Category Archives: Olympics

Last week, upon the conclusion of the World Open Powerlifting Championships, held this year in Norway, Iranian athlete Amir Asadollahzadeh refused to return to Iran. In an interview with Radio Farda, a subsidiary of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Asadollahzadeh explained that he had been asked to wear a shirt bearing the portrait of the not-so-dearly departed Gen. Qassem Soleimanithe head of Irans murderous Quds Force, killed in a U.S. drone strike last year. Asadollahzadeh refused to wear the shirt. I didnt budge, he said. He is now seeking asylum in Germany.

Asadollahzadehs defection is just the latest: Two members of Irans fitness team competing in Spain also defected a few weeks ago. In response to the defection of three of its members, the Iranian Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation has canceled its plans to participate in upcoming games in Lebanon. The federation is a subsidiary of the International Powerlifting Federation, itself recognized by the International Olympics Committee (IOC), whose charter clearly states that politics should not mix with sports. Yet, the vice president of the Iranian federation, and the teams supervisor at the Open in Norway, is Sardar Reza Firouzisardar is an honorific given to senior officers at the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corpsappointed by Irans then-minister of sports and youth, a political position, another violation of mixing sports and politics. It was Firouzi who ordered Asadollahzadeh to wear the shirt.

There are larger problems at hand. The regime executedvery possibly under tortureone of its wrestlers last year on bogus charges. The number of Iranian athletes who have defected in recent years is nearing a hundred. Why is the IOC silent? Why is Iran never made to pay a penalty, despite solid evidence regarding the regimes interference with sports, most infamously its ban on competing against Israeli athletes?

Yet, hypocritically, when it comes to protecting the interest of China, the IOCs principle of the separation of sports and politics is unwavering. Ahead of the last years Summer Olympics in Tokyo, IOC officials warned athletes against political speech, but it was the Winter Games in Beijing, now only a couple of months away, that worried them.

But the IOC has enslaved itself to China. This week brought disturbing revelations that a Chinese womens tennis player who accused the former vice premier of sexually assaulting her may have been abducted. It is all but impossible to imagine any meaningful action on this matter from the IOC. Just as it is difficult to imagine any disciplinary action against Irans Powerlifting Federation.

The IOC may have been founded with the aim of bringing nations together in the peaceful pursuit of athletic excellence, but today it is bringing the world to China while enabling the persecution of its athletes. The supposed separation of politics and sports is inconsistently enforced so as to protect the interests of autocrats. If the IOC wishes to regain any semblance of credibility, disciplining or at least criticizing Irans treatment of its athletes would be a good way to startas would be either lifting the embargo on speech or enforcing the charter consistently.

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Autocrats and the Spineless Olympics Committee - The Bulwark

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As leaders, we share an innate understanding that our diversity is an enormous strength, that we are best able to reach our potential when we unleash the full the full range of our peoples talents. I want to thank you, President Biden, for hosting this, now the first since 2016 when I welcomed the then leaders to Ottawa. It is a real pleasure to be gathered here with friends, with you and President Lpez Obrador. We are three countries with extremely strong ties between our people, with our visions and values for the future, strongly united. We must not forget that while Canada, United States and Mexico account for 13 percent of the world market, China domains 14.4 percent. And this imbalance started out only 30 years ago in 1990. Chinas share was 1.7 percent. This is why the best, the most convenient thing is to strengthen our economies, to strengthen our trade operations throughout North America and the entire continent.

President Biden hosted Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada and President Andrs Manuel Lpez Obrador of Mexico at the White House on Thursday, a diplomatic mission of three leaders trying to project a united front amid trade scuffles, accusations of American protectionism and concerns over a surge of migration toward the U.S.-Mexico border.

We can meet all of the challenges if we just take the time to speak with one another, Mr. Biden said during a meeting with both leaders on Thursday evening. As leaders, we share an innate understanding that our diversity is an enormous strength, that we are best able to unleash our potential when we unleash the full range of our peoples talents.

The return of the summit after a five-year hiatus during the Trump administration signaled an increased interest among North American leaders to show a sense of strategic and economic solidarity amid a rise in competition from Asia and Europe. The gathering also came at a critical moment for the United States, as the breakdown in global supply chains and the mass movement of people across the Americas have made cooperation with Mexico and Canada more vital than ever.

The leaders agreed on Thursday to form a working group to address regional supply chain issues, including a steady supply of critical minerals, and they struck an agreement to share vaccines. But thornier questions, including what to do about surging numbers of migrants, went unanswered.

Mr. Bidens advisers said the leaders would discuss humane ways to address the root causes that drive people to the border and address the flow of fentanyl and other drugs. But they also said the group would not talk about policies that have become flash points for immigration activists, including a program that forces some asylum seekers to wait in Mexico while their cases are pending.

When asked how the problem of migration could be discussed without mentioning those programs, Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, told reporters that pending litigation prevented the policy, known as Remain in Mexico, from being openly discussed. But certainly migration will be, she said, as will every step that can be taken to reduce the number of people who are coming to the border.

At the end of the day, getting back together will give the right impression, said Tony Payan, the director of the Mexico Center at Rice Universitys Baker Institute for Public Policy. The bad news is that the issues are many and thorny.

No accords were expected in the continuing disagreements over how each country has handled its trade commitments. Since Mr. Biden took office, the details of that Trump-era revision of the North American Free Trade Agreement called the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement have been in dispute. The accord sought to update Mexicos labor laws, encourage more auto production in North America and open Canadian markets for American dairy farmers.

