KALYAN KUMAR MAHATA The true appellation of Apu.

Six quick questions to… the youngest athlete in Sochi

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14/02/2014

Gianina Ernst from Germany has made history twice in Sochi by becoming the youngest athlete to compete in the 2014 Olympic Winter Games whilst participating in the Olympic debut of women’s ski jumping. She met the minimum age requirement for the Olympic Winter Games by a matter of hours by being born on 31 December 1998. Olympic.org caught up with the 15-year-old ski jumper at the Olympic Medals Plaza after she watched the top-ranking competitors collect their medals.

Are you enjoying the Games?Yes, very much. It is absolutely fantastic here.

What has been your highlight outside the competition venue so far?It has been great to come down from the mountains tonight and experience the atmosphere in the coastal cluster, which is very cool. It is fun to pass by the big stadia, enjoy the Olympic Park and the great atmosphere.

What does it mean to you to have been competing here in Sochi?Just by participating here I have already accomplished a big objective. A dream came true.

We have checked the statistics and you are the youngest participant competing here in Sochi. Is this a funny feeling?Honestly speaking, I do not really feel that I am the youngest as everybody is treating me the same as the other athletes, which is good.

How is it to be part of the Olympic “first” of women’s ski jumping?It is very special. It is just cool that I’ve been qualified. I am really enjoying it.

How did you get into ski jumping?My father was a ski jumper and motivated me to take up the sport.

What are your plans for PyeongChang 2018?For now, I am just concentrating on the coming years.  Then we will see.

KALYAN KUMAR MAHATA The true appellation of Apu.

Olympic fans flock to Sochi cultural performances

©IOC / Chris Graythen

12/02/2014

Fans in Sochi for the 2014 Olympic Winter Games have also been enjoying an array of artistic performances and events as part of the Sochi 2014 Cultural Olympiad.

Over the last four years, approximately three million people have attended the more than 5,000 events – including concerts, theatre performances, exhibitions and festivals – that have been held throughout all 84 regions of Russia as part of the Cultural Olympiad, which has taken on a different theme for each year. It began in 2010 with the year of cinema, while 2011 was theatre, 2012 music and 2013 museums.
The finale of the Cultural Olympiad is being held in Sochi during the Winter Games, bringing together highlights of the previous four years at venues throughout the host city.
“We collected the most beautiful, the most outstanding events; numerous performance groups which represent popular songs, dances, the best theatre performances and art exhibitions,” explains Anna Pisarskaya, Sochi 2014’s head of culture.
With 144 events already taking place across the city during the Games, the programme has attracted thousands of Olympic fans.
“As of today, the number of spectators at these cultural events was 410,000 people,” says Pisarskaya. “So 410,000 spectators have attended the 27 various venues where these concerts, theatre performances and other performances take place. The repertoire is very diverse; it ranges from rock concerts that are taking place at the medals plaza to various folklore concerts that take place at various live sites.”

©IOC / John Huet

By the time the Olympic flame is extinguished in Sochi, approximately 5,000 performers will have participated in the Games-time cultural programme, including artists from 75 regions of Russia.
Among the highlights is the Winter International Arts Festival, directed by celebrated violinist and conductor Yuri Bashmet.
“Yuri drew up a very interesting programme, in my view,” says Pisarskaya. “You can see classical performances, you can hear and listen to classical music. Also, on top of that, very unusually for Yuri Bashmet, who is a representative of a classical music, there are events such as jazz bands and the Red Rock [popular music] concerts. So it is better to see than to hear it from me.”
With 410,000 people already flocking to these events, it’s clear that fans in Sochi are taking Pisarskaya’s advice and experiencing the Cultural Olympiad for themselves.

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KALYAN KUMAR MAHATA The true appellation of Apu.

The entourage as a vital support system to athletes

©IOC / Greg Martin

12/02/2014

From family and friends to agents, medical personnel and coaches, the people that make up an athlete’s entourage play a fundamental role in an athlete’s career. Last night, Olympic champions, coaches, athletes and members of the IOC’s Entourage and Athletes’ Commissions gathered in Sochi’s Coastal Olympic Village to meet and discuss the complexities and challenges faced by those who act as a support system to the athletes.

Following the success of the “Coaches and Entourage Night” held during the London 2012 Olympic Games, this event was held for the first time during the Olympic Winter Games. It aims to act as a platform to address current issues that have an influence on an athlete’s career, such as education and media exposure. It also provides a speaking opportunity to those behind the scenes who are crucial to an athlete’s evolution and long-term success.

