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Outrage as Paralympian gets disqualified for "unfair" reason

<p>Elena Congost, had just finished the T12/B2 run in third place, but was disqualified and had the bronze medal taken from her, for this one simple move. </p> <p>The 36-year-old was running in the vision-impaired category with guide Mia Carol Bruguera. When her guide faltered with a cramp in the final metres before the finish line, Congost instinctively helped him from falling over and let go of the rope that binds them together.</p> <p>This is not allowed within Paralympic rules as all runners must be connected to their guide via a tether. </p> <p>As a result, Japan’s Misato Michishita was elevated to the bronze medal after finishing fourth.</p> <p>In a heartbreaking interview after the race, a devastated Congost said: “It’s unfair, surreal.” </p> <p>“The next athlete was three minutes behind me. It was just a reflex action that any human being would have done – holding on to someone who is falling.”</p> <p>“But that doesn’t mean that there is any kind of benefit or help. In fact, it is clear that I stop dead.</p> <p>“I can’t find any explanation for this. It’s sad because, in addition, I had just been without a scholarship. And I’m not going to get one now. They will leave me out of everything again when I have shown everything I can do.</p> <p>“I have not been disqualified for cheating, but for being a person, for helping someone.”</p> <p>In a separate interview with Spanish outlet Marca, she said that despite being disqualified, she is proud of her actions. </p> <p>“I would like everyone to know that I have not been disqualified for cheating, but rather I have been disqualified for being a person and for an instinct that comes to you when someone is falling and is to help or support them,” she said.</p> <p>“I’m devastated, to be honest, because I had the medal. I’m super proud of everything I’ve done and in the end they disqualify me because 10 metres from the finish line I let go of the rope for a second because a person next to me fell face first to the ground and I grabbed the rope again and we crossed the finish line.</p> <p>“The next athlete is three minutes away from me, so it was a reflex action of any human being to hold on to a person who is falling next to you.”</p> <p>Fans around the world were outraged at the disqualification verdict and have called for officials to overturn it. </p> <p>“Shame on you. Give the medal back to Elena Congost,” one fan wrote on X, formerly Twitter.</p> <p>“Where is the Olympic spirit? Elena Congost was disqualified after running 42km and helping her guide not to fall to the ground. She has lost the bronze medal and her sports scholarship. Disgusting," another wrote. </p> <p>"Give the medal to Elena Congost. This decision ruins the paralympics. How can you be called inclusive if you can’t help a person from falling?” a third added. </p> <p><em>Image: X</em></p> <p> </p>

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"It's a miracle that I'm living": Victory dance for Aussie Paralympic superstar

<p>Alexa Leary has emerged victorious at the Paralympic Games with a gold medal, three years after her life was changed from a horrific bike crash.</p> <p>In July 2021, Alexa was on a bike ride training as a triathlete when her front wheel clipped a bike in front of her, sending her flying form her bike at 70 kilometres an hour. </p> <p>Leary then underwent lifesaving surgery after the crash shattered her skull and left her unable to walk or talk, and spent 111 days in hospital. </p> <p>Now, the 23-year-old from the Sunshine Coast broke her own 100m freestyle world record on Thursday morning, walking away with a gold medal. </p> <p>"It's been a long, rough journey for me," Leary said at the Paris La Defense Arena.</p> <p>"It's a miracle that I'm living, and I'm walking and I'm talking. I was told that I never would three years ago, and I've just come so far."</p> <p>"I am so impressed with myself. I'm like, 'Lex, look how far you've actually come'.</p> <p>"It's not sad to talk about, but it's an emotional thing. My family is the reason why I'm here, and they're up there [in the stands] looking at me. Honestly, it's amazing."</p> <p>Alexa, who still struggles with memory problems and regulating her emotions, then shared how she kept at it in the pool as a recovery tool after her life-changing surgery, but found herself wanting to keep bettering her athletic ability. </p> <p>"I'm a passionate person," Alexa said after winning solo Paralympic gold.</p> <p>"When I want it, I'm going to go out and do it. I have to.</p> <p>"So I wanted to keep swimming for recovery. But I was like, 'Nah, I'm more than that!'."</p> <p>Alexa's parents, Belinda and Russ, watched their daughter's extraordinary win from the sidelines, reflecting on the haunting memories of Alexa's journey in hospital and how she came out the other side.</p> <p>Russ said, "I reckon she wanted that [gold medal] in her belly for three years. She wanted it. She got it. Unbelievable."</p> <p>Belinda added, "She's the same girl [post-accident], but everything's heightened, but all she ever wanted was to show people that anything is possible."</p> <p>"And what she's been through over the last three years, her thing is with a TBI [traumatic brain injury] anything is possible."</p> <p><em>Image credits: Nine News</em></p>

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Disbelief as Aussie Paralympian stripped of medal

