
Berlin presents bid to rehost Olympics with 100th anniversary of 1936 Games looming
Berlin sports minister Iris Spranger on Tuesday said the city wants to put on a sustainable Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2036, 2040 or 2044, by refurbishing existing sports venues.
But her announced plans to include the former airport Tempelhof are likely to be resisted by locals who already opposed any development of the popular city park in a 2014 referendum.
Spranger envisaged beach volleyball at the Brandenburg Gate, and water sports in Grünau, a riverside locality which also staged water sports in 1936.
Otherwise, Spranger gave few details during the presentation, saying the bid was still at concept phase.
'You'll have to be patient,' she told a journalist.
Many Berliners are against the idea of staging the Olympics at all, regardless of them potentially taking place on the 100th anniversary of the Games already hosted by the Nazis. An initiative called 'NOlympia Berlin' has already announced plans to block it by collecting enough signatures to force a referendum.
Munich's bid to host the Winter Games in 2022 and Hamburg's hopes of hosting the Summer Games in 2024 were both foiled by referendums.
Spranger said she was against a referendum, saying she preferred 'dialogue with one another. Not just yes or no, but that the public really knows what we're planning.'
But for that, Tuesday's presentation was little help.
Local politician Klara Schedlich of the opposition Green party spoke against the bid.
'Our tax money is better spent on sports clubs than the IOC,' Schedlich said, referring to the International Olympic Committee.
Berlin's bid — titled 'Berlin+' with support from the states of Brandenburg, Saxony, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and Schleswig-Holstein — is to be presented to the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) before an end-of-month deadline.
It will be up to the DOSB to decide which Games to bid for. Los Angeles is hosting the 2028 Olympics and Brisbane the 2032 Olympics, so the next available edition will be 2036, the 100th anniversary of the Berlin Games.
'I believe that the 2036 Games, regardless of where they take place, will also focus on the Nazi Games of 1936. That's part of history and attention will be paid to it,' Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner said. 'I have to tell you, I'm proud to be the governing mayor of a city that has changed in the last 100 years, that we no longer stand for dictatorship, exclusion, and mass violence, but that Berlin is now a cosmopolitan, international metropolis, a colorful, diverse city.'
The DOSB previously said a German bid for 2040 was also possible. Munich, Hamburg and North Rhine-Westphalia also plan bids. A final decision on a German bidder is expected by fall next year.
'It's important for Germany to make a bid. We're making an offer here today,' Wegner said.
The formal presentation took place in the same battle-scarred stadium, Berlin's Olympiastadion, where Adolf Hitler watched Owens, the Black American athlete, win four gold medals in the 1936 Games, dealing a blow to Hitler's notions of racial superiority.
Hitler was personally involved in the design and construction of the 100,000-seat track-and-field stadium after the Nazis assumed power in 1933, two years after the Games were awarded to the city.

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New York Post
2 minutes ago
- New York Post
Gymnast who sparked abuse inquiry into coach at elite US academy says she ‘needed to speak out'
Recalling the damage her now-arrested coach inflicted on her and many of her gymnast friends, Finley Weldon said she feels a sense of pride. Free from the grip that Sean Gardner had during her years of training at an Iowa academy known for producing Olympians, Weldon told The Associated Press in an exclusive interview that she is among the few who survived his abuse and are still in the sport. The 18-year-old is heading into her freshman year at Iowa State University, where she'll be a member of the Cyclones gymnastics team. She spoke with the AP on Wednesday, less than a week after Gardner was arrested on a child sexual exploitation charge. Advertisement 5 Gymnast Finley Weldon, seen in Des Moines, Iowa, Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025, said she needed to speak up about Sean Gardner's abuse. AP 'I didn't want him to take away anything from me, especially something that I love,' she said. 'None of the girls that I started with or went through the things that I did with Sean are still doing gymnastics today. So that's something I'm very proud of.' She's also happy she's made a difference, in the same way gymnasts she admires — like Aly Raisman, an Olympian whose visceral accounts of abuse by Larry Nassar shined a spotlight on the trauma gymnasts went through and how authorities failed to curb it. Advertisement The AP generally does not identify victims of sexual abuse, but Weldon said she wanted 'my name out there because I was the one who did come forward.' 'I felt like I needed to speak out to stop it from happening to other little girls, so they didn't have to go through what I went through,' Weldon said. 