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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Volleyball gold medallist in Beijing and London, Fabí celebrates Olympic Day at the Rio 2016™ Headquarters

In the morning of Monday, the 24th, Brazil women’s national volleyball team’s libero, and gold-medal winner in the Beijing 2008 and London 2012 Olympic Games, visited the Rio 2016™ Organising Committee’s headquarters in order to celebrate Olympic Day, commemorated all around the world on 23 June, the day the International Olympic Committee (IOC) was founded in 1894. The athlete talked about the beginning of her career, told behind-the-scenes stories of the Brazilian national team and ensured that, from 5 August 2016, Brazil will host an unprecedented competition.

“It’s way easier to be reprimanded by Bernardinho (the national team’s coach) than to face this crowd”, she joked at the start of her talk. Fabí recalled a few highlights of her career’s beginning. She said she would love to get to know the inventor of the libero position in volleyball personally, introduced in 1998, when was playing for Macaé along Isabel and Márcia Fu among others.

“After that my life changed. I was one of the shortest players in the team but I grabbed this opportunity with all my might. The libero position changed the sport and that includes allowing very tall athletes such as Fabiana (middle blocker) to compete. Can you imagine how difficult it is for a 1.95m-tall woman to play in a defensive position? I believe Brazil took full advantage of these changes”, she said.

In 2001, Fabí was already one of the national team’s first-choice players and was on the court during Brazilian volleyball greatest victories but also during the greatest defeats. In the Athens 2004 Games and the 2006 World Championship, Brazil lost to Russia in the final. At that time, the women’s national team earned the moniker “chicken” as they were defeated in decisive matches in the end, after opening a great lead.

“Understanding defeat is one of the hardest things for an athlete. It’s part of the game and it’s part of the sport’s protocol. Then, in 2007, there was a new 3-2 defeat, to Cuba this time, in the Rio Pan American Games final, in Maracanãzinho Arena. All these defeats strengthened our team but the 2004 one was the craziest. Zé Roberto (the national team’s coach) used to say that a part of him died and, in the 2008 Games, he said: ‘I’d like you to give me the chance of becoming a whole Zé Roberto once again’. Those words became etched in our minds and helped us in our search for victory in Beijing”, she said under the audience’s applause.

Brazil national team’s eternal libero was guided in her visit by Ricardo Prado, Los Angeles 1984 silver medallist and Head of Rio 2016™ Sport Advisory Committee. Located in Estácio neighbourhood of Rio’s central region, the Rio 2016™ Committee’s brand new auditorium was filled to capacity for Fabí’s lecture. The week started differently for more than 160 people who work in order for athletes to achieve their best possible performance in the next edition of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Ten employees also received an autographed volleyball.

Prado thanked the athlete’s disposition. She was training in Saquarema, in the State of Rio de Janeiro, and travelled to the state capital to celebrate this important date. Very obliging, Fabí posed for pictures and handed out many autographs. Before that, she left a message that will be kept in the hearts of many Rio 2016™ employees.

“We athletes are the protagonists but without you (the organisers) things do not happen. Brazil national team’s two gold medals are a national team achievement but this achievement belongs to all of us. In 2016, we’ll celebrate a great edition of the Olympic Games. We Brazilians are receptive. We are the kings of improvisation and spontaneity”, she ensured.

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After the sacred temple of Wimbledon, Olympic Tennis gets a breath of fresh air in Rio de Janeiro

