KALYAN KUMAR MAHATA The true appellation of Apu.

Steven Holcomb: The Night Train rides again

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20/12/2013

Together with Justin Olsen, Curt Tomasevicz and Steve Langton, Steven Holcomb will be hopping back onto “The Night Train”, as the US quartet look to defend the Olympic four-man bobsleigh title at Sochi 2014.

“Going into Sochi, we’re all now experienced, we’ve all been there,” said Steven Holcomb, the driver of USA 1’s two- and four-man bobs. “We know not only what it takes to be an Olympian, not only what it’s like to be in that pressure of the Olympics, but now we know what it’s like to win.”

Holcomb made a little bit of history at Vancouver 2010, winning the USA’s first gold in the four-man bob since Francis Tyler, Patrick Martin, Edward Rimkus and William D’Amico topped the podium at the 1948 Games in St Moritz.

While Justin Olsen and Curt Tomasevicz will be back in the bob with him to defend the title in Sochi, Steve Mesler has retired, with Steve Langton – Holcomb’s team-mate in the two-man bob –  coming in to replace him.

Describing what Langton brings to the US team, Holcomb said: “The guy’s a freak. He has an unreal vertical jump. He’s incredibly strong. He’s very disciplined and he’s the exact guy to have on your team.” 

Holcomb hails from Park City, Utah, which is also home to his fellow Olympian Ted Ligety, one of the greatest skiers in the world. Both are former pupils of the city’s Winter Sports School, Holcomb having started his winter sports career in Alpine skiing and proving sufficiently gifted to compete at national level. A soldier in Utah’s National Guard through to his honourable discharge in 2006, Holcomb turned his attention to bobsleighing at the end of the 1990s. After developing into one of the finest drivers in the world, he was then diagnosed with a degenerative eye condition called keratoconus, a disease that thins the cornea and causes distorted vision.

Seeing the light

Holcomb’s failing eyesight actually enhanced his feel for the movement of the sled, to the extent that it became almost like an extension of his body. He eventually regained full vision in 2008 thanks to a revolutionary surgical procedure, and went on to record a string of victories on the FIBT World Cup circuit and enjoy sustained world championship success, winning the four-man bob titles in 2009 and 2012, the two-man bob in 2012 and the mixed-team event in 2012 and 2013.

At Vancouver 2010 he placed sixth in the two-man with Tomasevicz before unseating Germany’s defending two-time Olympic champion Andre Lange in the four-man, beating the Whistler track record in the first two runs and dominating the third to win with something to spare.

At Sochi 2014 Holcomb will once again be banking on his powers of anticipation and his gift for keeping USA 1, nicknamed The Night Train, on the right line at speeds of over 140kmh and at 4+ G-force.

His objective in Russia is simple: “It’s going to be a challenge, but we’re defending the gold and that’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to go out there and fight tooth and nail. We’re not here to finish second or third. I’ll take second or third but that’s not our goal. Our goal is gold: 100 percent.”

Should he achieve that goal, he will become the first American four-man bob driver to win back-to-back Olympic golds since William Fiske in 1928 and 1932.

Follow Steve Holcomb as he shares the details of the runs that took him and the Night Train crew to Olympic gold:

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KALYAN KUMAR MAHATA The true appellation of Apu.

Innsbruck’s Olympic legacy “is in the city’s DNA”

20/12/2013

Having hosted the Olympic Winter Games twice, as well as the inaugural edition of the Winter Youth Olympic Games (YOG), the Austrian city of Innsbruck is steeped in Olympic history.

According to Peter Bayer, the CEO of the Innsbruck 2012 Winter YOG, the city’s long Olympic tradition means that the Games hold a special place in the hearts of Innsbruck’s residents, who know first-hand about the benefits that hosting the Games can provide to a city.

“Everyone in Innsbruck loves the Olympic Games,” he explains.” People have been born with it in their DNA, so everyone knows about the positive experiences and the positive momentum that the Games can bring.

“For example, after the first Games in 1964, that was when tourism really started to develop in the city because people had seen and learned about Innsbruck during the Games.”

Following the success of the 1964 and 1976 Winter Games, many Innsbruck residents were excited to once again enjoy the Olympic experience in 2012.