In recent weeks, the Canadian government has argued that the tax credit offered to American consumers who buy U.S.-made electric vehicles is in breach of the accord. Speaking to reporters in a news conference on Monday, Mr. Trudeau said that the Biden administrations buy-American ethos was counterproductive to promoting commerce between the two countries.

We dont view it that way, Ms. Psaki said to reporters on Thursday. In our view, the electric vehicle tax credit is an opportunity to help consumers in this country.

President Biden said on Thursday that the United States was considering a diplomatic boycott of the Winter Olympics in Beijing amid growing pressure to hold China accountable for human rights abuses.

The boycott would mean that no U.S. government officials would attend the Games, which are slated to begin in February, though it would not prevent U.S. athletes from competing.

As he met with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada, Mr. Biden responded to a reporters question about the potential for a diplomatic boycott by saying it was something we are considering.

The comment came after hawkish Republicans have for months called for the administration to use the Olympics as an opportunity to punish China over human rights violations. In a call this week with Chinas leader, Xi Jinping, Mr. Biden raised concerns about abuses in Xinjiang, Tibet and Hong Kong, according to a White House statement, as well as Beijings economic policies that the administration has sought to make a focus of its foreign policy strategy.

But the two leaders did not discuss the Beijing Olympics earlier this week.

They didnt talk about the Olympics during the meeting, Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, said on Thursday. We see it through the prism of competition, not conflict, that is our objective.

But Ms. Psaki acknowledged we do have concern, noting the human rights abuses. I want to leave the president the space to make decisions, she said.

Senator Mitt Romney, Republican of Utah, who ran the committee that organized the 2002 Salt Lake City Games, called in March for an economic and diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Olympics for Chinas human rights abuses against Uyghurs in the Xinjiang region and its crackdown on protesters and journalists in Hong Kong. Senator Tom Cotton, Republican of Arkansas, called on Thursday for a total boycott of the event.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California has also called for the president to withhold a U.S. delegation from attending, although she has said athletes should be able to compete.

When the three leaders meet on Thursday, a series of issues will be on the table. Heres what President Biden, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada and President Andrs Manuel Lpez Obrador of Mexico are expected to discuss.

In recent weeks, the Canadian government has argued that the tax credit offered to American consumers who buy U.S.-made electric vehicles is a breach of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. Speaking to reporters in a news conference on Monday, Mr. Trudeau said that the Biden administrations buy-American ethos was counterproductive to promoting commerce between the two countries.

The Biden administration has accused the Canadian government of practices that favor Canadian dairy farmers and raised concerns that Mexicos energy policies give an unfair advantage to state-owned companies. U.S. officials said on Wednesday that Mr. Biden planned to reaffirm U.S.M.C.A. provisions in support of labor rights protection, a reference to a dispute settled against Mexico this year.

Officials expect agreements to be reached over vaccine sharing. Leaders in Canada and Mexico will agree to share millions of doses with poorer countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, an official said. The three countries will sign onto a pact to reduce methane emissions in the oil and gas industries by as much as 75 percent by 2030 and form a working group to address supply chain issues.

The more delicate discussions will come with Mr. Lpez Obrador. Mr. Biden has had to rely ever more on Mexico to keep the flow of people from overwhelming the border and to house tens of thousands of migrants who might head north. For Biden officials, the importance of maintaining strong Mexican enforcement was made clear in September, when thousands of Haitians walked across the border to Texas.

Mr. Bidens dependence on Mexico has put the fate of a key piece of his domestic agenda in the hands of Mr. Lpez Obrador, who has lashed out at the United States and pursued policies that counter American interests. Mr. Lpez Obradors government has sought to jail university professors, gutted funding for civic organizations, attacked journalists by name at national news conferences and championed a constitutional reform that would ensure the dominance of the state-owned electricity giant in Mexicos energy market.

Just this week, Mr. Lpez Obrador skewered the U.S. embargo on Cuba as vile and attacked the Biden administration for helping to fund Mexican news groups that he described as opposition publications. (The president previously said that American financing for Mexican civil society amounted to promoting a coup mentality.)

As the leaders of the United States, Mexico and Canada met in Washington on Thursday, one economic issue was at the top of the agenda: the supply chains that carry raw materials, parts and products around North America.

President Biden, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada and President Andrs Manuel Lpez Obrador of Mexico plan to start a working group focused on North American supply chain issues, including a steady supply of critical minerals, a senior U.S. administration official told reporters on Wednesday.

The United States and Mexico set up a bilateral group in September aimed at working through supply chain disruptions and attracting new manufacturing to North America. Canada this year published a list of minerals that are critical to its economy, including nickel, cobalt and lithium, which are used to produce high-capacity batteries.

Factory shutdowns, shipping delays and a lack of truckers and warehouse workers during the coronavirus pandemic have disrupted a range of industries, from retail to auto manufacturing.

Companies with complex supply chains across borders have found it difficult to ensure a steady supply of components needed to make their products. U.S. auto manufacturers in particular were forced to slow or stop production as Mexico last year shuttered all nonessential businesses including auto parts manufacturing as it tried to control the coronavirus.

With extensive shipping delays complicating the ability of companies to bring products from China, some North American government officials and industry analysts have called for moving supply chains back to the continent, a trend known as near-shoring.

But that is easier said than done. Many companies say that Chinas vast ecosystem of factories is still the easiest place to manufacture their products. And North America faces its own transportation issues, like slowdowns in rail shipping and a shortage of truckers.

In an event at The Atlantic Council on Tuesday, Martha Brcena Coqui, the former ambassador of Mexico to the United States, said that North American countries needed to build on their effort to keep supply chains open and operating during the pandemic and to bring more investment from Asia.

