Latest news with #Olympic&ParalympicCommittee
Japan Times
18-04-2025
- Politics
- Japan Times
USOPC says White House gave reassurances about visas for Los Angeles Olympics
The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee has received "significant reassurances" from the White House on visas for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, chairman Gene Sykes said on Thursday, weeks after an internal memo showed the Trump administration was weighing sweeping travel restrictions. The memo last month listed 41 countries that could be subject to partial or full visa suspensions, potentially complicating the effort to host the Games, with thousands of athletes, coaches, personnel and tourists expected to travel. Officials from the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee said they met with legislators and members of U.S. President Donald Trump's administration last week to discuss a wide range of issues around U.S. sports. "It's very clear that, from the very top of the administration, they want this to be an incredibly successful experience for all Americans and all of the athletes and visitors who come from frankly every country in the world," Sykes told reporters. "They understand what it means to host the Olympic Games, so we were provided with significant reassurances about the work they're going to do with us to manage the visa process to make this work well for athletes and their appropriate entourages." One topic that was not raised was the issue of visas for qualified transgender athletes, after Trump said he would not allow transgender competitors at the LA Games. Trump signed an executive order in February aimed at excluding transgender girls and women from women's sports, clashing with international norms. The IOC has long refused to apply any universal rule on transgender participation for the Olympics, instructing international federations in 2021 to come up with their own guidelines. "(We) didn't discuss the issue and our general discussion on visas is to make sure that we have as much support from the administration, the State Department as we can possibly receive, and the reassurances have been very broad," Sykes said. Los Angeles 2028 Olympic officials told Reuters late last year that they were confident the U.S. federal government would deliver on its promise to support the Games.
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
What to know so far about the figure skaters involved in DC plane crash
As many as 14 skaters who were on board the American Eagle flight involved in a midair collision with an Army helicopter near Washington, D.C., on Jan. 29 are feared dead, Doug Zeghibe, the Skating Club of Boston's CEO and executive director said Thursday. The names of six people on board the flight have been released by the Skating Club of Boston. Two teen figure skaters, Jinna Han and Spencer Lane, were affiliated with the club and were on board the flight, the club shared in a social media announcement. Han's mother, Jin Han, and Lane's mother, Christine Lane, were also on the flight. Twelve-year-old Brielle Beyer and her mother were also on board, a family member confirmed to NBC News. 'Our sport and this Club have suffered a horrible loss with this tragedy,' Zeghibe said in a statement shared on social media. Two coaches, married couple and former Russian world champions Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova, were also on board, the club said. Zeghibe added that the athletes, parents and coaches were returning from U.S. Figure Skating's National Development Camp following the U.S. Championships in Wichita, Kansas. The camp was for young competitive skaters 'with the most promise to be a champion of tomorrow,' he said. Zeghibe told reporters Jan. 30 that as many as 14 skaters, coaches and parents in total returning home from the training camp in Wichita had been on board the flight. U.S. Figure Skating, the national governing body for figure skating in the U.S., also released a statement on the crash, confirming that 'several members of our skating community' were on board the flight. 'We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims' families closely in our hearts,' the organization said. 'We will continue to monitor the situation and will release more information as it becomes available.' United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee CEO Sarah Hirshland mourned the "profound loss" of the passengers on the flight in a statement. "Among those lost were talented athletes, dedicated coaches, and beloved family members from the U.S. Figure Skating community, all returning home from the National Development Camp. These Olympic hopefuls represented the bright future of Team USA, embodying the very essence of what it means to represent our country — perseverance, resilience and hope. They were remarkable young people and talents, passionately pursuing their dreams, and they will forever hold a cherished place in the Team USA family," the statement continued. At around 9 p.m. ET on Jan. 29, American Eagle Flight 5342 collided in midair with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter, which had been conducting a training mission. Both aircrafts fell into the Potomac River. Authorities say no survivors are expected in the crash, and a recovery mission is currently underway. Sixty passengers and four crew members were on board the American Eagle flight, the airline's parent company, American Airlines, said in a statement. Three people were on board the military helicopter, an Army official said. Here's what to know about the victims in the skating community. Spencer Lane was an up-and-coming figure skater whom Zeghibe described as a 'young phenom.' 'Spencer, in the best way possible, was a crazy kid, highly talented. Like, incredibly talented,' Zeghibe told reporters, describing him as 'very fun, very cerebral.' Zeghibe said Lane had 'only been with the sport a couple of years, and was just rocketing to the top, and his parents were working to support that.' Lane's mother, Christine Lane, was also on board the flight. Zeghibe described Jinna (pronounced "Jeena") Han as 'just a wonderful kid, wonderful parents, great athlete, great competitor, loved by all.' He also shared that the club had a close relationship with the Han family. He offered kind words about Jinna's mother, Jin Han, who was on board the American Eagle flight. 'I would say Jin (was) one of the most wonderful, pleasant, polite, smiling, just fantastic, fantastic member of the club,' he told reporters. 'Never a discouraging word, always appreciative, always supportive of not just Jinna, her daughter, but every athlete, just role model parents in youth sport.' Brielle Beyer, 12, was on the flight with her mother, Justyna Magdalena Beyer, Justyna's sister, Mariola Witkowska, confirmed to NBC News. Brielle and her mother were from a Virginia suburb of Washington. 'We're heartbroken. We're just in shock,' Witkowska said. Calling Brielle "an excellent skater," Witkowska said "ice skating was pretty much her life." 'She was extremely intelligent for her age, very very smart girl," Brielle said. Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov were celebrated figure skating coaches and former Russian world champions. They were also married. Shishkova, 52, and Naumov, 55, were two-time Olympians, competing in the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France, and the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway, according to the Skating Club of Boston. They both had decades of coaching experience in competitive single and pair skating. Former pair skater Inna Volyanskaya was on board the flight, her ex-husband, Ross Lansel, confirmed to NBC Washington. Volyanskaya was a coach at Virginia's Ashburn Ice House. Volyanskaya had competed internationally for the Soviet Union. 'She was one of the best skaters I've ever seen, honestly. She was one of the best pair girls to skate,' Lansel told NBC Washington. 'Just knowing the impact she made to all the skaters and everyone just hurts my soul and just I wish all those kids that she taught, just my condolences and I wish them — all my prayers go out to them," he added. "I wish them the best of life and everything because I know it's going to be so hard without her. It's tough because as a figure skating coach, you mean a lot to these kids and you're like the individual person for them." This article was originally published on
