International Olympic Committee : News

Champions crowned again, new talents emerge - London 2012 - Canoe Slalom

8/12/2012 12:00:00 AM

The sport's Olympic Games schedule kicked off with the Slalom at Lee Valley White Water Centre in Hertfordshire, where the spoils were shared.

In the men's K1, current world champion Daniele Molmenti cemented his place in the sport, and celebrated his 28th birthday with gold.

After such a promising run-in to the Games, the Italian held his nerve - something he failed to do at Beijing 2008 - to post a quicker time in the final than the arguably more experienced Czech paddler, Vavrinec Hradilek.

In the women's K1, France's Emilie Fer saw off a challenge from Slovakian world number one Jana Dukatova, who was left outside the medals.

But in the men's C1, the medals followed the form book as the 34-year-old Frenchman Tony Estanguet won gold.

It was the third Olympic gold for France's flagbearer in the Opening Ceremony.

But that meant disappointment for Beijing 2008 champion Michal Martikan. The 33-year-old Slovakian was left rueing costly mistakes as he finished third.

There was something for the Host Nation to cheer in the men's C2 - in fact they enjoyed double success - with Etienne Stott and Tim Baillie leading home a GB one-two, as they claimed gold ahead of countrymen David Florence and Richard Hounslow to start a new era for Britain in the sport.

Stott and Baillie head GB one-two - London 2012 - Canoe Slalom

8/2/2012 12:00:00 AM

Etienne Stott and Tim Baillie won gold in a time of 106.41, followed by Richard Hounslow and David Florence, who registered a time of 106.77 to claim silver. It meant despair for three-time Olympic Games champions, twin brothers Pavol and Peter Hochschorner of Slovakia, who took bronze.

Estanguet strikes C1 gold - London 2012 - Canoe Slalom

7/31/2012 12:00:00 AM

It was the 34-year-old's third gold medal in the C1 event after he triumphed at Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004.

Germany's Sideris Tasiadis was second and the defending Olympic champion, Slovakia's Michal Martikan, took third place at Lee Valley.

Estanguet wrapped the French flag around his shoulders as Tasiadis crossed the finish line, narrowly missing out on top spot.

He received his gold medal in front of thousands of spectators, who had stayed in the stands to cheer him and blow their vuvuzelas.

He was then joined in the centre of the podium by the 22-year-old Tasiadis from Augsburg in Germany and 33-year-old Martikan from Liptovsky Mikulas, who now has five Olympic medals, having previously won two golds and two silvers.

Estanguet ruled out competing at Rio 2016 after clinching his third gold medal. He was pleased to be back on top of the podium again after he finished ninth at Beijing 2008.

He said: 'For me this is great because I have worked so much during the last four years to do this kind of race, so I am really satisfied to come back after Beijing.

'I had the best balance between the speed and precision. It's really hard on this course to find this kind of balance and two years ago during the qualification I did not have this balance but today was much better.

'It was not easy to compete after Martikan because I knew he was really fast and I heard the audience crying so I was sure he did a really good time. I tried to stay focused on my line and stay at my best level.

'It was really open. There were five or six paddlers who could win today.' Asked whether he would compete in Rio, he said: 'No, no. I don't think so.'

London 2012 canoe-sprint venue impresses ICF

9/5/2011 2:00:00 PM

Eton Dorney, which will host the canoe-sprint events during the London 2012 Olympic Games, has been praised by the International Canoe Federation (ICF) following the successful staging of the London Canoe Sprint Invitational International Regatta from 1-4 September.

“We work very closely with London 2012 on the venue requirements and we are extremely satisfied with what we have here at Eton Dorney,” said ICF Vice-President Richard Fox. “We are very confident at the ICF that Eton Dorney will host a very special Olympic canoe sprint competition next year.”

The London Canoe Sprint Invitational International Regatta, which was the first international canoe sprint regatta to be held in Britain for more than 30 years, saw 200 elite athletes from 30 countries competing at the Olympic venue, giving the London 2012 Organising Committee (LOCOG) the chance to test key aspects of its Games-time operations, such as the sporting field of play and the results, timing and scoring systems.