The U.S. alone cannot be competitive vis--vis China, she said. The main challenge in this very moment is to increase the competitiveness of the North American region.

More than 70 human rights and immigration advocacy organizations on Wednesday pressed President Biden and his counterparts from Canada and Mexico to discuss what they described as cruel, ineffective and unlawful immigration policies. In a letter to the three leaders, the groups said the policies have subjected asylum seekers to inadequate living conditions and significant safety risks.

The groups singled out Mexicos policy of keeping migrants in the state where they made their asylum request most often in poor areas on the countrys southern border and violence-ridden spots dominated by drug cartels along the northern border.

They also pointed to the Biden administrations continued use of a public health rule put in place at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic that allows officials to turn away asylum seekers, as well as a policy that forces migrants to wait in Mexico until officials decide their cases.

Senior administration officials said before the summit meeting that they would not talk about those policies, even though they are hard to separate from addressing migration trends, which the leaders are expected to discuss.

Our organizations are gravely concerned that, despite the stated commitments of your administrations to safe, humane and orderly migration management that upholds respect for human rights, the United States and Mexicos recent immigration policies and practices illustrate a cruel, ineffective and unlawful deterrence-based approach that flouts and subverts international refugee and human rights law, the organizations wrote in the letter.

The migration patterns that have driven a record number of people to try to reach the United States in the past 10 months are expected to continue as they flee violence and poverty. Many migrants are from El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Cuba, Venezuela and Haiti; the organizations said that Haitian migrants faced the additional challenge of anti-Black racism.

The United States recently used the contentious public health rule, known as Title 42, to expel more than 8,000 Haitians who crossed the countrys southern border illegally, drawing international criticism. Haitian asylum seekers make up a majority of applicants in Mexico; at least 20,000 Haitians are currently stranded in the southern city of Tapachula.

Collaborating to protect migrants would be vastly more effective in addressing migration challenges than misguided deterrence measures that return people to harm, the groups wrote.

A revised North American trade agreement has been in effect more than one year, but relations between the United States, Canada and Mexico are still peppered with trade disagreements, some new and some very familiar.

The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, which updated and replaced the North American Free Trade Agreement, or Nafta, when it went into effect last July, has provided a new framework for the countries trade relations, including a new mechanism to challenge labor violations at factories in Mexico and new rules to govern e-commerce and the digital economy.

But it has not dispelled trade spats themselves. As President Biden, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada and President Andrs Manuel Lpez Obrador of Mexico meet on Thursday, there are plenty of trade irritants to discuss, including longstanding rifts over rules for car manufacturing, Mexicos treatment of the energy industry and Canadas policies for American dairy.

One of the biggest issues for Canada and Mexico is a tax credit in the expansive social spending bill currently being considered by Congress that would benefit American production of electric vehicles.

This kind of Buy American provision has been favored by both Democrats and Republicans, and the Biden administration says it will help to build out an important American industry. But the provision could be challenged under U.S.M.C.A., or at the World Trade Organization, for giving imports less favorable treatment than domestic products.

Kenneth N. Frankel, the president of the Canadian Council for the Americas, called it the return of more irritants that we had hoped had gone away from the Canadian perspective. By the year 2026, clean cars would have to be assembled in the United States to be eligible for tax credits, he said during an event hosted on Tuesday by the Atlantic Council, a think tank.

Thats not particularly wonderful from a Canadian perspective, he said. Once again, were back to one of the original things that we talked about at the beginning of the last round of Nafta.

The United States, Canada and Mexico also continue to quibble over how to interpret U.S.M.C.A. rules governing where parts of a car need to be made to qualify for the pacts preferential trade terms.

Under U.S.M.C.A., 75 percent of the value of a car must be made in North America to qualify for tariff-free trade in the region, up from 62.5 percent in the previous agreement. The agreement contains other rules for sourcing auto parts and metals. In August, Mexico requested consultations with the United States about its interpretation of the auto manufacturing rules.

Earlier this year, the Biden administration requested its own dispute settlement panel under the agreement to review Canadas treatment of American dairy products, another longstanding issue of contention. The U.S. alleges that Canada is improperly allocating quotas to its dairy industry in a way that unfairly limits U.S. exports.

Another major issue is constitutional reform measures on the table in Mexico that would favor state-owned energy companies and which critics say would undermine private investment in the renewable energy sector.

Foreign investors in Mexico have long been concerned about unequal treatment and even the risk of expropriation, when the government seizes private assets. Thats why the revised North American trade agreement preserved a special system of arbitration for foreign investors in Mexicos energy market, while stripping them out for other countries and industries.

American officials also have concerns over Mexican restrictions on imports of genetically modified corn and other products, as well as labor rights violations in Mexico.

In a call with reporters on Wednesday, a senior U.S. administration official said the United States planned to reaffirm its support of strong labor rights protections in the meetings. The U.S. has filed two cases using a new rapid response mechanism in the trade deal, one pertaining to a General Motors facility in Silao, Mexico, and another against Tridonex, an auto parts manufacturer in Matamoros. The rapid response mechanism allows for goods to be stopped at the U.S. border if labor complaints arent resolved.

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Biden Meets With Canadas Trudeau and Mexicos Lpez Obrador - The New York Times

A Polish luge athlete who was injured during a Winter Olympics training event near Beijing was flown out of China on a cargo plane this week after coronavirus restrictions prevented him from taking a commercial flight, according to the head of Polands luge association.

The incident speaks to the kinds of complications that could arise at next years Winter Games, which are scheduled to begin on Feb. 4 in accordance with strict health protocols. For training and other events in the prelude to the Games, athletes and team officials are not allowed to move about freely until they have spent 21 days inside a bubblelike training and competition zone.