Athletes and coaches on stage at Sochi event

In a relatively informal setting, speakers included Claudia Bokel, Olympic medallist in fencing and IOC Athletes’ Commission Chair; pole vault legend and IOC Entourage Commission Chair Sergey Bubka; Olympic medallists Stéphane Lambiel (figure skating) and  Edgar Grospiron (freestyle skiing/moguls); Swiss ice hockey goalie Florence Schelling, who is participating in the Sochi Olympic Games, and her coach Colin Mueller.

Balancing sport and education

For 25 year-old Florence Schelling, it was always important not to neglect education during her sporting career: “School was always a priority because I knew I could not make my living by playing ice hockey.” Florence got the opportunity to combine her ice hockey career with university studies in the USA. She now works on a full-time work contract and trains in the evenings. Family and friends are very supportive and understand that Florence does not have a lot of free time to spend with them.

The ice hockey coach for the Swiss team, Colin Mueller, spoke about the many responsibilities of a coach and the importance of having a multi-disciplinary entourage team, including experts in certain fields like psychology. Olympic champion Edgar Grospiron confirmed that his coach was much more for him than just a technical expert, and that he taught him important life skills. He said: “My coach was not only a sports coach, but a life coach. This was his mission, though he was not paid for this.” And Stéphane Lambiel, 2006 Olympic silver medallist in figure skating, appreciated that his coach “could really adapt to every situation” and felt when his athlete needed support in certain conditions or when he wanted instead to be left alone.

New educational platform for athletes

The “Coaches and Entourage Night” was also an opportunity to highlight the recent work done by the IOC Athletes’ and Entourage Commissions, including online education initiatives for athletes. Recognising that many athletes put their education on hold as they focus on their sporting career, the IOC, in collaboration with a number of its commissions, has developed an online platform delivering free, engaging, educational content to a worldwide athlete audience known as the IOC Athlete MOOC (Massive Open Online Course). This education platform will go live with its first three courses in March 2014.

Bringing together Olympic champions, world-renowned coaches, leading academics and inspiration leaders, the IOC Athlete MOOC features academic lectures delivered by prominent institutions from around the world, video insights, online live events, discussion forums and various learning resources.

IOC tools to help with career transition

IOC Athletes’ Commission Chair Claudia Bokel said: “If we have the athletes here on the sporting stage at the Olympic Games, we should also support them in their career transition. This is why we developed several tools to help them out, such as the Athlete Career Programme (ACP) and the MOOC.” Sergey Bubka, Chair of the IOC Entourage Commission said: “Sporting careers are quite short, and this is exactly why it is so important to combine sport with education. We need to pass on this message, especially to young athletes.”

Find more information and to sign up for the IOC Athlete MOOC, go to www.olympic.org/onlinecourse or the Athletes’ Space on Olympic.org.

KALYAN KUMAR MAHATA The true appellation of Apu.

Women athletes rock in Sochi

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12/02/2014

Athletes currently competing in Sochi at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games are thrilling spectators in the stands and viewers at home across the globe. More than 40% of them are women, and many of them are competing in newly added events, such as ski and snowboard slopestyle and women’s ski jumping, to name but a few. Delegations like Australia and Japan actually have more female athletes than men on board.

Women’s ski jumping’s successful debutIt was Germany's Carina Vogt who made history on Tuesday, winning the first ever women's Olympic ski jumping event in a nail-biting finale in which 2011 world champion Daniela Iraschko-Stolz of Austria claimed silver, ahead of third-placed France's Coline Mattel.

For Vogt, who has made eight World Cup podiums this season but arrived in Sochi still chasing her first win, her victory came as a genuine surprise. “I cannot find the right words,” she said. “I wouldn't have thought it was possible three hours ago. It's amazing, I'm the first women’s Olympic champion in ski jumping. I've not won a World Cup till now. It's unbelievable.”

Another German ski jumper, Gianina Ernst, born on 31 December 1998, did not end up in the event’s top ranks, but secured her place in the history books by becoming the youngest athlete competing in Sochi.

Some more highlightsThere is a lot of women power and fascinating stories around these days in Sochi, and here is just a taster: Jorien Ter Mors from the Netherlands is the first speed skater in history to compete in both the short and long track at an Olympic Winter Games. Justine and Chloé Dufour-Lapointe from Canada took gold and silver in the women’s moguls at Rosa Khutor and became the first sisters to occupy the top two steps of a Winter Olympic podium in half a century. Ukrainian twins Valya and Vita Semerenko are both competing in biathlon in Sochi, and Vita went on to win the first medal for her country in Sochi. Norway's cross-country skier Marit Bjørgen added a fourth gold to her fast growing Olympic medal collection; and 2012 Youth Olympic Games participant Greta Small from Australia hides the pressure on her young shoulders well, given the herculean and gruelling endurance test she has undertaken as she competes in all five events in Alpine skiing in Sochi.

