Opening Ceremony marks the start of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games

A general view of fireworks over Fisht Olympic Stadium during the Opening Ceremony (Photo: Scott Halleran/Getty Images)

The Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games are open. On Friday, 7 February, the Russian resort’s Fisht Olympic Stadium hosted the Opening Ceremony which, in a colourful and lively display, marked the official start of the 22nd edition of the event. The event brought many elements of Russian history and culture – such as the Bolshoi Ballet – and reached its climax when two Russian sport icons, former ice hockey player Vladislav Tretyak and former figure skater irina Rodnina, lit the Olympic flame.(Check out the images of the Opening Ceremony)

Over the next 16 days, more than 2,500 athletes from around 80 countries will participate in the last Olympic competition before the Rio 2016 Games. The Paralympic events will take place between 7-16 March. For the Rio 2016 Committee, it is an opportunity to gain experience to be used to celebrate unforgettable Games in two years’ time. 

Sochi, with around 350,000 inhabitants, is the first Russian city to host the Winter Olympic Games. This edition will include competitions in 15 sport disciplines, split into two competition zones: the Coastal Cluster and the Mountain Cluster. On the coast, six venues will host indoor events: ice hockey, curling, figure skating, speed skating and short track speed skating, as well as the Opening and Closing Ceremonies. The biathlon, cross-country skiing, freestyle skiing, snowboard, Alpine skiing, bobsleigh, luge, skeleton, ski jumping and Nordic combined competitions will take place In the Caucasus Mountains.

Brazil will have a record level of participation at the event. In total, 13 athletes will vie for the country’s first medal in the history of the Winter Olympic Games: the flag bearer at the Opening Ceremony Jaqueline Mourão (cross-country skiing and biathlon), Isabel Clark (snowboard), Leandro Ribela (cross-country skiing), Jhonatan Longhi (Alpine skiing), Maya Harrisson (Alpine skiing), Josi Santos (freestyle skiing), Isadora Williams (figure skating) as well as Edson Bindilatti, Edson Martins, Fabiana dos Santos, Fábio Gonçalves, Odirlei Pessoni and Sally Mayara (bobsleigh).

Located in Krasnodar Kai region, Sochi lies on the Black Sea and is close to Russia’s southern border. One of the 2018 FIFA World Cup host cities, the city’s average temperature is 8.3 degrees Celsius at Games time, which may make it the warmest Winter Olympic host city in history.

One of the early highlights of this edition of the event was the torch relay. The ceremony, which lasted 123 days, saw the torch travel more than 65,000 kilometres in the hands of 14 thousand torchbearers, visiting almost three thousand cities. The tour’s highlights included the North Pole, where the torch arrived on board icebreaker 50 Years of Victory, and a spacewalk in the International Space Station’s external area.

“To realise what a great achievement this is, we should remember how things were seven years ago, [when the International Olympic Committee (IOC) elected Sochi…Russia used the] candidature for the Olympic Winter Games 2014 as a catalyst for the development of sport, a city and a whole region. [Now we can see the results]: a project to modernise a regional summer resort and at the same time a project to transform it to a year-round international tourist, convention and sports destination”, IOC President Thomas Bach said in his speech at the opening of the Committee’s recent session.

The Winter Olympic Games were first held in 1924 in Chamonix, France, and were then still called “International Winter Sports Week”. They were traditionally held in the same year as the Summer Olympic Games until 1986, when they were separated and, since then, they take place at four-year intervals, two years removed from the summer event.

 

Just like wine, Roger Federer and Serena Williams improve in Tennis and rule out retirement

 In a marathon encounter, Federer serve in the win over Del Potro at Olympic semi-final (Foto: Getty Images/Clive Brunskill)

Tennis is one of the most ungrateful sports regarding longevity. Rarely does one see athletes over 30 years of age reaching glory on the Tennis courts all around the world. But there are exceptions to every rule. Two such great examples are André Agassi, from the USA, gold medallist in the Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games, who ended his career at 36 years old and Leander Paes, from India, bronze in the same edition of the Games, who, among Tennis players, became the record-holder for most appearances in Olympic Games editions.