<p>Australian athlete Jaryd Clifford has been disqualified and stripped of his medal after officials stepped in at the end of the mens 5000m event in Paris. </p> <p>The 25-year-old runner crossed the line in third place, claiming a bronze medal and was celebrating with his team when the news came in of his disqualification. </p> <p>Paralympic officials claim the Aussie had dropped the tether which ties him to his guide moments before he had crossed the line in the men’s T13 final.</p> <p>Vision-impaired runners must hold onto the tether until they’ve finished the race in its entirety.</p> <p>Clifford, who was the only runner in the field to use a guide, was left visibly distraught after learning he had been disqualified and stripped of his bronze medal.</p> <p>“I went and saw mum and dad and my girlfriend and broke down,” Clifford said. </p> <p>“I had my little cry on the side of the track. If you talk about reacting to results as grief, I had my grieving moment." </p> <p>“Out on the track, I was a little bit numb, I’m still a bit numb … I am pretty shattered, to be honest, if I’m frank about it, we went in with the aim of winning gold.”</p> <p>He later wrote on social media, “I’m absolutely gutted that we made such a critical mistake today. Remaining tethered is a fundamental rule of guiding and I’m shattered that I lost my mind in those final metres. I’ve got so much more to give, I promise to bring everything for the 1500m on Tuesday.”</p> <p>Fans watching on couldn’t believe the Aussie had been stripped of the medal in a moment that had no impact on the final outcome of the race, as one person on X wrote: “So you run 4999 metres tethered and one not? That wouldn't affect the result of the race so the race rules are s**t.”</p> <p><em>Image credits: Ulrik Pedersen/CSM/Shutterstock Editorial </em></p>

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Why aren’t the Olympics and Paralympics combined into one Games? The reasoning goes beyond logistics

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/laura-misener-992664">Laura Misener</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/western-university-882">Western University</a> </em></p> <p>As the lights go out on an outstanding Olympic Games in Paris, with <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/mediacentre/press-release/7-in-10-canadians-tune-in-for-paris-2024">record-breaking media attention</a> and <a href="https://olympic.ca/press/paris-2024-team-canada-brings-home-historic-medal-haul/">excellent medal results for Team Canada</a>, it’s important to remember the Games aren’t over — it’s just the halfway mark.</p> <p>While the closing ceremonies on Aug. 11 seemed like the end of the event with the <a href="https://www.ctvnews.ca/sports/as-the-olympic-flame-heads-for-los-angeles-what-can-we-expect-from-the-2028-games-1.6997247">official handover to Los Angeles for the 2028 Summer Games</a>, the 2024 Games are really just on pause.</p> <p>This two-week break between Olympic and Paralympic Games isn’t a respite at all. Paris is now getting ready to host the Paralympic Games, which will <a href="https://olympics.com/en/paris-2024/information/competition-schedule-for-the-paralympic-games">begin on Aug. 28 with the opening ceremony</a>.</p> <p>In two weeks, a whole new set of elite international athletes will descend on Paris for the <a href="https://olympics.com/en/sports/paralympic/">third largest sporting event</a> in the world. Canada will be sending <a href="https://paralympic.ca/news/team-of-126-canadian-athletes-set-to-compete-at-paris-2024-paralympic-games/">126 athletes to the Paris Paralympics</a> to compete in 18 sports.</p> <p>Staff will be working hard to set up venues for the Paralympic sports. This means tearing down some temporary venues and putting up others that facilitate accessibility for Paralympic sports, athletes and their entourage.</p> <p>Transforming <a href="https://olympics.com/en/paris-2024/the-games/village">the village</a>, which housed just over 14,000 athletes and team personnel for the Olympics, to get it ready for the 8,000 para athletes and staff for the Paralympic Games is no simple feat.</p> <h2>A logistical nightmare</h2> <p>At this juncture, the question often arises as to why the Olympics and Paralympics aren’t combined together into one Games. The reasoning behind the decision is more complicated than it might appear.</p> <p>In 2001, the International Olympic Committee and the International Paralympic Committee signed the <a href="https://www.paralympic.org/feature/2-historic-one-bid-one-city-agreement">One Bid, One City</a> agreement to protect the interests of the Paralympic Games. The agreement requires host cities to stage both the Olympic and Paralympic Games using the same venues, facilities and infrastructure. This also unites the two sporting movements.</p> <p>The sheer size of such an event would make it impossible for almost any city to host a single combined Olympic and Paralympic Games. Consider the logistics of an event that would include approximately 15,000 athletes over 50 sporting disciplines.</p> <p>In the current iteration, there are already 15 cities outside of Paris playing host to events. For instance, sailing was <a href="https://olympics.com/en/paris-2024/venues/marseille-marina">held in Marseille</a>, shooting was <a href="https://olympics.com/en/paris-2024/venues/chateauroux-shooting-centre">held in Châteauroux</a> and the rowing and canoe-kayak events were <a href="https://olympics.com/en/paris-2024/venues/vaires-sur-marne-nautical-stadium">held in Vaires-sur-Marne</a>. Even a city with the resources and infrastructure of Paris could not, and would not, host an event of that size.</p> <p>Combining the games would necessitate a change in structure, and inevitably sports — likely Paralympic sports — would be dropped. Hence the two-week break between Games.</p> <h2>Paralympics deserve their own spotlight</h2> <p>The discussion about the separation of the two events goes much deeper than logistical concerns. Some supporters of the Paralympic Games see the need and value for a <a href="https://time.com/7004176/olympic-paralympic-games-separate/">separate event</a> that showcases and highlights elite athletes with disabilities.</p> <p>IPC President Andrew Parsons, for example, argues that hosting the Paralympic Games separately <a href="https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1147694/merging-olympic-and-paralympic-games">focuses on their broader mission</a> of drawing attention to “issues of disability rights, accessibility, and broader areas of inclusion for the legacy of the event.”</p> <p>The distinct Paralympic event showcases the elite performances of Para athletes, giving them the attention and celebration deserved. All too often, Para athletes’ successes are overshadowed by the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/21674795221103410">tendency of media to prioritize non-disabled athletes</a>, often marginalizing or overlooking the achievements of athletes with disabilities.</p> <p>The challenge, then, is for the host city to maintain the momentum from the Olympics and ensure Paralympic athletes receive the recognition they deserve for their sporting successes. The Canadian Paralympic Committee launched their <a href="https://paralympic.ca/games/paris-2024/">Greatness Moves Us</a> campaign recently to highlight the stories of excellence of Paralympic athletes and galvanize support and viewership.</p> <h2>A lasting legacy</h2> <p>Ultimately, the Paralympic Games showcase elite sporting excellence in a way that no other event does. But the Games are about so much more — championing inclusion, disability rights and a lasting legacy of social change.</p> <p>Paris is an example of a city that has stepped up to the challenge. It put <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/06/travel/paris-olympics-accessibility-disabled.html">accessibility at the centre of its bid</a>, knowing full well the challenge ahead of them in the historic city.</p> <p>Leading into the Games, the city has made good on <a href="https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1147595/paris-accessibility-paralympics-games">many promises around accessibility</a> and increasing opportunities for people with disabilities. The city upgraded the overground transportation network by adding fully accessible bus and tram lines, and introduced 1,000 accessible taxis.</p> <p>They also tackled some challenging tasks, such as upgrading historic venues into accessible sporting spaces. More than €10 million was allocated to improve the accessibility of six major sports facilities, including the <a href="https://www.paris.fr/en/pages/georges-vallerey-swimming-pool-reopens-after-renovation-work-27046">Georges Vallerey swimming pool</a> and the <a href="https://www.paris.fr/en/pages/the-pierre-de-coubertin-stadium-has-been-renovated-for-the-olympic-games-27211">Pierre de Coubertin stadium</a>.</p> <p>The aim is to sustain the momentum, not only between the Olympic and Paralympic Games, but long after they conclude, with the goal of creating a more <a href="https://olympics.com/en/paris-2024/our-commitments/promoting-the-role-of-sports/more-inclusive-society">inclusive society</a> in France.</p> <p>Leading up to the start of the Paralympics, there is some concern about whether the momentum will be there from a viewership perspective and spectators in the stands. The Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games set records for viewership in a Games that was largely devoid of spectators in the stand due to the COVID-19 pandemic.</p> <p>American <a href="https://www.wkar.org/wkar-news/2022-01-17/opinion-sports-are-a-shared-human-experience-bringing-us-joy-and-drama-so-it-is-time-to-appreciate-the-paralympics-on-par-with-the-olympics">television network NBC</a> reported 15.5 million viewers per night for the 2020 Olympic Games, in contrast to 14 million viewers in total for the 2020 Paralympic Games.</p> <p>But many of us will be looking more at the momentum of the event to be a catalyst for inclusion, access and opportunity beyond the events. Once all the lights go out on the Games, it is the lasting legacy of social change that will be the ultimate judge of the success of both the Olympic and Paralympic Games.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/236670/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/laura-misener-992664">Laura Misener</a>, Professor &amp; Director, School of Kinesiology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/western-university-882">Western University</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: ALI HAIDER/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock Editorial </em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-arent-the-olympics-and-paralympics-combined-into-one-games-the-reasoning-goes-beyond-logistics-236670">original article</a>.</em></p> </div>

