Latest news with #ParalympicGames
ITV News
a day ago
- Sport
- ITV News
Diver Tom Daley hints at getting back in the pool if London hosts 2040 Olympic Games
Watch: Tom Daley and director Vaughan Civell on the red carpet for new documentary 1.6 Seconds. Tom Daley has hinted he would return to Stratford's Olympic swimming pool if the 2040 Games return to London. Speaking to ITV News London in Soho on Thursday, the decorated diver said if a bid for London to host the Games is approved it "might get me out of retirement." "Can you imagine how old will I be? I'll be 46," he added. He said: "There's something that's so special about London. I just love being here. The atmosphere, the energy here is so incredible. "The London Aquatic Centre is still to this day one of the best aquatic centres in the whole world. It will hold a very special place in my heart for a very long time." The five-time Olympic medalist confirmed his retirement from diving in August last year, during the Paris 2024 Games. The 31-year-old won silver alongside Noah Williams in the men's synchronised 10m platform in Paris to complete his set of medals, now with one of every colour. Daley, whose new documentary 1.6 Seconds premiered last night, first competed in the 2008 Games at the age of 14. He won bronze in London 2012 and again in Tokyo in 2021 on the 10m platform. In 2016 in Rio he secured a third bronze in the men's synchronised 10m platform. The Olympian managed gold with teammate Matty Lee in Tokyo 2021 in the synchronised 10m platform. How likely is it that London will host the 2040 Olympics? London Mayor, Sir Sadiq Khan has been open about wanting to host the Olympics in 2040 saying the city would be able to reuse venues from the 2012 Olympics and allow London to stage the "greenest games ever". Last month, Khan told The Times he believes that positive economic impact should drive an ambition to make London the sporting capital of the world – including the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 15 years' time. 'I would like to see London become the first city to host the Games four times,' he said. 'And if we have the World (Athletics) Championships in 2029, it means in the lead-up there's energy, enthusiasm and investment in track and field. 'Globally, everyone loves coming to London. And we've managed to stage a good event every year in the London Diamond League. I'm in favour of this. "We could knock it out of the park in relation to the Olympics, using the assets we already have in the aquatics centre, the stadium, the velodrome." London last hosted the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2012. Having the Games again in 2040 would cap a golden period which would include hosting the men's football Euros in 2028 and the Women's World Cup in 2035.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Businesses seek to overturn hotel and airport wage hikes by forcing a citywide election
A coalition of airlines, hotels and concession companies at Los Angeles International Airport filed paperwork Thursday to force a citywide vote on a new ordinance hiking the minimum wage of hotel and airport workers to $30 per hour by 2028. The group, known as the L.A. Alliance for Tourism, Jobs and Progress, is hoping to persuade voters to repeal the ordinance. But first, the alliance would need to gather about 93,000 signatures within 30 days to qualify the measure for the ballot in an upcoming election. Phil Singer, a spokesperson for the alliance, said the wage increase "threatens revenue Los Angeles urgently needs" — and its standing as the host of the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games. "Small businesses will be forced to shut down, workers will lose their jobs, and the economic fallout will stretch across the city," Singer said in an email. "We're fighting for all of it: the city's future, the jobs that sustain our communities, and the millions of guests the tourism industry proudly serves year after year." The new ballot measure campaign comes just two days after Mayor Karen Bass signed the minimum wage legislation into law. The wage ordinance has been hotly opposed by an array of L.A. business organizations, which argue that it increases wages in the tourism industry too much and too quickly. However, it was welcomed by unions representing hotel and airport employees, which have supported many of the politicians who backed the measure. The alliance's campaign committee has received major funding from Delta Airlines, United Airlines and the American Hotel & Lodging Assn., Singer said. The group's petition, submitted to the city clerk's office, was signed by five businesspeople, including Greg Plummer, operator of an LAX concession company; Mark Beccaria, a partner with the Hotel Angeleno on L.A.'s Westside; and Alec Mesropian, advocacy manager with the organization known as BizFed. The alliance is targeting a law that's slated to push the hourly minimum wage to $22.50 on July 1 for housekeepers, parking attendants and hotel restaurant workers, as well as LAX skycaps, baggage handlers and concession employees. The wage would jump to $25 in 2026 and $27.50 in 2027. The wage increase was spearheaded by Unite Here Local 11, the hotel and restaurant worker union, and by Service Employees International Union United Service Workers West, which represents private-sector airport workers. Kurt Petersen, co-president of Unite Here Local 11, called the business group's proposal "shameful" and promised his union's members would go "toe to toe out on the streets" with the alliance's signature gatherers. "The hotel industry's greed is limitless," Petersen said. "They would rather spend millions getting them to sign this petition than pay their workers enough to live in Los Angeles. It's shameful, but we're confident that Angelenos will see through their deceptions and stand with workers." Under the city's laws, hotel and airport workers have minimum wages that are higher than those who are employed by other industries. The