'I knew it would just be a continuous cycle if nobody did.' 5 Sean Gardner was arrested on a child sexual exploitation charge. AP Gymnasts reported abuse to watchdog in 2022 Advertisement The FBI said Tuesday it believes Gardner 'targeted children' while coaching at Chow's Gymnastics and Dance Institute in West Des Moines, and gyms in Mississippi and Louisiana where he worked dating back to 2004. Gardner, 38, didn't return AP messages left on his cellphone before his arrest, and has not entered a plea to the charge. A public defender who represented him after his arrest hasn't returned messages. Another former gymnast at Chow's, the academy known for producing Olympic gold medalists Shawn Johnson and Gabby Douglas, first reported sexual abuse allegations against Gardner to the US Center for SafeSport in March 2022, alleging he fondled her during training sessions, according to an FBI affidavit. Start your day with all you need to know Morning Report delivers the latest news, videos, photos and more. Thanks for signing up! Enter your email address Please provide a valid email address. By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Never miss a story. Check out more newsletters Advertisement That girl provided the names of six other of Gardner's potential victims, according to the affidavit. Weldon said she spoke with a SafeSport investigator about her abuse at the time. SafeSport, a watchdog created after the Nassar scandal to investigate misconduct complaints, informed the West Des Moines Police Department about the allegations. It suspended Gardner from coaching or having contact with any gymnasts in July 2022. The police department said its investigation was closed in 2022 when the initial accuser decided she did not want to pursue charges. Weldon said police never reached out to her in 2022 but she's unsure whether she would have wanted to press charges then. She said she came forward in April 2024 at age 16 after she matured and began to realize the severity of her abuse. She praised police for doing 'an amazing job' keeping her informed about the progress of the case. 5 The Chow's Gymnastics & Dance Institute is seen Aug. 4, 2025, in West Des Moines, Iowa. AP 'It's definitely taken awhile, but I mean, even I didn't realize how many steps there would be to charge him with anything,' she said. Police defend investigative efforts Iowa investigators say they searched Gardner's home in May and seized electronic devices that contained images of nude girls from a hidden camera Gardner placed in the bathroom of a Purvis, Mississippi, gym where he previously worked. Advertisement West Des Moines Police Sgt. Daniel Wade said Wednesday the department sought the FBI's assistance in mid-July when the case's 'scope started to broaden.' Asked why the department didn't involve FBI sooner, he said, 'We call the FBI when the time is right.' Gardner is charged in federal court in Mississippi with producing visual depictions of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct related to the alleged hidden camera. Federal and state investigations remain active, and additional charges are possible. 5 Gardner was busted by the FBI for producing child pornography materials after authorities raided his home following an investigation into inappropriate contact with gymnasts at Chow's Gymnastics and Dance Institute in West Des Moines. AP Wade defended the department's investigative efforts over the last three years. He said investigators 'went as far with it as we could' in 2022, without a victim seeking charges and have been conducting a thorough investigation since receiving the new complaint in 2024. Advertisement Wade declined comment on whether investigators reached out to Weldon and other potential victims identified in 2022, saying only that police opened 'lines of communication with different people' that later paid off. Weldon said she met with investigators Tuesday and they asked her to identify herself in an image Gardner allegedly secretly took of her in a vulnerable stretching position. Protecting the 'male figure in my life' Weldon said her goal since she was a girl was to reach the elite level in the USA Gymnastics Junior Olympic program for those who aim to compete internationally. She said she started training at Chow's after her family moved to Iowa in 2015. She began taking private lessons with Gardner two or three times per week shortly after he joined Chow's in September 2018, when she 11 years old. Advertisement 5 A mugshot from Gardner's arrest for a drunken driving offense in 2021. AP Weldon said she was struggling as her parents went through a divorce and her father was largely absent from her life. She said Gardner sought to fill that role by telling her she could tell him 'anything' and that he would always be there for her. In hindsight, she said he was manipulating her in order to gain her trust. Finley's mother, Julie Weldon, said she heard concerns about Gardner from other parents at Chow's early on and asked her daughter whether her coach had ever done anything inappropriate. Finley said she falsely told her mother no because she was protecting the 'male figure in my life.' Inappropriate behavior progressed Advertisement She said Gardner began touching her inappropriately in 2019 during lessons, beginning with long hugs and pats on the back. She said his behavior progressed, and he began touching her butt during the hugs and requiring her to stretch for extended periods in positions that exposed her vagina and anus out of her leotard. She said around 2020 he began touching her vagina while spotting her during exercises. She recalled once telling him not to put his hands there and he claimed it was an accident because her 'leotard was slippery.' Weldon recalled reaching her breaking point with Gardner after a 2021 training in which he yelled and threw shoes at her, telling her she'd never reach elite status. She said she walked out and told her mom she wanted to quit. She said many of her classmates quit or didn't return because of Gardner's conduct after the gym shut down during the pandemic. But while he made her hate gymnastics at times, she continued training when her family moved to Texas and then to Utah. She said she eventually proved Gardner wrong by earning elite status and a spot on a Division 1 team. After news of Gardner's arrest, Weldon saw his jail booking photo in the AP story. She said she was struck by how much heavier and unkempt he appeared. 'He's definitely like gone through a spiral,' she said. 'I think he probably just had so much guilt built up in him that he kind of turned into that.'