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Aussie gold medallist withdraws on eve of Paralympics to be with dying mother

<p>An Australian athlete has withdrawn from the Aussie Paralympic team just hours before the event is set to begin. </p> <p>Heath Davidson, a  37-year-old wheelchair tennis player from the Mornington Peninsula, announced on Monday night that he would not be making the trip to Paris for the Games as he will spend time with his mother who has been moved into palliative care.</p> <p>Davidson announced the news in a statement on Instagram, explaining his reasoning behind the "difficult decision". </p> <p>"I have made the difficult decision to withdraw from the 2024 Paralympics. My mum has been admitted into palliative care and I want to be here at home with her during this time," he wrote. </p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/C_ISWSIz4r0/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C_ISWSIz4r0/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Heath Davidson (@heathdavidson13)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>The Aussie Paralympic team was quick to throw their support behind Davidson, with Australian Paralympic Team Chef de Mission Kate McLoughlin saying, “Heath is a much-loved member of the Australian Paralympic Team. He adds spark to the Village with his quick wit and cheery personality.”</p> <p>“We’ll miss having him here in Paris, but we all understand that family comes first and we know he’s made the right decision for himself and his family. We want Heath to know that every member of the team is wrapping their arms around him virtually from Paris.”</p> <p>The 2024 Games in Paris would've been Davidson's third Paralympics, after won gold in the wheelchair tennis doubles alongside Dylan Alcott at the Rio De Janeiro Games in 2016, with the pair then backing it up with a silver medal in Tokyo 2021. </p> <p><em>Image credits: SportsPressJP/AFLO/Shutterstock Editorial </em></p>

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"You are terrible": Brutal comment that drove Paralympian to greatness

