Olympics
BEIJING 2008 OLYMPIC STADIUM, BIRD NEST, CLOSED OVER EPIDEMIC
The National Stadium in Beijing, commonly called ‘Bird Nest’ is among several public buildings to have been closed by Chinese authorities as they battle to contain the outbreak of the coronavirus, which is sweeping across China.
The Stadium was the centrepiece of the 2008 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games, hosting the Opening and Closing Ceremonies and the athletics.
It is also due to be involved in the 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics when it will become the first stadium in history to host the Opening Ceremonies of both Summer and Winter Games.
Chinese officials announced they are closing the Stadium until at least next Thursday (January 30) to “prevent and control” the spread of the virus, authorities said.
An ice and snow show taking place on the pitch to help celebrate the Chinese New Year has been cancelled.
The Chinese Government have ordered the shutdown of a number of tourist attractions to try to control the spread of the deadly virus that has infected hundreds of people across the country.
A range of Lunar New Year festivities have been cancelled to try to contain the virus, and Beijing’s Forbidden City has also been closed temporarily.
Parts of the Great Wall of China have also been closed.
The number of people to have died from the virus rose to 41 today, with more than 1,300 infected globally, but most of the cases and all of the deaths so far have been in Wuhan, where officials have imposed severe restrictions on travel and public gatherings.
Wuhan was due to host two major Olympic qualifying events next month but both have now been moved.
The Asian and Oceania boxing qualifying event, originally due to start in Wuhan on February 3, has now been moved to Amman in Jordan and re-scheduled for March.
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC), meanwhile, moved one of its qualifiers for the women’s tournament at Tokyo 2020 from Wuhan to Nanjing, 550 kilometres away.
Group B will be led by hosts China, who will take on Australia, Thailand and Chinese Taipei.
Australian goalkeeper Lydia Williams admitted they were relieved when the tournament was moved away from Wuhan.
“It’s good to see that we’re not going to Wuhan,” she told The Daily Telegraph in Sydney.
“We were kept in the dark, I think for a good reason, our Federation, while FIFA and the AFC were all in discussions about our Plan B.
“But our staff really did a top job of communicating and making sure that, until they had something concrete, they weren’t going to comment on it.”
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
NFF Communication director unfolds 20 Points of a 20-hour ordeal on Libyan soil
African football legends, Adebayor and Aubameyang condemn Libya’s treatment of Super Eagles
BREAKING! CAF wades into the Libya-Nigeria Airport episode
Breaking! Uzoho suspended from Super Eagles’ next match with Sierra Leone
No longer Super League as CAF changes name of its new clubs competition
AIU releases its report on Tobi Amusan
-
Uncategorized1 week ago
Players boycott Libyan national team
-
AFCON5 days ago
Billiat’s penalty seals Zimbabwe’s 1-0 win over Namibia
-
AFCON1 week ago
Eguavoen unfolds Super Eagles’ squad for back-to-back duel with Libya
-
AFCON7 days ago
Facts & Figures as AFCON 2025 qualifiers enter Matchday 3
-
AFCON6 days ago
AFCON 2025 in Morocco: Everything you need to know
-
AFCON5 days ago
Libya’s captain, Faisal Al-Badri alleges poor treatment in Nigeria
-
Uncategorized1 week ago
CAF compels Kwasi Appiah to step down from Ghana FA
-
Uncategorized1 week ago
Fastest World Cup final scorer is dead!