born 12 September 1913 – was 23 when he won his iconic four golds at the Berlin 1936 Olympic Games.
In addition, two oak trees will be planted in the Diamond League Final host city, reflecting the oak saplings given to Owens and all other Berlin 1936 gold-medal winners by the Olympic organizing committee.
¶
Grand Slam Track announced that U.S. sprinters Fred Kerley – the 2022 World 100 m champ and Paris 2024 100 m bronze winner – and Kenny Bednarek – the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 silver medalist – have signed on.
¶
The Athletics Integrity Unit announced multiple sanctions on Wednesday.
These included Eritrean women’s distance runner Nazret Weldu, fourth at the 2022 World Championships women’s marathon was suspended for 20 months from 17 June 2024 for “whereabouts” failures; she has a lifetime best of 2:20:29 from 2022.
● Football ● At the FIFA Women’s U-20 World Cup in Colombia, the U.S. advanced to the quarterfinal round with a 3-2 extra-time win over Mexico in Bogota on Wednesday.
There was plenty of action in the first half, with Pietra Tordin scoring for the U.S. in the 10th minute, but Mexico tied in the 22nd on a Val Vargas score from the right side. The Americans went up again, 2-1, thanks to a 27th-minute goal by Ally Sentnor on a 24-yard liner from outside the box to the left side of the Mexican goal.
But it was 2-2 after Montserrat Saldivar scored on a shot from the left side that touched defender Heather Gilchrist and into the net.
After no goals in the second half, it was Jordan Dudley who got the game-winner in the 97th from the right side of the Mexican goal, ripping a shot over the keeper’s head for what turned out to be the game-winner.
The American women will face Germany, a 5-1 winner on Thursday against Argentina, on Sunday in Cali. Also in the upper bracket, Brazil needed extra time to defeat Cameroon, 3-1, and North Korea sailed by Austria, 5-2.
Spain eliminated Canada in the lower bracket, 2-1 and Colombia defeated South Korea, 1-0. They will play the winners of the late matches on Thursday, also on Sunday.
● Gymnastics ● The continuing saga of the Paris Olympic women’s Floor Exercise bronze medal saw a new twist on Wednesday at the MTV Video Music Awards in Elmont, New York, as rap star Flavor Flav awarded American gymnastics Olympic Team gold medalist Jordan Chiles a specially-created bronze clock necklace.
The New York Post reported Flav – who wears a signature clock necklace – telling Chiles, who was awarded the Floor bronze at the Games before a Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling moved her to fifth place:
“I know they’re trying to take your medal away from you but you know what, I got you something that they can’t take away from you.
“That’s why I wanted to turn this into an Olympic moment, Jordan. And guess what else, too? I got your prize money, too. I got that for you. I just wanted to surprise you with that.”
(U.S. bronze medal winners receive $15,000 from the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee; Flavor Flav is a sponsor of the U.S. women’s water polo team.)
¶
★ Receive our exclusive, weekday TSX Recap by e-mail by clicking here.
★ Sign up a friend to receive the TSX Recap by clicking here.
★ Please consider a donation here to keep this site going.
For our updated, 547-event International Sports Calendar for the rest of 2024 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!