Tennis lives one of its most unique moments in history. Considered the greatest player of all time and record-holder for Grand Slam titles, Swiss Roger Federer has recently reached 900 wins. In Roland Garros, Spaniard Rafael Nadal has become the Tennis player with most titles in a single Major: eight. Holder of four gold medals at the Olympic Games, US citizen Serena Williams still rules women’s Tennis.
In light of this situation and the beginning of the Wimbledon tournament, 2013 season’s third Grand Slam, rio2016.com website starts publishing another special on a specific sport. After Handball, Golf and Football, it’s time for Tennis to be the subject of exclusive reports. Special articles on the sports-directed Rio 2016™ Games legacy, an exclusive interview with umpire Carlos Bernardes and the thoughts of tomorrow’s and former´s players are all part of this special.
There will also be first-hand information on the Olympic Tennis Centre that will be built inside Barra Olympic Park, as well as an article on Wheelchair Tennis including exclusive interviews with Dutch nationals Esther Vergeer, holder of seven gold medals at Paralympic Games (four in singles and three in doubles) and Aniek van Koot, silver in London 2012. In order to gain a more accurate picture of the orange supremacy in this sport, one must remember that last year Dutch women won gold, silver and bronze in simples besides gold and silver in doubles.
Rio2016.com website launches specials on 28 Olympic and Paralympic sports since 2011: Athletics, Basketball, Wheelchair Basketball, Boxing, Boccia, Goalball, Judo, Wrestling, Swimming, Paracanoeing, Modern Pentathlon, Rugby, Taekwondo, Shooting, Triathlon, Sailing, Volleyball and Beach Volleyball.
Check out the programme:
Monday, the 24th - Olympic Games’ Tennis legacy may leverage the sport after the “Age of Guga”
Tuesday, the 25th – After five Grand Slam finals, Carlos Bernardes is in search of the first Olympic decision match
Wednesday, the 26th – The Dutch try to maintain their dominance over women’s Wheelchair Tennis in Rio 2016™
Thursday, the 27th - Just like wine, Roger Federer and Serena Williams improve in Tennis and rule out retirement

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Brazilian protests concern Olympic Committee - Boston Globe

 Many demonstrators say money for the World Cup and Olympics could be better spent.

A million people in the street railing against the government in more than 100 Brazilian cities? Not exactly what the International Olympic Committee envisioned when it awarded the 2016 Summer Olympics to Rio de Janeiro. But that’s the unsettling reality, with the Games now three summers away.

What began in Sao Paulo as a protest against transit fare hikes has become a widespread outpouring of anger and disgust over high taxes and corrupt politicians who are spending an estimated $30 billion on next year’s soccer World Cup and the Olympics at the expense of housing, health, and education.

While the IOC said that it is “fully supportive of peaceful protest” while pointing out the Games’ benefits to city and country, political turmoil is the last thing the Lausanne leadership wants at a time when organizers are racing against the clock to finish their massive to-do list.

Meanwhile, Istanbul, which already was a long shot to host the 2020 Summer Games, hasn’t been helped by the government crackdown on protesters, which continued last weekend with tear gas and rubber bullets.

There is increasing dissatisfaction with Islamist prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who critics say is behaving like a sultan in a country that prides itself on being a modern secular state bridging East and West, which has been one of the bid committee’s main selling points to IOC voters.

Of more concern to some members is that the demonstrations, which police have been brutally breaking up, were provoked by the plan to build a shopping mall at Gezi Park.

Given the large-scale infrastructure and venue projects that will be required if Turkey gets the Games, the sitdown by environmentalists could be a prelude to seven years of discontent and disruption.

That prospect alone could prompt the Lords of the Rings to choose either Tokyo or Madrid when they vote in Buenos Aires in September.

After its last two host candidates (Chicago and New York) were smacked down abruptly, the US Olympic Committee is still showing the caution flag for 2024. The committee remains in quiet discussions with more than 10 cities that it won’t name, hoping to narrow the field to two or three by year’s end. That’s assuming the USOC even decides to enter the race, which is far from certain. Twice burned, thrice shy . . . A dozen members of the US women’s ice hockey team that collected a silver medal in Vancouver made the 25-player core squad for Sochi that was announced Monday after 41 candidates tried out at a weeklong camp in Lake Placid. Most notable is 31-year-old forward Julie Chu, who’d be competing in her fourth Games and who’s nearly twice as old as Missouri high schooler Jincy Dunne. Five Massachusetts natives are on the list: Molly Schaus (Natick), Kacey Bellamy (Westfield), Michelle Picard (Taunton), Alex Carpenter (North Reading), and Meghan Duggan (Danvers). Harvard’s Katey Stone, who’ll coach the squad, has five present or former skaters in contention: Chu, Picard, Josephine Pucci, Kate Buesser, and Lyndsey Fry. The hopefuls will go into residency in September and train primarily at The Edge Sports Center in Bedford. The final 21-player roster will be announced in late December . . . While it’s still undecided whether NHL players will compete in the Olympic tournament in Sochi, USA Hockey will name its coach Saturday. The names most frequently bandied about are Pittsburgh’s Dan Bylsma, Philadelphia’s Peter Laviolette, and John Tortorella, who was fired by the Rangers but is expected to be named Canucks coach Tuesday. There has been little mention of Ron Wilson, who guided the 2010 squad to a surprise silver medal, or Joe Sacco, who directed the Americans to their first medal in nine years at this year’s world tournament.

