Category Archives: Olympics

The spotlight shone brightly on the late Kobe Bryant in Netflixs The Redeem Team released earlier this month. While the world is aware of the kind of 'Mamba Mentality' the Los Angeles Lakers star bought to the table day in and day out, there was more about his persona that his Olympics 2008 teammates revealed.

One of the instances was how Bryant never let his guard down around people, and Carmelo Anthony recalled the Five-time NBA champ was even reluctant to let the team plan a celebration for his 30th birthday.

Speaking in the riveting sports documentary, Anthony recounted the days leading up to his birthday when Bryant was all about not having anything special planned.

Kobe kept telling us, Nah, dont do nothing. I know yall planning something. Dont do Nothing.'"

But it wasnt meant to be as LeBron James, then one of his teammates along with the rest of the squad had planned for a small celebration where they cut a cake and sang the birthday song. Anthony also shared a key insight

You know he always had this wall up with people, and he always a competitor with everybody. You could tell he was super excited because we did it. Like, wow, they really opened up their arms for me. That birthday celebration put the stamp on it.

It was indeed one of the memorable moments for the team that year as they pipped Spain to win the Gold and the contest was regarded as one of the greatest basketball games to have ever been played.

When the two teams met in the Group B stage, the United States notched up a comprehensive 112-89 win with James (18) doing some damage.

But prior to the game, Bryant had made it explicitly clear that he would run through Pau Gasol his Lakers teammate regardless of the bond they shared when they suited up together in the NBA.

It didnt matter to Bryant what his teammates said, as he was focused on delivering the gold to his country. True to his word, he tackled Gasol the minute the referee blew the opening whistle putting the Spaniard on the hardwood.

The move set the tone and the team dominated for the remainder of the game, although the finals were a rather shot-to-shot contest. For those who want to watch the entire sequence, The Redeem Team is currently streaming on Netflix

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Kobe Bryant Told His 2008 Olympics Teammates Dont Do Nothing For His 30th Birthday But LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, And Others Decide To Surprise...

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Cops on the Coop raises funds for Special Olympics - Index-Journal

LeBron James thought of quitting team USA after an embarrassing defeat in the 2004 Olympics

Modified Oct 12, 2022 11:52 PM EDT

Along with being one of the NBA's greatest players, LeBron James has also had great success on the Olympic stage. He's competed for team USA three times at the quadrennial event over the years and secured two golds and one bronze medal.

The LA Lakers superstar has proved to be a valuable piece for team USA over the course of his career. However, one of basketball's best talents almost joined the list of players who opted not to compete for their country in front of a global audience.

What almost pushed James over the edge was how things unfolded during the 2004 Summer Olympics. Team USA finished the Games with a bronze medal and the then emerging superstar thought of stopping his involvement with the team.

Thankfully, the All-Star forward had a change of heart when it came time to assemble a group for the 2008 Olympics. In a recent documentary about that team, LeBron James spoke about his mindset following a lackluster performance four years prior. He said:

Even though things did not go their way in 2004, LeBron James made the right decision by not walking away for good. If he had not played in 2008, the Redeem Team might not have been as special as it was.

Following a bronze medal finish in 2004, the NBA's top talent came together to reclaim the top spot at the 2008 Olympics. Some of the featured names included Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade and Carmelo Anthony. It's worth noting that at the time, all of these players were in their prime.

As one of the NBA's biggest stars at the time, LeBron James carried the weight of leading an incredible squad. They all came together for a common goal, and as the face of the league, he needed to play his part.

Thanks to the talent on the roster, Team USA made quick work of the competition. They won their first two games by at least 20 points and beat Spain by double digits in the Gold Medal match.

While his Olympic career didn't start out on a high note, "King James" managed to turn things around and add two gold medals to his long list of accolades.

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This sh*t was a waste of time LeBron James thought of quitting team USA after an embarrassing defeat in the 2004 Olympics; team was disappointed to...

Mikaela Shiffrin is preparing for what could be her busiest Alpine ski racing season ever.

It might become her fastest, too.

Coming off a season that included Olympic disappointment but also her fourth overall World Cup title, the American is eager to add more speed events to her schedule.

The World Cup season, which starts with a giant slalom in Austria on Oct. 22, includes 42 races, plus six events at the world championships in France in February.

Im probably not going to do all of them. But I would like to focus a bit more on some of the super-G races and, for sure, all the slaloms and the GS, Shiffrin told The Associated Press in a recent video call.

