Latest news with #Saxony
Forbes
3 days ago
- Health
- Forbes
Jordan Chiles And Ana Barbosu Overcome Olympic Scandal To Shine In 2025
30 May 2025, Saxony, Leipzig: Gymnastics: European Championships, decision: uneven bars, women. Ana ... More Barbosu (Romania) reacts. Photo: Marijan Murat/dpa (Photo by Marijan Murat/picture alliance via Getty Images) Gymnasts Ana Barbosu (ROM) and Jordan Chiles (USA) became internationally recognized names in August 2024. In the final gymnastics event of the Paris Olympics, Barbosu and Chiles became embroiled in a tumultuous feud over the bronze medal. After initially awarding the bronze medal to Chiles, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) stripped the American of her Olympic medal, instead awarding the bronze to Romania's Barbosu. In a matter of days, Chiles went from triumph to despair, and Barbosu underwent the reverse. Currently, both athletes possess their bronze medals, but only Barbosu's is officially recognized by the Olympic governing body. Chiles' legal team is actively suing to have her medal formally reinstated. In short, the situation remains unresolved, with both athletes enduring immense mental hardship while caught in the crossfire. "I have no words," Chiles said of the result in late August, describing the decision as 'unjust' and a 'significant blow' to herself and her supporters. Chiles also faced a barrage of hate and harassment from fans, an element 'adding to the heartbreak.' Despite holding conflicting interests with her competitor, Barbosu deeply empathized with Chiles' pain. She also endured her own. 'It was a very tough time,' Barbosu said of the period following the Olympics, telling the media that she was 'heartbroken' during the fallout. Though both dealt with a share of struggles, the two have already channeled their heartbreak into triumphant performances in 2025. FORT WORTH, TEXAS - APRIL 19: Jordan Chiles of the UCLA Bruins competes in floor exercise during the ... More Division I Women's Gymnastics Championships held at Dickies Arena on April 19, 2025 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by C. Morgan Engel/NCAA Photos via Getty Images) So far, the two Olympic 'rivals' have exceeded expectations. This past spring, Chiles led the UCLA Bruins to their first Big Ten Championship and a National Runner-Up title at the 2025 NCAA Championship. Chiles also defended her 2023 NCAA uneven bars title, collecting her third individual championship. Off the mat, Chiles expanded her impact far beyond gymnastics. In May, Chiles made history as one of the first two gymnasts to land the cover for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. The same month – Mental Health Awareness Month – she committed to a powerful partnership with CorePower Yoga, centering the importance of mental health and wellness in sports. With every new partnership, Chiles reinforces her commitment to becoming a prominent voice for mental health and women's sports. Though the two-time Olympian has not yet decided on an elite comeback, she has her sights set on another NCAA title push in 2026, her senior season with the UCLA Women's Gymnastics team. Interestingly, Chiles' Olympic rival will join her on the collegiate stage next year. In a shocking turn of events, Barbosu announced her commitment to ACC powerhouse Stanford University. She will join the Cardinal in 2026, competing as a freshman while Chiles completes her senior season. Though she began the year with hardship, this time in the form of injuries, Barbosu made a statement at last week's European Championships. In fact, she made history. Initially considering withdrawing from the event to focus on her studies, Barbosu exceeded expectations at May's championship in Germany. The 18-year-old collected four medals—tying the most of any female athlete at the championship—and finished her competition with gold on floor exercise. 31 May 2025, Saxony, Leipzig: Gymnastics: European Championships, Decision: Floor, women. Ana ... More Barbosu (Romania, gold) at the award ceremony. Photo: Marijan Murat/dpa (Photo by Marijan Murat/picture alliance via Getty Images) Her performances were nothing short of historic for Romania. Barbosu finished third in the all-around despite an error-ridden beam routine, marking her nation's first all-around medal since 2013. With her gold medal on floor, she clinched Romania's first European title on the event in five years. She also collected a surprise bronze on bars, an event that has plagued Romanian gymnastics for decades. The last time a Romanian medalled on the event was Steliana Nistor in 2007, over 17 years ago. For Barbosu, her success in 2025 shows 'that [she] is capable of getting over the hard times with the right people beside [her].' While the Romanian now has her sights set on finishing exams and training for a World Championship berth, fans can hardly wait to see Barbosu share the collegiate stage with her fellow Olympian, Jordan Chiles. Though their journeys came at odds last August in Paris, Barbosu and Chiles set glowing examples of athletes channeling hardship into triumph.
