International Olympic Committee : News

Uchimura wins All-Around gold - London 2012 - Gymnastics

8/1/2012 12:00:00 AM

Uchimura, who won silver in the All-Around four years ago in Beijing, was not at his scintillating best but scored 92.690 to see off the challenge of German Marcel Nguyen in silver medal position with USA athlete Danell Leyva in bronze, just under two points off the lead.

USA athlete Leyva topped qualification ahead of Russian David Belyavskiy and Germany's Fabian Hambuchen with Uchimura down in ninth place.

However, Leyva and Hambuchen both faltered on the Pommel Horse, with the German having an inquiry into his score rejected, leaving the door wide open for their Japanese opponents, Uchimura and Kazuhito Tanaka, as Belyavskiy also looked slightly below par.

Parallel Bars world champion Leyva battled back from his shaky start and put himself in medal contention with a strong set on the Rings, an efficient Vault and excellent Bars routine.

As the American hit back, Nguyen - the reigning European Parallel Bars champion, scored 15.833 on his specialist piece of apparatus before a strong High Bar routine lifted him into the medal positions with one rotation to go.

Japan's Tanaka then saw his medal hopes disappear thanks to a costly fall on his final piece of apparatus, the Pommel Horse, to drop him into sixth place after he had spent the majority of the competition in second.

As Uchimura played it safe on the High Bar then finished off on Floor, smiling to the crowd safe in the knowledge he had secured his first Olympic Games gold medal, Leyva moved up into silver medal position after nailing his High Bar routine.

But Nguyen - the last gymnast to finish - was not done, scoring 15.300 on his final piece of apparatus, the Floor, to snatch silver from the USA athlete in a dramatic finale.

First Artistic Gymnastics Team medal medal in a century for Great Britain - London 2012 - Artistic Gymnastics

7/30/2012 12:00:00 AM

Louis Smith, Max Whitlock, Daniel Purvis, Sam Oldham and Kristian Thomas scored a total of 271.711 as they produced a stunning team performance in front of a royal audience.

Britain had initially been awarded silver but an inquiry into the score of Kohei Uchimura's Pommel Horse routine saw Japan claim silver and Great Britain downgraded to bronze.

China retained their gold medal with 2008 silver medallists Japan leapfrogging Britain's score of 271.711 with an upgraded total of 271.952.

The Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry led the support as Britain won their first Olympic Team medal since the bronze at the Stockholm Games in 1912 to thunderous applause from the Host Nation crowd.

A medal of any colour would have exceeded all expectations for the British team and bronze had looked like the best they could aim for against the powerhouses of the United States, Russia, China and Japan.

In a tense finale, it looked as if they had done enough to secure the bottom step on the podium after going head-to-head with Ukraine on the last piece of apparatus as the USA faded away.

Ukraine were in bronze medal position and Japan in silver with the final rotation to go, but brilliant performances on the floor by Whitlock, Purvis and Thomas saw them seal their place on the podium, as Japan faltered and finished in fourth.

However, there was a twist in the tale, as Japan launched an inquiry into three-time world champion Uchimura's score, leaving Britain waiting to learn their fate.

USA women match the men - London 2012 - Gymnastics

7/30/2012 12:00:00 AM

The USA threw down the gauntlet to defending champions China - who qualified third - with a total of 181.863, while Russia took second.

Russian Viktoria Komova topped the All-Around qualification but American Jordyn Wieber missed out due to the two gymnasts per country rule.

Wieber finished behind team-mates Aly Raisman and Gabby Douglas but will compete in the Floor final.

Raisman also topped Floor qualification ahead of Russia's Sandra Raluca Izbasa and Italy's Vanessa Ferrari.

Russia's Aliya Mustafina, who ruptured her anterior cruciate ligament in the 2011 European Championships on the Vault, had a good day as she qualified for the All-Around, Floor and Bars final.

World Beam champion Sui Lu of China finished first on the apparatus with an impressive score of 15.400 ahead of Komova and Douglas, while world Vault champion McKayla Maroney led the way on that apparatus with a 15.800 score.