<p>From a young age, Paralympian Madison de Rozario knew that people treated her differently. </p> <p>"There's an enormous lack of expectation in what we [people with disabilities] are able to do in sport, in workplaces, in school," she told <em>9honey</em>. </p> <p>"It can be the death of potential … I didn't recognise that's what I was experiencing as a young kid."</p> <p>Born in Perth, Western Australia, De Rozario developed a neurological disease at just four-years-old and has used a wheelchair ever since.</p> <p>It didn't hold her back from playing sports with her two sisters, and now she is a Paralympic champion with six medals to her name - two golds, three silvers, and a bronze medal.</p> <p>De Rozario recalled how Frank Ponta – a silver medallist at the first ever Paralympics in 1960, an inaugural Australian Paralympic Hall of Famer, and coach to several Paralympic icons – helped her overcome her early doubts. </p> <p>"There was a lot of sympathy, a lot of pity, which I didn't recognise as pity at the time," she said. </p> <p>"And then there was Frank, and he had none of it."</p> <p>Ponta was part of a generation of para athletes that fought for recognition and support back when most Australia treated them as if they were invisible.</p> <p>She recalled how the first time Ponta saw her try to play basketball at just 12-years-old, he told her, "you are terrible at this sport".</p> <p>While it's not exactly what a young athlete would expect to hear, she acknowledged that she was terrible, but Ponta saw her potential.</p> <p>He dug an old racing wheelchair out of a storage cupboard, strapped her in and told her to go for a spin around the carpark. </p> <p>"It was way too big for me and I absolutely fell in love with it," she recalled. </p> <p>Not long after, Ponta was training her multiple times a week even in the toughest conditions.</p> <p>Not only did he believe in her, he <em>expected</em> her to achieve great things and that expectation changed everything. </p> <p>"I think he was the first person that didn't treat me carefully," she said. </p> <p>"He just treated me like an athlete."</p> <p>A year later, one of Ponta's protegees, Sauvage, took over De Rozario's coaching and helped her nab a last-minute spot at the Beijing Paralympics in 2008.</p> <p>De Rozario debuted 48 years after Ponta and brought home the silver medal, the same medal he won at his debut. </p> <p>Ponta sadly died in 2011, a year before De Rozario competed in London, leaving behind a legacy for all para athletes to come.</p> <p>"I feel so just incredibly lucky that I had one of them in my corner. I didn't even realise it until he was gone," she said. </p> <p>"I feel so lucky that that's how my career started, with someone who just embodied all of those things that now as a 30-year-old, I hold very, very close."</p> <p>These memories help fuel her as she prepares for her fifth Paralympics in Paris this month. </p> <p>This year she hopes to make Ponta proud and be the inspiration to the next generation of para athletes. </p> <p>"That part still sits so restlessly in me," she said. </p> <p><em>Image: DARREN ENGLAND/EPA-EFE/ Shutterstock Editorial</em></p>

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Shocking new emails reignite push for Matildas' Olympic bronze medal

<p>The Matildas have a case to argue that why were robbed of a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics, with damning new emails coming to light that may help their argument. </p> <p>The scandal began when Canadian football coach Bev Priestman was removed from the team during the ongoing Paris games after Canada Soccer found evidence of drone spying ahead of the nation’s opening match against New Zealand.</p> <p>Canada claimed a 2-1 win over New Zealand in their opening match, but multiple reports of drones flying over New Zealand’s practice threatened to destabilise their gold medal defence.</p> <p>The drone was found to be operated by an accredited Canadian team analyst, who was taken into police custody in what he described as "the worst day of my life". </p> <p>The Canadian team was stripped of six points and Priestman was sent home for the remainder of the Olympics. </p> <p>Now, damning new emails have come to light about alleged previous cheating scandals after Canada protested the removal of their points. </p> <p>The global sports integrity court became involved after Canada's attempt to have their points penalty reduced or lifted, which appears to have backfired as historic evidence shown in the hearing has raised suspicion the spy operation could stretch back all the way to the beginning of Priestman’s reign as coach in 2020.</p> <p>This would mean that their spy tactics could have been used back in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, where Canada emerged with a gold medal, as the Matildas just missed out on the podium by placing in fourth. </p> <p>There has since been a push to have Canada stripped of its gold medals, which would see the Matildas elevated to the bronze medal position. </p> <p>A series of damning emails have not helped Canada's position, as one exposing thread from an unnamed analyst to Priestman detailed how the analyst was not comfortable with spying. </p> <p>“Moving forward I will have a discussion ... and reach out to the wider tech team with regards to how we could potentially look for other solutions,” the analyst wrote.</p> <p>“But just wanted to confirm that you will not be asking me to fulfil the role of ‘spying’ in the upcoming camp and future camps. I am sure you will respect my reasoning and thank you for your understanding.”</p> <p>The Canadian coach appeared to react to the email by looking for a workaround.</p> <p>“Seeking your advice and input here regarding this formal email on spying,” she wrote to the redacted recipient.</p> <p>“It’s something the analyst has always done and I know there is a whole operation on the Men’s side with regards to it (we had **** in with us recently and he was outstanding in this area). </p> <p>“Yesterday in a meeting when discussing it, I asked to propose an alternative solution as for scouting it can be the difference between winning and losing and all top 10 teams do it."</p> <p>Priestman’s comment that “spying” is something her analyst “has always done” is the most telling in backing suspicion the behaviour stretches back to Tokyo.</p> <p>She issued a letter of apology on Sunday in which she admitted to being “absolutely heartbroken” and promised to cooperate with an investigation into the affair.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Pete Dovgan/Speed Media/Shutterstock Editorial </em></p>

