Latest news with #TeamFrance
Observer
07-03-2025
- Sport
- Observer
France beat India to win Telangana Tourism Cup polo
HYDERABAD: Team France and Team India engaged in a fierce struggle in the much-anticipated finals of the World Arena Polo Championship 2025 – Telangana Tourism Cup, which were hosted by the Hyderabad Polo & Riding Club. The encounter, which lasted four chukkers, had fans on the edge of their seats. France grabbed charge from the opening chukker, quickly scoring four goals to put pressure on India. India responded resolutely with two goals, although the French team had the better of the first half. The result was 6-3 in favour of France after India managed to score one goal and France added two more goals in the second chukker. Most valuable player (MVP) award to French polo player Edwin Robineau, a member of the winning team-in world arena polo championship 2025, award given by Suresh Khandelwal Owner & Chairman Galaxy Impex , on the left Chaitania Kumar, President of HPRC. — Snaps India France maintained their dominance in the third chukker, scoring two more goals, while India found it difficult to keep up, managing just one goal. France was still up at the completion of the third chukker, with the scoreboard reading 8-6. Team India responded with two fast goals to tie the score at 8–8, turning the final chukker into an exciting battle. France scored two quick goals to secure their 10-8 victory and win the World Arena Polo Championship 2025 title just as the game looked certain to end in a dramatic fashion. An enthusiastic audience watched the game, and the fans of both sides created an exciting environment. The victory of Team France in this esteemed competition represents a major polo accomplishment.
Boston Globe
22-02-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
‘Magic in the Air' is a slam dunk on a game that was defined by its joyful pursuit of aesthetic brilliance
In the aftermath of last weekend's NBA's All-Star debacle — which felt not like a celebration of the sport, but more like a corporate retreat hosted by an achingly obnoxious Kevin Hart , with intermittent basketball interludes — Sielski's lines more than lingered. It felt like a diagnosis demanding an overdue treatment. Advertisement So I asked him: How do we get back there again? ' Adam Silver sure would like to know,'' said Sielski of the NBA commissioner. 'You know what I think it is? I think there's an aesthetic aspect that basketball is missing.' Not entirely, and not all the time, he noted. We agreed that Stephen Curry sticking long-distance daggers into Team France, for instance, during the gold medal men's basketball game in the Paris Olympics is about as aesthetically pleasing as sports can be. But familiarity and redundancy has sapped a sense of wonder, Sielski said. Mac McClung — the G-Leaguer and gymnast-in-basketball-gear who jumped over a car on his way to winning the dunk contest for the third straight year — is the rare exception. And even McClung comes with a bit of a sideshow aspect considering he has played all of five NBA minutes this season. 'The true joy of basketball derives from watching these athletes do what they do in a breathtaking way,'' said Sielski. 'The reason McClung is brought back for the dunk contest, and the reason why people remain interested in him, is because physically he defies every stereotype. He's a short white guy, which suggests to the average viewer that there's a challenge in him dunking the ball. It seems extraordinary when we see him do it and I think that sense of wonder has been lost because we've seen so much that it's impossible to match the feeling of seeing Julius Erving or Michael Jordan dunk for the first time. That feeling is retained a little bit with someone like McClung, sort of like with [5-foot-6-inch dunk champion] Spud Webb in the '80s. Advertisement 'Basketball right now needs more of those feelings, the sense that you're watching something extraordinary and maybe even unprecedented. The NBA has to find a way back to that somehow.' Such joy is easily found in Sielski's book, which is not a chronological narrative history of the dunk, but structured rather as a series of compelling chapter-by-chapter stories that could stand as exceptional long-form features on their own. My favorites were on Joe Fortenberry , a massive Texan who played for the 1936 US Olympic team in Germany and was credited by New York Times sportswriter Arthur Daley with the first dunk, and David Thompson , the sky-walker for North Carolina State at a time when dunking was banned by the NCAA, and later an ABA and NBA superstar who became a what-if with the Denver Nuggets. 'I wanted to write a book that would be in-depth and tell the story of something in full, but also would be something that someone could pick up and read Chapter 8, and then Chapter 4, and each one would just be it's own self-contained entity,'' said Sielski, who said he was inspired by his friend Tyler Kepner's book, 'K'', which told the story of baseball through history of all the different pitches. 