“Everyone was enthusiastic about the YOG,” says Bayer. “We even had around 30 volunteers who had been there in 1964 and 1976, who wanted to come back and do it again for 2012 because they said that they’d had the time of their lives and wanted to be part of it again. That’s how the spirit developed in the city as a whole.”

The legacies of the 1964 and 1976 Winter Games also played a key role in shaping the 2012 Winter YOG, which made use of several pre-existing Olympic venues.

“We had 1964 and 1976 and then we were able to really build on the legacy from those two Games with the YOG,” says Bayer. We had one huge advantage, which was that we had nearly all the sporting venues already in place. The only temporary venue we had was the curling venues – all the other facilities were already there and had been regularly used since the Winter Games in 1964 and 1976. They had all been used for World Cups and World Championships, so we also had the people who knew how to run these major events – we didn’t have to bring in any external experts.”

Innsbruck 2012 also created its own legacy with the construction of the Youth Olympic Village, which has since provided affordable homes to families on low incomes.

“Today there are around 400 families living there,” says Bayer. “It wouldn’t have been built with the Youth Olympic Games. The land was supposed to be sold, but when we won the right to host the Games, the government awarded the land to the city of Innsbruck in order to build the village.”

Future generations in Innsbruck will also benefit from the establishment of a Nordic centre and a jumping hill in Seefeld, as well as a new ski-cross track and freestyle-course in Kühtai, which were all built for Innsbruck 2012.

“That whole area is now being used by our grassroots development programmes for young athletes in ski jumping, biathlon and Nordic combined,” says Bayer. “Kids are training there regularly and they have also held World Cup events. Seefeld is also applying to host the 2019 Nordic Combined World Championships. All the investment was made with a long-term vision behind it, which was also the case with the freestyle park in Kuhtai.”

With Innsbruck set to mark the 50th anniversary of the 1964 Winter Games in February next year, Bayer believes the city’s Olympic spirit has never been stronger.

“By delivering the Games in the way we did, which was based on the history we already had, the whole Olympic spirit has not only been reawakened in Innsbruck, but also increased,” he says. “Now, lots of people would love to see the Winter Games return to Innsbruck again.”

KALYAN KUMAR MAHATA The true appellation of Ap

Discover the twelve new winter sports events for Sochi 2014!

18/12/2013

Twelve winter sports events (three mixed events, four men’s events and five women’s events) will make their debuts on the Olympic programme in Sochi. Here’s what to look out for:

Biathlon mixed relay – MixedTeams will comprise of two men and two women. Women will open the relay, completing the first two 6km legs. The men then complete the next two 7.5km legs.


Figure skating team event – MixedFeaturing teams made up of six skaters – one male, one female, one pair and one ice dance couple. Points will be awarded for each routine and the team with the highest number of aggregate points will win gold.

Luge team relay – MixedEach nation will field a men’s singles sled, a doubles sled and a women’s singles sled. All three will slide down the track, one after another, with the clock stopping only after the third sled has crossed the finish line.

Ski halfpipe – Men’s and Women’sEach athlete will perform an array of big airs and other tricks in the halfpipe before being judged on technical execution, amplitude, variety, difficulty and use of pipe.

Ski slopestyle – Men’s and Women’sSkiers combine airs and tricks on a 565m course featuring rails and a variety of jumps before being scored on execution, style, difficulty, variety and progression.

Snowboard slopestyle – Men’s and Women’sAthletes will be scored after descending a 655m course consisting of rails and a variety of jumps, as they combine big airs and technical tricks into one run.

Snowboard parallel slalom – Men’s and Women’sRiders will race two at a time down the same slope on two parallel courses, outlined with gates and triangular flags.

Women’s ski jumping – Women’sThe women’s normal hill event will mark the first time that women will compete in ski jumping at the Winter Games.

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KALYAN KUMAR MAHATA The true appellation of Apu.

IOC President meets HRH Prince of Asturias, Spanish Prime Minister

©COE/ Nacho Casares Montoya (2)

18/12/2013

International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach today visited His Royal Highness the Prince of Asturias before meeting Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy at his official residence in Madrid.