Shiffrin has never raced more than 26 World Cup events in any of her 11 seasons on the circuit. That could change in 2022-23, with 11 slaloms, 10 giant slaloms and nine super-Gs on the cards.

And dont rule out a few downhill starts, too, even though she will sit out the new Zermatt-Cervinia speed season opener early November.

Downhill takes more time, more days, more effort, so then its less training for other events. We pick and choose which downhill is possible, said Shiffrin, adding it brings me a lot of joy to ski super-G, as long as my slalom and GS feel like they are on point, then we try that out.

Going into the new season also draws a line under the previous one, which was overshadowed by Shiffrins surprising lack of medals at the Beijing Games, where she failed to finish any of the tech races and placed ninth in super-G and 18th in downhill.

The biggest takeaway from the Olympics is those races didnt take away anything from anything else that happened in my career, Shiffrin said.

Its not that I dont know (what went wrong), its that I could tell you a list of things that went wrong in the months leading up to going to Beijing, and then in Beijing as well. I still might have been able to succeed, but I didnt, she added. I think in any universe, in a parallel realm, if I were to be able to go back, it would probably happen that way again. Its just something that needed to happen in my career.

Starting preparations for the new season early, Shiffrin trained some downhill in the springtime, before focusing on super-G, GS and slalom during a camp in Chile in September.

It was a really productive camp and I feel in a good place, physically and with my skiing. Im anxious to get really started and put the training we have done and the work we have done to the test, she said.

Shiffrin starts the season on 74 World Cup wins, just eight short of Lindsey Vonns womens record and 12 shy of Ingemar Stenmarks overall mark.

Shiffrins tally includes seven speed victories four in super-G, three in downhill, including in the final speed race of last season that helped her clinch the overall title.

Her reinforced speed ambitions get impetus from her Austria-based equipment supplier.

After the departure of her longterm ski technician Johann Strobl in the offseason, Atomic has provided her with two successors: Austrians Robert Brgler and Lukas Rottinger, with the latter handling Shiffrins speed ski setup.

While Brgler previously worked with 2005 overall champion Benjamin Raich and, more recently, Austrian slalom specialists Marco Schwarz and Manuel Feller, Rottinger prepared equipment for Marcel Hirscher in the Austrian greats final season before retiring in 2019.

Having an extra ski technician commonly referred to as a serviceman gives Shiffrin and her team more flexibility in opting for speed training and selecting the super-G and downhill races she wants to compete in.

They have the time they need to do the work but also the time to get recovery and get back to the factory every couple of weeks to regrind the skis or pick up new skis. Its a huge process, Shiffrin said. Its important to be like quite good friends with your servicemen. Because in the end, they are the last person you see in the start gate, they are the person you are working with so closely every single training day, talking about developing equipment.

And then there is her boyfriend, Norwegian speed specialist Aleksander Aamodt Kilde.

Kilde won both the downhill and the super-G standings last season and could certainly be of additional help in Shiffrins speed campaign.

Kilde said the pair can share experiences when it comes to skiing and training but were also trying not to overdo it.

We are in our bubbles, we have our own routines, we kind of want to stay a little bit away from each other, too, Kilde said. We want to focus and not get into each others head, too. Its a fine balance.

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Fast forward: Mikaela Shiffrin adds more speed to her post-Olympic ski season - The Aspen Times

The assembled guests were eager to hear Peter Ueberroths words of wisdom, hoping hed extend a pleasant hour of reminiscing about the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics to tell stories about the vision hed conceived and executed to make the Games so profitable, inclusive and entertaining that theyve remained an unattainable standard for every Summer Olympics that has followed.

Standing in tribute as Ueberroth stood at a stage set up near the Coliseums Court of Honor where a plaque with his likeness was one twitch of cloth away from being unveiled to the world his friends, family, and admirers prepared to take their seats to savor his speech. Dont sit, the former chairman of the L.A. Olympic Organizing Committee cautioned them.

I just want to thank everybody, he said. You heard a lot of nice comments. Some of them were true, some of them were exaggerated, but the fact is in this society that we all live in, everybody that I can see and everybody behind us or in front of us, we can make a difference. And we can all make a difference. And God bless you all.

He spoke for less than a minute. At 85, hes still very much a man of action, not words, more inclined to look toward the possibilities of the future than waste time recounting what he did decades ago, even if those feats have become part of the fabric of life in Los Angeles and part of Olympic history.