'I realized that the dunk would allow me to write about all of these gigantic figures in sport — Jordan and Dr. J and Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain — and tell some lesser-known stories too, like Joe Fortenberry's. Advertisement 'The end result, I think,'' he said, 'is that the book itself is full of joy.' Netflix's "Court of Gold" is worth a Thirty Ink Basketball docs are must-watch While the NBA may be searching for certain answers, we might just be in a golden age of documentaries about basketball. Netflix's 'Court of Gold,'' a behind-the-scenes look at the men's basketball competition at last summer's Paris Olympics, will turn you into a Kevin Durant fan if you're not already. And not just because he wears a Bruins hat through much of the six-part series. HBO Max's 'We Beat The Dream Team' doc — a way overdue telling of the band of US college stars that beat the original (and, really, only) Dream Team in a scrimmage during their tuneup for the '92 Olympics — is also excellent. And, around here, the most anticipated basketball doc of all – HBO Max's epic nine-part 'Celtics City' docuseries, executive produced by Bill Simmons – drops March 3. ESPN, MLB to end partnership The word Thursday night that ESPN and Major League Baseball will mutually end their 3½ decade rights partnership after this season wasn't a surprise, though it was not expected to be announced this soon. But for those of us that permanently have the 'Baseball Tonight' theme song rattling around in our heads, it is sad news. As Celtics radio voice Sean Grande noted on Thursday night's broadcast, it's disconcerting that ESPN is splitting with baseball, and TNT and the NBA are going their separate ways in the same year. Two sports television divorces that we couldn't have imagined even a few years ago … Ch. 7 is carrying four Red Sox spring training broadcasts, starting with Sunday's 1 p.m. matchup with the Blue Jays … Joe Buck will call a national MLB game for the first time since leaving Fox in 2021 when he handles play-by-play for the Yankees-Brewers Opening Day matchup on ESPN. I've missed Buck on baseball, so count me among those who have longed to hear it. Advertisement Chad Finn can be reached at
CBC
28-01-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
Toronto chef cracks top 10 at Bocuse d'Or final
Toronto chef Keith Pears placed 10th at the 2025 Bocuse d'Or finale this week — Team Canada's best finish at the prestigious culinary competition since 2013. "There is a lot to be proud of, there was a lot of competition in the finals," Pears said from Lyon, France, where he wrapped up what's been an intensive two-year-long competition with his commis, Joseph Mongillo. "We're still moving in the right direction as a team and as a country," Pears said. Canada last placed in the top 10 in 2013, when chef Alex Chen ranked ninth. Chen served as a Canadian judge at this year's finale, as well as Pears' initial inspiration to compete. Canada's best result at the Bocuse d'Or was back in 1999, when the country placed fourth. Canadian Coach Dan Craig said he's satisfied with the work of his protégés. "We worked well, we were on time and the flavours were good," he said. Indeed, Canada can say mission accomplished, said Catherine Lefebvre, a Canadian journalist and host of the French language documentary series L'effet Bocuse d'Or. Lefebvre said the competition was quite stiff, and she believes the Canadian menu was "extraordinary and measured up to other teams who had previously won the Bocuse d'Or." Team France took home gold, with chef Paul Marcon winning the coveted prize 30 years after his father, Régis. Denmark earned silver, and Sweden took home bronze. Canadian diversity on full display The energy in the Eurexpo Lyon convention centre was electric. French, Danish and Latvian fans were in the stands cheering on their culinary athletes — but Canada also made some noise. Pears' parents, Linda and Denis Larouche, flew from Vancouver to encourage their son. "Since the beginning he has always aimed high and now he's at the top," said Denis Larouche. Meanwhile, Franca Mongillo, mother of Pears' 19-year-old commis, Joseph Mongillo, beamed with pride. Between some raucous cheers, she said she was overjoyed to see her son take part in such an important international competition. Over the five-and-a-half hour competition, Pears and Mongillo worked hard to produce impressive dishes. Their dish Global Influence: A Canadian Oceanic Journey was composed of lobster, stone bass and celery. They showcased Canadian ingredients, such as ice wine and nori, while Pears also nodded to his Chinese roots, using szechuan herbs and xiaoshing wine. Their platter titled Roots and Canopy: A Celebration of Canada's Culinary Landscapes contained venison, foie gras and tea. Pears wanted to pay tribute to Canadian faun and flora and was inspired by childhood visits to the Bloedel Conservatory in Vancouver. WATCH | How Team Canada prepared for the Olympics of food: Toronto chef headed to gastronomy Olympics 5 days ago Duration 1:32 Toronto chef Keith Pears and culinary student Joseph Mongillo are representing Canada at Bocuse d'Or, the most prestigious cooking competition in the world. Here's a look at how they're preparing for the event. The future of Canadian food Pears said he's very satisfied with his Bocuse d'Or experience. He said he'd like to continue working alongside the next Canadian team, and he believes that Canada needs to do more to support chefs who embark on this path, just like Olympic athletes. "The top teams who are performing really well in the finals just have more funding," he said. "It's not just about the money, but it helps with creating certain tools and allowing us to do our job at even a higher level." Chef Sébastien Rémillard, who is in charge of research and development for Team Canada, says he's optimistic about the future and believes in the importance of "sharing in the kitchen." "We need to share with the future teams," Rémillard said. "You don't want to start all over every two years. Whether we're from Vancouver, Montreal or Toronto, we need to work together and follow each other even if we have our own differences."