Like wine, whose taste improves over time, Swiss Roger Federer and US citizen Serena Williams, both 31 years old, keep enviably fit and still improve in sport. Last year, Federer won his seventh Wimbledon title as well as the silver medal in the London Games. Serena is once again world number 1 and left the English capital with two gold medals (singles and doubles).

Federer will turn 35 years old during Rio 2016™. Recently, he reached the 900 victories mark in his career and won his 77th title, 17 of those in Grand Slam tournaments, an absolute record. The Swiss made his Olympic debut in Sydney 2000, when he lost the third place playoff but met the love of his life in the Olympic Village: former Tennis player Mirka Vavrinec, the mother of his twin daughters, Charlene Riva and Myla Rose.

In Beijing 2008, Federer won the gold medal in doubles and, in London 2012, he experienced some unforgettable moments, especially during the tournament’s semi-final when he defeated Argentinean Juan Martín del Potro, who initially held the upper hand, two sets to one, with 3-6, 7-6 (7-5) and 19-17 partial scores. The match lasted 4h26, the longest best-of-three-sets match in history. Rio 2016™ will be the fifth Games edition in which the Tennis star will be able to participate.

“The Olympic Games are special. They take place once every four years. There is a lot of pressure and enthusiasm from every one to have a great performance. It’s an incredible atmosphere and indescribable feeling”, Federer said, just before making his debut in London.

In turn, Serena Williams defeats every adversary she faces. Last Tuesday, the 25th, she made her Wimbledon debut with a victory over Mandy Minella, from Luxembourg. It was her 32nd consecutive victory in the international circuit, the longest sequence in sport for 13 years. Earlier this month, Serena was once again victorious in Roland Garros, 11 years after her first victory.

Champion in 2002 on the French clay courts, Serena defeated Russian Maria Sharapova, the world number 2 and won her 16th Grand Slam title in singles, only two less than retired stars Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert. Sharapova faced her as well in the London Olympic final. The US citizen played a perfect match, winning the first nine games as well as the gold medal with a 6-0 and 6-1 score.

After her triumph in the London grass courts, Serena held a press conference. “I plan to be in Rio in 2016. Only something exceptional could stop me from going. I love my sport and gold is my favourite colour”, said the winner of four Olympic gold medals, three in doubles together with sister Venus.

Brazilian women have not competed in a Grand Slam for 20 years

Brazilian Tennis experiences a lean period. 29-year-old Rogério Dutra Silva, from the State of São Paulo, is the only Brazilian to have competed in the last two men’s Grand Slams. World number 100, Rogerinho, as he is called, was eliminated in Roland Garros and Wimbledon in the first round. Since Maria Esther Bueno, there has not been a Brazilian athlete fighting for important titles in women’s Tennis. Andrea Vieira, known as Dadá, was the last Brazilian to play a women’s Grand Slam tournament, the 1993 US Open.

Currently, young Beatriz Maia Haddad, or simply Bibi, is Brazilian Tennis greatest discovery. She is the country’s greatest hope for a fine performance in the Rio 2016™ Olympic Games. The youngster, who has just turned 17, comes from a family of sportspeople and has just started to follow a successful path. She is coached by Larri Passos, Guga’s former coach, and started to play, when she was five years old, with her mother and aunt who run a Tennis school and work with beginners in Tennis.

“I dream of being among the world’s top Tennis players and of winning a Grand Slam”, said the athlete whose highlights in Tennis are the service and forehand. She also expects to have a good performance in the first South American edition of the Games. “Competing in the Olympic Games at home will be a unique opportunity for Brazilians to give it their all in front of their fans. It certainly will encourage everyone to follow closely such a competitive sport”.