A quartet of fresh female faces made the American team for this summer’s World Track and Field Championships in Moscow. LSU’s Kimberlyn Duncan beat Olympic champion Allyson Felix in the 200 to become the first woman to win both the NCAA and US crowns in the same season since Evelyn Ashford in 1978, while Oregon’s English Gardner was the first to do it in the 100 since Carlette Guidry in 1991. Clemson’s Brianna Rollins (12.26) broke Gail Devers’s 2000 domestic record in the 100 hurdles, while Mary Cain, 17, became the youngest runner ever to make a global team by placing second in the 1,500. “I just really wanted to get a uniform,” remarked the Bronxville, N.Y., native, who still has a year left in high school . . . Adam Nelson finally received his Olympic shot put gold medal from Athens during a one-man ceremony at the trials and got to take a victory lap with his two daughters. “Better late than never,” observed the 37-year-old Dartmouth graduate, who recently was upgraded after Ukrainian victor Yuriy Bilonog was disqualified in the wake of a retest of his 2004 sample that came up positive for steroids. “The way I look at it is, I’ve got the rest of my life to be the gold medalist.” . . . Ryan Lochte and Missy Franklin are the marquee names among more than 30 Olympic veterans who’ll be at this week’s Indianapolis trials that will determine the team for this summer’s World Swimming Championships in Barcelona. Half a dozen of their fellow gold medalists will be in the chase: Nathan Adrian, Tyler Clary, Matt Grevers, Katie Ledecky, Allison Schmitt, and Dana Vollmer.

Esther Williams, who died recently at 91, will be remembered as the country’s aquacade queen, but if World War II hadn’t wiped out the 1940 Games, she likely would have been an Olympic swimming champion as well. Williams came into that year as national champion in the 100-meter freestyle and breaststroke but turned pro after the Games, originally scheduled for Tokyo and then Helsinki, were canceled. She ended up as Hollywood’s iconic bathing beauty, making more than two dozen films . . . Elle Logan, who won her second gold medal with the US women’s eight last summer, returned to the Eton Dorney course last week to collect her ticket in the single for this summer’s World Rowing Championships in South Korea. The native of Boothbay Harbor, Maine, who was last at the midway point, ended up third to confirm her spot. The other American entries — scullers John Graves and Hugh McAdam and the lightweight double of Peter Alter and Colin Ethridge — needed to place in the top four but didn’t reach the final . . . Elena Pirozhkova, the Greenfield resident and Russian emigre who competed at the London Games, last weekend earned the right to defend her 63-kilogram crown at September’s World Wrestling Championships in Budapest, along with fellow medalists Alyssa Lampe (48 kg), Helen Maroulis (55 kg), and Adeline Gray (72 kg). Collecting a return ticket as well was defending men’s freestyle champion Jordan Burroughs (74 kg), who’ll be accompanied by fellow Olympians Tervel Dlagnev (120 kg) and Spenser Mango (55 kg), and Justin Lester (66 kg) from the greco side.