“This is another exciting international event which is crucial for us to ensure we test our functions and aid planning to deliver a great Games in 2012,” said LOCOG Head of Sport Competition David Luckes. “Even though Eton Dorney is an existing venue it is still vital we test our operations and make sure we are ready.”

In preparation for the Games next year, the venue’s existing facilities have been improved, including the installation of a new 50m-span bridge over a widened entrance to the return lake, making access easier for vehicles and pedestrians. The ICF has also been impressed by the lasting legacy that the canoe venue will provide once the Games have finished.

“Another great thing is the legacy from this venue and also the white water canoe venue at Lee Valley,” said Fox. “This venue here at Eton Dorney is already used by the GB team and hosts competitions, while Lee Valley will stage the Canoe Slalom World Championships in 2015.

“There is also a pre-legacy at Lee Valley because it is already being used for elite training and recreational use so, from a canoeing perspective, both venues meet that legacy interest.”

Golden opportunity - Peter & Pavol Hochschorner, Canoeing

10/19/2010 10:00:00 AM

Olympic Review continues its countdown to the 2012 Games with exclusive interviews with stars of the 26 sports on the programme, who are targeting gold in London. The Slovak twins Peter and Pavol Hochschorner are three-time Olympic champions in the C2 canoeing class. Now, aged 31, they are targeting a fourth consecutive gold medal in London at the 2012 Games.

At what age did you start canoeing?
Pavol: Both our parents as well as older sister Eva competed in the sport so paddling on flat-water was an obvious progression for us from early childhood. However, we only started slalom canoeing in 1996. Then the very well-equipped Water Sports Park was opened in Cunovo, just a couple of kilometres from our apartment in Bratislava. We had excellent training conditions there and within two years we became the European Champions.

What are your best memories of your three Olympic gold medals?
Peter: In Sydney I was astounded how huge an event the Olympic Games is but how smoothly everything runs regardless. In Athens I felt very strongly that we were in the country where the Games began and defending our title was extremely emotional. In Beijing, due to a huge storm, the organisers had to postpone our final to the next day. This had never happened before and we were really nervous because of it but we were able to overcome those nerves and win a third successive gold medal.

How is your training progressing for the 2012 Games?
Pavol: Our training is very similar to what we have done in previous years. I do not expect any big changes in our preparations for the London Games. We will just make one change in our winter training programme. Last winter we spent less time than usual at our training centre in Penrith in Australia and moved instead to Hellenikon in Athens, which, I think, was valuable for improving and varying our training programme.

What do you think of London as a city?
Pavol: We have never actually been there but we have read a lot about it and the fact that sometimes the weather is not so good! We just hope there will be no cold, rain or fog during the Olympic Games.

Who will be your main rivals for the gold medal in London?
Peter: First of all we need to win the domestic qualification contest for the only Slovak place in the Olympic C2 competition. We will face some tough opponents in the Ladislav cousins and Peter Skantars. Assuming we manage to qualify for London then our biggest competitors are usually pairs from France, Germany and the Czech Republic.

Who were your Olympic heroes when you were growing up?
Pavol: Slalom has been part of the Olympic programme since the 1992 Games in Barcelona when our compatriot Lukas Pollert won the C1 competition, which was very memorable for our entire family as canoeists. His victory was inspirational for me. The other big hero for me is Norwegian biathlete Ole Einar Bjoerndalen, because he has been at the top for so long. As a triple Olympic champion I admire other champions because I understand what lies behind their successes.
Peter: I remember the Olympic victories of Slovaks such as athlete Jozef Pribilinec and tennis player Milos Mecir at the Seoul Games in 1988 but my biggest hero was US athlete Carl Lewis.

What music do you listen to on your MP3 player?
Pavol: I tend to listen to the radio and the style of music I like depends on my mood at that time. Peter: I do not need to listen to music before the competitions – unlike some competitors who use it to help get them psyched up. Pop music is my favourite but sometimes classical music suits me as well.

Do you use any social media?
Pavol: I created my account on Facebook, which I use to find old friends, particularly old schoolmates.
Peter: I have a YouTube account, but not much time to upload material at the moment. I have put just one video up so far – from a memorable winter car-ride in deep snow!

