What’s new at the Olympics?

For a non-Olympic year, the Olympics have been in the news a lot lately.   There’s the controversy over whether female ski jumpers should be allowed to compete at the next Winter Games, the debate over which new sports should be added to the programme  and the choice of venue for the 2016 Games.

So let’s review (don’t worry – there won’t be a test).  The next Olympics takes place in Vancouver in February 2010. The Winter Games feature a lot of popular sports, including figure skating, skiing and snowboarding, as well as more obscure sports like curling and skeleton.  We’ll start to profile all the events soon so you’re up to speed on all the action.

The biggest story relating to the Vancouver Games concerns a group of women ski jumpers who aren’t being allowed to compete (despite the fact their male counterparts have been doing so for decades). After appealing to the IOC (International Olympic Committee), they’ve taken their complaint to the courts.  IOC President Jacques Rogge has repeatedly denied the women’s requests and their  case is scheduled to be heard in the BC Court of Appeal Nov. 12 & 13 – just three months before the start of Games.

The next Summer Games will take place in London in 2012.  Baseball and softball were both  dropped for the 2012 London Games in a move many believe discriminated against Americans who dominated in both sports. Japan, however, won the last gold medal for softball and eliminating the sport from the Olympics was a huge blow to women around the world who play the game.

What has been added to the 2012 Games is women’s boxing.  According the the IOC, the  change reflects the IOC’s desire to continually refresh the Olympic programme and its commitment to increase participation by women. Kind of ironic given their stance on women ski jumpers. And their recent pressure on Muslim countries who fail to support the participation of female athletes.

The Sochi Winter Games 2014 seem to be relatively drama-free although there are  activists protesting Russia’s politics who have demanded the 2014 Winter Olympics be moved from Russia to a new site. Despite the protests, the Sochi Games are moving forward with new venues and attractions currently under construction.

The most recent Olympic fanfare had to do with the venue of the 2016 Games. A number of cities vied for the chance to host the games including Chicago, Madrid, Tokyo and Rio.  Chicago appeared to be a top choice and President Obama and TV Queen Oprah Winfrey appeared before the committee on behalf of their city.  Much to their dismay, Chicago was voted out on the first ballot and the Games were awarded to Rio de Janeiro – making it the first time the Games will be held in South America.

Golf has successfully scheduled a tee time for the 2016 Olympics. The sport returns to the Games  for the first time since 1904 amid the spectacular backdrop of Rio de Janeiro’s sand and sea. Golfers will compete for Olympic medals, but the greater promise for the sport is that the game catches on in countries where golfers are few and golf courses are even fewer. Michelle Wie, for several years the world’s best known female amateur player, helped lobby for golf to be included.  She told the IOC  that putting golf in the games would give young girls everywhere something new to aspire to.

Rugby also got the nod for the 2016 Games after a campaign of its own to show off the sport to a wider audience. The IOC  voted to include rugby sevens featuring 12 men’s and women’s teams.

The two sports share an Olympic history of sorts, both making their debuts at the second modern games in Paris in 1900. Golf was played again only in 1904, while 15-a-side rugby was in three more games, the last the 1924 Paris Olympics.

Both golf and rugby had to make some concessions to win their respective vote. Golf promised the IOC it would not stage any other major championships during the Olympics, while the Rugby Sevens World Cup will be canceled.

So, stay tuned. Despite the fact that the next Olympics are still four months away, there seems to be no lack of drama relating to the Games.

Multisport athlete McKey wins America’s Next Top Model

November 20, 2008 – It started out with the fierce fourteen 2 months ago and ended last night when Brittany ‘McKey’ Sullivan was chosen to be the next America’s Top Model.

The former tomboy from Lake Forrest, Illinios, McKey, won (all together now…) a contract with Elite model management, a spread and cover for Seventeen magazine, and a $100,000 contract with covergirl.

Nineteen-year-old McKey defeated her rival, LA high school student Samantha Potter, after strutting along one unique runway, a giant hot pink hill, and striking memorable poses. Annaleigh was third in the contest.

We picked both of the finalists at the beginning because of their athleticism and beauty. Winner McKey played all kinds of sports as a kid including hockey and soccer. She now trains as a boxer with her cagefighter bf. 

When McKey was 15, a sports injury forced her off the field and she began to channel her competitive energy into modeling.  Looks like it paid off!!

Gina Carano’s fight future in limbo

October 21, 2008 - The fighting future of top MMA draw Gina Carano is in limbo as word emerged today that the mixed-martial-arts organization Elite XC will file bankruptcy and cease future operations, according to parent company, Pro Elite Inc.

Elite XC, which produced seven of the 10 most-watched MMA matches in U.S. history on two CBS specials in recent months, will be closing its doors at the end of the week. This leaves a roster of fighters, including Carano, looking for work.

Will Carano move to the sport’s highest-profile group the UFC? According to Yahoo Sports,

UFC president Dana White has said he’s not interested in promoting women’s fighting, although Carano’s success as a draw may cause him to reconsider. Her match with Kelly Kobold two weeks ago ended up adding more new viewers than any MMA match on television in the U.S.

Stay tuned.

She’s a knockout

June 27, 2008 – With movies like “Girl Fight” and “Million Dollar Baby”, one has to wonder why female boxing is so underrated. Men and women alike have criticized the sport saying that the women were unskilled, untrained, and most of all unentertaining. Every once in a while there’s an athlete that defies the stereotype, an undeniable force not to be ignored. LaTonya King, 19, is that athlete.