Yahoo
33 minutes ago
- Yahoo
This physical winger has a chance to become a valuable cog in the Edmonton Oilers Bottom-6
The Top 20 countdown of our 2025 Cult of Hockey Prospect Series continues. Again, these are the twenty young men in the system today closest to making an impact with the big club. Players only fall off the list once they: -Make the NHL -Get dealt to a different organization -Age out, or… -Drop off the map. Lets proceed… 2025 Edmonton Oilers Top Prospect Rankings #15 – David Lewandowski (Voters: David Staples, Kurt Leavins, Jim Matheson, Ira Cooper). Physical wingers with some skill and on their ELC's are like found gold in the NHL. Will David Lewandowski be that for the Oilers? Selected in this past June's draft in Round Four, #117 overall, this left-shot winger out of Schwatzinger, Germany stands 6'1 and weighs in at 177 LB. If you look at this prospect through the lens of well-known and respected draft projections, this was a shrewd pick-up by Edmonton. Elite Prospects had him ranked #77, Daily faceoff #86, Flo Hockey #69 and his consolidated ranking rang in at #94. From the outside in, that looks like a win. The eighteen-year-old will turn 19 in February. In his first season in the Western Hockey League, Lewandowski was productive, going 15-24-39 in 52 GP adding 21 PIM. He also had a goal and an assist in four playoff games. In addition, he had a goal and an assist in four games at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup. Prior to that, Lewandowski also managed to play seven games with Dusseldorf EG in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL), which is Germany's top professional league as a seventeen-year-old. He also has international experience. But that small sample playing against men as a teenager stands out more to me. Here is what the scouts say: Elite Prospects: -Lewandowski is a dominant puck protector who throws reverse hits and bulldozes contact. His shooting has been a constant threat across his career. He rips pucks off his outside leg and possesses a powerful catch-and-release shot that he leverages with higher-end precision. Even more impressive, his physical skills – puck protection, especially – are the most translatable aspects of his game. Dobber Prospects: -A smart, solid, all-around forward with a strong shot and sub-par skating, though he has a straightforward path to the NHL. A solid all-around player'. Other pluses: -Lewandowski knows where the blue paint is. He has a nose for the net and seems to relish the journey in getting there. -Consistently positive reviews for his defensive play and strong along the walls. -Those that know him say he has a high Hockey IQ and plays a mature game. Where he needs work: -Foot speed, foot speed, foot speed. If this kid can get his boots moving quicker and more efficiently, it could lead to a breakout year with the Saskatoon Blades and a brighter NHL outlook. For now, while his skating is not a liability per se, he lacks the extra gear to separate from defenders. General observations: -Good hockey DNA. David's Dad Eduard played w0 pro seasons in Europe, including the KHL, DEL and the Olympics in 2006. -There is some suggestion that this kid may not be done growing. You never really know, but an extra inch could be a real plus. -If his boots are only average, then his fitness level will be one of the keys to this kid making it or not. A big summer will be critical. -A trusted colleague of mine who saw Lewandowski a lot in person last season said to me 'Oilers got a good one, keep an eye on him'. Noted. Projection: -A fourth line NHL-er? That is what his skill set would seem to project. If we further assess him by draft pedigree, about eighteen per cent of Round Four forward picks turn into NHL players. And as I have already mentioned, if Lewandowski arrives in that position on an ELC…that would be a significant advantage. -In the meantime, he has another full year in the WHL. Could he have a ticket to Bakersfield by the fall of 2026? -0- Next up…prospect #14 from my Cult of Hockey colleague David Staples. Now on Bluesky @ Also, find me on Threads @kleavins, Twitter @KurtLeavins, Instagram at LeavinsOnHockey, and Mastodon at KurtLeavins@ This article is not AI generated. Recently, at The Cult… STAPLES: Can the Edmonton Oilers win it all with such a top-heavy lineup LEAVINS: Will this Oilers prospect dog have his Day? Bruce McCurdy, 1955-2025. Don't miss the news you need to know — add and to your bookmarks and sign up for our newsletters here.