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Olympic Games Tennis legacy may leverage the sport after the “Age of Guga”

Tennis was never as popular in Brazil as it was at the end of the 1990s, beginning of the 2000s. Thanks to charismatic Gustavo Kuerten, three times champion at Roland Garros, Tennis schools were full and world tournaments were followed as closely as the Football World Cup. Creating new idols is not an easy task but the infrastructure legacy that will be left for Rio de Janeiro after celebrating the Rio 2016™ Olympic and Paralympic Games is an important step so Tennis can once again make the headlines in the country.
A stadium for about 10 thousand sports fans will be built in the Barra Olympic Park and will be part of the legacy to the city after the Games together with seven tennis courts. The Olympic Tennis Centre will also include two temporary arenas, one for 5 thousand and the other for 3 thousand people as well as six training courts.
“Besides the possibility of hosting great sporting events, the general public will also be able to use the courts later”, Walter Russo, Rio 2016™ Group Sport Manager responsible for Tennis, explained.
He also pointed out that the Olympic tournament will be held on fast courts and that it will be worth 1,000 points in the international circuit and, regarding this, it is only less than what the four Grand Slam tournaments award.
“The Olympic Games will be celebrated in August when the international calendar has great fast court tournaments and that is another positive point. All the world's greatest players will be here”, he said.
Players such as Spaniard Rafael Nadal, Olympic champion in singles in Beijing 2008, Swiss Roger Federer, who will be 35 years old in 2016 but still has an enviable physical condition, or US citizen Serena Williams, holder of four Olympic gold medals, three of them playing along her sister Venus, are among the players expected to enhance the competition in Rio de Janeiro.
Serbian Novak Djokovic, Scottish Andy Murray and Argentinean Juan Martín del Potro, who went through a true battle against Federer in the London 2012 tournament semi-finals, in a match that lasted 4h26 and was the longest best-of-three-set match in history, are also eagerly expected stars. Just like Russian Maria Sharapova, Belarusian Victoria Azarenka, Serbian Ana Ivanovic, the Bryan brothers...

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Olympism through the Games: 119 years of Movement

“Sport, culture and education are fundamental principles drawn together in the aim of creating a harmonious balance between body, will and mind”. Created by Pierre de Coubertin in 1854, this philosophy is at the origin of what is known today as the Olympic Movement – an Olympism-based set of ideals and social actions whose main goal is promoting friendship, peace and transformation through sport. Olympic Day marks the birth of this Movement and is celebrated all around the world always on 23 June.
Olympic Day was first established in 1948 for the anniversary of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), exactly 54 years after its foundation. Held globally, Olympic Day celebrations are aimed at promoting the Olympic ideals, as well as solidifying the fundamental principles of Olympism: sport, culture and education.
“It is important to promote the educational content of sport, its power to integrate, include and mobilize people through its practice and values. The Olympic ideal is linked directly to people’s ethical values in favour of a more just and solidary society” says Rio 2016™ President, Carlos Arthur Nuzman.
Today, the Olympic Movement is built around three core values: excellence – that brings the idea of “always giving one’s best”, in the field of play as well as in all aspects of life; friendship – promoting the connection between people and building peace through solidarity and team spirit; and respect – for oneself as well as for one another, through fair-play.
Originally, Olympic day was celebrated by just nine countries but, today, people from around the world get involved in celebrating the date (check out the Rio 2016™ programme).
A great family to bring the Movement to life
In order to ensure these values are employed and promoted all around the globe, a true family runs the Olympic Movement. Lead by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the Olympic Family is made of different groups and organisations that carry the philosophy of Olympism in all their activities. They are: International Federations (IFs); National Olympic Committees (NOCs); Organising Committees for the Olympic Games (such as Rio 2016™); Sport Associations and Clubs; and Sport Professionals, such as officials, coaches and, of course, athletes.
In the structure of this family, the IOC has a decision-making role. It’s a non-governmental non-profit organisation, whose mission, besides celebrating the Summer and Winter Olympic Games and the Summer and Winter Youth Olympic Games, is to support Sport Organisations in order to promote the philosophy of Olympism in every country.
The International Federations (IFs) govern their respective sport at a global level. They aim at promoting and developing sport as well as athletes in every country. They are responsible for all the technical aspects of sport, such as rules, equipment, necessary venues, judging, etc.
The National Olympic Committees (NOCs), for their part, are the representatives of the Olympic Movement in their respective countries and their mission is to develop all the Olympic sports at a national level, including educational programmes and athletes’ training. They are also responsible for sending a delegation of athletes to the Olympic Games. There are currently 205 NOCs all around the world.
In order to celebrate an event of this magnitude, however, it is necessary to follow closely all factors involved in the Games, including the host city’s specific characteristics. Therefore, Organising Committees for the Olympic Games are formed and they work under the IOC’s supervision to prepare this complex sporting structure. The Committee has seven years between the moment the host city is announced and the Games opening to put in place all the necessary arrangements to organise them, a task that includes dealing with competition and training venues for each sport, ceremonies, competition programme and coverage, athletes’ accommodation and transport besides concerns with the post-Games legacy that will be left to the host city.
According to the Olympic Charter, all these groups must work together to promote the Movement. United, these entities contribute for the construction of a world guided by a democratic, humanitarian, cultural and sustainable conscience through sports practice.

