Conflict between CEO and Chairman
With just four years until the next Winter Olympics, the organizing committee of the French Alps is in a deep crisis. After an emergency meeting with the French government, the organizing committee said there were “irreconcilable differences” in its leadership.
The conflict between the chairman of the organizing committee Edgar Grospiron and the CEO Cyril Linette is not the only one. In the last two months, three senior members of the committee, including communications manager Arthur Richer, have resigned.
Grospiron, the former hillbilly Olympic champion, has now been tasked with leading preparations for the games in and around the French Alps.
In autumn 2023, France was awarded the contract for the 2030 Winter Olympics, among others in competition with Sweden (Stockholm/Åre/Östersund/Falun). They got the games even though they couldn’t provide a government guarantee. Several political parties are against another Olympics in France and local politicians have criticized the expensive construction of an ice rink in Nice.
The organizing committee said in a statement that it recognized the seriousness of the situation and that “sport and athletes are the absolute priority.”
The International Olympic Committee is approaching the crisis cautiously and spokesman Mark Adams said this week that it did not wish to comment at this time.
At the same time, the toughest possible opponent for Elis Lundholm
On Saturday, the parallel mogul track will celebrate its historic debut at the Olympic Games. But it’s going to be a difficult situation for Elis Lundholm, as she had to face Japan’s Hinako Tomitaka, who took fourth place in the women’s individual mogul earlier in the week, in the round of 16.
It doesn’t get much more difficult because the two highest seeded players move straight into the round of 16.
– It’s still fun. She rides well and jumps well, but is not one of the fastest. “If I put a little bit of pressure on it, maybe I can cause a little bit of stress,” says Lundholm.
– It’s the first Olympic Games and it’s a special feeling to be there.
In Parallelhump, the hill is split in two and riders compete in head-to-head knockout runs. Technique and jumps play a slightly smaller role than in individual, as speed plays a larger role, but it is still important to ride as cleanly and stylishly as possible.
– The hope is that I can do at least one run as well as possible. Finishing 17th or 30th, even if you lose the first round, can have an impact on your final scorecard.
Wrote golden story
Speed skater Metodej Jilek made history by winning Olympic gold in the 10,000 meters, the discipline won by Nils van de Poel in 2022.
Jilek was the first male skater from the Czech Republic to win an Olympic gold medal.
“It feels fantastic,” the gold medalist told the official Olympic information channel after the victory.
Methodj Jilek is only 19 years old and although he has already won Olympic gold, he says he is only at the beginning of his career.
“I know that I can improve a lot,” he says.
Nice audience in the stands in Milan
Figure skating is always a popular sport at the Olympics, and when it came time to present the medals in the men’s individual competition late Saturday evening, there were a number of familiar faces in the stands at the Olympic Arena.
Seven-time Olympic gymnastics gold medalist Simone Biles from the United States was there. Also in the stands was actor Jeff Goldblum, along with his wife Emilie Livingston, also an actress, and the couple’s two children.
Also visible in the audience was rugby player Ilona Maher, who made her big public breakthrough by winning bronze at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