Singapore 2010 adopts new sport formats

8/12/2010 3:39:00 PM

The first Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in Singapore will feature all 26 sports currently on the programme of the London 2012 Olympic Games. What will differ in some cases are the disciplines and format, such as 3 on 3 street basketball, a mixed gender relay in the swimming pool, a medley relay on the track or events in which athletes from different National Olympic Committees compete on the same team. Read on to see what your favourite sports will consist of in Singapore...

Aquatics (diving and swimming)

Aquatics comprises diving and swimming. There will be two diving events for both men and women, 3m springboard and 10m platform. Swimming events include freestyle, breaststroke, backstroke, butterfly and medley, both individual and relay. As a first, a mixed gender event for 4 x 100m freestyle relay and 4 x 100m medley relay is included.

Archery

Archery will feature individual men, women and mixed team competitions. The distance that athletes will be shooting is 70m.

Athletics

Athletics comprises a total 36 events for both men and women. The track events will include 1000m and 3000m races as well as a 2000m steeplechase and a medley relay. There will be eight field events (four jumps and four throws).

Badminton

Badminton will feature men’s and women’s singles events in Singapore.

Basketball

Basketball 3 on 3 will be played at the YOG. There will be two teams of three players on court at any one time. This fast-paced game is played on a half court, with one basketball hoop. It includes two periods of five minutes each. The winner is the first team to score 33 points, or the team that is leading the game at the end of the fifteen minutes of play.

Boxing

Boxing will feature men’s events. There will be 11 different weight categories, ranging from 48kg to the 91kg+ division.

Canoe-Kayak

Canoe-Kayak will feature four events for men and two for women. Both will race
in head-to-head sprints and obstacle slaloms in the kayak category. The men will also compete in the same events in canoes.

Cycling

The Cycling competition will involve teams. Each team consists of three men and one woman. The three men are required to compete in one discipline each (BMX, MTB and Time Trial), while the woman has to compete in all three disciplines. All male riders also have to compete in the Road Race.

Equestrian

In Equestrian, only the jumping events will take place (team and individual). The Organising Committee will provide the horses, which will be assigned to riders by draw. For the team event, there will be six teams representing each FEI regional zone.

Fencing

Fencing will feature individual competitions in the foil, epée and sabre for men and women, and a mixed team competition.

Football

Football will consist of a six-team competition, representing all continents, for both men and women.

Gymnastics

Gymnastics is split into artistic and rhythmic, as in the Olympic Games. The artistic competition will feature eight individual men’s events and six individual women’s events. The rhythmic competition consists of two events – individual and team – for women.

Handball

Handball is a six-team tournament, representing all continents, for men and for women.

Hockey

Hockey is the same as football and handball – a six-team competition, representing all continents for both men and women.

Judo

There are a total of eight weight categories for both men and women in the Judo competition. There is also a mixed team event.

Modern Pentathlon

The Modern Pentathlon competition consists of four of the five modern pentathlon disciplines: fencing, swimming, running and shooting. The fifth discipline, riding, will not be competed at Singapore 2010. The run-shoot format will be competed. In the Combined event, laser shooting is being used for the first time.

Rowing

Both the men and women will compete in two events in Rowing – single sculls and pairs.

Sailing

The Sailing competition comprises four events, with men and women sailing in either the one person dinghy or the windsurfing.

Shooting

In Shooting, the men and women will compete in both air rifle and air pistol.

Table Tennis

Table tennis will consist of men’s singles, women’s singles and a mixed team competition.

Taekwondo

Taekwondo will see athletes competing in five weight categories per gender.

Tennis

There will be both men’s singles and doubles and women’s singles and doubles in the Tennis tournament.

Triathlon

The Triathlon competition format for individual competitions includes a 750m swim in open water, a 20km cycle ride and a 5km run. The 4 x mixed team relay competition includes a 250m swim in open water, a 7km cycle ride and a 1.7km run.

Volleyball

Volleyball is a six-team men’s and women’s competition.

Weightlifting

Weightlifting sees men competing in six weight categories, while women will compete in five weight categories. The combined results of the Snatch and the Clean & Jerk will produce the champion of each weight category.

Wrestling

The Wrestling competition will see men compete in Greco-Roman (five weight categories) and freestyle (five weight categories) and women in freestyle (four weight categories).