If theres anyone entitled to give long-winded speeches and brag about the great things he has done, its Ueberroth. Successful businessman. Baseball commissioner. Chairman of the U.S. Olympic Committee. The man who saved the Olympics and thats no exaggeration.

I think thats a true statement, to be honest with you, said Mark Spitz, almost unnoticed in street clothes and without those nine Olympic swimming gold medals arrayed around his neck. He created a financial model theyre desperately trying to emulate.

The Olympic movement was faltering badly in the 1980s. The terrorist attack that killed 11 Israelis at Munich in 1972 was tragic and shocking. Montreal took on so much debt to stage the 1976 Summer Games that the bills lingered for three decades. Then-president Jimmy Carter ordered a boycott of the 1980 Moscow Games in response to the Soviet Unions invasion of Afghanistan. Nobody but Tehran, Iran, and Los Angeles bid for the 1984 Games.

Ueberroth, supported by then-mayor Tom Bradley, created a private financing plan that relied on media rights and corporations. The Games were commercialized as never before, yes. They also turned a profit of about $225 million, some of which went to the U.S. Olympic Endowment for athletes use and some back to Los Angeles to whats now the LA84 Foundation, a nonprofit that helps give kids sports equipment, facilities and coaching.

Without Peter Ueberroth, without the 84 Games being as successful as they were, I believe its very likely that the Games could have sputtered and, like a match, gone out, said John Naber, a five-time Olympic swimming medalist. He added the fuel and the flame, and he increased the stakeholders.

A happily large group of former L.A. Olympic committee staffers attended the long-overdue ceremony at the Coliseum on Monday and posed for pictures with Ueberroth and his wife Ginny. Ueberroths plaque was placed across from Bradleys and near that of Baron Pierre de Coubertin, whos considered the father of the modern Olympics. Perfect placement. DeCoubertin brought the Games back to life. Ueberroth ensured theyd continue for generations.

A plaque is unveiled during an event to honor 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee President Peter V. Ueberroth at the Coliseum on Monday.

(Dania Maxwell/Los Angeles Times)

You gave us a new narrative for our city and for our world when we needed it most, said mayor Eric Garcetti, who joked that his second action as mayor after paving a street to prove his commitment to city services was to inquire about hosting the 2024 Summer Games. That bid wasnt successful, but L.A. will get a third turn as host in 2028.

This is a city not just of dreamers but of doers, Garcetti said. Its wonderful that you had a dream, Peter. But I think what we recognize is that you were able to bring a team together to enact that dream.

Ueberroths Games expanded opportunities for women, with events including the first womens Olympic marathon, and for disabled athletes. L.A. 84 was the first Games to include wheelchair racing exhibitions, a milestone moment that spurred the growth of the Paralympics.

The negative bias and stigmas that surrounded disabled people at that time were peeled back on that day, said Candace Cable, a bronze medalist in the womens 800-meter wheelchair race. Those few minutes in the worldwide broadcast took us from discarded, dehumanized disabled people out of the dark shadows of worthlessness and brought us into the bright light of truth, that we are all human beings with value and deserve access and inclusion to all that life has to offer. Using sport for inclusion and access messaging was perfection.

Short as his speech was, maybe Ueberroth said all he needed to say. I wanted to tell the truth. It takes a few hundred people to make a difference and they did, and I was one of them, he said.

Im just proud of the quality of people in this community and in this country so Im thrilled with that. The rest, thats in the past. And we live in the present and future. So, Im looking forward to the future.

That includes rooting for the success of the 2028 Olympics.

The people that are running those Games, theyre darned good. Theyre going to surprise the world how great those Games will be, he said. The Olympic movement is now pretty darned strong. The [2028] people are sensational and a lot of them have experience with our Games and so theyre going to be terrific.

He will be just short of 91 when the Olympics return to Los Angeles. But save him a seat.

Yeah, for sure, he said.

Just dont expect him to make a long speech.

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How Peter Ueberroth saved the Olympics, revolutionized the Games - Los Angeles Times

The Ironman Kona World Championships return after a three-year hiatus with a new format, live on Peacock on Thursday and Saturday at 12 p.m. ET.