hotel minimum wage, approved by the council in 2014, is currently $20.32 per hour. The minimum wage for private-sector employees at LAX is $25.23 per hour, which includes a $5.95 hourly healthcare payment. For nearly everyone else in L.A., the hourly minimum wage is $17.28, 78 cents higher than the state's. The federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour. Backers of the airport and hotel minimum wage hikes say they will help some of the region's lowest paid workers cover the rising cost of rent and food, while also giving them more disposable income to spend locally, delivering a boost to the region's economy. Detractors say it will undermine efforts by L.A.'s tourism industry to recover from the decline in business that was sparked by the outbreak of COVID-19 five years ago. They contend the ordinance will lead to layoffs, while also chilling development of new hotels. The ordinance also requires airport and hotel businesses to provide an hourly healthcare payment — on top of the minimum wage — that starts at $7.65 in July and is expected to go up each year. (Hotels will be exempted from that requirement until 2026.) Once the healthcare requirement is included, some businesses will be required to pay their workers an additional 60% over a three-year period, opponents of the wage increase say. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
a day ago
- Business
- Los Angeles Times
Businesses seek to overturn hotel and airport wage hikes by forcing a citywide election
A coalition of airlines, hotels and concession companies at Los Angeles International Airport filed paperwork Thursday to force a citywide vote on a new ordinance hiking the minimum wage of hotel and airport workers to $30 per hour by 2028. The group, known as the L.A. Alliance for Tourism, Jobs and Progress, is hoping to persuade voters to repeal the ordinance. But first, the alliance would need to gather about 93,000 signatures within 30 days to qualify the measure for the ballot in an upcoming election. Phil Singer, a spokesperson for the alliance, said the wage increase 'threatens revenue Los Angeles urgently needs' — and its standing as the host of the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games. 'Small businesses will be forced to shut down, workers will lose their jobs, and the economic fallout will stretch across the city,' Singer said in an email. 'We're fighting for all of it: the city's future, the jobs that sustain our communities, and the millions of guests the tourism industry proudly serves year after year.' The new ballot measure campaign comes just two days after Mayor Karen Bass signed the minimum wage legislation into law. The wage ordinance has been hotly opposed by an array of L.A. business organizations, which argue that it increases wages in the tourism industry too much and too quickly. However, it was welcomed by unions representing hotel and airport employees, which have supported many of the politicians who backed the measure. The alliance's campaign committee has received major funding from Delta Airlines, United Airlines and the American Hotel & Lodging Assn., Singer said. The group's petition, submitted to the city clerk's office, was signed by five businesspeople, including Greg Plummer, operator of an LAX concession company; Mark Beccaria, a partner with the Hotel Angeleno on L.A.'s Westside; and Alec Mesropian, advocacy manager with the organization known as BizFed. The alliance is targeting a law that's slated to push the hourly minimum wage to $22.50 on July 1 for housekeepers, parking attendants and hotel restaurant workers, as well as LAX skycaps, baggage handlers and concession employees. The wage would jump to $25 in 2026 and $27.50 in 2027. The wage increase was spearheaded by Unite Here Local 11, the hotel and restaurant worker union, and by Service Employees International Union United Service Workers West, which represents private-sector airport workers. Kurt Petersen, co-president of Unite Here Local 11, called the business group's proposal 'shameful' and promised his union's members would go 'toe to toe out on the streets' with the alliance's signature gatherers. 'The hotel industry's greed is limitless,' Petersen said. 'They would rather spend millions getting them to sign this petition than pay their workers enough to live in Los Angeles. It's shameful, but we're confident that Angelenos will see through their deceptions and stand with workers.' Under the city's laws, hotel and airport workers have minimum wages that are higher than those who are employed by other industries. The hotel minimum wage, approved by the council in 2014, is currently $20.32 per hour. The minimum wage for private-sector employees at LAX is $25.23 per hour, which includes a $5.95 hourly healthcare payment. For nearly everyone else in L.A., the hourly minimum wage is $17.28, 78 cents higher than the state's. The federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour. Backers of the airport and hotel minimum wage hikes say they will help some of the region's lowest paid workers cover the rising cost of rent and food, while also giving them more disposable income to spend locally, delivering a boost to the region's economy. Detractors say it will undermine efforts by L.A.'s tourism industry to recover from the decline in business that was sparked by the outbreak of COVID-19 five years ago. They contend the ordinance will lead to layoffs, while also chilling development of new hotels. The ordinance also requires airport and hotel businesses to provide an hourly healthcare payment — on top of the minimum wage — that starts at $7.65 in July and is expected to go up each year. (Hotels will be exempted from that requirement until 2026.) Once the healthcare requirement is included, some businesses will be required to pay their workers an additional 60% over a three-year period, opponents of the wage increase say.
Mint
2 days ago
- Politics
- Mint
FIFA World Cup 2026: Will US hostility trump its hospitality?