Follow more fascinating stories on www.olympic.org in the coming days

Background information
When women first competed in the Olympic Winter Games in Chamonix in 1924, there were only 11 athletes which represented just over 4 per cent of the total competitors. Since then, female participation at the Olympic Games has come a long way. 

Read more interesting facts and figures here.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC)’s commitment to gender equality extends well beyond its efforts to increase women’s participation at the Olympic Games however. It also recognises that gender equality is a critical component of effective sports administration and continues to support the promotion of women and girls in sport at all levels and structures.

KALYAN KUMAR MAHATA The true appellation of Apu.

Luge maestro Loch hails the appliance of science

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10/02/2014

Newly crowned double Olympic champion Felix Loch says that the appliance of science combined with human talent has helped keep the German team at the pinnacle of the luge events.

The Germans - spearheaded by Loch and Natalie Geisenberger - are by far the most successful luge nation in Olympic history and are once again proving that they are the force to be reckoned with at Sochi 2014.

The statistics make impressive reading. To date the Germans have won 70 medals out of 117 since the sport was introduced to the Winter Olympics in 1964.

Newly crowned double Olympic champion Loch puts the success partly down to the use of advanced training methods. “One should have the distinct understanding of physics to achieve serious progress in luge,” said the 24-year-old, who clinched a second Olympic gold on Sunday, a month after winning his third straight World Cup title.

“I have spent much time in the aerodynamic tunnel seeking for a position with the smallest air resistance,” he said. “Besides, you need to adjust your style to the influence of multi-directional forces on your body. “And most of all you need to produce hundreds of descents to obtain the comprehensive feeling and control over your luge.”

Another important factor, according to Loch, is an ability to keep concentration at the track: “It's vital to keep complete concentration during the descent even though it's not an easy task," he said.

Italy's two-time Olympic champion Armin Zöggeler, who dominated the sport before being ousted by the young German pretender, has called Loch a natural who has honed his skills with hard work. “He is a true natural talent,” says the Italian. “His body's physical characteristics are almost ideal for luge and with his tremendous working abilities he rose to the star position pretty quickly.”

Opportunities to shineGeisenberger, 26, who has won back-to-back World Cup titles and took Olympic bronze in women's singles at the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver, says that the German camp benefits from top facilities and as well as a deep pool of talent.

“We have plenty of opportunities for practising as there are four sliding facilities in Germany and plenty of young talent, who not only want to show themselves in our sport but also have such a chance.

"We also have everything we need for practice," she added. "Top-ranked managers, classy equipment, and plenty of time for training, and that's the main reason for our success."

And the overall strength of the Germans will also make them real favourites in the new team relay event, which makes its debut in Sochi, and which will include one man, one woman and a doubles pair.

KALYAN KUMAR MAHATA The true appellation of Apu.

Russian women give home crowd cause to cheer in the curling

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10/02/2014

Russia secured a crowd-pleasing 7-4 win over Denmark as the women's round-robin programme got under way on Monday afternoon in the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games curling competition, being held in the Ice Cube Curling Centre.

Russia took a 4-1 lead into the half-time break, but Denmark scored in each of the next three ends - with single points in each of them - to level the score at 4-4 after eight ends.

Russia then scored two points in the ninth end as skip Anna Sidorova drew into a crowded house. They then stole a single point in the tenth end to seal their win.

After the game, Sidorova said: “I am glad that we won today. From the psychological side, after two disappointments at the European and World Championships, we had to win this game to give us confidence for the rest of the tournament.”

World champions falter

Great Britain's reigning world champions went down by 4-6 to Sweden in their opening game.

Skip Eve Muirhead found herself facing four Swedish counters as she played her last stone in the third end. Her final hit and roll managed to limit the damage to just a steal of two points.

After this, the tide turned as Britain scored single points in each of the next three ends to level the score at 3-3.

However, in the seventh end Sweden scored two points to re-take the lead. The teams then swapped single points in the eighth and ninth ends to give Sweden a 6-4 lead as they played the tenth end. Eventually Britain conceded the game before Muirhead played her last stone in this end.