The Ironman, held annually in Hawaii since 1978, and in Kailua-Kona since 1981, was not held in 2020 or 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The world championships made a one-time-only stop in St. George, Utah, on May 7 to make up for the 2021 cancellation. The winners were Norways Kristian Blummenfelt, the Tokyo Olympic triathlon champion, and SwissDaniela Ryf, who bagged her fifth Ironman world title.

Both are entered in Kailua-Kona, where the races are now split between two days Thursday for the women and Saturday for the men.

An Ironman includes a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike and a marathon totaling 140.6 miles of racing. It takes top triathletes eight hours to complete. Very arguably, it crowns the worlds fittest man and woman.

WATCH LIVE: Ironman Kona, Thursday, 12 p.m. ET STREAM LINK

Ryf, 35 and a 2008 and 2012 Olympian, can tie retired countrywoman Natascha Badmann for second place on the womens list at six Ironman world titles. Only Zimbabwean-turned-American Paula Newby-Fraser has more with eight.

The field also includes German Anne Haug, the 2019 Kona champ and only woman other than Ryf to win since 2015. Brit Lucy Charles-Barclay, the Kona runner-up in 2017, 2018 and 2019, returns after missing the St. George event due to a stress fracture in her hip.

Blummenfelt, 28 and in his Kona debut, will try to become the youngest male champion in Kona since German Normann Stadler in 2005. His top challengers include countryman Gustav Iden, the two-time reigning Half Ironman world champion, and German Patrick Lange, the 2017 and 2018 Ironman Kona winner.

Also racing Saturday is Dallas Clark, a retired All-Pro NFL tight end with the Indianapolis Colts, and Tony Kanaan, the 2013 Indy 500 champion who completed the 2011 Kona Ironman in 12 hours, 52 minutes, 40 seconds.

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LA 2028, Delta unveil first-of-its-kind emblems for Olympics, Paralympics - Home of the Olympic Channel

The Canadian province of Alberta is entertaining proposals to bring the Olympic Winter Games back to Calgary in the near future, a government official revealed Tuesday.

Rendering of upgraded McMahon Stadium with Olympic overlay for failed Calgary 2026 Olympic Winter Games bid

During a ceremony marking a CAD $17.5 million (USD $13 million) provincial investment in Canada Olympic Park a legacy of the Calgary 1988 Winter Games Albertas Minister of Culture Ron Orr revealed that a potential project to host the Games has emerged.

There is a small group of individuals who have put together some proposals for a future opportunity and we will certainly be looking at those as they come and as it becomes appropriate to talk about details, Orr said.

The City of Calgary has almost all of the amenities it would need for a Games at this stage and, of course, this kind of redevelopment would obviously add to that, Orr added, according to Calgary Herald.

Orr did not elaborate on the nature of the plans being put forward.

Calgary mounted a contentious campaign to host the 2026 edition of the Games that divided City Council and polarized public opinion in 2018. The bid was later quashed by 56.4 percent of voters in a hard fought city-wide plebiscite.

Now, four years later a Vancouver centered project led by four hosting First Nations and targeting 2030 has been put forward by the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC). British Columbia hopes to reprise the 2010 Games by building on its legacy. But Vancouver may have to face a public vote of its own should one Mayoral candidate, who has promised to let taxpayers have their say on the issue, win an October 15 municipal election.

Under International Olympic Committee (IOC) rules a national Olympic Committee must choose a single interested bidder to enter an ongoing dialogue process for any future Games. The COC selected Vancouver last year and has since been involved in discussions that could see the bid chosen for targeted dialogue for the 2030 Games Olympic-speak for shortlist by the IOC as early as December or as late as next Spring. The final election will take place next Fall.

Vancouvers rivals include Sapporo in Japan and Salt Lake City in the United States. Bids not successful for 2030 could end up back in the mix for 2034. Calgarys opportunity would be for the 2034 Games at the earliest but backers would have to wait for Vancouver to be withdrawn from dialogue before that becomes possible.

Certainly any plans emerging for a Calgary bid are at the very early stages and perhaps only an opportunistic tease to justify the Canada Olympic Park investment. Reportedly Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek, who was city councilor when the 2026 bid was in debate, was not aware of any new plans.

Neither was the COC, the only entity in Canada with the authority to officially launch a bid.

We have heard the reports of comments made yesterday [about a Calgary bid], but we are not aware of any other proposed bid, in Alberta or elsewhere in Canada, a COC spokesperson told GamesBids.com.

