Category: Olympics

Ola & Dieter Koch to Belgium

Three weeks after the sacking of Marjorie Huells and Eve Kiefer, the gymnastics federation introduces a new duo: Ola Koch is helping the Belgian gymnasts out of the emergency situation as interim head coach, and her husband Dieter Koch becomes assistant. …

Ola Koch (68 years old) has the necessary experience. Until two years ago, she coached German women’s gymnastics. Elisabeth Seitz — a fixture on the uneven bars, Nina Derwael’s specialty — was one of the athletes who worked under her wing. …

Koch coached the German women’s national team between 2005 and 2021.

Gymnasts find new coach in Germany: Ola Koch

Suni in Paris 😀

Hopefully she’s put the worst of her health problems behind.

Also, Suni with Snoop.

World Games Chengdu 2025

The Olympics for non-Olympic sport.

2025 World Games (年世界运动会) is the 12th edition of the World Games, which includes sports and sporting disciplines that are not contested in the Olympic Games.

7 to 17 August 2025 in Chengdu, Sichuan, China. About 5,000 participants.

Of the 35 sports to be contested, included are:

related – FIG Event site

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Russia opts out of FIG competitions 2024

I’m thinking this is the best possible result for the rest of the world.

FIG made an attempt to return Russian athletes to international competition as IOC decided — and they decided not to participate.

The Olympics will be a much more positive event without Russia.

Valentina Rodionenko:

“We do not agree with any of the admission criteria that FIG has developed …

Until the international federation makes changes to its document, we will not send athletes to the starts.

This is the decision of the national team’s coaching staff.”

Created by Microsoft Designer AI.

Trampoline nations qualified for Olympics

These countries earned one spot each at World Championships 2023, Birmingham.

A nation was only able to qualify for one berth to the Games based on their performances at these World Championships, even if the same country placed two gymnasts in the final.

Women

  1. China
  2. Brazil
  3. Canada
  4. USA
  5. Great Britain

Men

  1. China
  2. Austria
  3. Japan
  4. Great Britain
  5. Portugal

Trampoline Gymnastics Qualification for Paris:

  • Available places: 16 male gymnasts + 16 female gymnasts
  • Half of the qualifying slots will be in play at the World Championships in Birmingham, United Kingdom, in November 2023. The eight finalists in the individual Men’s and individual Women’s Trampoline competitions will secure a ticket for their country to the Games – albeit with a limit of one per country.
  • Half of the qualifying slots will be in play at the World Championships in Birmingham, United Kingdom, in November 2023. The eight finalists in the individual Men’s and individual Women’s Trampoline competitions will secure a ticket for their country to the Games – albeit with a limit of one per country.
  • As the host nation, France is allocated a number of guaranteed places, which will be awarded to other countries if French athletes fill this quota through the qualifying process. 
  • There are also a few universality places reserved for gymnasts from under-represented countries, which will be selected by a tripartite commission for the Olympic movement a few months before the start of the Games.

Olympian Kevin Penev interview

Kevin Penev was as surprised as anyone when he landed the best Vaults of his career and qualified on that apparatus to the Paris Olympics as an Olympian.

What Makes You Think has a new interview with Kevin on how that happened at Antwerp Worlds. And his life training in Bulgaria.

Kevin was the only gymnast in the Final not already qualified in some other way for Paris.

Therefore, he simply had to compete to get the ticket.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Russians can return to FIG Jan 1, 2024

As expected, FIG will allow Russian and Belarusian athletes and their support personnel into FIG sanctioned events listed on FIG Calendar starting January 1, 2024.

I hope it works.

Sadly, I anticipate FIG regretting this decision as it will generate public protests against Putin everywhere Russians compete. I expect negative headlines every day during the Paris Olympics.

Of course there are athlete safety issues, as well. IOC already has to protect Palestinian and Israeli athletes going forward.

It would have been better to continue the ban through the Paris Olympics.

Next best would have been to allow Russian and Belarus to compete without the complications stipulated.

  • No link with the Russian or Belarusian military or with any other national security agency
  • No communication associated with Russia or Belarus
  • No support for the war in Ukraine

All gymnasts/athletes of Russian or Belarusian sporting nationality must comply with all anti-doping requirements applicable to them, in particular those set out in the FIG Anti-Doping Rules.

Russia has already been found guilty of systematic doping. How is it fair that their athletes have not been subject to testing over the ban so far?

Read the FIG decision for yourself:

ad-hoc_rules-for-russia-2024Download

Note:

Nikita Nagornyy is Chief of the Main Staff of the All-Russia “Young Army” National Military Patriotic Social Movement Association. He’s instantly banned.

should Palestine or Israel be banned by IOC?

A good question.

The International Olympic Committee should be specific on what causes a nation to lose membership.

In the case of Israel, there is the additional issue of safety of their team at the Paris Olympics.

Ukraine’s case against Russia at the Olympics

IF Russian athletes are allowed to compete Paris, I predict almost 100% of the headlines will be negative.

How does BAD PRESS further the Olympic cause?

The ethical decision, too, is to keep the pressure on dictator Putin. If he is successful in a war against Ukraine, it will embolden China and others to invade neighbours. Putin is a danger to the entire world.

The best decision is to continue the ban — at least until after Olympics 2024.

Lukas Dauser on the Russia ban

The world P Bar champion is dubious about reasons to reintegrate Russians — especially those who represent police or military.