The US women’s four-year reign as World League water polo champions came to an end in Beijing’s technicolor Water Cube, where the Chinese claimed their first crown ahead of the Russians while the Americans, who’d won six of the previous seven titles, finished third. The US males, who were bidding for their first medal in five years in their tournament in Russia, just missed the bronze, falling to Montenegro on a shootout. The Yanks had company; none of last year’s medalists made the podium as the Serbs blew away the Hungarians for their seventh title . . . April Ross and Jennifer Kessy will be looking to reclaim their crown at next week’s World Beach Volleyball Championships in Poland, where Chinese top seeds Xue Chen and Zhang Xi will bid to become the first women’s champions not from the US or Brazil. While Brazil’s Alison Cerutti and Emanuel Rego are favored to repeat on the men’s side, the Americans have a chance to win two medals for the first time since the inaugural 1997 tournament behind former champ Phil Dalhausser and Sean Rosenthal and Jacob Gibb and Casey Patterson.

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Little more than three years to the Games, Rio 2016™ gives the start of the Model Venue

Born in San Francisco, California, Christopher Crowley is Venue Management Director and faces one of his career’s greatest challenges. With solid experience in big events, Chris has been through two Winter Olympic Games editions (Salt Lake City 2002 and Vancouver 2010), always working in venue management. In Rio 2016™, however, the challenge is even greater. A team member since November 2012, Crowley is responsible for the management of more than 50 Olympic and Paralympic Games competition and non-competition venues.

One of his team’s most important deliveries is, at this exact moment, under construction. The project called “Model Venue Exercise” started on 13 June and will continue for the next 15 weeks. The initiative chooses a single venue, Rio Olympic Arena, to serve as model to the other venues that will host all the competitions, events as well as further Games services. Lead by Crowley, the Venue Management team is responsible for integrating the operations of almost all functional areas in each venue.

“It’s a very challenging task but, on our side, we have a very receptive and motivated team to make it all happen. The whole team working in the Model Venue is doing a great job. Our main goal is to create a more integrated, consistent and effective operations planning method”, he explains.

The numbers are impressive. In the Olympic Games alone, there will be 45 world championships in only 17 days. In the Paralympic Games, there will be another 23. And 36 competition venues will host all that. Another 14 will host other events, the case of the Main Press Centre for example.

Ensuring all these venues are ready to host not only competitions but also offer quality services to spectators, athletes, press people as well as employees and volunteers themselves, who will be present at each site, is a job for various hands. Model Venue Exercise is aimed at mapping all services, equipment, workforce and any other requirements applied to a specific venue in order to serve each one of these clients.

Therefore, starting on 13 June, the committee’s areas have the mission of anticipating each move of its operations at Games-time. Crowley’s team is responsible for receiving and gathering all this material and, then, integrating all these operations.

“Until now, functional areas were responsible for their own planning and did it according to their own specific needs, without taking into consideration everything else that will happen around them. Since Model Venue, we will have all this planning in our hands but now we also invest in a global vision, identifying connecting points between the areas, anticipating everything that needs to be synchronised and the way this integration will happen”, he says.

This initiative’s final product will show, in a series of documents, all the resources, services and other operations that will take place in Rio Olympic Arena, including equipment, services, workforce and security aspects among other things. Once this operational planning is ready, the same methodology will be applied to the other venues, always respecting the specific characteristics of each.

Christopher’s experience adds to the Rio 2016™ team some important knowledge in operating these venues according to high quality standards. Crowley has been Ski and Snowboard Venues General Manager in Salt Lake City 2002 and Whistler Medals Plaza and Media Centre General Manager in Vancouver 2010. Besides his Games experience, he also worked in municipal venues management in Salt Lake City and San Francisco during international sporting and music events.

With operational excellence and teamwork, Crowley’s challenge is already being overcome. More than three years ahead of the opening ceremony, for the Organising Committee the Rio 2016™ Olympic and Paralympic Games have already started.