The COC is currently focused on supporting an Indigenous-led process to assess the feasibility of Canada hosting a 2030 Olympic and Paralympic Games in British Columbia, working under the leadership of the Lilwat, Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations.

The next Winter Olympics will be held in Northern Italy by Milan-Cortina 2026.

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Alberta primed for new Calgary Winter Olympics bid amid focus on Vancouver in 2030 - GamesBids.com

Los Angeles World Airports and Delta officials take part in a ribbon-cutting ceremony at he Terminal 3 concourse, featuring eight new gates and seating areas, on Wednesday, October 5, 2022.(Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)

Los Angeles World Airports and Delta officials take part in a ribbon-cutting ceremony at he Terminal 3 concourse, featuring eight new gates and seating areas, on Wednesday, October 5, 2022.(Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)

Los Angeles World Airports and Delta officials take part in a ribbon-cutting ceremony at he Terminal 3 concourse, featuring eight new gates and seating areas, on Wednesday, October 5, 2022.(Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)

Los Angeles World Airports and Delta officials take part in a ribbon-cutting ceremony at he Terminal 3 concourse, featuring eight new gates and seating areas, on Wednesday, October 5, 2022.(Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)

Floriana Dua, and her daughters Ava and Isabella from Sydney, Australia, wait to board their plane for New York at the newly renovated Terminal 3 concourse on Wednesday, October 5, 2022.(Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)

Passengers wait to board their plane at the newly renovated Terminal 3 concourse, featuring eight new gates and seating areas, on Wednesday, October 5, 2022.(Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)

Los Angeles World Airports and Delta officials take part in a ribbon-cutting ceremony at he Terminal 3 concourse, featuring eight new gates and seating areas, on Wednesday, October 5, 2022.(Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)

Passengers wait to board their plane at the newly renovated Terminal 3 concourse, featuring eight new gates and seating areas, on Wednesday, October 5, 2022.(Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)

Ava and Himanshu Dua, from Sydney, Australia, wait to board their plane for New York at the newly renovated Terminal 3 concourse on Wednesday, October 5, 2022.(Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)

Los Angeles World Airports and Delta officials take part in a ribbon-cutting ceremony at he Terminal 3 concourse, featuring eight new gates and seating areas, on Wednesday, October 5, 2022.(Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)

Los Angeles International Airport officials opened a new concourse at Terminal 3 on Wednesday, Oct. 5, marking the completion of the third phase of construction on a new terminal.

The terminal, built in 1961, was torn down in 2020 to make way for a new facility. Eight out of nine gates have been completed, with the ninth scheduled to be ready by early next year. The project is ahead of schedule by 18 months, according to airport officials.

Keeping pace is vital. Looming on the horizon for LAX managed by Los Angeles World Airports, which is owned by the city of L.A . are the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Olympics.

The airport is in the midst of a $15-billion modernization program encompassing all nine of the airports terminals and including an Automated People Mover rail system and a consolidated car-rental facility.

On Wednesday, LAX showed off another section of its revitalized terminal, the latest step in the $2.3 billion project in partnership with Delta Air Lines. This part of the airports facelift is expected to be completed by fall 2023 with a connector bridge from Terminal 3 to Tom Bradley International Terminal.

Elevating the guest experience is pivotal in our ongoing work to build a better LAX, and we are thrilled to see the next major phase of this project completed in partnership with Delta Air Lines, said Justin Erbacci, CEO of Los Angeles World Airports. The new Terminal 3 concourse includes best-in-class passenger amenities and technology, and showcases our vision for a fully modernized airport.

The project has involved more than 4.5 million work hours, according to officials.

Construction at LAX is speeding along at a fever pitch, as officials aim to keep the promise of a brighter, streamlined, easier to navigate airport by the time athletes arrives in town for the third L.A. Olympiad.

In May 2021, the $1.7 billion, 15-gate West Gates at Tom Bradley International Terminal debuted. In October that year, the $294 million LAX Economy Parking facility like the Automated People Mover, its part of the LAMP initiative opened to the public.

A month later,United and Los Angeles World Airportscut the ribbon on the airlines new $352 million technical operations center.

And in March, LAX, Los Angeles and Delta Air Lines officials cut the ribbon on the first phase of a multi-billion-dollarmakeover of Terminals 2 and 3.

Construction on the Automated People Mover has also moved swiftly and is on pace to be ready within about four years of the project getting underway.