Not long after Los Angeles (LA) was selected as one of 11 American cities to host next summer's FIFA World Cup, tourism officials started predicting the potential economic impact. Among the most optimistic? That the weeks-long tournament could pour almost $600 million into the local economy, mostly from international fans of football. Pessimism has since taken over. At a time when the US should be preparing to roll out the proverbial welcome mat to the world, President Donald Trump's erratic immigration policies and draconian rhetoric are instead scaring tourists away. Also Read: Trial by Trump: Ramaphosa may well have emerged stronger from the Oval Office Stories abound of travellers with visas in hand being denied entry at the border over minor infractions or, in some cases, being held for weeks before being allowed to return home. The World Travel & Tourism Council, pointing to the Trump administration, recently projected that spending on international trips to the US would reach only $169 billion this year, down $12.5 billion compared to 2024 and well below the 2019 peak of $217 billion. Travel from Canada is down for the third straight month. Numerous countries, including Germany, have issued travel advisories warning their citizens to strictly follow the United States' tighter rules for entry, or risk being detained. Trump, however, appears unconcerned. During his visit to Qatar, where the previous World Cup was held, he insisted that next year's tournament— billed as the largest ever, with 48 teams playing matches in the US, Mexico and Canada—is 'going to be really exciting." Also Read: Race in Trump's America: One step forward and two steps back Meanwhile, his Homeland Security secretary Kristi Noem has promised that travel for tourists 'will go smoothly." FIFA President Gianni Infantino, a long-time Trump ally, has claimed that the world is welcome in America. 'This doesn't come from me. This comes from the American government," he told the FIFA Congress. Such empty boosterism hasn't gone over well in LA, the US city with arguably the most at stake when it comes to sports tourism. Not only is it hosting eight World Cup matches, including the high-profile men's opener, it's also on the hook to host the Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2028. Planning is well underway for both mega events, which, so far, have largely been funded with sponsorship and licensing deals. However, taxpayers and the city's depleted coffers will be on the hook if there are cost overruns, which is usually the case. Also Read: Euro Cup 2024: Corporate boardrooms should tune into football Of the last 14 World Cups, all but two ended up in the red for their host countries, researchers from the University of Lausanne found. And with the Olympics, most host cities usually exceed their budgets and fail to recoup their expenses. London broke even in 2012 and that was considered a success. Hotels and restaurants, flush with customers, tend to turn a profit during mega events. But with many expecting the Trump administration's policies to act as a tourism deterrent, exactly how much profit is now in question. This was the gist of a heated debate before the Los Angeles City Council recently, as tourism officials and business leaders objected to a plan to ramp up the minimum wage for hotel and airport workers to $25 per hour in time for the World Cup and to $30 per hour in time for the Olympics. 'An overwhelming majority of visitors from our key international markets now have an unfavourable view of the United States as a travel destination," warned Adam Burke, president of the Los Angeles Tourism and Convention Board, citing the projected slowdown in international travel, which is already being felt in California resort towns, such as Palm Springs. 'The 2025 outlook is not encouraging," Burke added. Also Read: Mint Quick Edit | Trump's $5 million price tag on a US visa is no big shock Also of concern is whether the Trump administration even has the resources to quickly process millions of applications for tourist visas, and, if so, whether it has the patience to manage the flow of fans and players repeatedly crossing into Mexico and Canada during the World Cup. To this, US Vice-President J.D. Vance recently joked—at least, I think it was a joke—that the US wants tourists to 'watch the game. But when the time is up, they'll have to go home. Otherwise, they'll have to talk to Secretary Noem." Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, meanwhile, encouraged tourists to take a road trip, but 'don't overstay your visa." Such comments are unlikely to inspire confidence in any would-be tourists. As Adam Sacks, president of the research firm Tourism Economics, recently told the New York Times: 'The brand of the country has taken a beating." It seems the bruises will show up first in Los Angeles . ©Bloomberg The author is a politics and policy columnist for Bloomberg Opinion.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Paralympic gold medalist Grace Norman to speak in Kettering
Previous Paralympic coverage above. DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) – A two-time US Paralympic gold medalist will be the keynote speaker at the Dayton Agonis Club's event tonight. Grace Norman will speak at the Presidential Banquet Center in Kettering. She will give a presentation after the 7 p.m. dinner and the awards ceremony. Norman has earned four Paralympic medals: two gold, one silver and one bronze. She is a leading competitor in the paratriathlon. Recently, she won a gold medal in the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games. Aullwood Audubon reveals June 2025 activity schedule The Dayton Agonis Club began in 1932 to unite former athletes and sports figures. It holds events to celebrate and recognize their careers. Norman completed the Paris paratriathlon, which was a 750-meter swim, 20-kilometer bike ride, and 5,000-meter run, in 1:04:40 to win the gold medal. She won her first gold in the 2016 Paralympics in Rio. (She also earned a bronze medal in the 400 meters in Rio.) She won a silver medal in the 2020 paratriathlon in Tokyo. Locally, Norman attended Cedarville University. She earned an undergraduate nursing degree in 2020 and was a student athlete as a member of the school's cross country and track and field teams. She is also a two-time National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) champion. To learn more about Cedarville University, an evangelical Christian college near Dayton, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
