Olympics
American athlete’s journey from Russian prison to Paris 2024 is applauded
Brittney Griner’s “unprecedented” journey back to the Olympic Games, less than two years after she was released from a Russian prison in a saga that rocked American sport, has been applauded by her U.S. teammate Diana Taurasi at the Paris Games.
Twice gold medallist Griner was released from one of Russia’s most notorious penal colonies in a high-profile prisoner exchange in December 2022 and returned to the WNBA months later for the 2023 season.
Griner said she would never play abroad again professionally unless it was to compete at the Olympics and she will wear the red, white and blue jersey again as the U.S. begin their campaign for an eighth consecutive gold on Monday.
“What BG’s gone through in the last couple of years is obviously unprecedented,” Taurasi, who is also her teammate on the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, said on Saturday.
“For her to be able to come back, to get on that flight, to come overseas, it was a big moment for her in a lot of ways. But I’m glad she did it because she’s a remarkable person.”
The 33-year-old Griner, who had played professionally in Russia, was detained in a Moscow airport with vape cartridges containing cannabis oil in her luggage.
The player had a prescription in the United States for medical marijuana and pleaded guilty to charges of possessing and smuggling illegal drugs but insisted she had made an “honest mistake.” Griner spent nearly 10 months in detention.
“Not saying that, you know, the minute she got back from that she was the happiest person on earth. But she found a way to navigate all those emotions and all those situations to move forward,” said Taurasi.
U.S. republican lawmakers, including former President Donald Trump, were critical of the deal that saw Griner released in exchange for the arms dealer Viktor Bout, while those in the WNBA and in U.S. sport celebrated her release.
“We see her on the court as being an intimidating, dominant force, but I always say she’s the person with the biggest heart,” Taurasi told reporters.
“And I think that’s why people went to bat for her so hard, because they know what kind of person she is.”
Griner said earlier this week that she felt comfortable at the Games – though reiterated that she would not play abroad again in any professional capacity.
“Everybody’s thinking about how it is for me coming back overseas and all that after everything I went through,” she said. “But it’s good. I feel good being here, being in France. I feel safe. I feel great.”
-Reuters
The Olympic rings installed on the Eiffel Tower since June to celebrate the upcoming Olympic Games were removed from the Parisian monument early on Friday morning, as confirmed by an AFP photographer. But the Paris City Hall intends to replace them with a more permanent structure until 2028.
The five-coloured rings, measuring 29 metres in length and 15 metres in height, were placed between the first and second levels of the iconic iron structure on 7 June.
According to Inside the Games publication, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo wants the Olympic symbol to continue decorating the monument until the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.
But the descendants of the tower’s creator, Gustave Eiffel are opposing the move. They are insisting that the Olympic rings are aesthetically in conflict with the concept and design of the Tower.
The 30-tonne rings initially installed on the Eiffel Tower were also not designed to withstand winter weather conditions.
Olympics
Despite Egypt winning 3 medals at Paris Olympics, President Al-Sisi orders sports system overhaul
Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi ordered a comprehensive evaluation of sports federations that participatedat the Paris Olympic Games, following a mission report submitted by the country’s sports minister.
The mandate includes a thorough expenditure check and a performance review to better highlight areas of improvement and fund allocation in future Games.
Additionally, the president plans to take necessary measures against federations —such as limiting funds— that had negative results in the Paris Games.
Egypt’s participation in sports where it lacks a competitive advantage will also be limited, as the president aims to direct resources to promising athletes to ensure optimal results. The president also aims to reduce administrative and technical staff within Olympic delegations and task relevant ministries with preparing future Olympic athletes.
Al-Sisi’s Olympic overhaul is to be presented to the cabinet for approval and urged the government to prioritise amending the sports law for the House of Representatives for review.
Egypt took home a total of three medals in the Summer Games. Ahmed El-Gendy triumphed in modern pentathlon, Sara Samir claimed the silver in weightlifting, and 21-year-old fencer Mohamed El-Sayed earned the bronze.
-Insidethegames
Paris 2024 sold a record 12 million tickets for the Olympics and Paralympics, beating the Games record previously set by London 2012, organisers said on Sunday.
Some 9.5 million tickets were sold for the Olympics and 2.5 million for the Paralympics, which end on Sunday.
In 2012, London organisers set the record for the Paralympics with 2.7 million tickets sold but only 8.2 million were sold for the Olympics.
-Reuters
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