The luger, Mateusz Sochowicz, 25, hit a barrier and fractured his leg on Nov. 8 while training on the track that will be used during the Winter Games. He was hospitalized near Beijing, and the International Luge Federation said that it and the local track operator were introducing additional safety measures for the Games after the accident.

But when organizers tried to arrange for Mr. Sochowicz to travel back to Poland on a commercial flight, they were told that Covid regulations prevented him from doing so for another two weeks, according to Janusz Tatera, the head of Polands luge federation.

Instead, Mr. Sochowicz traveled on an Air China cargo plane from Beijing to Milan on Monday, before taking another flight to Warsaw, Mr. Tatera said in a telephone interview.

The cargo planes interior was just like that of a passenger jet, Mr. Tatera said, adding that Mr. Sochowicz had described his journey from Beijing as very comfortable.

Mr. Sochowicz remains optimistic, Mr. Tatera said, that he will compete in Beijing 2022 after recovering from the injury.

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Covid Rules for Beijing Olympics Force Injured Athlete to Fly Home on Cargo Plane - The New York Times

Steamboat Springs resident Sammy Schuiling has been on the U.S. Freeski Rookie Halfpipe Team for six years now. He hasnt made the jump to the pro team, but that doesnt mean hes out of the running for a chance to go to the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.

Schuiling was first named to the rookie team in 2016 and has yet to be promoted to the pro team, but thats not a bash on his abilities. It just goes to show how competitive the halfpipe freeski roster is.

I just havent had those breakthrough couple results that I needed, he said.

Schuiling is still happy with where hes at, though, since he still gets to compete with the pro team and train with the coaches and skis in the same environment as everyone else.

I know when I have that season Ive been looking for, he said. Moving up to the pro team will be the natural next step.

Schuiling has been through an Olympic cycle before, but this year, he has a decent chance at going. He has trained with the national team for years but previously trained with Ski and Snowboard Club Vail, which offered better park and pipe facilities than the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club.

Schuiling, 21, trained with the SSWSC briefly. He moved to Steamboat from Telluride in 2009 when his dad got a job in the Yampa Valley. He went to high school and trained in Vail, where he had access to the facilities in Breckenridge and Copper Mountain. His parents still live here, though, so he claims Steamboat as his hometown.

Riley Jacobs, of Oak Creek, took a similar path, starting with the SSWSC but training with Vail as she outgrew local facilities. She, too, is on the rookie halfpipe team. Jacobs, 18, has slightly fewer people to beat out, but that doesnt make her race to the roster any less competitive.

Im a little lower on the list for the Olympics, Jacobs said. But my hopes are up for next time. This year, I want to really progress as much as I can and compete in the competitions and just improve my skiing as much as I can.

Earning a spot on Team USAs freeski halfpipe roster will be tough for everyone. Just three athletes of each gender make the cut and compete in a 25-person field in the Olympic qualifying round. There are six women and nine men on the pro team. There are also two women and five men on the rookie team. Whittling down the top three is a process.

According to a U.S. Ski and Snowboard Athlete Selection Procedures document, the two highest-ranking athletes per gender from the International Ski Federation (FIS) points list Jan. 6, 2022, will be nominated to the team. Athletes must be in the top six on the rankings list. The third quota slot or any remaining slots unfilled will be selected based on an athlete having a top-three result in one of the identified qualifying events. If there are more athletes that fit the criteria than remaining spots, there are tie-breaking mechanisms in place.

There are five qualifying or designated tryout events this winter with the first two at Copper Mountain next month. First, there is a freeski halfpipe World Cup event at Copper Mountain on Dec. 8-10.

Copper is where, training at Vail, I went the majority of the time for my halfpipe training, Schuiling said. It kind of feels like a home event almost. I really appreciate that my family can come down from Steamboat. I have other family in Denver; all of that makes those events nice and special. Thats something I really value.

The following weekend, The Dew Tour returns to Copper Mountain on Dec. 16-18, which is also a qualifying event. There will be two qualifying events Dec. 29-30 and Dec. 31 to Jan. 1 in Calgary before the team wraps up the qualifying season at Mammoth Mountain in California on Jan. 6-9.

In 2018, in Pyeongchang, South Korea, Brita Sigourney was the best performing American woman, winning bronze. The men swept the podium; Aaron Blunck won gold, Alex Ferreira, of Aspen, earned silver, and Torin Yater-Wallace, also of Aspen, finished bronze. All are back except for Yater-Wallace, so the 2022 Team USA will likely do just as well no matter who makes the cut.

The pro team is probably the most deep and crowded team of any U.S. Ski Team roster, Schuiling said. And with halfpipe being one of our strongest events, its very competitive to be on that team.

To reach Shelby Reardon, call 970-871-4253, email sreardon@SteamboatPilot.com or follow her on Twitter @ByShelbyReardon.

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Steamboat freeskiers have chance to compete in 2022 Winter Olympics - Steamboat Pilot & Today

With 10 Ottawa Senators players in Covid-19 protocol, the NHL has elected to postpone the team's ... [+] games through at least Nov. 20. (Photo by Richard A. Whittaker/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Does this weeks postponement of three Ottawa Senators games mark the first nail in the coffin for NHL players return to the Olympics?

A Covid-19 outbreak placed 10 Senators players and associate coach Dave Capuano into protocol as of Monday, when the league announced that evidence of continued spread in recent days triggered the postponement decision. The Senators were set to visit the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday, then host the Nashville Predators on Thursday and the New York Rangers on Saturday.