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Modern Olympic Games: 116 years of advancement and achievements

The first Modern Olympic Games ended 116 years ago. Athletes from 14 countries performed their best in competitions of nine Olympic sports: Artistic Gymnastics, Cycling (road and track), Fencing, Shooting, Swimming, Weightlifting and Wrestling (Greek Roman).
At the end of the 19th century, the Baron of Coubertin had the idea of reinventing the Ancient Olympic Games in a version that would include the participation of athletes from all over the globe; the previous editions of the Games allowed the participation of male Greek athletes only in the competitions.
After his proposal was officially approved at the first Olympic Congress held in 1894, the election of the host city was unanimous. Fourteen centuries later, the stage of the Ancient Olympic Games received the first Modern Olympic Games, which started on 6 April and ended on 15 April, 1896.
For the Baron of Coubertin, the rebirth of the Olympic Games was not only a dream; it was also a consequence of 19th century’s scientific and cultural advancements.
“Men have begun to lead less isolated existences, different races have learnt to know, to understand each other better, and by comparing their powers and achievements in the fields of art, industry and science, a noble rivalry has sprung up amongst them, urging them on to greater accomplishments”, says the Baron in the introduction of the 1896 Olympic Games Official Report , already presenting the concepts of what would be the Olympism values later: respect, friendship and excellence.
An Olympic Hymn was created
An Olympic Hymn, composed by Spiros Samaras (music) and Kostis Palamas (lyrics), was played for the first time at the I Olympiad in 1896.  In the Games which followed, a number of songs were played during the ceremonies held until the 1960 Games, when the Samaras/Palamas song became the Official Olympic Hymn (decision made by the IOC Session of 1958).
Check out the lyrics:
Immortal spirit of antiquity,
Father of the true, beautiful and good,
Descend, appear, shed over us thy light
Upon this ground and under this sky
Which has first witnessed thy unperishable fame
Give life and animation to these noble games!
Throw wreaths of fadeless flowers to the victors
In the race and in the strife
Create in our breasts, hearts of steel!
In thy light, plains, mountains and seas
Shine in a roseate hue and form a vast temple
To which all nations throng to adore thee,
Oh immortal spirit of antiquity.
      
The evolution of the Olympic Games
In 116 years, not only the competition rules underwent changes. Uniforms, equipment, celebrating events, they all accompanied the technological and cultural evolution of the 20th and 21st centuries. The Olympic Games won an increasing number of sport fans, women made their debut in female events, the Paralympic Games joined the events, and the Winter and Youth Olympic Games became part of the calendar.
- Athens 1896 Olympic Games: first Olympic Games of the Modern Era.
- 1900 Paris Olympic Games: women make their debut in the Cricket competitions.
- 1904 Saint Louis Olympic Games: gold, silver and bronze medals are awarded to the first, second and third places, respectively.
- 1908 London Olympic Games: for the first time, a stadium is especially built for the Games, and the Swimming competitions are not held in open water.
- 1912 Stockholm Olympic Games: automatic counters are used in track events, athletes from the five continents perform in the Games for the first time.
- 1916 Berlin Olympic Games: the Games are cancelled due to the First World War.
- 1920 Antwerp Olympic Games: the athletes take an oath, and the Olympic flag is raised for the first time.
- 1924 Chamonix Winter Olympic Games: the first Winter Olympic Games.
- 1928 Amsterdam Olympic Games: the first Olympic torch is lit.
- 1932 Angeles Olympic Games: initial creation of the format of today’s games, whose period ranges between 15 and 18 days. Athletes are accommodated in the same venue, at the Olympic Village, and the winner’s flag is raised during the award ceremony.
- 1936 Berlin Olympic Games: the first Games to be broadcast on television.  First Olympic Torch Relay ever held.
- 1948 London Olympic Games: starting blocks for athletes in sprint races are introduced.
- 1952 Helsinki Olympic Games: Israel and Soviet Union participate in the Olympic Games for the first game.
- 1956 Melbourne/Stockholm Olympic Games: first Games to be held in the Southern Hemisphere. Melbourne won the right to stage the Games; however, the rigid Australian quarantine laws did not allow the entry of foreign horses; therefore, Equestrian events were  held in Stockholm.
- 1960 Rome Olympic Games: for the first time, the Paralympic Games are held right after the Olympic Games.
- 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games: the Olympic Games are held for the first time in Asia.  The first official Fair Play Trophy is awarded.
- 1968 Mexico Olympic Games:  the Olympic Torch is lit by a woman for the first time during the Opening Ceremony. The antidoping test is introduced.
- 1972 Munich Olympic Games: the official Olympic oath is first sworn.
- 1976 Montreal Olympic Games: Women’s Basketball, Rowing and Handball events make their debut in the Olympic Games.
- 1980 Moscow Olympic Games: the world record in high jump is broken.
- 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games: model for the future Games in terms of sponsorship fundraising.  Women-only competitions make their debut, such as Rhythmic Gymnastics and Synchronized Swimming.
- 1988 Seoul Olympic Games: Table Tennis is first staged in the Olympic Games. Tennis is reinserted in the programme after a 64-year interval, and is open to professional athletes.
- 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games: Men’s Basketball events accept enrolment of professional athletes.  Baseball makes its debut as a sport, and Badminton and Women’s Judo competitions are included in the programme.
- 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games:  all 197 National Olympic Committees at that time took part in the Olympic Games for the first time.  Beach Volleyball, Mountain Bike, Lightweight Rowing and Women’s Football make their debut in the Olympic Games.
- 2000 Sydney Olympic Games: Triathlon and Taekwondo make their debut in the Olympic Games.
- 2004 Athens Olympic Games: women make their debut in the Wrestling and sabre (Fencing) competitions.
- 2008 Beijing Olympic Games: 10 km Aquatic Marathon and BMX disciplines make their debut in the Olympic Games, with the participation of 204 International Olympic Committees, a record!
- 2012 Singapore Youth Olympic Games: first Youth Olympic Games ever!

