International Olympic Committee : News

Mixed results for powerhouse - London 2012 - Trampoline

8/12/2012 12:00:00 AM

Dong, the 2008 bronze medallist, outshone team-mate and defending Olympic and world champion Lu Chunlong to score 62.990 and take the gold, finishing 1.221 marks ahead of Russia's Dmitry Ushakov in silver-medal position with Lu taking bronze.

Canada's MacLennan saw off the challenge of defending champion He, who lost control at the end of her routine to win bronze, with team-mate Huang Shanshan taking silver.

MacLennan scored 57.305 in the final, 0.575 marks clear of Huang, with favourite He 1.355 marks back.

'I'm pretty happy, I did a good performance,' MacLennan said after collecting her gold medal.

'I always believed that everything was possible, but I was just focusing on my routines. I didn't want to get ahead of myself, because that's when you make mistakes.

'This was definitely the highest score I've ever gotten, but I didn't want to get ahead of myself before the Chinese had to compete.

'Nothing matches that experience. It has not fully sunk in yet.'

Dong claimed gold thanks to breathtaking sky-high routine and revealed he has been mentally preparing for the Olympics in a special way.

He said: 'I've been looking forward to the competition.

'Just before the Olympics I wrote in a journal everyday and told myself I would do my best in the Games. 'It was one of my dreams to win this medal and I'm happy that the greatest moment has come.'

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).