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After five Grand Slam finals, Carlos Bernardes is in search of his first Olympic decision match

 Bernardes watches the "reporter" Martina Navratilova and Roger Federer after a match valid for the US Open 2006 (Foto: Arquivo pessoal)
Since 2001, when Gustavo Kuerten immortalised his name after winning his third Roland Garros title on a clay court that a Brazilian Tennis player does not play a Grand Slam tournament final. In September 2006, Carlos Bernardes partially broke this spell. He did not enter the court in search of a trophy, but he made history when he became the first South American umpire to be chosen to work during one of the world’s greatest Tennis tournaments’ decision match.

Currently one of the most respected and revered professional umpires, Bernardes has reached his career’s apex. After more than 20 years as an international umpire and five Grand slam finals, only the cherry on the cake is missing for his CV to be complete: an Olympic Games final. And there is nothing quite like a dream come true in your home country. In an interview to the rio2016.com website, the 48 year-old umpire tells us a little about his background in sport and describes some of his career’s most memorable moments.

Rio 2016™: When and where did you start to play Tennis and how did your career as an umpire start?
Carlos Bernardes: I started to play Tennis in São Caetano do Sul. My friends and I would climb the wall of the old Lauro Gomes (the multisport complex) and we used to play at the weekend. The Tennis school owners would put the nets away but we would place a Track and Field barrier in the middle of the court and then we would play. One day, the lady in charge waited for us to climb the wall and, to our astonishment, invited us to play with the other people who came in through the main entrance (laughs). I started training at this place and when my father died, I was then 16 years old, I started to teach in order to help at home. I enjoyed teaching but I also worked as an umpire and then the moment arrived when I needed to choose just one option. My first professional tournament as umpire was an edition of the Federations Cup that was held at Pinheiros Club in the end of the 1980s. Tennis changed my life.

Rio 2016™: Please summarise your career. Which was your first great final?
CB: I have over 20 years of experience, if you take into consideration that I worked as line umpire as well. My first great final was in 2002, in Shanghai, China, when Lleyton Hewitt and Juan Carlos Ferrero faced each other for the Masters Cup. Since then, I took part in another three finals for the same Masters and five Grand Slam finals: three in singles (Wimbledon 2011, US Open 2006 and 2008) and two in doubles: US Open 2010 and Australia 2013.

Rio 2016™: And what about the Olympic Games? Which is your fondest memory? How about the most exciting match in which you worked?
CB: I worked in Athens 2004, Beijing 2008 and London 2012. I worked in a 2008 semi-finals match between James Blake and Fernando Gonzalez that was a good one. But the most exciting moments were two opening ceremonies: in London and Beijing. Those were unforgettable events and I hope Brazil will do its duty very well too.

Rio 2016™: Can you tell us a little bit more about this experience?
CB: Umpires do not parade, we only watch. But we have excellent seats next to various world-renowned sportspeople. The International Tennis Federation (ITF) offers us a ticket for the opening ceremony and another one for a sporting event. In 2004, I did not watch the parade but I was able to watch Swimming, Synchronised Swimming, Artistic Gymnastics, Volleyball and Athletics competitions. In Beijing, the opening ceremony included traditional Chinese elements and fantastic choreography. I also watched Volleyball, one of Brazil’s great matches. In London, the opening ceremony was very beautiful and well organised. The Tennis competitions were held in Wimbledon and it was great to be part of it as I believe we will never see such a colourful atmosphere in Wimbledon again.

Rio 2016™: Tennis players have become idols beyond sport. What is it like to share moments with living legends such as Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic?
CB: Well, besides being idols, we must not forget they are normal people, just like any other people we know. They are special because of the career they chose for themselves. It’s a normal coexistence.

