4, February 2022
Beijing Winter Olympics kick off 0
A Winter Olympics overshadowed by human rights concerns and taking place inside a strict Covid-secure bubble kicked off in Beijing on Friday with a glittering opening ceremony at the “Bird’s Nest” stadium.
The distinctive lattice-shaped arena took centre stage, just as it did at the 2008 Games – seen as China’s coming-out party to the world – as Beijing becomes the first city to host both a Summer and Winter Olympics.
Chinese President Xi Jinping declared the Games open, triggering a burst of fireworks and wrapping up a ceremony filled with imagery of ice and snow. Xi’s declaration was followed by red-suited “skaters” sliding across virtual ice.
Held on the first day of Spring by the Chinese calendar,the ceremony began with a performance by dancers waving glowing green stalks to convey the vitality of the season, followed by an explosion of white and green fireworks that spelled the word “Spring”.
On a three-dimensional cube resembling a block of ice, lasers carved figures from each of the previous 23 Winter Games. The block was then “broken” by ice hockey players, enabling the Olympic rings to emerge, all in white.
That was followed by the traditional “parade of nations”, with each of the 91 delegations preceded by a women carrying a placard in the shape of a snowflake resembling a Chinese knot.
In keeping with Olympic tradition, the parade was led into the stadium by Greece with the rest ordered by stroke number in the first character of their Chinese name, which meant Turkey was second, followed by Malta, with host China going last and drawing roars from the stadium crowd.
The entrances for “Hong Kong, China”, as well as for Russia, also generated applause.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, the highest profile foreign leader present for the Games, could be seen in the stadium without a mask. However, the athletes from his country were unable to carry its flag due to doping violations, marching instead under the standard of the Russian Olympic Committee.
Source: Reuters
14, February 2022
Football: Brazil and Argentina ordered to play World Cup abandoned qualifier 0
FIFA on Monday ordered Brazil and Argentina to replay a World Cup qualifying match halted in Sao Paulo in September over alleged Covid-19 quarantine breaches by the visitors.
Brazilian health officials stormed the pitch seven minutes into the clash on September 5 between the South American giants at Sao Paulo’s Neo Quimica Arena, stopping the match and triggering a melee involving team officials and players.
“After a thorough investigation of the various factual elements and in light of the applicable regulations, the FIFA Disciplinary Committee has decided that the match should be replayed on a date and at a location to be decided by FIFA,” said a statement from world soccer’s governing body on Monday.
The two nations are undefeated in South American qualifying and are sure to finish in the top two places in the 10-team group, although both have three games to play, including the rematch. The top four teams qualify automatically for the World Cup in Qatar.
Hours before the on-pitch drama in September, Brazil’s National Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA) said four Argentine players based at English clubs at the time should be placed in “immediate quarantine” for breaching Covid-19 protocols.
According to ANVISA, the Premier League players — Cristian Romero and then club-mate Giovani Lo Celso of Tottenham, and Aston Villa’s Emiliano Martinez and Emiliano Buendia — provided “false information” upon entering Brazil.
On Monday, FIFA said that “the abandonment of the match stemmed from several deficiencies of the parties involved towards their respective responsibilities”.
FIFA banned the four Argentine players for two matches each for “not complying with the FIFA Return to Football International Match Protocol.”
It also handed a series of fines to the two national football federations.
The Brazilian Football Association must pay 500,000 Swiss Francs (540,000 dollars, 477,000 euros) for “infringements related to order and security”.
The Argentinian Football Association was fined 200,000 Swiss Francs for “its failure to comply with its obligations in relation to order and security, the preparation of and its participation in the match.”
Both federations were also fined 50,000 Swiss Francs for the abandonment of the match.
Source: AFP