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"You ought to be ashamed": Aussie tourist causing strife in Japan

<p>Sydney-sider Turan William Salis has been slammed after a TikTok of him entering the "women's only" train carriage in Japan went viral. </p> <p>The video, which racked up over 2.3 million views, showed the 20-year-old unashamedly entering the strict female-only carriages on a Tokyo metro. </p> <p>“You guys, did you know in Japan they have women-only carriages?” he said, before entering the carriage. </p> <p>“It is like Saudi Arabia in here. I am the women-inspector, checking there is only women on this carriage.</p> <p>“Yep yep, there is only women here. Cool. No men. I don’t see a single man in sight.</p> <p>“Check complete, it really is a women-only carriage guys, wow.”</p> <p>Salis was met by confused and furious stares from female passengers who were sitting in the carriage. </p> <p>“This women-only carriage is the last thing I would expect to be seeing in such a free country like Japan, reminds me of something I would see in a country with strict segregation rules," he captioned the clip. </p> <p>“Japan was the last place I expected to be seeing strict male-female segregation in public.”</p> <p>The reason why Japan has female-only carriages is to protect women from sexual harassment and help them feel safe while taking public transportation. </p> <p>A<span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;">ccording to Japanese National Police Agency and the Ministry of Justice</span>, the number of indecent assaults in train carriages nationwide in Japan ranges from 300 to 500 each year, with indecent sexual behaviour – such as groping, unwanted touching and intimidation – a major issue on trains, especially during peak hours.</p> <p><span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;">Over half of female passengers on the trains in Japan had, at one point in their lives, been groped on trains around Tokyo according to a 2005 investigation. </span></p> <p>Female-only carriages have become a permanent fixture since the early 2000s and are common feature around the country because of this.</p> <p>Thousands of people across the world have slammed Salis. </p> <p>“You should get out of Japan, you disrespectful piece of s**t,” commented one person.</p> <p>“They have these carriages to protect them from weirdos like you,” another said.</p> <p>“This is such a disgrace. You ought to be ashamed.” </p> <p>One Japanese man even created a response video about Salis' clip, slamming him for invading a safe space for women. </p> <p>“You knew that that was the women-only passenger car, which means you can’t go in, men cannot enter. But you didn’t care. You broke the rules, you invaded a safe space for women," he said. </p> <p>“Do you know why we have those? That’s because there are so many creepy men in Japan, who try to go behind the women, try to take pictures under their skirts.</p> <p>“There has been a lot of physical harassment as well. It has been a very serious issue.</p> <p>“That is why they had to take these measures. But you dare to call it segregation.</p> <p>“You don’t know anything about my country. You go there, and you don’t have any intention to respect our culture and rules.</p> <p>“It’s incredibly disrespectful, I can’t believe this kind of behaviour. If you have no intention of respecting us, then leave my country.</p> <p>“We are not there so that you can make TikTok and YouTube videos, so that you can be famous.”</p> <p>This is not an isolated incident for Salis, who has been on holiday in Japan since mid-August.</p> <p>The tourist previously landed himself in a strife after walking around without a shirt on, which is socially unacceptable in Japan. </p> <p>In another video, Salis filmed himself picking up dogs - who were distressed by his actions - despite getting yelled at because there are strict rules to not pick up the animals at the dog cafe. </p> <p><em>Images: TikTok</em></p>

Travel Trouble

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Hard to watch! Paralympic champion given the worst gifts ever

<p>A Spanish Paralympic cyclist has been given the worst trophy gifts in history, with his calm and collected reaction making waves online. </p> <p>Ricardo Ten Argiles was last week crowned world champion in three separate events at the 2023 UCI World Championships in Glasgow, Scotland.</p> <p>During the post race ceremonies, he was presented with two gold medals, along with two very surprising gifts from the event's major sponsor: international watch company Tissot.</p> <p>The 47-year-old was gifted not one, but TWO watches in a fancy display case, despite having both his arms amputated at the forearm. </p> <p>A video of Ten keeping a straight face while being handed one of the watches has started to spread across the internet with more than 800,000 views.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Not a very well thought gift. <a href="https://t.co/hRhaTfnGsE">pic.twitter.com/hRhaTfnGsE</a></p> <p>— Cycling out of context (@OutOfCycling) <a href="https://twitter.com/OutOfCycling/status/1691136594747469836?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 14, 2023</a></p></blockquote> <p>One video shows Ten standing on the podium and exchanging some friendly words with an official as he holds the watch case tightly between his arms. </p> <p>Understandably, the mortifying moment has been met with outrage and black humour. </p> <p>The athlete himself has been laughing off the incident and has embraced the way his social media pages have exploded with comments.</p> <p>Many of the comments suggested that Ten regift the expensive watches at Christmas, while others wondered how officials at the event could've let the awkward gifts happen. </p> <p>Despite the outrage from fans, Ten responded to one news story about the “tactless blunder” by writing on Twitter, “I am very happy to have won two TISSOTs, one for each arm, but above all for what it means for Paralympic cycling, total inclusion of the sport at the highest level”.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Twitter</em></p>

Body

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10 incredible things to do in Tokyo