Local France
28-01-2025
- Business
- Local France
France savours competitive cooking win as restoring lost prestige
Paul Marcon, son of the former winner Regis Marcon, clinched the title late on Monday in France's gastronomic capital Lyon, 30 years after his much-garlanded father. The biennial event, which takes places in front of a boisterous live audience, was founded in 1987 by late French cooking legend Paul Bocuse. Having seen Scandinavian countries dominate over the last decade, France's team has professionalised and attracted funding from public authorities and private donors in a sign of the importance of the title for national identity. "It's a childhood dream. It's a source of pride to take France to the top again," a visibly emotional Marcon, 29, told reporters on Monday evening after being hoisted onto the shoulders of his colleagues in his chef's whites. "Today I hope that we light up the eyes of all the cooks and cooks-to-come in France," he added. In total, 24 countries competed in the 2025 edition, with the Danish team, winners of the last edition, taking silver and Sweden the bronze medal. Marcon and his team wowed the judging panel with a pie filled with deer braised in red wine, foie gras and wild mushrooms, accompanied by celery and followed by apple flavoured with French liqueur Chartreuse. The quality of cooking on display at the Bocuse d'Or is seen by observers as increasing every year as countries invest in their delegations for national marketing purposes or to raise the profile of their gastronomic traditions. France has won just one medal in the last decade - Davy Tissot having clinched gold in 2021 - with Scandinavian nations maintaining a grip on the top positions with their precise, minimalist and environmentally-conscious cooking. Until Monday's victory by Marcon, the United States - whose food the French have long looked down on - had won more medals than France over the last 10 years. "France was navel-gazing," Tissot told AFP recently, "while people around us were moving forward." Olivia Gregoire, then France's trade and tourism minister, admitted last year that France had been "outstripped by the performance and influence of other countries." Manual widget for ML (class="ml-manual-widget-container") Realising that the country had fallen behind, Team France head Romuald Fassenet began searching for new funds and resources when he took over in 2019 and he found an ally in President Emmanuel Macron, who became the first French leader to visit the Bocuse d'Or. Around €600,000 were raised for this year's French team led by Marcon from private donors and the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region surrounding Lyon, which is headed by ambitious conservative politician Laurent Wauquiez. A national centre for gastronomic excellence, called the Paul Bocuse Institute, was formally launched in January in Lyon to train chefs for international cooking competitions. Macron has also created an "ambassador for French gastronomy", naming former presidential chef Guillaume Gomez to the role last year.
Yahoo
28-01-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
France savours competitive cooking win as restoring lost prestige
After major investments in a bid to restore its lost national culinary prestige, France savoured victory Tuesday at the world's most prestigious international cooking competition, the Bocuse d'Or. Paul Marcon, son of the former winner Regis Marcon, clinched the title late on Monday in France's gastronomic capital Lyon, 30 years after his much-garlanded father. The biennial event, which takes places in front of a boisterous live audience, was founded in 1987 by late French cooking legend Paul Bocuse. Having seen Scandinavian countries dominate over the last decade, France's team has professionalised and attracted funding from public authorities and private donors in a sign of the importance of the title for national identity. "It's a childhood dream. It's a source of pride to take France to the top again," a visibly emotional Marcon, 29, told reporters on Monday evening after being hoisted onto the shoulders of his colleagues in his chef's whites. "Today I hope that we light up the eyes of all the cooks and cooks-to-come in France," he added. In total, 24 countries competed in the 2025 edition, with the Danish team, winners of the last edition, taking silver and Sweden the bronze medal. Marcon and his team wowed the judging panel with a pie filled with deer braised in red wine, foie gras and wild mushrooms, accompanied by celery and followed by apple flavoured with French liqueur Chartreuse. - 'Navel-gazing' - The quality of cooking on display at the Bocuse d'Or is seen by observers as increasing every year as countries invest in their delegations for national marketing purposes or to raise the profile of their gastronomic traditions. France has won just one medal in the last decade -- Davy Tissot having clinched gold in 2021 -- with Scandinavian nations maintaining a grip on the top positions with their precise, minimalist and environmentally-conscious cooking. Until Monday's victory by Marcon, the United States -- whose food the French have long looked down on -- had won more medals than France over the last 10 years. "France was navel-gazing," Tissot told AFP recently, "while people around us were moving forward." Olivia Gregoire, then France's trade and tourism minister, admitted last year that France had been "outstripped by the performance and influence of other countries." Realising that the country had fallen behind, Team France head Romuald Fassenet began searching for new funds and resources when he took over in 2019 and he found an ally in President Emmanuel Macron, who became the first French leader to visit the Bocuse d'Or. Around 600,000 euros ($630,000) were raised for this year's French team led by Marcon from private donors and the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region surrounding Lyon, which is headed by ambitious conservative politician Laurent Wauquiez. A national centre for gastronomic excellence, called the Paul Bocuse Institute, was formally launched in January in Lyon to train chefs for international cooking competitions. Macron has also created an "ambassador for French gastronomy", naming former presidential chef Guillaume Gomez to the role last year. bla-cgc-adp/yad/cw