The outbreak has occurred despite ongoing protocols put into place by the league before the season. All Senators players are fully vaccinated.

The Senators organization has, and will continue to follow, all recommended guidelines aimed at protecting the health and safety of its players, staff and community at large as set by the NHL, local, provincial and national agencies, the league said in a statement.

Despite those best efforts, the virus made its way through the team for more than a week before the leagues decision to postpone. Forward Austin Watson was the first to be placed in Covid protocol, on Nov. 6. Over the next three days, four more players joined him on the list. Another four were added on Nov. 11, and Drake Batherson became the 10th player added on Nov. 14 hours before the undermanned Senators were shut out 4-0 by the Calgary Flames.

Per the Associated Press, the postponements are the first of the 2021-22 season among North Americas major fall leagues the NFL, NBA and NHL. Major League Baseball postponed nine games over its recently completed 2,430-game 2021 season.

Erik Karlsson and Timo Meier were among the seven San Jose Sharks who missed multiple games while in ... [+] Covid protocol. (Photo by Danny Murphy/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Other NHL teams have also had players and team staff in and out of the protocol this season. Another significant outbreak also occurred in San Jose, where the Sharks had seven players placed in Covid protocol on Oct. 30. While two players were cleared after one-game absences, two others were then added to the list. The Sharks continued to play their regular schedule, and returned to full strength on Nov. 12.

Ice hockey players practise during a test event for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games at the ... [+] National Indoor Stadium in Beijing on April 1, 2021. (Photo by Noel Celis / AFP) (Photo by NOEL CELIS/AFP via Getty Images)

What does this have to do with the Olympics?

Broadly speaking, the NHL and its owners are less-than-keen about participation in the Games, believing that the disruption to their season is not outweighed by the Olympics massive global stage. That belief triggered the decision not to allow NHL players to participate in the 2018 Winter Games in South Korea.

But players love the opportunity to suit up for their countries in a best-on-best tournament. During the pandemic shutdown in 2020, they negotiated Olympic participation back into their latest collective bargaining agreement. In the midst of a very complicated negotiation, the league reluctantly agreed to facilitate that participation, if possible.

In September, the NHL and NHL Players Association announced that they had reached an agreement with the International Ice Hockey Federation for Beijing 2022, but warned that Covid-19 could still be an issue.

At that time, NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly toldFrank SeravalliofDaily Faceoffthat withdrawal could be triggered by schedule disruption.

If we have to either cancel games or if we have to postpone and reschedule games outside our normal window, that would mean we will not participate in the Olympics, Daly said.I think our priority has to be completing our 82-game season in the normal course, and not necessarily the Olympics. I think the Players Association recognizes that. So there is that trigger.

On its own, rescheduling three Ottawa Senators games shouldnt be enough to activate that trigger. But it certainly raises the flag of concern particularly coming so quickly on the heels of the Sharks outbreak. The possibility still remains that more Senators games could be postponed if their situation continues to worsen. And with other positive tests already having popped up elsewhere in the league, more widespread impacts could still occur.

Nearly two months of runway remain. The NHL and the NHL Players Association have a deadline of Jan. 10 to determine whether the Covid-related disruptions to the league schedule will render Februarys Olympic break unfeasible.

Currently, no games are scheduled between Feb. 3 and Feb. 22. That break also includes the NHLs 2022 All-Star Weekend, set for Feb. 4-5 in Las Vegas.

In early October, each national team named three players expected to suit up at the Olympic tournament. Further roster construction continues behind the scenes. Final rosters are set to be announced in January.

With NHL players participating, Canada won the last two Olympic gold medals, in 2010 and 2014. Without NHL players, the Olympic Athletes from Russia defeated Germany for gold in Pyeongchang in 2018.

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Will Covid-19 Jeopardize The NHLs 2022 Winter Olympics Participation? - Forbes

These players have turned so many heads with their early-season play that they could be contenders to make their nations' squads at the 2022 Beijing Winter Games.

Jesse Puljujarvi (Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports)

Weve unofficially completed the too early to speculate phase of 2022 Olympic roster talk. The Beijing Winter Games are less than three months away, and the IIHF requires the mens hockey teams to submit their final rosters by early January.

That means any fringe players who might be playing their way into roster consideration roughly five weeks into this NHL season are absolutely worth discussing. Which have spiked their stocks early on?

Troy Terry, RW, USA

Take a big sip of coffee, peruse the top of the NHL scoring leaderboard and Drasaitl, McDavid, Ovechkin, Kuznetsov (spit) TERRY!?

Yes, Troy Terry, who entered this season averaging 9.5 goals and 30.5 points per 82 games, has exploded for 11 goals and 20 points in his first 15 games with the Anaheim Ducks this season, punctuated by an active point streak of 14 games, meaning his first game of 2021-22 is the only time hes been held off the scoresheet.

The Americans project to have a deep blueline, strong goaltending and an enviable group of big forwards who can score goals (Auston Matthews, Max Pacioretty, Kyle Connor, etc.) and play a heavy game (the Tkachuk brothers). The silky-mitted Terry would offer a shifty playmaking/goal-scoring hybrid element complementary to what Patrick Kane and Johnny Gaudreau will bring to the top-six forward group.

Might Terry displace an older roster candidate such as Joe Pavelski or T.J. Oshie? It largely depends on whether Terry cracked the Americans' 50-skater long list submitted in October. One reason he might have: he was already on USA Hockeys radar as a folk hero, having scored the gold-medal clinching goal in a shootout at the 2017 world juniors.