<p>Tokyo is a city that defies definitions. An intersection at which modern living combines with old-fashioned sensibilities, Tokyo has been captivating tourists for years.</p> <p>We’re going to take a look at the top 10 things to do when visiting this famous city. It’s fair to say a visit to this famous city is not complete without trying these experiences.</p> <p>We've also included a selection of photographs depicting these experiences. To see them all, scroll through the gallery above. The pictures correspond to the list below.</p> <p>1. <strong>Tsukiji Market</strong> – If you’re an early riser, Tsukiji Market offers world famous tuna auctions that start around 5am and are truly an experience for travellers to behold.</p> <p>2. <strong>Meiji-jingū</strong> – The centrepiece of this captivating shrine is the towering, 12 metre high gate created from 1500-year-cyprus, which gives the region an authentic feel.  </p> <p>3. <strong>Shibuya Crossing</strong> – We’ve covered this <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/travel/international/2015/12/shibuya-pedestrian-crossing-japan/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">pedestrian crossing before</span></strong></a>, but it’s definitely worth a second mention. Controlled chaos on an unimaginable scale.</p> <p>4. <strong>Sensō-ji</strong> – One of Japan’s most-famous temples, which is home to a golden image of Kannon (the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy) and a variety of captivating sights.</p> <p>5. <strong>Tokyo Sky Tree</strong> – Opening in May 2012 as the world’s tallest free standing tower, Tokyo Sky Tree provides glorious, panoramic views of the enchanting surrounds.</p> <p>6. <strong>Tokyo National Museum</strong> – This captivating museum has a range of exhibits including pottery, sculptures, weapons and the world’s largest collection of Japanese art.</p> <p>7. <strong>Ōedo Onsen Monogatari</strong> – An onsen (hot spring)-themed amusement park gives you the real onsen (hot spring) experience and provides utter relaxation.</p> <p>8. <strong>Kabuki-za</strong> – Providing a captivating observation of Japanese culture, this ancient theatre allows visitors to experience a range of memorable performances.</p> <p>9. <strong>Sumo wrestling</strong> – A traditional sumo wrestling tournament is a must-see experience for anyone visiting Japan and is a captivating look at this ancient culture.</p> <p>10. <strong>Zoetrope</strong> – Whisky fans need look no further than Zoetrope, which has more than 300 varieties of Japanese whisky, including some no longer commercially available.</p> <p><em>Image: Getty</em></p>

Travel Tips

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Ian Thorpe gets his Olympic report card

<p>Ian Thorpe has proven he doesn’t need to be in the pool at the Olympics to be a star.</p> <p>Twenty-one years after first winning gold at the Sydney Olympic Games, Thorpe has given his expert commentary for Channel 7 during the Tokyo games – and fans are absolutely loving it.</p> <p>From winning gold medals to predicting the future, Ian Thorpe has proved he can do it all at the Olympics.</p> <p>Twenty-one years after first winning gold at the Sydney Games, Thorpedo is playing a starring role in Tokyo – but in a very different capacity.</p> <p>The Australian swimming legend is giving his expert analysis for Channel 7.</p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="../media/7842727/ian-thorpe-2.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/60b14eeb144d4ffcb3369202de846398" /></p> <p><em>Thorpe always believed Titmus was going to bring it home late. Image: Supplied. </em></p> <p>Through the swimming legend’s insight, he predicted what Katie Ledecky’s final time would be and got within a second of the stopwatch.</p> <p>Thorpe went at it again during Aussie superstar Ariarne Titmus’ second blockbuster showdown of the Games with Ledecky in the 200m freestyle final on Tuesday.</p> <p>“I think Ariarne has Ledecky covered in this race,” Thorpe said.</p> <p>“She can transition a lot better into different speeds. So she’ll build up her speed, whereas Katie Ledecky seems to get stuck in one gear.</p> <p>“She has a consistency that comes with that speed, but she can’t increase it in any way — it doesn’t develop.</p> <p>“Whereas when you saw Ariarne come over the top of Ledecky in the 400m freestyle final, she was gradually increasing that speed and there was a 0.4 second difference in their last 50m.”</p> <p>Thorpe was right again, proving his expertise is on point.</p> <p>Ledecky went hard and Titmus was trailing the whole way up until the final lap.</p> <p>The 20-year-old from Tasmania eventually overtook her biggest rival in the final 25m to win gold medal No. 2.</p> <p>Thorpe took time to point out Titmus’ turning ability, and said she was accelerating into the wall and springing off of it better than Ledecky was.</p> <p>The Aussie finally took the lead for the first time at the final turn.</p> <p>His fellow Channel 7 commentator Leisel Jones, who has competed in four Olympics, praised Thorpe when Japan’s Ohashi Yui won the 200m women’s individual medley.</p> <p>“I’m going to say Thorpey called that before we started,” Jones said during Seven’s broadcast.</p> <p>“He said, ‘Watch for Ohashi Yui to go for the double’.”</p> <p>“After seeing that 400 IM, this was the clear frontrunner in this race,” Thorpe said when explaining why he tipped Ohashi to win again.</p> <p>Aussie watchers have praised the Olympic swimmer for his brilliant commentary, with one saying: “He is amazing, I love listening to him.</p> <p>Another wrote: “Ian Thorpe owns commentary. He regularly calls the winner 50m out.”</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Love <a href="https://twitter.com/IanThorpe?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@IanThorpe</a> commentary for the swimming.</p> <p>— Eric (@bananman1234) <a href="https://twitter.com/bananman1234/status/1420593762816847872?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 29, 2021</a></p></blockquote> <p>A third person added: “How wonderful Ian Thorpe’s commentary. He is so informative, speaks so calmly.”</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">And how wonderful is Ian Thorpe’s commentary.He is so informative,speaks so calmly.Great👏</p> <p>— Lynette (@lynettekc) <a href="https://twitter.com/lynettekc/status/1420566887612616704?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 29, 2021</a></p></blockquote> <p><a href="https://twitter.com/lynettekc/status/1420566887612616704?s=21" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://twitter.com/lynettekc/status/1420566887612616704?s=21</a></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Ian Thorpe is the Ricky Ponting of swimming commentary.</p> <p>— justin1flynn 🐯🏆🏆🏆 (@justin1flynn) <a href="https://twitter.com/justin1flynn/status/1420558861140852741?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 29, 2021</a></p></blockquote> <p><em>Image: Neal Simpson/EMPICS via Getty Images<span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;"> </span></em></p>