LaTonya decided at 11, she would learn to box in order to protect herself. A year later, she would become the first black woman to ever win a Golden Gloves title match. By the time she was 15, she had six national titles under belt. With a training regiment that consisted of three hour sessions – five days a week, she refused to let her boxing interfere with her school work. She not only played clarinet, joined the cheerleading squad, and maintained straight A’s, she graduated valedictorian of her high school.

With boxing idols such as Roy Jones, Jr. and Laila Ali, it’s no surprise that her skills mimic those she admires. Emanuel Steward, Boxing Hall of Fame instructor, can not deny her talent. In Jet magazine he was quoted as saying ‘”She makes me more excited than any other boxer. I never thought in a million years I’d be training a girl.”

At 18, she became part of Nike Women’s Work 2 Play campaign highlighting female athletes from all sporting genres. Work 2 Play gives insight into just how hard these female athletes work to maintain their athletic edge.

As it stands now, King has earned eight national titles, three of them being Golden Glove titles, a Ringside National Championship, as well as an International Boxing Championship. At 19, she is pound for pound the best boxer in her weight class. With a record of 25 wins, 0 losses and 5 knockouts it isn’t hard to imagine that she would be much more than just a boxer.

You may be asking yourself, ‘What’s left for LaTonya King?’ Who knows, maybe she’ll turn pro.

Laura Saperstein: A New Face For Women’s Boxing

LONDON, Jan. 30, 2008 – Serious, smart and sexy with a sledgehammer-like right hand, Laura Saperstein has touched off something of a mini-media frenzy in the UK while quickly becoming one of the hottest prospects in British boxing since making her pro debut last November..

The former highly successful corporate lawyer has been the focus of countless newspapers articles and the subject of television programs, where she has on occasion proceeded to give painful boxing lessons to unsuspecting presenters.

Despite her unusual career path, the native Australian is no mere novelty, having ended her amateur career as an undefeated British lightweight champion but is more suited to the professional game as anyone who has witnessed her gritty performance last Autumn in South London can readily attest to.

Read more

Laila Ali steps out of the ring and into the “American Gladiator” arena

The ultimate battle returns Monday nights on NBC. And stepping out of the ring to co-host the “bigger and better” American Gladiators is the greatest female boxer in the world (and our favorite contestant on DWTS), Laila Ali.

The show is an update on the 1989-97 syndicated series that featured amateur athletes facing off in a series of competitions against a regular cast of “gladiators.” Laila, who shares hosting duteis with Hulk Hogan, believes the show is more sports programming than reality TV. A nationwide search for gladiators and contenders culled a cast of men and women who proved they are fit enough – mentally and physically – to compete. 

As host, Ali probably won’t be part of the competition herself but she has tried the joust and found it a lot more challenging than she thought it would be. Other women will compete however so keep an eye out for Gladiators Crush, Siren, Stealth and Venom and contestants Monica, Bonnie, Christie, Jessie and Kim.

In Zambia, woman boxer emerges as a new role model

LUSAKA, Zambia, Dec. 2, 2007 – African Esther Phiri beat US fighter Belinda Laracuente to defend her Global Boxing Union super featherweight world title this past weekend. The win added another victory to her improbable run as the first female boxing champion from this southern African nation and further increased her status in the country.

The single mother and former street vendor with little education is now a household name in Zambia. But growing up in the slumbs of Mtendere, the future looked bleak for Esther. The turning point came when an international non-governmental organization, Africa Directions, started a youth-centred HIV-awareness project in the area, combining health education and sport. Esther found herself the only girl in the physical training program focused on boxing. Read more

Carina Moreno awarded WBC Female Fighter of the Year

Nov. 21, 2007  – The World Boxing Council (WBC) recently voted Carina Moreno “Female Fighter Of The Year”. This marks the second award in 2007 for the champion who received the same honor from the NABF back in July.

Recognized as one of the best pound for pound female fighters in the world, Moreno is riding a 7 fight winning steak and looks to continue her winning ways when she’s expected to battle Terri Mosson December, 6 2007 at the Tachi Palace Casino in Lemoore Ca.

An ecstatic Moreno commented by saying, “2007 has been a break out year for me. Holding the WBC title is what every Mexican fighter dreams of. I want to thank my trainer Rick Noble, my promoter Christian Printup, along with my manager Repo Rick for doing a fabulous job in guiding my career. I wouldn’t be in this position without them.”

Known as a pressure fighter, Carina displays an exciting style that fans have grown to love and appreciate. Team Moreno plans to stay active, bringing exciting fights to everyone who is fortunate enough to see her fight live.

Boxer is Champ on Dancing with the Stars

DWTS is the hottest, most important thing on TV. Well maybe not THE most important. But Laila Ali, the last remaining female contestant on Season 4 was Pretty Tough and we stayed tuned.

It’s no surprise that Laila float like a butterfly on the dance competition show. The undefeated boxing champ (and daughter of boxing great Muhammad Ali) used her athleticism and fitness to conquer dances including the mambo and rumba. Along with her partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy she garnered high marks from the contest’s judges and won viewer approval.

Ali made it to the final three and was definitely our choice to win the whole thing. In the end, another athlete, Olympian Apolo Ohno, took home the big prize. Ali may not have won the comp, but she won America’s hearts. [+]

Laila Ali on Dancing with the Stars