Latest news with #SummerGames
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
‘Best experience of my life': Longtime Special Olympian overcomes adversity
SOUTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. (WPRI) — Special Olympics Rhode Island's Summer Games are more than just a competition. They're also about making lifelong friends. No one knows how to do that better than Henry Moretti, who's competed with the Trudeau Tigers for more than five decades. 'Special Olympians are like family to me,' he said. The Cranston native has participated in his fair share of competitions, such as basketball, softball, golf and soccer, to name a few. But what's the 65-year-old's favorite sport? Moretti was quick to answer. 'I like bowling. My sister helps me,' Moretti said. 'Three weeks ago, I bowled my best game. I bowled 168 — six spares and two strikes.' Moretti has traveled far and wide during his time with Special Olympics. 'I've been to Austria. I played floor hockey … I was a goalie,' he said. 'I've been to Minnesota where I did weightlifting. I've also been to Indiana where I played handball and volleyball.' 'I even went cross-country skiing in Utah,' he added. Moretti was even invited to visit the nation's capital. 'I've been to the White House three times,' Moretti said. 'I met Bill Clinton twice and I met George W. Bush once.' 'I was a Global Messenger for Special Olympics,' he continued. 'I was one of 12 Global Messengers to have dinner with the president.' RELATED: 2025 Special Olympics RI Summer Games officially underway While Moretti is known for having quite the sense of humor, he's also extremely tough. Not even two bouts of cancer could keep him from doing what he loves. 'It was hard,' Moretti recalled. 'I was in the hospital for awhile and went to four rehabs to get better. I had to learn how to walk and everything again.' Thankfully, Moretti is back on track. He's even launched his own podcast, where he talks about his experiences with Special Olympics. Moretti told 12 News he plans on being a Special Olympian for years to come. 'I hope to be with Special Olympics for a long, long time,' he said. 'It's the best experience of my life.' WPRI 12 is a proud sponsor of Special Olympics Rhode Island. Download the and apps to get breaking news and weather alerts. Watch or with the new . Follow us on social media: Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
San Francisco Chronicle
15 hours ago
- Sport
- San Francisco Chronicle
Champions League final highlights Al-Khelaïfi ties to PSG, UEFA, beIN and Qatar
The Champions League final on Saturday will be an especially busy one for Nasser Al-Khelaïfi, perhaps the most multi-tasked official in world soccer. As president of Qatar-owned Paris Saint-Germain since 2011, Al-Khelaïfi's main goal is seeing his team become champion of Europe for the first time against Inter Milan in Munich. As chairman of the influential European Club Association, he leads 700 member teams increasingly taking over from UEFA in shaping sporting and commercial decisions for the Champions League. It also puts him on UEFA's strategy-setting executive committee. As chairman of Qatari broadcaster beIN Media Group, Al-Khelaïfi controls exclusive Champions League rights to air the final in the Middle East, North Africa and much of South-East Asia. 'Nasser Al-Khelaïfi is considered a visionary leader in the media industry,' beIN says on its website, adding that in 2016 he 'also acquired the Hollywood film studio Miramax.' He also is a minister in Qatar's government, a director of its sovereign wealth fund Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) and chairman of Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) that owns PSG. QSI and Al-Khelaïfi — a former tennis professional — also are key in the fast-emerging racket sport padel which has ambitions to be an Olympic sport, maybe in time for the 2036 Summer Games that Qatar and its tennis-loving Emir want to host. Among the invited VIP guests in Munich is Thomas Bach, the outgoing though still influential president of the International Olympic Committee. Saturday can be a peak of Al-Khelaïfi's 14-year career in international soccer that has fueled talk — despite ongoing investigations of his sports career by French authorities — he could be a future FIFA president. Al-Khelaïfi declined comment to The Associated Press after a recent UEFA meeting in Bilbao, Spain. In a statement, PSG said he 'doesn't want to be a distraction and wants humble focus