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Kerri Walsh Jennings preparing for fourth trip to Summer Olympics - Examiner.com

Kerri Walsh Jennings preparing for fourth trip to Summer Olympics

Kerri Walsh Jennings preparing for fourth trip to Summer Olympics OlympicsJune 26, 2013By: Shawn S. LealosSubscribe

Kerri Walsh Jennings Credits:  Photo by Joe Scarnici/Getty Images

Kerri Walsh Jennings’ Olympics plans are back on as the beach volleyball player has started training for the 2016 Rio Games. According to the L.A. Times on June 24, Walsh Jennings is training a short 11 weeks after giving birth to her third child.

This seems to be something that Walsh Jennings does for love, as the 34-year-old has already won three straight Olympic gold medals in beach volleyball, an unprecedented accomplishment. She will be 38-years-old when the 2016 Rio Summer Olympic Games takes place, and Walsh Jennings said she will be there to see the famous Cristo Redentor statue in person.

Despite playing against girls 10 or more years younger than herself, Walsh Jennings said in the interview that she feels that she can still compete because it is about passion, hard work and willingness to improve. She also said she will never consider herself too old.

Kerri Walsh Jennings first step in her Olympics return will be at the ASICS World Series of Beach Volleyball in Long Beach on July 22-28. Her partner will no longer be Misty May-Treanor, who chose to retire. At the ASCIS, Walsh Jennings will team with Whitney Pavlik.

Kerri Walsh Jennings will also compete at the World Series Cup, where the best in the U.S. battles the rest of the world. Her partner there is not yet known. Two names under consideration are April Ross and Jennifer Kessy, the 2012 London silver medal winners.

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Lochte begins preparations for 2016 Games in Indianapolis - WTHR

INDIANAPOLIS -
The nation's top swimmers are in Indianapolis for five days of competition at the IU Natatorium.
The elite men and women, some who were gold medal stars at the London Olympics practiced downtown Monday for the Phillips 66 National Championships, which start Tuesday.
The swimmers are vying for spots on the United States team that will compete in the World Championships in Spain next month.
Ryan Lochte says he enjoyed a long break after the Olympics, walking on red carpets and shooting a reality television show. He says he resumed training two months ago.
Lochte says as he looks to the Summer Olympics in Rio in 2016, he plans to leave Gainesville, Florida.
"I just need a different atmosphere and a different place to train," he said. "I'm definitely going to be moving. It could be not even in the U.S. I definitely am going to be traveling. I could go to Australia, Japan, China, who knows where I am going to end up."
He also predicted Michael Phelps will come out of retirement. Phelps isn't competing in Indianapolis this week, but Allison Schmitt, Nathan Adrian, Tyler Clary and Missy Franklin are here. Franklin passed up on lucrative endorsement deals to swim for her high school swim team after the London Olympics.