Rio 2016™: Were you able to work in matches that Guga played? Was it different to work in one of his matches?
CB: Yes, I have worked in some of the matches he played. Even in finals. He is very charismatic on the court. He was so dear to the public that you could feel a different reaction from the audience, a different kind of energy. It is hard to explain it but I believe you can feel it when interviewing different people, don´t you think? You feel a different vibe with some of the people.

Rio 2016™: And how does one start in the sport? Just like in any other profession you must have faced many difficulties.
CB: It’s difficult like any other career but maybe even more so. You must travel the world in order to be seen and become known. This is the most difficult part because it takes a strong will as you are going to spend a lot of time away from family and friends.

Rio 2016™: You broke an important barrier when you became the first South American to work in a Grand Slam final. How was this moment?
CB: That was a very special moment. One day before the quarter-finals programme was unveiled the chief umpire called me to his office and said: there are players from the US, Spain, France and the UK so you will work in the final. Just like that. I could not believe it, I was speechless.


Rio 2016™: Did you not believe you could take part in the final? You even bet this would not happen. What did you bet? An did you pay it?
CB: (laughs) How did you find out about this bet? (laughs) Indeed I did not believe it possible and I bet with Croatian umpire Marja Cicak that I would be her servant for three days if this happened. She said I would be the umpire in the final and I said she was mad. Fortunately, I lost this bet. (laughs) But I still haven’t paid it. I still owe her that.

Rio 2016™: Are there world refereeing categories? Since when are you in first level? How many people belong to first level and how many levels are there?
CB: Yes, world refereeing is divided in five categories: Gold Badge, with about 25 people worldwide; Silver, with about 50; then Bronze, White and Green. International umpires belong to the Bronze category or higher. I have been in the Gold Badge category for over 20 years.

Rio 2016™: What are your thoughts on the first South American edition of the Olympic Games? What benefits will the Games bring to Brazilian sport?
CB: It’s an honour and great responsibility to Brazil as we will represent all South America. The 2016 Games will be a unique moment. I believe it to be a win-win situation as we will present our beautiful country to the rest of the world. Organising the Olympic Games and the World Cup properly will be very important to us all.

Rio 2016™: What do you have to say to all those who will compete here and also to those who will watch this great event?
CB: To those who will compete, may they enjoy this magic moment because we Brazilians are excellent sports fans and I believe this will make all the difference in some disciplines. To those who will be watching this event, what I can say is that it’s a fantastic event, a magic moment. The country united through sport. I believe these will be unforgettable days.

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ON AIR: Rio de Janeiro is inspiring background for TV coverage of Rio 2016™ Games

In Rio 2016™ Olympic and Paralympic Games programming, the best sports moments will be scheduled with the world´s spectators. With a little more than three years to the beginning of the Rio 2016™ Games, planning of competitions coverage has already begun. From May 13th to 17th, 27 Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) employees, including its CEO, Yiannis Exarchos, were in Rio de Janeiro to get to know the competition venues and other inspiring city scenes.

OBS is the official organisation of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), responsible for delivering the pictures and sound of the Games to radio and television broadcasters with broadcast rights. Since 2008, OBS acts as the Host Broadcaster, working with the Organising Committee of each host city to guarantee all the infrastructure and technology needed to cover the Games.

“Our mission is to provide the best competition vantage points to people around the world. We want to broadcast all the emotion of the Olympic Games, and work so that millions of people worldwide participate in this great and exciting party”, says Exarchos.

This is what the Rio 2016™ Committee Broadcast Integration teams and OBS plan to do. Throughout the week, OBS and Rio 2016™ employees visited each one of the regions which will host Olympic competitions – Barra, Deodoro, Copacabana and Maracanã. Divided into five teams, each team counted professionals from different areas, like production, planning, engineering, information and telecommunications. They observed aspects like the devices required to best position the cameras, lighting, venue and surrounding area logistics. Basically, all the details so as not to miss one instant of athletes´ best performances in the competition.