Britain's Beth Tweddle headed up qualification for the Uneven Bars with a stunning routine of 16.133 ahead of world Bars champion Komova and defending Olympic champion He Kexin.

Japan's Koko Tsurumi was the only member of the team to qualify for an apparatus finals, the Uneven Bars, but Asuka Teramoto and Rie Tanaka qualified for the Individual All-Around.

Team USA hit the gym in search of gold - London 2012 - Artistic Gymnastics

7/29/2012 12:00:00 AM

The USA led the way on Saturday with an impressive qualification score of 275.342 as Japan failed to live up to their billing as favourites and Olympic champions China also struggled.

Japan finished fifth and China sixth, but the USA team, Russia, Great Britain and Germany will be braced for an improvement from both Asian countries in the final.

Jonathan Horton is the only member of the American team who is not making his Olympic debut but rookie quartet Danell Leyva, John Orozco, Jacob Dalton and Sam Mikulak showed no signs of nerves in qualification and a repeat performance could see them win gold at the North Greenwich Arena.

There has already been some thrilling action in the pool in the first two days of competition and American Ryan Lochte will be back in action on Day 3 as he attempts to claim his second gold medal of the Games in the 200m Freestyle final.

Michael Phelps will look to put the disappointment of missing out on a medal in the 400m Individual Medley final behind him by securing his place in the final of the men's 200m Butterfly.

The crowds at the Aquatics Centre will also be treated to finals in the women’s 100m Backstroke, the women’s 100m Breaststroke and the men’s 100m Backstroke.

Day 3 will also feature the first men’s Diving final of the Games and Chinese duo Yuan Cao and Yanquan Zhang are strong favourites for gold in the Synchronised 10m Platform event.

Great Britain poster-boy Tom Daley and the experienced Pete Waterfield are eyeing a medal, with Daley a more mature competitor four years on from his Olympic debut at the age of just 14 at Beijing 2008.

China are expected to dominate the Diving events, just as they did on home soil four years ago.

There will also be medals at stake in Shooting, Judo, Weightlifting and Fencing.

Ana Sofía Gómez Porras hopes to shine in London 2012

7/12/2012 10:16:00 AM

How did you get started in gymnastics?
The sport had always caught my attention, plus I had a lot of energy when I was little, which helped me a lot in gymnastics.

How has the Olympic Solidarity Scholarship helped you?
For the moment, the Olympic Solidarity Scholarship is helping me to continue my studies.

You competed in the Youth Olympic Games in Singapore. What was that like for you?
It was one of the best experiences of my life because it was my first international competition and the standard was so high.

How much do you think your experiences in Singapore have helped your career?
I think it was very important because while I was there I competed against very talented rivals who I will face regularly in the future. It also helped me realise that I have the potential to compete at an international level.

What has been your greatest sporting achievement so far?
Qualifying for the Olympic Games and winning the silver medal in the all-around event and the gold medal in the balance beam at the Pan American Games in Guadalajara in 2011.

What are your targets for the London 2012 Olympic Games?
I want to do my best in the competition and hopefully win a medal.

What is a typical training week like for you?
It is a week that is full of challenges and opportunities!

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
I love watching TV and trying out new gadgets. I also listen to all sorts of music.

Do you use social networks, such as Twitter and Facebook, to keep in touch with people?
Yes, I use these social networks to find out what people are doing and also to see if anyone has been in touch with me.

Did you have any sporting heroes when you were younger?
I have always admired Rafael Nadal very much. He is a great tennis player.

Olympic Solidarity

Olympic Solidarity is the body that ensures that talented athletes, regardless of their financial status, have an equal chance of reaching the Olympic Games and succeeding in the Olympic arena.

It is responsible for administering and managing the National Olympic Committees’ share of the revenue from the sale of broadcasting rights to the Olympic Games.

Working in particular with the most disadvantaged NOCs and their Continental Associations, Olympic Solidarity uses this money to develop a range of assistance programmes.

Within its total budget, USD 61 million is earmarked to provide support to athletes for the 2009-2012 Olympic Solidarity quadrennial period.

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).