Lucas Raymond, RW, Sweden

On play alone, the uber-intelligent Raymond looks the part of Olympic-worthy. Its just a matter of whether the Swedish brass deem him ready. He was a WJC mainstay but hasnt competed in a World Championship yet. If Swedish GM Johan Garpenlov names Raymond to the Beijing team, itll be an upside play, and it would mean nudging out a safe, high-floor veteran such as Rickard Rakell or Viktor Arvidsson.

For what its worth, Sweden didnt shy away from youth in its last Olympic venture with NHLers. Gabriel Landeskog made the team at 21 and Oliver Ekman-Larsson did at 22. Raymond, however, is quite the babyface at 19. Garpenlov was asked about Raymond in late October, and his comments indicated Raymond may not have been on Sweden's 50-player long list. Or perhaps Garpenlov was simply tempering expectations for a prospect who did make the list but isnt a lock to make the team.

Zach Hyman, LW, Canada

Canada has a history of galaxy-braining picks at the Olympics, tracing back to Rob Zamuner in 1998. Thats not to say Hyman belongs in the Zamuner-level talent tier, but picking him would mean passing on a collection of higher-skill players anyone from Mark Scheifele to Mathew Barzal. Still, from a chemistry standpoint, it might make sense to put Hyman on the team, not just because of his fit with Connor McDavid in Edmonton but also because of Hymans previous chemistry with Mitch Marner in Toronto.

Canada brought Jay Bouwmeester to play with Alex Pietrangelo and Chris Kunitz to play with Sidney Crosby at the 2014 Sochi Olympics, and it brought Jake Muzzin to play with Drew Doughty at the 2016 World Cup, so a Hyman pick wouldnt constitute the first time Canada prioritized players that have history with each other.

Jesse Puljujarvi, RW, Finland

Five years ago, when Puljujarvi was an elite 2016 draft prospect, anyone wouldve forecast him as a mainstay on the 2022 Finnish Olympic squad. A slow start to his NHL career, a trade request and a return to Finland clouded his future, however. But hes begun realizing his potential since rejoining the Oilers for 2020-21 and, now, hes found a home making magic on McDavids line.

The Bison King has grown up and learned to use his special combination of size, speed and skill to become a force around the net. The Finnish team has a lot of star power, but it should have a home for Puljujarvi, who gave his countrymen a close-up look at his talent in 2019-20 when he finished fourth in Liiga scoring.

Carter Hart, G, Canada

During a nightmarish 2020-21 campaign, the normally steely-nerved Hart imploded. Among 43 netminders who played 1,000 or more minutes at 5-on-5 last season, he graded out dead last in the NHL in goals saved above average per 60 minutes. This season? Among 57 goalies with 100 minutes played so far, hes sixth-best in GSAA/60. Hes found his groove despite facing higher-quality chances on a Philadelphia Flyers team struggling to protect him defensively and, given his elite pedigree leading up to last seasons flop, its fair to call last season the anomaly.

Hart landing on the radar is important, as it gives Canada options if Carey Price decides not to compete and Marc-Andre Fleury doesnt find his groove. At the very least, Hart is in the mix for the No. 3 job with Jordan Binnington, Darcy Kuemper and Mackenzie Blackwood. Hart and Blackwood were on the outside of the six a month ago but have narrowed the gap with their play.

BONUS RISERS: Carey Price, Canada; Jack Eichel, USA

Price and Eichel dont fit the purpose of this exercise, which is to identify those whose play has earned them Olympic consideration, but theres no denying Price and Eichels situations have changed for the better in the past few weeks.

Price has rejoined the Montreal Canadiens after spending most of October in the NHL player assistance program and theoretically could be game-ready by the time Canada GM Doug Armstrong picks his team in about two months. New Vegas Golden Knight Eichel finally got his disk-replacement surgery, and it carries a recovery timeline of approximately three months. It would be a risk for Vegas to send him to play for Team USA in Beijing but, on the other hand, the Olympics could double as a pre-season that would help him find his sea legs in time for the NHL stretch run.

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Five Players Forcing Their Way Onto the 2022 Olympic Roster Bubble - Sports Illustrated

Going for gold never gets old!

Even though Shaun Whitehas already competed inTurin, Vancouver, Sochi and PyeongChang on Team USA's snowboarding team, that doesn't mean he's any less stoked to get to Beijing for the 2022 Winter Olympics.

"Every Olympics presents a new challenge and it's fun and it's fulfilling," theglobal brand ambassador for KRAVE Jerkyexclusively shared with E! News. "It's so fulfilling to learn a new trick and have a goal. There's ups and downs. It's living. It's great and usually there's something amazing at the end, win or lose. I'm excited about the journey of it all."

Before sports fans question whether a 35-year-old snowboarder has what it takes to be the best in the world, Shaun says his age gives him an advantage: experience. At the same time, he realizes that his Olympics future may be uncertain after he earns a spot for 2022.

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Inside Shaun White's Unbelievable Ride to His 5th Winter Olympics - E! Online

Smartsheets platform empowers Special Olympics Inc. staff and athletes to break down silos and stay connected

BELLEVUE, Wash., November 15, 2021--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Smartsheet (NYSE:SMAR), the enterprise platform for dynamic work, today announced a partnership with Special Olympics Inc (SOI) to empower its teams and athletes to manage projects, automate workflows and collaborate more easily.

The new partnership expands on their existing relationship and will provide SOI additional Smartsheet capabilities and support to realize the full impact that seamless collaboration can have across its whole organization.

Special Olympics provides year-round sports, health, education and community building to 5.7 million people with intellectual disabilities in 200 countries. Prior to using Smartsheet, teams at SOI managed their work using a combination of spreadsheets and email, which caused silos and inefficiencies. They needed to standardize their approach to project management to collaborate across departments and time zones more effectively.

