Latest news with #OLYMPICS
Eyewitness News
15 hours ago
- Politics
- Eyewitness News
Trump slaps new travel ban on 12 countries
WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump signed a new travel ban Wednesday targeting 12 countries including Afghanistan, Iran and Yemen, reviving one of the most controversial measures from his first term. Trump said the measure was spurred by a makeshift flamethrower attack on a Jewish protest in Colorado that US authorities blamed on an man they said was in the country illegally. The move bans all travel to the United States by nationals of Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. Trump also imposed a partial ban on travelers from seven countries: Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela. Some temporary work visas from these countries will be allowed. The bans go into effect on Monday, the White House said. "The recent terror attack in Boulder, Colorado has underscored the extreme dangers posed to our country by the entry of foreign nationals who are not properly vetted," Trump said in a video message from the Oval Office posted on X. "We don't want them." WORLD CUP, OLYMPICS EXCLUDED The ban will however not apply to athletes competing in the 2026 World Cup, which the United States is co-hosting with Canada and Mexico, as well as the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, Trump's order said. Trump separately on Wednesday announced a ban on visas for foreign students who are set to begin attending Harvard University, ramping up his crackdown on what he regards as a bastion of liberalism. The US leader compared the new measures to the "powerful" ban he imposed on a number of mainly Muslim countries in his first term, which caused travel disruption across the world. Trump said that 2017 ban had stopped the United States from suffering terror attacks that happened in Europe. "We will not let what happened in Europe happen in America," Trump said. "We cannot have open migration from any country where we cannot safely and reliably vet and screen." Venezuela hit back by warning that the United States itself was a dangerous destination. "Being in the United States is a great risk for anyone, not just for Venezuelans," Venezuela's Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said after the announcement, warning citizens against travel there. Trump's new travel ban could, however, face legal challenges, as have many of the drastic measures he has taken in his whirlwind return to office. 'TERRORISTS' The White House unveiled the new ban with virtually no warning, minutes after Trump had addressed some 3,000 political appointees from his balcony at a celebratory "summer soiree." Trump also made the announcement with no reporters present, an unusual move after sharing many of his most headline-grabbing policy announcements at signing ceremonies in the Oval Office. But rumors of a new Trump travel ban had circulated following the attack in Colorado, with his administration vowing to pursue "terrorists" living in the US on visas. Suspect Mohammed Sabry Soliman, an Egyptian national according to court documents, is alleged to have thrown fire bombs and sprayed burning gasoline at a group of people who had gathered on Sunday in support of Israeli hostages held by Hamas. US Homeland Security officials said Soliman was in the country illegally, having overstayed a tourist visa, but that he had applied for asylum in September 2022. "President Trump is fulfilling his promise to protect Americans from dangerous foreign actors that want to come to our country and cause us harm," White House Deputy Press Secretary Abigail Jackson said on X. Trump's proclamation gave specific reasons for each country in his proclamation, which says it is aimed at protecting the United States from "foreign terrorists and other national security" threats. Notably, Egypt was not on the list of countries facing travel restrictions. For Taliban-ruled Afghanistan and war-torn Libya, Sudan, Somalia and Yemen, it said they lacked "competent" central authorities for processing passports and vetting. Iran, with which the United States is in negotiations on a possible nuclear deal, was included as it is a "state sponsor of terrorism," the order said. "The impact of the ban will once again be felt by Americans who were denied the ability to see their loved ones at weddings, funerals, or the birth of a child," said National Iranian American Council president Jamal Abdi. For most of the other countries, Trump's order cited an above average likelihood that people would overstay their visas.