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Wrestling, baseball/softball keep Olympic hopes - Chicago Tribune

Wrestling got an Olympic reprieve Wednesday. (May 29, 2013)

Wrestling got a reprieve.

Baseball and softball are getting another chance.

And squash also is in play.

That was the outcome of Wednesday’s decision by the International Olympic Committee’s executive board on which sports remain under consideration for the one open spot on the 2020 Summer Games program.

The entire IOC membership will make the final decision at the IOC annual session in September in Buenos Aires.

Meeting in St. Petersburg, Russia, the 15-member executive board chose wrestling, baseball/softball and squash from the eight candidate sports in secret ballots. Nine ballots were needed.

Karate, roller sports, sport climbing, wakeboarding and Chinese martial art wushu did not make the cut.  The elimination of karate and wushu seemed to indicate there are enough similar sports (judo and taekwondo) already on the program.

The idea of combining baseball and softball into a single candidature is a success as of now.

Wrestling, on the program since the ancient OIympics, has made extraordinary efforts to keep its place since the executive board’s stunning recommendation in February that the sport be dropped after the 2016 Summer Games.

Those efforts included dumping the international wrestling federation (FILA) president, regarded as an intransigent dictator, and enacting a series of rules changes May 18 in an effort to make the sport more attractive and comprehensible to live spectators and especially TV audiences.

IOC President Jacques Rogge gave wrestling’s moves a strong endorsement in an interview with the Associated Press, laying the ground work for the executive board to reverse its earlier decision.

``I think they had the good answer and the good reaction,” Rogge said.  ``They obviously were taken a bit by a surprise by the fact they could leave the core group."

In a statement following the decision, new FILA president Nenad Lalovic of Serbia said, ``While our place in the Olympic Games is still not guaranteed, this decision recognizes the great lengths to which we are going to reform our sport and address the IOC’s concerns."

Baseball and softball not only formed a single international federation, the World Baseball Softball Conderation, but approved significant changes in their Olympic tournaments to make them fit better into IOC guidelines on reducing the numbers of athletes and the cost of venues.

Each tournament would be be shortened to six days and played successively rather than concurrently, so only one venue would be needed.  In 2008, baseball lasted 11 days, softball nine.

"Today was a good decision for wrestling, but now the real work begins," said 1988 Olympic bronze medalist Bill Scherr, chairman of the Committee to Preserve Olympic Wrestling.

Wrestling and baseball/ softball may face resistance in the September voting from those who feel the whole point of reviewing the Olympic program was to add a new sport.

As the IOC puts it, "In an effort to ensure the Olympic Games remain relevant to sports fans of all generations, the Olympic program commission systematically reviews every sport following each edition of the Games."

The IOC has set a limit of 28 sports and decided in 2007 to identify 25 of them as “core sports.”

After the IOC members voted baseball and softball off the program beginning in 2012, there were 26 sports at last summer’s London Games.  Baseball became part of the Olympics in 1992, softball in 1996. 

The executive board trimmed that to a core group of 25 by eliminating wrestling, which remains on the program at least through the 2016 Summer Games in Rio.

Golf and rugby sevens join the Olympic program as “non-core” sports in 2016, bringing the total to 28 in Rio.  Their status will be re-evaluated after the 2020 Summer Games.

Since the executive board put forward three sports, the vote in Buenos Aires almost certainly would be similar to that for Olympic host cities, with rounds of votes until one sport achieves a majority and, if none is achieved in the first round, the sport with the lowest total dropped after that round.

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