The airports long-awaited Automated People Mover will eventually allow the airports growing throng of post-pandemic travelers to forego the congestion that is currently the hallmark of flying out of the City of Angels.

The new Maintenance and Storage Facility, unveiled in August, will act as the operational hub for the new rail line.

The Automated People Mover will be so much more than another way to get to LAX, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said. Its the piece of the puzzle that will curb the congestion that has been plaguing our airport for decades.

The system, which is set to open in 2023, is meant to reduce congestion around Los Angeles International Airport while also connecting folks to the countrys fifth-busiest travel hub via regional public transportation, including LA Metro.

Earlier this year, workers finished pouring 69,700 cubic yards of concrete for the systems 2.25-mile elevated guideway structure.Five of six bridgesover World Way have also been completed, with the last one set for completion later this year.

The Automated People Mover is part of the $5.5 billion Landside Access Modernization Program, which also includes a consolidated Rent-A-Car facility, intermodal transportation facilities and roadway improvements, according to Los Angeles World Airports.

Once operational, the driverless train cars boasting large windows, multiple hand rails and 12 seats each will arrive at each of the six stations every two minutes during peak travel times, LAWA said. A roundtrip will take 10 minutes.

Half of the stations will be inside the Central Terminal Area and half will be outside. The latter stations will connect to the new LAX Economy Parking, light-rail transportation and the Rent-A-Car facility, LAWA said.

The train cars will also be environmentally friendly, officials said.

Innovation, sustainability and state-of-the-art technology are integral to our ongoing modernization, Erbacci said. These Automated People Mover train cars will set a high standard for environmentally sustainable transportation, having shells made of recyclable materials and achieving zero emissions. We look forward to seeing the cars in action when we begin testing them in 2023.

Just last week, officials announced the completion of the final Automated People Mover pedestrian bridge structure over World Way, moving one step closer to connecting the Tom Bradley International Terminal with the future West Central Terminal Area station.

The construction on the sixth and final bridge closed some roads at LAX, but work was finished ahead of schedule on three out of four nights, according to officials.

The work included assembling four steel trusses weighing over 270,000 pounds above World Way and bolting them together to create the bridges structural frame. The six bridges together include more than 3,600 tons of steel, with the project total at more than 9,000 tons.

The bridges are all in various stages of construction. The next step in the project is to establish the Automated People Mover systems and test train cars, according to Sam Choy, project director for LINXS Constructors.

Erbacci said the result of the project is coming into view and called the walkway a remarkable achievement on our journey to reimagine the travel experience at LAX, while continuing to operate the fifth-busiest airport in the world.

All this work is aimed to ease record-breaking increases in travelers at the worlds fifth-busiest airport.

LAX reported more than 1.8 million international travelers passing through the airport in July, a 97% increase compared to the same month last year. That contributed to a nearly 14% total increase in passengers in July compared to a year ago, with 6.3 million people passing through the gates.

The strong rebound in international travel that we have seen during the peak summer months is very encouraging and adding to our overall growth in passenger numbers this season, Erbacci said.

Erbacci added that LAX is poised to enter the fall and winter holiday travel seasons in the strongest position since the start of the pandemic.

Through the first half of 2022, overall passenger traffic at LAX is up 57% compared to the same time period last year, with international travel up by 142%.

The Associated Press and City News Service contributed to this report

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LAX improvements racing along on road to 2028 Olympics - The Mercury News

Press Release

Washington, D.C., Oct. 4, 2022 Today, Boys & Girls Clubs of America and Special Olympics North America announced a national partnership to provide inclusive programming in Clubs for young people with and without intellectual disabilities during out-of-school time. The goal is to combat the obstacles they face and realize new opportunities for social inclusion, leadership, and healthy lifestyles.

Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools is a strategy in more than 8,000 schools Pre-K through university across the U.S. that intentionally promotes social inclusion by bringing together students with and without intellectual disabilities. Working in partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs of America, whose mission is to enable all young people to reach their full potential, Special Olympics will harness the powerful work being done at the grassroots level to create inclusive spaces using the Unified model. The melding of these two leading organizations will create new opportunities for systemic change for present and future generations of young people.

At Boys & Girls Clubs of America, we know safety and a sense of belonging are essential to a young persons success, said Jim Clark, President and CEO, Boys & Girls Clubs of America. Were excited for our partnership with Special Olympics working together to expand opportunities for young people of all abilities to feel welcome and accepted as peers, teammates and friends, as part of a more accepting and inclusive future.