USA Today
26-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Darrell Doucette on Olympic flag football: 'Flag guys deserve their opportunity'
Darrell Doucette on Olympic flag football: 'Flag guys deserve their opportunity' Show Caption Hide Caption NFL players can now partake in Olympic flag football Olympic flag football, which will make it's debut at the 2028 summer games, just got bumped up a level after the NFL agreed to let its players partake. Sports Pulse The NFL voted unanimously to allow its players to participate in Olympic flag football in 2028. Flag football star Darrell Doucette III is welcoming competition for roster spots but is hoping he and his peers won't be pushed out of the Olympic picture entirely. "The flag guys deserve their opportunity. That's all we want," Doucette told the Washington Post. "We felt like we worked hard to get the sport to where it's at, and then when the NFL guys spoke about it, it was like we were getting kicked to the side. I felt like I was the guy who could speak out for my peers, for my brothers that's been working hard to get to this level, for us not to be forgotten." Doucette first made headlines during the summer of 2024 when he proclaimed he would be "better than Patrick Mahomes" at flag football because of his "IQ of the game." "I know he's right now the best in the league, I know he's more accurate, I know he has all these intangibles, but when it comes to flag football, I feel like I know more than him," Doucette said at the time. His proclamation drew the ire of NFL fans and players alike. Mahomes responded to Doucette's comments with a GIF of rapper 50 Cent appearing confused. Even so, Doucette has continued to insist the players' transition from the NFL to flag football may not be as easy as many are anticipating. "It's entirely two different games," Doucette told the Washington Post. "You can't really compare flag football and tackle football." 2028 OLYMPICS: Which NFL players we'd like to see suit up for Team USA Notably, Doucette believes the difference in physicality between the two games would mark a tough adjustment for NFL players. Additionally, he isn't sure whether NFL players could quickly and instictively learn the moves flag football players use to avoid having their flags ripped off during play. "These are things that we practice and we work on to become great," Doucette said. "Those guys, they don't understand it yet." The NFL has promised a "tryout or qualification process" to determine which of its players could draw consideration for the Olympic flag football roster. Meanwhile, USA Football – the governing body that oversees U.S. Olympic flag football – praised the NFL's decision while noting the player pool already included "prominent flag football stars who have helped USA Football establish a gold-medal standard in international competition." While Doucette remains steadfast perennial flag football players should comprise most of the roster, he made it known he would be pulling for his country regardless of who makes the team. "This is a sport that we've played for a long time, and we feel like we are the best at it and we don't need other guys," Doucette said. "But we all have one goal in mind, and that's to represent our country. We're definitely open to all competition. If those guys come in and ball out and they're better than us, hats off to them. Go win that gold medal for our country."
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Justin Jefferson discusses playing Olympic flag football: 'It's a dream'
The NFL unanimously voted to allow its players to participate in flag football at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson is among many who are excited about the league's decision. "Just to think about the chances of playing in the Olympics and getting a gold medal, it's a dream," Jefferson told reporters following the Tuesday announcement at the NFL's spring meeting in Minneapolis. FLAG FOOTBALL: How will it work at the 2028 Olympics? What you need to know Jefferson was named one of the NFL's global flag football ambassadors in 2023. He has since worked with the league to raise the fast-growing sport's profile. Even so, the 25-year-old never expected the work to so quickly lead to a potential opportunity to compete in the Olympics. "Just reverting back to being a kid and watching the track and field meets, watching basketball win the gold medal – that's something that as a kid, I always wanted to be a part of," Jefferson said. "But football wasn't [global.] So now that we're expanding the game and we're going more globally, it's pretty cool." NFL AT 2028 OLYMPICS: Which players we'd like to see suit up for Team USA While Jefferson is interested in potentially participating in the 2028 Olympics, he noted he would take time to weigh his decision to play, as the Summer Games aren't for another three years. "I definitely would look forward to it if it came down to it, but that's something I have to ask myself," Jefferson said of participating in the Olympics, per ESPN's Brooke Pryor. Jefferson isn't the only NFL player considering participating in the Olympics. Patrick Mahomes and Tyreek Hill are among the most notable players to express an interest in playing flag football at the Los Angeles Games. Like Jefferson, those athletes figure to take time to contemplate their decisions, but the NFL's ruling has at least cleared a path for those stars to compete for spots on the Olympic team if they so desire. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Justin Jefferson: Playing flag football in Olympics 'a dream'
USA Today
20-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Justin Jefferson discusses playing Olympic flag football: 'It's a dream'
Justin Jefferson discusses playing Olympic flag football: 'It's a dream' Show Caption Hide Caption NFL players can now partake in Olympic flag football Olympic flag football, which will make it's debut at the 2028 summer games, just got bumped up a level after the NFL agreed to let its players partake. Sports Pulse The NFL unanimously voted to allow its players to participate in flag football at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson is among many who are excited about the league's decision. "Just to think about the chances of playing in the Olympics and getting a gold medal, it's a dream," Jefferson told reporters following the Tuesday announcement at the NFL's spring meeting in Minneapolis. FLAG FOOTBALL: How will it work at the 2028 Olympics? What you need to know Jefferson was named one of the NFL's global flag football ambassadors in 2023. He has since worked with the league to raise the fast-growing sport's profile. Even so, the 25-year-old never expected the work to so quickly lead to a potential opportunity to compete in the Olympics. "Just reverting back to being a kid and watching the track and field meets, watching basketball win the gold medal – that's something that as a kid, I always wanted to be a part of," Jefferson said. "But football wasn't [global.] So now that we're expanding the game and we're going more globally, it's pretty cool." NFL AT 2028 OLYMPICS: Which players we'd like to see suit up for Team USA While Jefferson is interested in potentially participating in the 2028 Olympics, he noted he would take time to weigh his decision to play, as the Summer Games aren't for another three years. "I definitely would look forward to it if it came down to it, but that's something I have to ask myself," Jefferson said of participating in the Olympics, per ESPN's Brooke Pryor. Jefferson isn't the only NFL player considering participating in the Olympics. Patrick Mahomes and Tyreek Hill are among the most notable players to express an interest in playing flag football at the Los Angeles Games. Like Jefferson, those athletes figure to take time to contemplate their decisions, but the NFL's ruling has at least cleared a path for those stars to compete for spots on the Olympic team if they so desire.