President Bach and Prime Minister Rajoy discussed the very important role that Spanish sport and Spanish athletes play in the sports world. President Bach told the Spanish Prime Minister how well received the Madrid 2020 bid had been, and told him it showed great potential for future development. The pair also discussed the positive preparations for the upcoming Games in Sochi.
Accompanying the President during his meetings was Spanish Olympic Committee President Alejandro Blanco. They were joined in their meeting with Prime Minister Rajoy by IOC members in Spain Juan Antonio Samaranch, Marisol Casado and José Perurena.
Earlier in the day, President Bach met with the heads of Spanish-speaking National Olympic Committees, who presented a joint programme for higher education.
President Bach also visited the Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) company, which is headquartered in Madrid. There, he was given the latest positive news on preparations for Sochi. Future plans for a potential Olympic TV channel were also discussed.
Earlier, he met with a group of Spanish research scientists, who gave a presentation on potential new anti-doping methods for the identification of prohibited substances.
In the evening, during its annual gala, the Spanish Olympic Committee gave awards to athletes and other prominent members of the sports world.

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KALYAN KUMAR MAHATA The true appellation of Apu.

IOC announces winner of the Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Games Medal Design Competition

20/12/2013

A young sports fan from Slovakia was today announced by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as the winner of the Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Games Medal Design Competition.

The winning concept, entitled “Track of Winners”, was chosen from a pool of over 300 entries from 50 plus countries by a prestigious IOC jury who described it as “modern, fresh and dynamic” when they were brought together from across the globe to deliberate the decision earlier this month.

Speaking about his win, 23-year-old Matej Čička said: “It was our school task to join this competition and design a medal. So I drew a lot of sketches and spoke with a teacher to choose the best one. I was inspired by the athletes’ track which, to me, means the base of the Youth Olympic Games. So I put it into my concept and used different shapes to represent the winning athletes and the podium.  And finally I called it The Track of Winners.”

The judging panel comprised world-renowned designer Thomas Heatherwick, the man behind the iconic Olympic cauldron at the London 2012 Olympic Games; Youth Olympic Games 400m hurdles gold medallist Aurélie Chaboudez (FRA); Olympic short-track speed skating champion Yang Yang (CHN); Youth Olympic Games Ambassador Yelena Isinbaeva (RUS); Olympic fencer and IOC Athletes’ Commission Chair Claudia Bokel (GER); and IOC Olympic Games Executive Director Gilbert Felli.

The panel also selected two runner-up designs that were placed in second and third place behind the winner. They were ‘A Hug From Lele!’ by Hugo Fernández, 29, from Spain; and ‘Stripes of Victory’ by Csaba Szitas, 28, from Slovakia.

Of his role as a jury member, Thomas said: “It's been thrilling to have the chance to look through so many exciting ideas from all over the world and to feel how much the Youth Olympic Games mean to young people.”

The online competition was launched in September and invited fans all over the world to get inspired by the Olympic values and share in the YOG spirit by submitting their designs. Matej’s winning design will feature on the face of the gold, silver and bronze medals awarded in Nanjing from 16 to 28 August. His first prize also includes a trip to the Games, tickets to the Opening Ceremony and a full collection of the medals featuring their design.

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Sochi 2014 Olympic Torch Relay reaches halfway mark

©Sochi 2014

16/12/2013

The Sochi 2014 Olympic Torch Relay has passed the halfway mark as it continues its 123-day journey across Russia ahead of the 2014 Olympic Winter Games.

The landmark was celebrated in Tobolsk, on the 20th anniversary of the Russian Constitution, with 25 Torchbearers carrying the Olympic flame on a 5.3km route along the city streets, as well as in the grounds of the Tobolsk Kremlin – the only stone fortress in Siberia.

Among the Torchbearers were Alexander Nesterov, the president of the local volleyball club, teacher Anatoly Berezin, and Alexey Gorodetsky, a member of the Russian wheelchair basketball team.

The following day, the Torch Relay reached the Sverdlovsk region, visiting Nizhny Tagil and Yekaterinburg, where the Olympic flame was taken to the viewing platform of the Vysotsky business centre – the highest building in Russia outside Moscow, as well as the most northern skyscraper in the world among buildings taller than 150 metres. 