TV

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Cafe won’t let guests leave until they finish their work

<p dir="ltr">If you struggle a lot with procrastination then the only thing left for you to do is to book a ticket to Japan and head to this one cafe.</p> <p dir="ltr">Unless you procrastinate that too, but hear us out. </p> <p dir="ltr">Manuscript Writing Cafe in Tokyo is the one-stop destination for procrastinators looking to get their work done.</p> <p dir="ltr">There are 10 workstations and people are allowed to leave ONLY when they have finished their work.</p> <p dir="ltr">And the staff will make sure you have completed your projects as they come to check in on you at least six times an hour. </p> <p dir="ltr">They also bring with them free snacks, tea, coffee, water and high-speed wifi. </p> <p dir="ltr">Once you have completed all your tasks, you are given a paper with an orange stamp and you are free to leave. </p> <p dir="ltr">The video was shared to <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@leanneinjapan/video/7095383871398694149?is_copy_url=1&amp;is_from_webapp=v1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TikTok</a> and has been viewed more than 624,000 times and has received around 120,000 likes with many commenting about how they need to be at the cafe all the time. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Yup, I definitely need to work there.. ah.. maybe later,” one wrote.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Kindness and torture at the same time,” someone commented.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I guess I'm bringing a sleeping bag,” another joked.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I’ll go later,” another joked about procrastinating their visit.</p> <p dir="ltr">“So essentially I'd be living there,” read another. </p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: TikTok</em></p>

International Travel

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Sneaky twist in Olympic medallists' $20k bonus

<p>Australian athletes who won a medal at the Olympics or Paralympics in Tokyo this year are about to receive a major monetary bonus – but there is one catch.</p> <p>Australian athletes who finished on the podium at the Olympics in Tokyo will not receive the bonus of $20,000 if they retire after the Games.</p> <p>The Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) gives a $20,000 cash bonus to Olympic gold medallists, while silver medallists and bronze medallists take home $15,000 and $10,000 respectively.</p> <p>The AOC has confirmed it will not give money to any athletes who are retiring after the Games – all for one exception. If the athlete is a Paralympian and they retire after the Games, they will still receive the bonus.</p> <p><strong>Medal Incentive Funding from AOC</strong></p> <p>The Medal Incentive Funding (MIF) is entirely funded by the AOC and is independent of the federal government.</p> <p>Set up as an annual athlete incentive scheme, an AOC statement says: ‘MIF aims to incentivise athletes to continue training, with the goal of representing Australia at the next Olympic Games, summer and winter,’</p> <p>The AOC statement explains the MIF is not available to athletes who stop competing at an elite level.</p> <p>‘Athletes must maintain appropriate training regimes with the intention of gaining national selection in the following year in order to receive the payment,’ the statement explains.</p> <p><strong>This rule does not apply to Australia’s Paralympians</strong></p> <p>However, this rule will not apply to Australia’s Paralympians.</p> <p>Sports Minister Richard Colbeck said: “Every Australian Paralympian who received a medal for their performance at the Tokyo Games will receive a bonus payment.”</p> <p>“This includes any athlete who is planning to retire,” he added.</p> <p>Only last week, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced Australia’s Paralympic medallists will for the first time receive equivalent bonus payments to their Olympic counterparts.</p> <p>Speaking before the House of Representatives, the Prime Minister said the move recognised the “national significance” of the Paralympic team.</p> <p>Prior to Mr Morrison’s announcement, the Paralympic athletes did not receive any monetary bonuses for winning medals.</p> <p>This year’s Paralympics featured more than 4500 athletes representing 163 different countries.</p> <p>Australia finished seventh on the Tokyo Paralympic Games medal tally with 21 gold, 29 silver and 30 gold medals.</p> <p><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

Money & Banking

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Olympic and Paralympic athletes light up Sydney Opera House