Boston Globe
2 hours ago
- Boston Globe
Gymnast who sparked abuse inquiry into coach at elite US academy says she ‘needed to speak out'
'I didn't want him to take away anything from me, especially something that I love,' she said. 'None of the girls that I started with or went through the things that I did with Sean are still doing gymnastics today. So that's something I'm very proud of.' Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up She's also happy she's made a difference, in the same way gymnasts she admires — like Aly Raisman, an Olympian whose visceral accounts of abuse by Larry Nassar shined a spotlight on the trauma gymnasts went through and how authorities failed to curb it. Advertisement The AP generally does not identify victims of sexual abuse, but Weldon said she wanted 'my name out there because I was the one who did come forward.' 'I felt like I needed to speak out to stop it from happening to other little girls, so they didn't have to go through what I went through,' Weldon said. Advertisement 'I knew it would just be a continuous cycle if nobody did.' Gymnasts reported abuse to watchdog in 2022 The FBI said Tuesday it believes Gardner 'targeted children' while coaching at Chow's Gymnastics and Dance Institute in West Des Moines, and gyms in Mississippi and Louisiana where he worked dating back to 2004. Gardner, 38, didn't return AP messages left on his cellphone before his arrest, and has not entered a plea to the charge. A public defender who represented him after his arrest hasn't returned messages. Another former gymnast at Chow's, the academy known for producing Olympic gold medalists Shawn Johnson and Gabby Douglas, first reported sexual abuse allegations against Gardner to the U.S. Center for SafeSport in March 2022, alleging he fondled her during training sessions, according to an FBI affidavit. That girl provided the names of six other of Gardner's potential victims, according to the affidavit. Weldon said she spoke with a SafeSport investigator about her abuse at the time. SafeSport, a watchdog created after the Nassar scandal to investigate misconduct complaints, informed the West Des Moines Police Department about the allegations. It suspended Gardner from coaching or having contact with any gymnasts in July 2022. The police department said its investigation was closed in 2022 when the initial accuser decided she did not want to pursue charges. Weldon said police never reached out to her in 2022 but she's unsure whether she would have wanted to press charges then. She said she came forward in April 2024 at age 16 after she matured and began to realize the severity of her abuse. She praised police for doing 'an amazing job' keeping her informed about the progress of the case. Advertisement 'It's definitely taken awhile, but I mean, even I didn't realize how many steps there would be to charge him with anything,' she said. Police defend investigative efforts Iowa investigators say they searched Gardner's home in May and seized electronic devices that contained images of nude girls from a hidden camera Gardner placed in the bathroom of a Purvis, Mississippi, gym where he previously worked. West Des Moines Police Sgt. Daniel Wade said Wednesday the department sought the FBI's assistance in mid-July when the case's 'scope started to broaden.' Asked why the department didn't involve FBI sooner, he said, 'We call the FBI when the time is right.' Gardner is charged in federal court in Mississippi with producing visual depictions of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct related to the alleged hidden camera. Federal and state investigations remain active, and additional charges are possible. Wade defended the department's investigative efforts over the last three years. He said investigators 'went as far with it as we could' in 2022, without a victim seeking charges and have been conducting a thorough investigation since receiving the new complaint in 2024. Wade declined comment on whether investigators reached out to Weldon and other potential victims identified in 2022, saying only that police opened 'lines of communication with different people' that later paid off. Weldon said she met with investigators Tuesday and they asked her to identify herself in an image Gardner allegedly secretly took of her in a vulnerable stretching position. Protecting the 'male figure in my life' Weldon said her goal since she was a girl was to reach the elite level in the USA Gymnastics Junior Olympic program for those who aim to compete internationally. She said she started training at Chow's after her family moved to Iowa in 2015. She began taking private lessons with Gardner two or three times per week shortly after he joined Chow's in September 2018, when she 11 years old. Advertisement Weldon said she was struggling as her parents went through a divorce and her father was largely absent from her life. She said Gardner sought to fill that role by telling her she could tell him 'anything' and that he would always be there for her. In hindsight, she said he was manipulating her in order to gain her trust. Finley's mother, Julie Weldon, said she heard concerns about Gardner from other parents at Chow's early on and asked her daughter whether her coach had ever done anything inappropriate. Finley said she falsely told her mother no because she was protecting the 'male figure in my life.' Inappropriate behavior progressed She said Gardner began touching her inappropriately in 2019 during lessons, beginning with long hugs and pats on the back. She said his behavior progressed, and he began touching her butt during the hugs and requiring her to stretch for extended periods in positions that exposed her vagina and anus out of her leotard. She said around 2020 he began touching her vagina while spotting her during exercises. She recalled once telling him not to put his hands there and he claimed it was an accident because her 'leotard was slippery.' Weldon recalled reaching her breaking point with Gardner after a 2021 training in which he yelled and threw shoes at her, telling her she'd never reach elite status. She said she walked out and told her mom she wanted to quit. She said many of her classmates quit or didn't return because of Gardner's conduct after the gym shut down during the pandemic. But while he made her hate gymnastics at times, she continued training when her family moved to Texas and then to Utah. She said she eventually proved Gardner wrong by earning elite status and a spot on a Division 1 team. Advertisement After news of Gardner's arrest, Weldon saw his jail booking photo in the AP story. She said she was struck by how much heavier and unkempt he appeared. 'He's definitely like gone through a spiral,' she said. 'I think he probably just had so much guilt built up in him that he kind of turned into that.'