The honour of carrying the Olympic flame to the highest point of the building was given to Olympic rhythmic gymnastics champion Irina Zilber and six-time swimming world champion Yuri Prilukov. 

"It's so neat,” said Zilber afterwards. “Such indescribable feelings of joy and excitement, and touching something so important, great, and to some degree sacred.”

In Nizhny Tagil, the Torch Relay began in spectacular style at one of the biggest ski jumping centres in Russia, with Torchbearer Sergey Dyachuk – a three-time Russian champion in Nordic combined – landing in the arena after performing a jump from the 90-metre ramp before collecting the Olympic flame.

The Sochi 2014 Olympic Torch Relay is now set to continue its journey across Russia on its way to the Opening Ceremony of Sochi 2014 on 7 February 2014.

The route has been designed to ensure that around 90% of Russia's population will be within an hour of the Relay at some stage, allowing approximately 130 million residents to participate in the event.

Find out more about the Sochi 2014 Olympic Torch Relay Presenting Partners athttp://torchrelay.sochi2014.com/en/Partners 

More information on the Sochi 2014 Olympic Torch Relay can be found athttp://torchrelay.sochi2014.com/en/

KALYAN KUMAR MAHATA The true appellation of Apu.

Lake Placid enjoys long and continued Olympic legacies

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17/12/2013

The small upstate New York village of Lake Placid has enjoyed a long Olympic tradition thanks to the two editions of the Olympic Winter Games it has hosted, which came 48 years apart, in 1932 and 1980.

The Lake Placid Games in 1932 marked the first time that the Olympic Winter Games had been held in North America – and the first outside Europe – and helped bring worldwide recognition to Lake Placid, leading to increased tourism, which has since been the backbone of the economy in the Adirondack Mountains.

The 1932 Winter Games also brought improved infrastructure and new facilities, including the multi-purpose Olympic Centre, which was specially built to host the figure skating events and six of the 12 ice hockey games – the first indoor arena ever used for the Winter Games.

The success of the 1932 Games helped establish Lake Placid as a leader in the resort and sports world and expanded the summer tourism season. From 1932 to the 1950s, Lake Placid also hosted more international sporting events – including speed skating, bobsleigh and Nordic skiing world championships – and produced more US Olympic athletes than any other American town.

By 1954, Lake Placid was eager to host the Winter Games again, but it wasn’t until 1980 that the world’s attention was once again focused on the Adirondack Mountains, as the region welcomed the Winter Games for a second time.

While some venues, such as the ski jumping hills, were rebuilt ahead of the Games, many of the same facilities were used again in 1980, including the Olympic Centre, which was once again the site of many memorable Olympic moments, not least the USA men’s ice hockey team’s triumph over the heavily fancied Soviet Union – a match that has since been known as the ‘Miracle on Ice’.

To ensure that the legacy of the 1980 Winter Games stretched beyond the memorable sporting moments, New York State announced its decision to place the responsibility for maintaining, managing and promoting all of the Olympic venues under one organisation – the New York Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA).

The ORDA’s key initiatives have since been instrumental in nurturing Lake Placid’s status as a world-class winter sports centre, ensuring an ongoing Olympic legacy that has helped shape the region’s economy.

Since the 1980 Games, Lake Placid has hosted numerous world championships and World Cup events, highlighting the continued positive impact that hosting the Winter Games can have.

Over the last 30 years, other legacy initiatives have included the construction of the Olympic Training Centre in 1995, construction of the new combined bobsled, luge and skeleton run in 2000, improvements at Whiteface Mountain including the addition of a high speed gondola and, most recently, construction of the new Conference Centre in Lake Placid – a state-of-the-art meeting facility that opened in the spring of 2011.

These facilities have continued to improve the economy of the region, with tourism more than doubling since 1980, according to the Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism.

As Sochi prepares to welcome the Olympic Winter Games to Russia for the first time, it can point to the example of Lake Placid and look forward to a long and continued Olympic legacy from the facilities that have been built along the Black Sea and in the mountains of Krasnaya Polyana.

Travel back in time and watch our video from Lake Placid 1932