After the research, teams met at the Rio 2016™ Committee headquarters, where they joined different functional areas involved in broadcasting operations. “We have integration with practically 90% of the committee´s functional areas, like transportation, accommodations, venues, etc.”, says committee broadcast specialist Mauricio Casé.




The OBS CEO confirmed that he is satisfied with the work developed by Rio 2016™ and plans to make additional visits to Rio as the Games planning advances. “Rio is an inspiring city. I believe that we have a great opportunity to do surprising, ambitious things. I flew over the city this Wednesday (15) and the possibilities to work with this background are unlimited. It is clear that such grandiose planning represents a lot of work, but I am fully confident that, along with the Rio 2016™ Committee, we will succeed. From what I was able to see this week, we have everything to make the best coverage ever”, he commented.

Exarchos even said that the greatest challenge for the team is to transmit, through the camera lens, the energy and the ideals of the Olympic Games. “We are very excited about working with Rio de Janeiro. Working with Olympic cities, we see that many places have a certain appeal due to their magnitude, beauty or history. Rio has all this and more. What is really fascinating about this city is its atmosphere. The energy is contagious, and the people, the Cariocas, bring this positive vibration. Our main challenge is to find the best way to show this to the world, because this is the real magic of the Games. If we are able to transmit a little of this energy, then we´ll definitely be able to present a great show”, he promises.

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Aquatics and gymnastics set for major financial boost at Rio 2016 after IOC ... - Insidethegames.biz (blog)

By Tom Degun at the Lenexpo Exhibition Complex in St Petersburg

May 29 - Aquatics and gymnastics are set for a big financial boost at Rio 2016 after the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) ruling Executive BOard today announced a new controversial system which will determine how much money each sport receives from the Games.

The previous groupings, in place since Atlanta 1996, saw four groups, with the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) placed in the top group on its own.

But, following London 2012, the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF) asked the IOC Executive Board to use clear data analysis from the Games to create a new, fairer grouping system.

Following the research, IOC President Jacques Rogge announced here that there will now be five groups – A, B, C, D and E – with aquatics and gymnastics moved into the top tier group A alongside athletics.

It means athletics will receive less money at Rio 2016 than it did at London 2012, given that it will now have to share the top bracket with two other sports.

Group B consists of basketball, cycling football, tennis and volleyball.

Group C has archery, badminton, boxing, judo, rowing, shooting, table tennis and weightlifting.

Group D features canoeing, equestrian, fencing, handball, taekwondo, triathlon, sailing and wrestling.

Group E has modern pentathlon, as well as golf and rugby sevens – the two sports admitted to the Olympic programme for Rio 2016.

Athletics will receive less money from Rio 2016 than it did for London 2012 after being joined in the top tier by aquatics and gymnastics
"The new grouping are part of a calculation of data from London 2012, after we were asked by ASOIF to undertake this task," Rogge said.

"It must be stressed that ASOIF will be in charge of distributing the money."

Rogge also confirmed at the press conference, as reported first on insidethegames yesterday, here that the 26 summer sports that appeared at London 2012 will share a windfall of over half-a-billion dollars – with $519.6 million (£345.2 million/€403.8 million) revealed as the final figure they will receive from the Games last summer.

It represents an increase of 75.5 per cent from Beijing 2008, where the sports shared $296 million (£184 million/€227 million).

From the $519.6 million (£345.2 million/€403.8 million) from London 2012, athletics took just under $50 million (£32 million/€38 million) due to its sole top tier status, which amounts to just under 10 per cent of the total share.

The total Games revenue amounts to around 35 to 40 per cent of the income for the vast major of sports.

The figure for Rio 2016 is likely to be similar to that of London 2012 due to the fact that the IOC negotiated the broadcast and sponsor rights for both Games at the same time.

The next significant change will be between Rio 2016 and 2020 Olympic Games.

"There certainly won't be a big jump from London to Rio," ASOIF executive director Andrew Ryan told insidethegames.

"It is also important to remember that at Rio, 28 sports will be sharing the money - unlike 26 at London - due to the addition of golf and rugby sevens.

"The groupings are also not an exact formula for how much money each sport receives but it clearly plays a very big role.

"We will now go and discuss this as ASOIF as we begin to work out exactly how we distribute the money from Rio."

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