After their win, Sweden skip, Margaretha Sigfridsson, said: “It’s always nice to start with a win. The important thing is to always play a really good and really tight game against Great Britain – that’s the main thing. 
“Every win is nice though and especially against the top teams. Of course this is a boost for our confidence, but we need to work on a few little things and get better as the week goes on.”

Canada and Switzerland off to a winning start

Canada's Jennifer Jones started her first Olympic Winter Games with a comfortable win as her team beat China by 9-2.

After blanking the opening end, Canada opened the scoring with two points in the second end, and followed that up with a steal of one point in the third end for a 3-0 lead.

In the fifth end a double take-out by Jones gave Canada three points and a 6-1 lead. China could only score one point in the sixth end, but then Canada scored three more points in the seventh end for a 9-2 scoreline, at which point China conceded.

Afterwards, Jones said: “I was very proud of the girls, I thought they played really well. They just came out right from the first rock and really made my job easy today. But we'll just have to keep getting better.”

In the fourth game of the session, Switzerland were too strong for the USA and won by 7-4.

The Americans were on top in the early ends, stealing single points in both the first and third ends, but Switzerland scored three points in the fourth end to take a 3-2 lead. They then stole two points in the fifth end to move their lead on to 5-2.

Switzerland scored a further two points in the eighth end for a 7-3 lead. The USA could only score one point in the ninth end and then ran out of stones in the tenth end, as Switzerland completed their victory.

Swiss skip Mirjam Ott was delighted to start with a win but saw room for improvement: “The conditions were very good today. We are very happy with our performance in the first game, but we know that we can improve a lot.”

KALYAN KUMAR MAHATA The true appellation of Apu.

USA on a roll with Swiss shut-out

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10/02/2014

The USA made it two wins out of two in the women’s ice hockey tournament, comfortably overcoming Switzerland with a 9-0 win in the Shayba Arena

A five-goal salvo in the first period saw the Vancouver 2010 runners-up rack up a comfortable early advantage, four more strikes completing the rout as they outshot the Swiss by 53-10.

Amanda Kessel was the star of the show, her two goals and two assists providing some lethal cutting edge in a completely dominant performance.

Monique Lamoureux set the USA on their way in the tenth minute – beginning a remarkable 55-second spell in which Brianna Decker and Kessel quickly added to their tally.

It was a history-making triple blast – the fastest three-goal sequence ever seen at the Olympic Winter Games.

Hilary Knight and Kessel, again, put the USA five up before 16 minutes had elapsed, although the Swiss recovered to limit them to another Lamoureux goal in the second period.

Two swift goals by Kendall Coyne quickened the pace at the start of the third, with Alex Carpenter completing the scoring in the final five minutes.

Kessel would have recorded a hat-trick if her third strike of the game had counted – but play was pulled back following a video review of a Coyne goal that had initially been missed by the officials.

“It was pretty weird, but I saw Kendall's goal go in,” she admitted. "It was her first one of the tournament, so I was happy for my linemate.”

Meanwhile, Swiss forward Jessica Lutz was philosophical in defeat. “We know we're going to get lots of shots and goals against us, but we'll tell each other let's just keep going no matter what the score is,” she said.

“They got five goals early on, but after that we stuck with it. They didn't have goals for a while. That's success for us.”

The Swiss face Finland in their next outing on Wednesday afternoon; the table-topping USA face a clash of the favourites against Canada.

Holders stay on track with Finland win

Olympic champions Canada stayed on course for a successful title defence with a 3-0 win over Finland on Monday afternoon – but were forced to leave it late.
Victory looked far from certain against a gutsy Finnish side as the match entered its final third, but three goals in seven minutes brought up two wins in as many games for the favourites.

Despite being outshot by 42-14, Finland gave the Canadians some scares early on, with goalkeeper Shannon Szabados forced into some important saves.

Her opposite number, Noora Raty, was in outstanding form throughout before finally being beaten nine minutes into the third period.

A vicious shot on a power play from Meghan Agosta-Marciano broke the deadlock, with Jayna Hefford and Rebecca Johnston adding gloss to the scoreline.

Szabados explained that patience was key to Canada’s eventual success. “We expected it to be a great game and a close game," she said. "I think that was the key to it: We didn't get frustrated.”

After coming close to a famous shut-out, Raty sensed relief in her highly-fancied opponents.

“I've never seen them celebrate as much as they celebrated that first goal,” she said. “That showed they were probably getting frustrated. We have never beaten Canada in our history, but this showed we are maybe closing the gap.”