for the team.' From tennis to soccer Now aged 51, Al-Khelaïfi was a tennis pro who played for Qatar in the Davis Cup, bringing him into contact with the future Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. Al-Khelaïfi's ATP biography shows his ranking peaked at No. 995 and he played two matches on tour. The first in 1996 was against world No. 2 Thomas Muster in Austria. Brief footage shows a good-natured exchange of shots with Muster in a 6-0, 6-1 mismatch. Al-Khelaïfi's career ended in 2003 and he joined the start-up Al Jazeera Sport as 'Director of Rights Acquisitions,' according to beIN. Qatar stunned soccer in 2010, when FIFA awarded it 2022 World Cup hosting rights, and PSG was bought within months. Rising in soccer The rise of ambitious clubs fueled by Middle East sovereign cash — Qatar and PSG, Abu Dhabi and Manchester City — concerned the storied elite. The ECA helped UEFA introduce financial control rules for European competitions that saw both clubs deducted 20 million euros ($22.7 million) of Champions League prize money in 2014. Still, while Man City did not get on the ECA board, Al-Khelaïfi was elected in 2016. Three years later he got one of two seats reserved for clubs on the UEFA executive committee (ExCo) — despite in-house cautioning about conflicts of interest. Conflicted interests? On election day in 2019 in Rome, UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin was asked about potential conflicts of interest around Al-Khelaïfi. BeIN was, and still is, among UEFA's main clients also owning extensive European Championship rights. Ceferin's narrowly focused answer was that ExCo members are not involved in approving commercial deals. Any conflict worked in UEFA's favor in 2021 when ECA leaders launched the Super League project designed to rival and replace the Champions League, which beIN broadcasts. PSG's refusal to join rebel clubs from Spain, Italy and England helped to undermine the breakaway that ultimately failed amid a fan backlash and British government threats of legislation. In the fallout, Al-Khelaïfi took over leading the ECA and quickly repaired relations with UEFA and Ceferin. One year later, UEFA opened a disciplinary case into claims the PSG president confronted the match referee after losing in the Champions League at Real Madrid. When UEFA published the verdict Al-Khelaïfi was no longer cited and blame was put on sporting director Leonardo, who PSG had fired weeks earlier. Challenges in France Al-Khelaïfi is not always popular in France where PSG has won 11 of 14 league titles during Qatari ownership. His powerful role has attracted criticism, particularly from John Textor, the American owner at Lyon, including that PSG's funding model involving Qatari money allegedly breaks European Union laws. The pair have argued about poor management of the league's TV rights. In leaked footage from a 2024 meeting of Ligue 1 club owners, Al-Khelaïfi called Textor a cowboy. Textor described his rival as a bully with a conflict of interest given his role at beIN. Al-Khelaïfi's legal challenges in France include some not related to PSG. The recent preliminary charges about possible alleged corruption relate to his links to a French businessman. Proceedings were dropped in relation to Qatari bids to host track and field's world championships, which Doha staged in 2019. In Switzerland, Al-Khelaïfi stood trial twice and was acquitted both times on charges of inciting a top FIFA official to commit aggravated criminal mismanagement from 2013-15. His lawyers said after the second acquittal in 2022 that "years of baseless allegations, fictitious charges and constant smears have been proven to be completely and wholly unsubstantiated — twice.' ___
Winnipeg Free Press
15 hours ago
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Champions League final highlights Al-Khelaïfi ties to PSG, UEFA, beIN and Qatar