Through this collaboration, Boys & Girls Clubs and Special Olympics Programs will work together to provide training and supporting resources to support local partnerships. This will in turn aid in Special Olympics athletes becoming fully integrated Club members and communities becoming more inclusive and accepting.

Young people today face many challenges, from achieving personal and academic success to feeling emotionally and physically healthy and safe. Often, the school and social environment for young people is fraught with obstacles, impeding positive development. That is what we strive to overcome with the work we do, said Andrea Cahn, Vice President of Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools. It is truly an honor to partner with a like-minded organization that is also committed to empowering and supporting young people as they work to address these barriers and build inclusive schools and communities.

Get a firsthand look at the impact in Greenwood, Mississippi.

About Boys & Girls Clubs of AmericaFor 160 years, Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA.org) has provided a safe place for kids and teens to learn and grow. Clubs offer caring adult mentors, fun and friendship, and high-impact youth development programs on a daily basis during critical non-school hours. Boys & Girls Clubs programming promotes academic success, good character and leadership, and healthy lifestyles. In a typical year, nearly 5,000 Clubs serve 3.6 million young people through Club membership and community outreach.Clubs are located in cities, towns, public housing and on Native lands throughout the country, and serve military families in BGCA-affiliated Youth Centers on U.S. military installations worldwide. National headquarters are located in Atlanta. Learn more about Boys & Girls Clubs of America on Facebook or Twitter.

About Special Olympics Unified Champion SchoolsSpecial Olympics Unified Champion Schools is a strategy in more than 8,000 schools Pre-K through university across the U.S. that intentionally promotes social inclusion by bringing together students with and without intellectual disabilities through Special Olympics Unified Sports, inclusive youth leadership opportunities, and whole school engagement. The three-component model offers a unique combination of effective activities that equip young people with the knowledge, skills, tools and training to create classrooms and school climates of acceptance, respect, and meaningful inclusion. These are school climates where students with disabilities feel welcome and are routinely included in -- and feel a part of -- all activities, opportunities, and functions. The Unified Champion Schools program is funded by the Office of Special Education Programs at the U.S. Department of Education. Engage with us on: Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube. Learn more at GenerationUnified.org.

Eliza LynchBoys & Girls Clubs of America203-522-7010elynch@bgca.org

Kendra CummingsUCS Media Relations ManagerKCummings@SpecialOlympics.org

Excerpt from:

Boys & Girls Clubs of America and Special Olympics Partner to Provide Inclusive Programming for Youth Across U.S. - Boys & Girls Clubs of...

BRATTLEBORO As a Special Olympics Unified Champion School, Brattleboro Union High School is receiving national banner recognition for its efforts to provide inclusive sports and activities for students with and without disabilities. Special Olympics Vermont says BUHS meets national standards of excellence in the areas of inclusion, advocacy and respect.

BUHS will be celebrating the Special Olympics National Banner School status on Friday, from 1:20 to 2 p.m. at Natowich Field.

We know the power of the work done through our Unified Champion Schools, because we see it, said Special Olympics Vermont President and CEO Missy Siner. Brattleboro Union High School has provided a wonderful example of the incredible benefits that UCS programming can bring to a school community. At 2022 USA Games, Brattleboro represented Vermont in the Youth Leadership Experience, and were role models to others participating in the program. The efforts made by Brattleboro to create a safe space of inclusion and acceptance for all students are exceptional and we are so glad they are receiving this deserved honor.

Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools is a strategy for schools Pre-K through university that intentionally promotes meaningful social inclusion by bringing together students with and without intellectual disabilities to create accepting school environments, utilizing three interconnected components: Special Olympics Unified Sports, inclusive youth leadership, and whole school engagement. BUHS currently participates in Unified basketball, bocce, snowshoeing and soccer, and is looking to expand offerings this school year. Brattleboro has also hosted numerous statewide events, including VPA Unified Basketball and recreational bocce tournaments.

When I first started at BUHS, I was so impressed by the organization and school-wide support of our unified sports teams, said Interim Principal Cassie Damkoehler. Previous administrators worked to incorporate unified games into the daily schedule when possible. This helped to create the amazingly inclusive culture that we have here at BUHS. This award is really a testament to the hard work of our staff and student body.

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BUHS recognized by Special Olympics for Achievements with Inclusion - Bennington Banner