USA Today
20-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
How will flag football work at the 2028 Olympics? What you need to know
How will flag football work at the 2028 Olympics? What you need to know Show Caption Hide Caption Five NFL games we can't wait to watch in the 2025 season The NFL schedule for the 2025-2026 season has been released. Here are a few games on our must-watch list. NFL players could make their Olympics debuts as soon as the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Games. But what will football at the Olympics look like? On Tuesday, multiple reports indicated that NFL owners would vote to approve the participation of their teams' players in the next Summer Olympic Games. The move opens the door for a football version of the famous "Dream Team" – the 1992 United States men's basketball team that featured 11 NBA stars – in Los Angeles in 2028. However, the event will come with some tweaks. For one, NFL fans shouldn't expect the standard tackle format that NFL fans are used to. Instead, the 2028 Olympics – the first Summer Games the United States will host since 1996 – will feature flag football as one of its new events. NFL AT THE 2028 OLYMPICS: Which players we'd like to see suit up for Team USA Olympics flag football will come with its own set of tweaked American football rules: a shorter field, fewer players and no linemen, to name a few. Here's everything you need to know about flag football at the Olympics: Is flag football an Olympic sport? In fall 2023, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) approved flag football as one of five additional sports to be added to the list of events in the 2028 Olympics. Per Olympics requirements, there will be two flag football events at the Los Angeles Games: a men's bracket and a women's bracket. Will NFL players play flag football in the 2028 Olympics? Probably. Multiple reports Tuesday indicated that NFL owners would vote to allow their teams' players to participate in the 2028 Summer Games. However, the more granular details still need to be negotiated between the league, the NFL Players' Association and the Olympics. Big questions that need to be answered include how teams can be insured for injury protection, how teams will deal with potential overlap with the Olympics and start of training camp, and which teams will allow their stars to participate. Multiple teams' personnel, including Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh and Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst have already expressed trepidation on allowing their teams' players to participate, citing injury concerns. The method behind Team USA's roster construction is also something that will need clarity in the coming years. In an exclusive interview with USA TODAY in late 2023, USA Football CEO and Executive Director Scott Hallenbeck pointed out that there are already dozens of active players across both the men's and women's American flag football teams. Both teams won the IFAF Americas Continental Championship that year. Including players from those already-existing teams will need to be part of the consideration when building rosters for 2028. That's especially true after ESPN's report earlier on Tuesday that there was an expectation that the Team USA roster would be limited to 10 NFL players. 'We value the concept of the existing adult amateur players that have demonstrated true elite status and performance in (flag football)," Hallenbeck said in 2023. "So we're going to be very open-minded about anyone and everyone meeting the criteria that we set. We're going for the gold, and we will do what's necessary to put the best team together." USA FOOTBALL: 'We will do what's necessary': CEO Scott Hallenbeck wants to dominate flag football in Olympics Flag football Olympics rules According to the International Federation of American Football, the "Standard Style" of international flag football play is five-on-five, which is the format that will be implemented in the 2028 Olympics. Rather than tackling offensive players to complete a play, defenders pull a standardized flag – roughly 15 inches long by two inches wide – off of a belt worn by each player. There are no offensive or defensive linemen on either team, and games take place on a field that is 50 yards long and 25 yards wide. Rosters will have a 12-player maximum and all teams only have players of the same gender. Each team gets four downs to attempt to cross midfield for a new set of downs. An unsuccessful set of downs gives the ball back to the defense on its own 5-yard line. An interception gives the defense the ball at the spot the play ends following the interception. Teams are allowed to run the ball anywhere on the field besides the five-yard areas directly bordering the end zone. Jumping and diving as the ball-carrier in any context is illegal. Each team's defense can have a maximum of two blitzers that may rush the quarterback directly so long as all parts of their bodies are more than seven yards from the line of scrimmage before the snap. Scoring is essentially the same as standard American football, though no kicks are allowed. A touchdown is six points. The offense can then elect for a one-point try from the 5-yard line or a two-point try from the 10-yard line. A safety is two points and a defensive touchdown on a point-after try is also two points. Flag football games are 40 minutes long, split into 20-minute halves with a two-minute halftime break. The clock runs until the final two minutes of each half. During that period, college football rules for clock stoppage apply in that the clock stops after a first down, penalty, incomplete pass, runner goes out of bounds, a score or a charged timeout. If the score is tied after regulation, a modified version of college football overtime rules apply. Each team gets a series of downs to try to score starting at midfield. If the defense scores during the first series, the game is over. If neither team scores or the game is still tied after each team's first series of downs, each team gets one play for a one-point try from the 5-yard line. This continues until one team leads after both teams have their attempt.