The Champions League final on Saturday will be an especially busy one for Nasser Al-Khelaïfi, perhaps the most multi-tasked official in world soccer. As president of Qatar-owned Paris Saint-Germain since 2011, Al-Khelaïfi's main goal is seeing his team become champion of Europe for the first time against Inter Milan in Munich. As chairman of the influential European Club Association, he leads 700 member teams increasingly taking over from UEFA in shaping sporting and commercial decisions for the Champions League. It also puts him on UEFA's strategy-setting executive committee. As chairman of Qatari broadcaster beIN Media Group, Al-Khelaïfi controls exclusive Champions League rights to air the final in the Middle East, North Africa and much of South-East Asia. 'Nasser Al-Khelaïfi is considered a visionary leader in the media industry,' beIN says on its website, adding that in 2016 he 'also acquired the Hollywood film studio Miramax.' He also is a minister in Qatar's government, a director of its sovereign wealth fund Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) and chairman of Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) that owns PSG. QSI and Al-Khelaïfi — a former tennis professional — also are key in the fast-emerging racket sport padel which has ambitions to be an Olympic sport, maybe in time for the 2036 Summer Games that Qatar and its tennis-loving Emir want to host. Among the invited VIP guests in Munich is Thomas Bach, the outgoing though still influential president of the International Olympic Committee. Saturday can be a peak of Al-Khelaïfi's 14-year career in international soccer that has fueled talk — despite ongoing investigations of his sports career by French authorities — he could be a future FIFA president. Al-Khelaïfi declined comment to The Associated Press after a recent UEFA meeting in Bilbao, Spain. In a statement, PSG said he 'doesn't want to be a distraction and wants humble focus for the team.' From tennis to soccer Now aged 51, Al-Khelaïfi was a tennis pro who played for Qatar in the Davis Cup, bringing him into contact with the future Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. Al-Khelaïfi's ATP biography shows his ranking peaked at No. 995 and he played two matches on tour. The first in 1996 was against world No. 2 Thomas Muster in Austria. Brief footage shows a good-natured exchange of shots with Muster in a 6-0, 6-1 mismatch. Al-Khelaïfi's career ended in 2003 and he joined the start-up Al Jazeera Sport as 'Director of Rights Acquisitions,' according to beIN. Qatar stunned soccer in 2010, when FIFA awarded it 2022 World Cup hosting rights, and PSG was bought within months. Rising in soccer The rise of ambitious clubs fueled by Middle East sovereign cash — Qatar and PSG, Abu Dhabi and Manchester City — concerned the storied elite. The ECA helped UEFA introduce financial control rules for European competitions that saw both clubs deducted 20 million euros ($22.7 million) of Champions League prize money in 2014. Still, while Man City did not get on the ECA board, Al-Khelaïfi was elected in 2016. Three years later he got one of two seats reserved for clubs on the UEFA executive committee (ExCo) — despite in-house cautioning about conflicts of interest. Conflicted interests? On election day in 2019 in Rome, UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin was asked about potential conflicts of interest around Al-Khelaïfi. BeIN was, and still is, among UEFA's main clients also owning extensive European Championship rights. Ceferin's narrowly focused answer was that ExCo members are not involved in approving commercial deals. Any conflict worked in UEFA's favor in 2021 when ECA leaders launched the Super League project designed to rival and replace the Champions League, which beIN broadcasts. PSG's refusal to join rebel clubs from Spain, Italy and England helped to undermine the breakaway that ultimately failed amid a fan backlash and British government threats of legislation. In the fallout, Al-Khelaïfi took over leading the ECA and quickly repaired relations with UEFA and Ceferin. One year later, UEFA opened a disciplinary case into claims the PSG president confronted the match referee after losing in the Champions League at Real Madrid. When UEFA published the verdict Al-Khelaïfi was no longer cited and blame was put on sporting director Leonardo, who PSG had fired weeks earlier. Challenges in France Al-Khelaïfi is not always popular in France where PSG has won 11 of 14 league titles during Qatari ownership. His powerful role has attracted criticism, particularly from John Textor, the American owner at Lyon, including that PSG's funding model involving Qatari money allegedly breaks European Union laws. The pair have argued about poor management of the league's TV rights. In leaked footage from a 2024 meeting of Ligue 1 club owners, Al-Khelaïfi called Textor a cowboy. Textor described his rival as a bully with a conflict of interest given his role at beIN. Al-Khelaïfi's legal challenges in France include some not related to PSG. The recent preliminary charges about possible alleged corruption relate to his links to a French businessman. Proceedings were dropped in relation to Qatari bids to host track and field's world championships, which Doha staged in 2019. In Switzerland, Al-Khelaïfi stood trial twice and was acquitted both times on charges of inciting a top FIFA official to commit aggravated criminal mismanagement from 2013-15. Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. His lawyers said after the second acquittal in 2022 that 'years of baseless allegations, fictitious charges and constant smears have been proven to be completely and wholly unsubstantiated — twice.' ___ AP Sports Writer Tales Azzoni contributed from Bilbao, Spain ___ AP soccer:
Associated Press
15 hours ago
- Business
- Associated Press
Champions League final highlights Al-Khelaïfi ties to PSG, UEFA, beIN and Qatar
The Champions League final on Saturday will be an especially busy one for Nasser Al-Khelaïfi, perhaps the most multi-tasked official in world soccer. As president of Qatar-owned Paris Saint-Germain since 2011, Al-Khelaïfi's main goal is seeing his team become champion of Europe for the first time against Inter Milan in Munich. As chairman of the influential European Club Association, he leads 700 member teams increasingly taking over from UEFA in shaping sporting and commercial decisions for the Champions League. It also puts him on UEFA's strategy-setting executive committee. As chairman of Qatari broadcaster beIN Media Group, Al-Khelaïfi controls exclusive Champions League rights to air the final in the Middle East, North Africa and much of South-East Asia. 'Nasser Al-Khelaïfi is considered a visionary leader in the media industry,' beIN says on its website, adding that in 2016 he 'also acquired the Hollywood film studio Miramax.' He also is a minister in Qatar's government, a director of its sovereign wealth fund Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) and chairman of Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) that owns PSG. QSI and Al-Khelaïfi — a former tennis professional — also are key in the fast-emerging racket sport padel which has ambitions to be an Olympic sport, maybe in time for the 2036 Summer Games that Qatar and its tennis-loving Emir want to host. Among the invited VIP guests in Munich is Thomas Bach, the outgoing though still influential president of the International Olympic Committee. Saturday can be a peak of Al-Khelaïfi's 14-year career in international soccer that has fueled talk — despite ongoing investigations of his sports career by French authorities — he could be a future FIFA president. Al-Khelaïfi declined comment to The Associated Press after a recent UEFA meeting in Bilbao, Spain. In a statement, PSG said he 'doesn't want to be a distraction and wants humble focus for the team.' From tennis to soccer Now aged 51, Al-Khelaïfi was a tennis pro who played for Qatar in the Davis Cup, bringing him into contact with the future Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. Al-Khelaïfi's ATP biography shows his ranking peaked at No. 995 and he played two matches on tour. The first in 1996 was against world No. 2 Thomas Muster in Austria. Brief footage shows a good-natured exchange of shots with Muster in a 6-0, 6-1 mismatch. Al-Khelaïfi's career ended in 2003 and he joined the start-up Al Jazeera Sport as 'Director of Rights Acquisitions,' according to beIN. Qatar stunned soccer in 2010, when FIFA awarded it 2022 World Cup hosting rights, and PSG was bought within months. Rising in soccer The rise of ambitious clubs fueled by Middle East sovereign cash — Qatar and PSG, Abu Dhabi and Manchester City — concerned the storied elite. The ECA helped UEFA introduce financial control rules for European competitions that saw both clubs deducted 20 million euros ($22.7 million) of Champions League prize money in 2014. Still, while Man City did not get on the ECA board, Al-Khelaïfi was elected in 2016. Three years later he got one of two seats reserved for clubs on the UEFA executive committee (ExCo) — despite in-house cautioning about conflicts of interest. Conflicted interests? On election day in 2019 in Rome, UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin was asked about potential conflicts of interest around Al-Khelaïfi. BeIN was, and still is, among UEFA's main clients also owning extensive European Championship rights. Ceferin's narrowly focused answer was that ExCo members are not involved in approving commercial deals. Any conflict worked in UEFA's favor in 2021 when