Latest news with #Olympic&ParalympicCommittee
7NEWS
3 days ago
- Sport
- 7NEWS
Olympic legend Michael Phelps launches brutal attack on ‘broken USA Swimming'
Olympic swimming legend Michael Phelps has blasted USA Swimming, saying the sport is in decline and the problem is 'poor leadership' at every level. Phelps used the Paris Olympics as a recent example of his country's struggles, despite the fact that USA narrowly beat Australia in the medal tally in the pool. Phelps noted that Team USA won only 44 per cent of the medals they had the opportunity to win, 'the lowest percentage the sport had seen since the 1988 Olympics'. 'There have always been cracks in the system but in the last nine years, I've seen those cracks grow,' Phelps posted. He said in 2016 the US team in Rio won 57 per cent of the medals it had the opportunity to win and he was wondering what had 'changed in our sport'. 'And the answer is clear,' Phelps said. 'This isn't on the athletes as they continue to do the best they can with what they've been given. This is on the leadership of USA Swimming. Poor leadership trickles down and can impact an organization at every level.' He said people may not agree with his perception, but he was glad that the discourse was forcing a bigger conversation. 'First, I must be clear that I have the utmost respect for the US swimmers that competed at the World Championships. My criticism is in no way directed at them — I know how hard they work and how honoured they are to represent the US National Team. My criticism is about the system, its leadership, and how it's failing,' he said. 'I spent most of my life inside of a system that is supposed to support athletes. I gave it my everything, but I often felt that my voice went unheard. I was told to be grateful for the chance to compete and that it was more important to stay quiet and to keep the peace. 'I spoke up earlier this year when I sent a letter to USA Swimming. It was also shared with the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee. It addressed many of my frustrations with the current state of the sport and was signed and supported by former Olympic medallists, world record holders, members of the coaching community, and current and previous staff members of USA Swimming. 'That letter seemed to fall on deaf ears. No one really wants to talk about how broken USA Swimming has become. 'But, if we don't talk about it, it won't get fixed. 'Money is a factor. But poor operational controls and weak leadership are a cornerstone of the sport's problems. 'I've watched too many teammates struggle to compete in a sport they love without the support they need. I've also seen the sport struggle to return its membership numbers to pre-pandemic levels, and I'm done pretending this system works just because it produces medals. 'Swimming to me was always about more than just medals – it's supposed to be an environment that builds champions in and out of the pool. 'As a dad to four young boys, it pains me to say that I'm not sure I'd want my sons to be a part of this sport at a competitive level. Yes, swimming changed my life, but it also causes a lot of heartache, and its current state makes me both sad and angry. 'I want to see this sport flourish and I want to be a part of the solution. I've always said that I wanted to change the sport of swimming in the US and that sentiment still holds true.' Phelps, now 40, is Olympics royalty. The Flying Fish won a staggering 23 gold medals at the Games, to go with his 27 World Championship titles (including one short-course crown). In the recent World Champs in Singapore, USA also topped the medal tally, but Phelps was still not impressed. USA Swimming said.: 'We are saddened and disappointed at the timing of the comments. 'The USA Swimming team battled severe illness in Singapore, and these comments added public scrutiny to an already challenging situation for our athletes and coaches,' Phelps has previously admitted to some mental health challenges and once said he considered self harm. But he has used his struggles to bring awareness to swimmers' welfare, and believes his country's swimming officials need to improve that side of their operations as well. 'I still care and I'm not ready to give up,' Phelps said. 'I don't have all the answers, but I know this: we need accountability. We need transparency. We need athlete voices at the centre, not in the margins. 'We need systemic change. 'I would like to encourage those of you who are in our sport and all of those who care about our sport's future to share your thoughts too. What do you think about the state of swimming in our country today? Has the sport continued to evolve and, if not, what can be done to move this sport into the future?' He then proposed some steps to the USA Swimming Board of Directions and USA Swimming, and offered his services for the 'proposed initial steps'. The steps are: - Commission a 360* independent review of USA Swimming's Board of Directors and its organization as a whole. Provide complete transparency in this process. - Streamline athlete services and develop a proactive, athlete-first way to support athletes competing in the sport. While USA Swimming and the USOPC provide some athlete resources, there needs to be a better way to work directly with athletes to implement what's available to them. - Focus on strengthening the grassroots level of the sport, reversing its pandemic membership decline while developing new ways to foster additional growth. 'My door is open and there is work to be done,' he said.
CNA
25-07-2025
- Politics
- CNA
Trump signs order aimed at curbing big-money college sports payouts
WASHINGTON :President Donald Trump waded into a debate over the influence of big-money payouts in college sports on Thursday, signing an executive order adding federal government scrutiny to the practice. The order, which is expected to face legal challenges, seeks to block some recruiting payments by third parties like donors to college athletes in big-dollar sports like football and men's basketball in order to preserve funds available for women's and non-revenue sports. Though the practice is already forbidden by the National Collegiate Athletic Association, some donors have found ways to bypass the rules to recruit top talent with lucrative offers. The policy is not aimed at fair-market compensation to athletes for brand endorsements, the White House said. The order also pushes colleges to raise scholarship payments for non-revenue sports and directs U.S. officials to start "clarifying" the legal status of student-athletes. Trump's directive could lead to changes in school budgets as well as the multimillion-dollar market for U.S. college athletes, and it could lead to limitations on payouts or employment rights for those athletes. Yet how exactly the policy will be enforced is still to be determined. Under the order, federal officials will develop a plan to deliver on Trump's order using "all available and appropriate regulatory, enforcement, and litigation mechanisms," including their funding power over states, colleges and universities. Since taking office in January, Trump has repeatedly tried to intervene in actions by sports leagues, colleges and universities. A February executive order aimed to bar transgender women from competing in women's sports. The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee implemented such a ban this week, citing the order. Trump has also targeted elite universities' federal funding over topics including pro-Palestinian student protests. Columbia University on Wednesday said it would pay over $200 million in a settlement to resolve federal probes and have most of its suspended federal funding restored. PAY FOR PLAY The NCAA, which governs U.S. sports in higher education, had long prohibited student-athletes from receiving compensation for athletics outside of scholarships in a bid to preserve the amateurism of college sports and keep the playing field fair for recruiting. But in June 2021, the organization approved an interim policy allowing college athletes to make money by selling their name, image and likeness (NIL) rights. The policy allowed student athletes to make money through activities such as signing autographs, endorsing products or businesses, and making personal appearances so long as the activities were legal in the state where the school was located. In March 2025, the NCAA agreed to permanently eliminate its rule that prohibited student athletes from negotiating NIL deals before enrolling in a school. The change came a day after a legal settlement between the NCAA and a group of state attorneys general who had sued the organization, arguing that the restriction violated federal antitrust law. The changes in recent years on NIL payments, the White House said, "has created a chaotic environment that threatens the financial and structural viability of college athletics." Michael LeRoy, a University of Illinois labor and employment relations professor, said the order would likely be challenged as unconstitutional. "The fact that players want to have the same rights under antitrust law that everybody else has is not a problem," he said. The problem, he said, is that the NCAA and athletic conferences that govern top sports "have stubbornly refused to grant employment status and collective bargaining to athletes." In a statement, NCAA President Charlie Baker said it was grateful for the administration's focus on the issue and said that new legislation may be necessary to address problems facing college sports.
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