Associated Press
27-05-2025
- General
- Associated Press
Berlin presents bid to rehost Olympics with 100th anniversary of 1936 Games looming
BERLIN (AP) — Berlin formally presented its bid to rehost the Olympics on Tuesday in the same stadium where Jesse Owens starred during the 1936 Games under the Nazis. Berlin sports minister Iris Spranger said the city wants to put on a sustainable Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2036, 2040 or 2044, making use of 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. 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. The DOSB previously said a German bid for 2040 was also possible. '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.' Wegner said it was 'important for Germany to make a bid. We're making an offer here today.' Wegner, Spranger, and the governors from the other four states made their presentation 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. ___ AP sports:
Russia Today
25-05-2025
- Business
- Russia Today
German politician urges talks on restoring Nord Stream
Germany should consider adopting a 'positive approach' toward Moscow that would including restoring the Nord Stream gas pipelines, Michael Kretschmer, the prime minister of the state of Saxony in eastern Germany, has argued. The current hostile policy has been unproductive and has only harmed Germany's economy, the politician, who also serves as one of the deputy heads of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party, said in an interview with Die Zeit on Sunday. 'Nord Stream is a possible opening for a conversation with Russia,' Kretschmer suggested, adding that such talks would benefit both nations. The German economy requires at least one-fifth of its gas supplies to come from Russia to function normally, he claimed. He also pointed out that various companies had begun relocating due to high production costs and energy prices. If the situation in the economy does not improve, Germany, not Russia, will have to 'change [its] course in one or two years,' he warned. Kretschmer's stance contrasts sharply with that of his party leader and federal chancellor, Friedrich Merz. Earlier this week, as part of a new sanctions push, Merz expressed support for an EU plan to ban any use of the Nord Stream gas pipelines and to block attempts to revive energy trade with Russia. The head of Saxony considers such an approach counterproductive. 'As long as we say that we don't want anything, we don't want gas supplies, we only impose sanctions, no one will talk to us,' he argued. The Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipeline systems were built under the Baltic Sea to deliver Russian natural gas directly to Germany. Each system consisting of two pipelines was capable of delivering up to 55 billion cubic meters of gas a year. Three out of the pipelines' four lines were destroyed by underwater explosions in September 2022 in an act of sabotage that Russia believes was orchestrated by Western intelligence agencies. European gas prices surged after the Ukraine conflict escalated in 2022 as pipeline gas imports from Russia mostly ceased due to sanctions and the Nord Stream sabotage. In 2021, Russian pipeline gas accounted for 32% of the total demand of the EU and UK, while Germany relied on Russia for 55% of its consumption, according to the European Council.
National Post
23-05-2025
- Politics
- National Post
Berlin wants to host Olympics as 100th anniversary of 1936 Games looms
Berlin is making a bid to host the Olympics again, possibly 100 years after the city hosted the 1936 Games under the Nazis. Article content Article content Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner is to present bid plans, with help from four other German states, on Tuesday at Berlin's Olympic Stadium. Article content The invitation sent on Friday to the presentation does not mention which Games the city is bidding for, but the next available edition will be in 2036 — the 100th anniversary of the Berlin Games. The German Olympic Sports Confederation has said a German bid for the 2040 Games is also possible. Article content Los Angeles is hosting the 2028 Olympics and Brisbane the 2032 Olympics. Article content The states of Brandenburg, Saxony, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and Schleswig-Holstein would also host competitions as part of Berlin's bid. Article content Berlin's Olympic Stadium, known as Olympiastadion in German, was built for the 1936 Games. Adolf 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. Article content Hitler was initially unenthused by the idea of hosting the Games, but he changed his mind after being convinced of their potential for propaganda. He invited Leni Riefenstahl to film the event and she used the material for her film 'Olympia.' Article content Olympiastadion is still in use and hosted soccer's European Championship final between Spain and England last year. Hertha Berlin plays its home games there, and on Saturday it will host the German Cup final between Stuttgart and Arminia Bielefeld.
Reuters
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Germany arrests minors in strike against far-right 'terrorist' group
FRANKFURT, May 21 (Reuters) - German authorities on Wednesday arrested five adolescents suspected of forming a far-right terrorist group and said the charges included attempted murder and severe arson. The arrests follow arson attacks on a community centre and a refugee shelter. Federal prosecutors said in a statement the five were male culpable minors who formed a group which styled itself as the "last wave of defence" to protect the "German nation". They listed eight German members of the group, disclosing their first names and the initial of their last names, including three who had been previously arrested. Their ages were not disclosed. The group's "aim is to commit acts of violence primarily against migrants and political opponents to bring about the collapse of the democratic system of Germany," the statement said. Two of the five are believed to have committed arson at a cultural community centre in October in the eastern state of Brandenburg. Two other members of the group who were arrested previously are accused of breaking a window and firing fireworks into a migrant shelter in Saxony in January. The statement added that more than 220 police officers were involved in the five arrests and searches of premises across five regional states. Politically motivated crimes in Germany surged about 40% to a record high last year, a report by the interior ministry showed on Tuesday, with an especially sharp growth seen in far-right violence. Deepening political polarisation, a series of closely fought elections and the war in Gaza were cited as underlying reasons for the growth in violence. Far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD) scored its best-ever results in national elections in February, calling for tighter immigration controls and a departure from the European Union.