Today, more than 80 percent of SOI teams use Smartsheet to manage their work and plan events. Since implementing Smartsheet, SOI improved collaboration and transparency across departments and teams, helping reduce duplicative processes and creating significant time savings. For example, multiple teams saved approximately 45 hours a month by combining siloed project workstreams in Smartsheet.

"With Smartsheet, we have become more transparent and innovative with our work and how we collaborate with our teams," said Laura Jones, Director, Project Management, SOI. "The transparent project information we capture from dashboards and reports provides leaders and stakeholders with visibility into projects and creates opportunities to make a long-term impact, ultimately benefiting the athletes and their journey."

Special Olympics athletes also gain value from Smartsheet, using the platform to communicate with other members and plan events of their own. Smartsheet serves as a valuable tool for athletes who are part of Special Olympics leadership programs and need a way to manage their projects skillfully.

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"Smartsheet is a very helpful tool for Special Olympics Inc.," said Caitlin Baran, Special Olympics Athlete Leader and Athlete Leadership Coordinator, Organizational Excellence Team. "As an organization, transparency is crucial. Smartsheet allows us to keep records and track so that we can be as transparent as possible."

"Our mission at Smartsheet is to empower anyone to drive meaningful change and partnering with Special Olympics has been an incredible opportunity to bring that to life," said Amelia Ransom, Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Smartsheet. "Were thrilled to support SOI and create new ways of working that will help them move faster and achieve more for their global communities of athletes, ultimately contributing to their mission to create a better, more inclusive world. Together, were changing the way the world works and plays."

In addition to the partnership, Smartsheet will provide employee volunteer opportunities at regional Special Olympics community events around the globe. Most recently, Smartsheet, the Seattle Kraken, and Special Olympics Washington (SOWA) held an employee volunteer event on Smartsheets rink at the Kraken Community Iceplex for SOWA athletes to learn about the game of hockey. Smartsheet employees also recently volunteered with Special Olympics Massachusetts and Denver; future events are scheduled in London and Edinburgh, where Smartsheet offices are located.

About Smartsheet

Smartsheet (NYSE: SMAR) is the enterprise platform for dynamic work. By aligning people and technology so organisations can move faster and drive innovation, Smartsheet enables its millions of users to achieve more. Visit http://www.smartsheet.com to learn more.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains "forward-looking" statements that are based on our managements beliefs and assumptions and on information currently available to management. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements about Smartsheets expectations regarding possible or assumed business strategies, channel and partner strategies, potential growth and innovation opportunities, new products, and potential market opportunities.

Forward-looking statements generally relate to future events or our future financial or operating performance. Forward-looking statements include all statements that are not historical facts and can be identified by terms such as "believe," "continue," "could," "potential," "remain," "will," "would" or similar expressions and the negatives of those terms. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. These risks include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties related to: our ability to achieve future growth and sustain our growth rate, our ability to attract and retain talent, our ability to attract and retain customers (including government customers) and increase sales to our customers, our ability to develop and release new products and services and to scale our platform, our ability to increase adoption of our platform through our self-service model, our ability to maintain and grow our relationships with channel and strategic partners, the highly competitive and rapidly evolving market in which we participate, our ability to identify targets for, execute on, or realize the benefits of, potential acquisitions, and our international expansion strategies. Further information on risks that could cause actual results to differ materially from forecasted results is included in our filings with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended July 31, 2021 filed with the SEC on September 8, 2021. Any forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based on assumptions that we believe to be reasonable as of this date. Except as required by law, we assume no obligation to update these forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons if actual results differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211115005202/en/

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Chrissy Vaughnpr@smartsheet.com

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Special Olympics Inc. Partners with Smartsheet to Unlock Collaboration, Helping Them Achieve More for Athletes Across the Globe - Yahoo Finance

His response was always short.

"A little bit," he'd say.

Reichart was too humble to tell the whole story.

"I would have to tell them that he captained the 1964 Olympic team," his wife, Betty, said.

Reichart, one of the greatest hockey players to ever come through UND, died unexpectedly in his sleep Friday night at the age of 86 at his home in Southern Pines, N.C.

"He was very focused and very personable," his stepdaughter Kim Van Der Heiden said. "He had a mischievous sense about him as in a very good sense of humor. He would always take a big interest in people and ask questions of people and make them feel good. He also was very modest."

That was especially the case when he described his hockey career.

He did more than play "a little bit."

Reichart was a forward at UND from 1954-57, serving as team captain as a senior. He is one of just two players in program history to be named first-team All-American three times (the other is defenseman Bill Steenson, one of his former teammates).

Reichart led UND in both goals and points during three consecutive seasons. Nobody has pulled off that feat since. To this day, he holds the program record for most points in a single game. He tallied nine (seven goals, two assists) against Minnesota Duluth on Dec. 29, 1954.

He was the first hockey player to be inducted into the UND Athletics Hall of Fame. Reichart was part of the inaugural Hall of Fame class in 1975, which also included other UND athletics legends such as Fritz Pollard and Red Jarrett.

"This summer, we sat on the deck a lot and he talked a lot about the hockey games, his roommates, his friends. . . he had very good memories from the University of North Dakota," Betty said. "They were all positive."

Coach Fido Purpur recruited Reichart to UND.

"He was always very thankful," Kim said. "Without the scholarship, he wouldn't have been able to go to the university. He had a couple of other choices, but the University of North Dakota was close to home for him and he never regretted it."

The Winnipeg native became an American citizen in 1963 and chose to represent the U.S. in international play.

