Olympics
NORTH AND SOUTH KOREA OPT FOR JOINT 2032 OLYMPICS BID
Sports have again proven a greater bond in bringing politically divergent territory together. Both North Korea and South Korea on Friday agreed to inform the International Olympic Committee (IOC) formally of their intention to co-host the 2032 Summer Games.nnIt is the third time ever that the two politically and ideologically divided nations are using sports as a unifying platform. Sports Village Square recalls that they both competed as a unified team at the Portugal ’91 U-20 World Cup then called World Youth Championship.nnFIFA at the time applauded the gesture as it hoped that the football body, where the UN had failed, would be the platform to bring the two Koreas together.nnEarly this year, both also competed under the same umbrella in the Winter Olympics hosted by South Korea.nnAccording to a joint release by Yonhap, the South Korean news agency and Korean Central News Agency for North Korea, the two sides reached that agreement during their sports talks in the North’s border town of Kaesong.nnnnAthletes from South Korea and North Korea march behind the Korean Unification Flag at the opening ceremony of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics at PyeongChang Olympic Stadium in PyeongChang, 180 kilometers east of Seoul.nnFollowing their first sports talks in four months, the Koreas issued a joint communique, detailing other areas of cooperationnnThe Koreas said they will try to field a joint team at next year’s men’s handball world championships.nnThe Koreas also agreed to form unified teams at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics and to work with the IOC and international federations of summer Olympic sports to make that happen.nn”We’ve not decided on which sports we intend to have unified teams in,” Roh said. “After selecting the discipines for unified teams following consent from sports bodies and athletes, the two Koreas will first discuss the issue and then talk with internationdal federations.”nnRoh said the Koreas will, if possible, try to form unified teams from the Olympic qualification. If that plan doesn’t work, they will discuss with international federations on the Olympic quota.nnnnIn this Joint Press Corps photo, North Korean Vice Sports Minister Won Kil-u (R) speaks with his South Korean counterpart, Roh Tae-kang, during their sports talks at the joint liaison office in Kaesong, North Korea.nnIn the case of handball, Roh said the Korea Handball Association in Seoul has already reached an agreement with the International Handball Federation (IHF) on a unified Korea team at the worlds. Roh added that the two Koreas will hold joint training before the IHF World Men’s Handball Championship in January.nnAnd to ensure mutual growth in sports, the Koreas said they’ll actively participate in international competitions held on either side of the border.nn”We will try to have friendly matches in sports that the two sides both agree on when there are moments to celebrate, such as the one year anniversary of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics or the inter-Korean summit on April 27,” Roh said.nnThe Koreas first expressed their interest in sharing the 2032 Olympics after the Sept. 19 summit between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.nnNo Olympic Games, summer or winter, have been shared by two countries.nnIOC President Thomas Bach said at the time the IOC “welcomes very much” the intention of the two Koreas to jointly host the Olympics.nnAnd following Friday’s agreement, the Koreas will now send a formal document to the IOC expressing their intention.nnSeoul’s Vice Sports Minister Roh Tae-kang led the South Korean delegation and met with North Korean Vice Sports Minister Won Kil-u at the joint liaison office in Kaesong. Their meeting started at 10 a.m.nnThe formal bidding process for the 2032 Olympics hasn’t begun, and the IOC typically awards hosting rights seven years beforehand.nnGermany, Australia, India and Indonesia have expressed interest in the 2032 Olympics. After Tokyo in 2020, Paris will host the Summer Olympics in 2024, followed by Los Angeles in 2028.nnThe Koreas have taken major steps in their sports cooperation. In February this year, the Koreas assembled a unified women’s hockey team at the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea’s PyeongChang. It was the first all-Korean team at any Olympics, winter or summer. They also marched in together at the opening ceremony.nnAt the Asian Games in Indonesia in the summer, the Koreas had joint teams in rowing, canoeing and women’s basketball and won a gold medal in dragon boat racing, a canoeing discipline.nnThe Koreas have also competed as one at international table tennis events, with plans for more joint teams at upcoming competitions.
Roy Jones Jr has been handed the Olympic gold medal he was controversially denied in 1988 in an extraordinary act of sportsmanship by the South Korean fighter who beat him.
Hall of Fame boxer Jones shared a video on Wednesday from two years ago that showed Park Si-hun visiting the American’s ranch in Pensacola, Florida to present him with the light middleweight gold medal.
“I had the gold medal, but I want to give it back to you. It belongs to you,” Park said in the video through his son, who translated.
Jones, who was overcome with emotion by the gesture, covered his face with his hand before saying: “Wow, that is crazy.”
Their match at the Seoul Olympics remains one of boxing’s most contentious moments as Jones appeared to dominate the fight but lost to Park by a 3-2 decision that drew instant criticism and sparked enduring controversy.
Despite losing the gold medal match, Jones was selected as the Val Barker Trophy winner as the best boxer of the 1988 Olympics.
Jones went on to become a four-division world champion and is regarded as one of the sport’s best pound-for-pound fighters of all time.
“In 1988, I was robbed of the gold medal in what became one of the biggest controversies in boxing history,” Jones wrote in his Instagram post.