ECA leaders launched the Super League project designed to rival and replace the Champions League, which beIN broadcasts. PSG's refusal to join rebel clubs from Spain, Italy and England helped to undermine the breakaway that ultimately failed amid a fan backlash and British government threats of legislation. In the fallout, Al-Khelaïfi took over leading the ECA and quickly repaired relations with UEFA and Ceferin. One year later, UEFA opened a disciplinary case into claims the PSG president confronted the match referee after losing in the Champions League at Real Madrid. When UEFA published the verdict Al-Khelaïfi was no longer cited and blame was put on sporting director Leonardo, who PSG had fired weeks earlier. Challenges in France Al-Khelaïfi is not always popular in France where PSG has won 11 of 14 league titles during Qatari ownership. His powerful role has attracted criticism, particularly from John Textor, the American owner at Lyon, including that PSG's funding model involving Qatari money allegedly breaks European Union laws. The pair have argued about poor management of the league's TV rights. In leaked footage from a 2024 meeting of Ligue 1 club owners, Al-Khelaïfi called Textor a cowboy. Textor described his rival as a bully with a conflict of interest given his role at beIN. Al-Khelaïfi's legal challenges in France include some not related to PSG. The recent preliminary charges about possible alleged corruption relate to his links to a French businessman. Proceedings were dropped in relation to Qatari bids to host track and field's world championships, which Doha staged in 2019. In Switzerland, Al-Khelaïfi stood trial twice and was acquitted both times on charges of inciting a top FIFA official to commit aggravated criminal mismanagement from 2013-15. His lawyers said after the second acquittal in 2022 that 'years of baseless allegations, fictitious charges and constant smears have been proven to be completely and wholly unsubstantiated — twice.' ___ AP Sports Writer Tales Azzoni contributed from Bilbao, Spain ___ AP soccer:
New York Post
a day ago
- Sport
- New York Post
Patrick Mahomes doesn't seem too interested in Olympic flag football
Patrick Mahomes sounds like he'll be watching from home when it comes to Olympic flag football in 2028. The Chiefs quarterback didn't seem too enthused about playing when he was asked about the topic on Thursday. 'I'll probably leave that to the younger guys. I'll be a little older by the time that comes around,' Mahomes told reporters. Advertisement Mahomes' name has been floated as a possible option to QB the U.S. team in 2028 when flag football takes the international stage at the Summer Games being played in Los Angeles. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs throws a pass to his coach during the Kansas City Chiefs OTAs at The University of Kansas Health System Training Complex on May 29, 2025 in Kansas City, Missouri. Getty Images He would be 32 by the time the next Summer Olympics roll around and would actually be weeks away from his 33rd birthday by then, making age a factor. Advertisement Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford was also asked about the possibility of playing in the Olympics — Stafford would be 40 by then — and he joked that maybe he'd be better suited in a different role. 'Sure, but nobody's going to want me to,' he said when it came to playing in the Olympics. 'Sure, it would be fun. Or coach.' NFL owners unanimously approved their players taking part in Olympic flag football during league meetings held in Minnesota earlier this month. There will be plenty of options for the U.S. team when it comes to participants in 2028, and a number of players have already expressed interest in partaking. Advertisement Quarterback Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs speaks to the media during the press conference interviews after the Kansas City Chiefs OTAs at The University of Kansas Health System Training Complex on May 29, 2025 in Kansas City, Missouri. Getty Images Bengals star quarterback Joe Burrow told reporters earlier this month that 'I'd love to' play in the Olympics. That's an exciting opportunity,' Burrow said. 'I'm not entirely sure how that would work out with training camp and all of our obligations here. That's not my forte. But that's something I would like to do for sure.' Panthers rookie wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan called the idea of playing in the Olympics down the line 'real dope.'