In 1964, Reichart tried out for the U.S. national team ahead of the Winter Olympics in Innsbruck. He joined the pre-Olympic tour late, but after one game, they named him captain. His teammates at the 1964 Games included Herb Brooks, Warroad's Billy and Roger Christian, and UND's Don Ross and Tom Yurkovich.

Reichart led the U.S. Olympic team in scoring with 10 points in eight games.

Sports Illustrated wrote a lengthy feature on Reichart before those Olympics, describing the complexities for amateur athletes. Reichart worked at IBM in Rochester, Minn., and had to take time off of work to play.

"I don't think I would have tried out for the U.S. team if this had not been an Olympic year," Reichart told Sports Illustrated. "It takes too much time. I couldn't afford it. But the Olympics are different. They're worth the sacrifice and the effort."

Reichart, who remained at IBM in Rochester for 30 years, had three children Renee, Ron and Wendy. Ron played hockey at Colorado College.

This photo of Bill Reichart, with his USA jersey on, ran in Sports Illustrated. Submitted photo.

Bill and Betty married in 1982 and moved to North Carolina in 1992. Reichart was a founding member of Forest Creek Golf Club, and he was an excellent golfer.

In 1994, at the age of 59, he qualified for the U.S. Senior Open at Pinehurst. When he was 68 years old, he shot his age, finishing a round with a score of 68.

Reichart re-kindled his love for hockey when the Hartford Whalers moved to North Carolina in 1997.

"He really seemed to enjoy that," Kim said. "He had a local team to cheer for. I would call him, and they'd be like, 'Gotta go, the hockey game is on.'"

Betty said: "When he watched a hockey game, he knew the condition of the ice by the way the puck was rolling. He could tell how the ice was. He could also call out the referees, and say, 'that was only 50-50.' It was always interesting. He could watch and he knew everything."

Reichart long had heart-related health issues, his family said. He had been managing them well, though.

The last thing Reichart did before going to bed Friday night was watch the Hurricanes play against the Philadelphia Flyers. He insisted on watching to the postgame interviews before falling asleep.

"Watching a hockey game was the last thing he did before he went to bed and passed away," Kim said. "It was a swan song. We figure he planned it that way."

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UND great Bill Reichart, captain of the 1964 US Olympic team, dies at age 86 - Grand Forks Herald

Canoe slalom star Mallory Franklin admits she's still not had time to dwell on her scintillating Olympic silver.

The 27-year-old from Windsor came second in the women's C1 canoe slalom at her debut games in Tokyo and headed straight back into training with the World Championships following shortly after.

Franklin has also got back in the kayak after focussing solely on the canoe for two years in the run-up to the Olympics and emulated her Tokyo silver with the same colour medal at a World Cup event in Catalonia.

Tokyo 2020

K1, K2, C1 & C2

02/08/2021 AT 00:31

And Franklin, one of over 1,000 athletes who are able to train full-time, access to the world's best coaches and benefit from pioneering technology, science and medical support thanks to vital National Lottery funding, said: "I haven't had as much downtime as you might think, I've been back racing a bit and had selection for kayak as well, so it's been a little bit of a whirlwind since Tokyo.

"But I think looking back on it, it just feels almost so surreal, it was such an odd experience, in terms of the restrictions and how the environment was then coming back into Britain and it being so free.

"It kind of felt like you were in a whole different world, which is really crazy. I don't think I've really properly reflected on the whole thing.

"It was very much like I got back and then had loads of media stuff and had selection, and then off to more races.

Franklin was pleased with her subdued return to Britain after Tokyo, only being met by her fianc at the airport.

But teammate Kimberley Woods had other plans.

"At the actual airport, my fianc came and picked us up, which is quite cute, me and my coach flew back together, so my fianc came and got us," she added.

"It was nice to have a bit of time with him and I'm not really someone that massively enjoys big public, things like that, so it was quite nice for it to be quite little.

"It was quite toned down, but then when I got back to Lee Valley, which is my training centre, then one of the other athletes Kimberley Woods had arranged for loads of the locals around there, and some of the other athletes on our podium potential team, to visit.

"They were all there to welcome me back, which is pretty cool and it was nice to have both elements of getting to see the person that I probably care about most in an environment where I was really comfortable.

"But then seeing how much my result and that whole experience meant to other people was also really cool."

While Franklin is still yet to get over Tokyo, attention elsewhere has already turned to Paris 2024, and after her wedding, she too will focus on the next cycle including a visit to the course.

"I think once I get basically just through my wedding, that's probably what I need to get through, I think then I will [focus on Paris]," said Franklin, whose silver in Japan was one of the 1,000-plus Olympic and Paralympic medals achieved by British athletes since National Lottery funding to elite sport started in 1997.

"We've got a winter training camp on the cards, and we might stop off in Paris and spend a bit of time on the course there.

"I think you need to give yourself a bit of time out from it, but at the same time, it's only three years away and it's definitely something that's in my eyesight."

No one does more to support our Olympic and Paralympic athletes than National Lottery players, who raise more than 30 million each week for good causes including grassroots and elite sport. Discover the positive impact playing the National Lottery has at http://www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk and get involved by using the hashtag: #TNLAthletes

Tokyo 2020

Canoe/Kayak Slalom - Tokyo 2020 - Olympic Highlights

30/07/2021 AT 09:40

Canoe/Kayak Slalom

Tokyo 2020 - 'It's really crazy' - Mallory Franklin on her Olympic silver medal for Team GB

30/07/2021 AT 08:25

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'It feels so surreal' - Olympic silver medallist Mallory Franklin looks back at Tokyo and adds medals to collection - Eurosport.com