“By the grace of God, a couple of years ago, the man who won that medal made the trip from South Korea to my home to return it to me, feeling it was rightfully mine.
“I hope you enjoy this moment as much as I did.”
-Reuters
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
U.S. President Donald Trump will sign an executive order on Tuesday creating a White House Olympics task force to handle security and other issues related to the 2028 Summer Olympic Games, an administration official told Reuters.
The task force, made up of members from Trump’s cabinet and government agencies, will coordinate federal, state and local government work on transportation, the official said.
It also will “streamline visa processing and credentialing for foreign athletes, coaches, officials, and media,” the official said in an email.
The United States will host the Olympics in Los Angeles in three years. Trump, a Republican who lost the 2020 election to Democrat Joe Biden, has expressed pleasure that his second term will coincide with the Olympics and the World Cup.
“During his first term, President Trump was instrumental in securing America’s bid to host the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. The president considers it a great honor to oversee this global sporting spectacle in his second term,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement on Monday.
Last month organizers of the Los Angeles games released the first look at the Olympic competition schedule . The city had also hosted the Olympics in 1932 and 1984.
“The creation of this task force marks an important step forward in our planning efforts and reflects our shared commitment to delivering not just the biggest, but the greatest Games the world has ever seen in the summer of 2028,” Casey Wasserman, the chair and president of LA28, said in a statement.
–Reuters
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
By DAVID LEE
Home is many places for swimmer Adaku Nwandu, who was born in China, lives in Singapore and wears the Nigeria flag on her swimsuit.
And it is at her current home in Singapore that the 17-year-old is making her debut at the World Aquatics Championships (WCH).
In the second heat of the 100m freestyle at the WCH Arena, the teenager, who has a Nigerian father and Chinese mother, led at the turn before finishing third in 1min 0.89sec – she eventually placed 59th out of 82 athletes overall.
After her race, Adaku shared with The Straits Times that she was born and raised in Shanghai, and started swimming when she was eight. Interestingly, it was ice cream that kept her in the sport.
Adaku, who still has the 50m freestyle heats on Aug 2, said: “At a school competition, I didn’t do so well and I asked my dad if we could make a deal. He said if I do better, he would buy me ice cream once every week, and that’s a promise we have kept with each other. And that’s what brought me here.”
In 2023, the family moved to Singapore due to her mother’s work posting. With her fluent Mandarin and love for Asian and spicy food, it did not take long for her to pick up Singlish and enjoy local delights like chicken rice and chilli crab.
She said: “We came here mainly because of my mother’s work, and also because the swimming scene back where I lived in China was a little bit toxic, so she also thought Singapore would be a new experience and better for my swimming.”
By then, she had already committed to representing Nigeria after its aquatics association contacted her after the National Sports Festival in Asaba, where the then 16-year-old was part of the national record-breaking women’s 4x200m freestyle relay team.
But Singapore is where she has been honing her swimming skills, as she has set her 50m and 100m freestyle long- and short-course Nigeria national records at meets here.
Noting her improvements, Singapore swimming coach and performance director Gary Tan said: “Adaku has been participating in our system for a while, and we hope it helps her develop as a swimmer and achieve what she wants while training in Singapore with her school (German European School Singapore).”
For someone who is inspired by Olympic champions David Popovici, Caeleb Dressel and Adam Peaty for “their dedication and the way they are able to take breaks for themselves to improve and get back to the water”, qualifying for Paris 2024 on ranking points was a dream come true.
Her Olympic debut was also unforgettable as her swimsuit ripped 20 minutes before her 50m freestyle heat, but she managed to finish second in her heat and 33rd out of 78th overall in 26.62 seconds, just 0.03 of a second off her personal best.
Back in Singapore, Adaku, who is in the International Baccalaureate (IB) programme at her school, realised that she needed more of such resilience to reach her goals.
The swimmer, who also plays for the school’s volleyball team, said: “I had a lot of improvement the first year I came to Singapore. But this past year has been especially hard for me with family problems and also school. The workload in my first year of IB made it hard to balance training and school.
“Especially in the next year, I want to focus more on swimming and try to get some new personal bests because this year I just plateaued. I’m looking forward to training harder and preparing for my next competition and hopefully qualify for the next Olympics.”
-Strait Times, Singapore
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
- World Cup1 week ago
BREAKING: At last FIFA’s Axe falls on South Africa!
- World Cup1 week ago
South Africa to Appeal FIFA Ruling Over Mokoena Eligibility Case
- Nigerian Football1 week ago
Super Eagles Set for Double Friendly Showdown with Venezuela and Colombia in USA
- World Cup1 week ago
Sport Minister Orders Probe into SAFA over Bafana’s Costly Points Deduction
- World Cup6 days ago
FIFA Sanction on South Africa Offers Super Eagles a Lifeline — But a Lesson from History Looms
- CAF Confederation Cup1 week ago
Asante Kotoko End Kwara United’s Confederation Cup Campaign in Abeokuta
- U-20 FOOTBALL1 week ago
Two penalty appeal lost as Flying Eagles stumble at first hurdle
- World Cup4 days ago
Super Eagles Walk Tightrope as Nine Key Players Risk Suspension in World Cup Qualifiers