<p>As the Paralympic cauldron was extinguished, celebrating the end of the Tokyo Games 2020 in the National Stadium on Sunday night, a show of another kind was unfolding on the sails of the Sydney Opera House.</p> <p>With various states of lockdown still affecting many in Australia, there was no chance for ticker tape parades and crowded streets of cheering supporters to celebrate our returning athletes.</p> <p>So, a modern twist for an age-old tradition was found. Athletes and their families everywhere – whether still in Tokyo, in quarantine back in Australia – could tune into a five-and-a-half-hour livestream like no other.</p> <p>All 665 of Australia's Paralympians and Olympians had their faces and names projected onto the Opera House sails for 30 seconds each, giving them their moment in the spotlight.</p> <p>Two official photographers captured thousands of photos from the livestream along with Olympic and Paralympic montages and ‘Thank you Tokyo’ shots, with every athlete to receive a personalised image as an Australian-made gift to remember their Tokyo experience.</p> <p><strong>Largest show of this kind at the Opera House</strong></p> <p>According to the NSW government this was the largest collection of images ever projected onto the Sydney Opera House.</p> <p>Working with the Australian Olympic Committee, Paralympics Australia, Sydney Opera House and The Electric Canvas, the NSW Department of Premier and Cabinet managed the project, collecting every athlete's image over two weeks then mapping them onto a design concept to fit the Opera House sails.</p> <p>The Games have been credited with giving people in every state and territory a positive boost and a break from the stress of lockdown and the seemingly never-ending coverage of COVID.</p> <p>Australia's athletes were impressive right to the end, with Madison de Rozario winning the women’s Paralympic marathon while teammate and marathon newcomer Jaryd Clifford, finished with a silver in the men's event on the final day.</p> <p>While the Games are nothing without the athletes, and they deserve their Opera House tribute, many of them will tell you their own lasting memories will be of the volunteers who for days on end stood in the heat and humidity directing busloads of competitors and officials.</p> <p>They were also making sure the fridges stayed full of water, or were simply charged with reminding every single person that passed through the security gates to "please, sanitise your hands".</p> <p><strong>Some of the best quotes of the Paralympic Games</strong></p> <p>As a final tribute, the Olympic Information Service in Tokyo compiled some of the best quotes of the Paralympic Games, which we share with you now as a final farewell:</p> <p><em>"I wouldn't change anything. I'd break my neck again if I could."</em> - Australian wheelchair rugby player, Richard Voris on "living the dream" after his friend accidentally jumped on his neck while swimming, leaving him quadriplegic.</p> <p><em>"When I modelled for (US fashion label) Tommy Hilfiger I had this realisation that this perfect body does not exist; only a handful of people have this type of body, this lifestyle. If you look around, all of us have little bumps and bruises all over us and we are all imperfect."</em> - US swimmer Haven Shepherd, who lost both her legs at 14 months old when her parents strapped a bomb to themselves and held her in their arms in an attempted family suicide in Vietnam.</p> <p><em>"I love what the Paralympics represents – it represents more than sport, it represents people with disability, succeeding in what they love, it gives us purpose, it gives us a passion, it changes cultures, changes perceptions. We can work, we can get jobs, we can be teachers, we can be mums, we can be dads, we can travel, we can be partners, we can have kids, we can do so much."</em> - Australia's tennis quad singles gold medalist Dylan Alcott, on the power of the Paralympics.</p> <p><em>"It was so good to have a female on the podium – that just happened to be me."</em> - British track cyclist Kadeena Cox who won the gold medal in the C1-5 750m team sprint, reflecting on being the only woman in the mixed team final.</p> <p><em>"I was literally swimming using one lung. I risked my life by coming here because my right lung is not functioning. But I came here to deliver a message representing millions of refugees around the world. There are thousands and thousands of disabled refugee athletes who are counting on me, so I didn't want to let them down."</em><br />- Syrian-born swimmer Ibrahim Al Hussein, representing the Refugee Paralympic Team, revealing he competed at Tokyo against the advice of his doctor.</p> <p><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

Domestic Travel

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Aussie Olympians receive hefty bonuses from billionaire Harry Triguboff

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Australian athletes who took home medals from the Tokyo Olympics are set to receive an additional bonus from billionaire Harry Triguboff AO, with athletes to be awarded an extra $5,000 per medal they won.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) revealed that Triguboff, the Meriton Managing Director, donated $645,000 to the organisation.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The AOC said the donation was an “unsolicited gesture” and “unexpected bonus” for Australia’s top athletes.</span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Thank you Harry Triguboff AO! 👉<a href="https://t.co/TXDlTlqTGv">https://t.co/TXDlTlqTGv</a><br /><br />The <a href="https://twitter.com/MeritonGroup?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MeritonGroup</a> Managing Director has donated $5,000 to each of the 99 Australian Olympic Team members who won 129 medals at the Tokyo Olympics. 🥇🥈🥉<br /><br />📸 Sam Ruttyn / <a href="https://twitter.com/dailytelegraph?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@dailytelegraph</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TokyoTogether?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TokyoTogether</a> <a href="https://t.co/7Ou2CI44aw">pic.twitter.com/7Ou2CI44aw</a></p> — AUS Olympic Team (@AUSOlympicTeam) <a href="https://twitter.com/AUSOlympicTeam/status/1433379955094790148?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 2, 2021</a></blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Harry is hugely proud of what our team achieved in Tokyo, and for him to say ‘thank you’ in this way is hugely generous and most unexpected,” AOC President John Coates said in a statement.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“The donation is per medal, so for those Olympians whose efforts were rewarded with multiple medals, it will make coming home to family and friends all the sweeter.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“On behalf of the AOC, and in particular our 99 medal winners, we say thank you Harry.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Triguboff, who has a fortune of $17.27 billion, stressed the importance of rewarding athletes during the pandemic.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“We are always successful at the Olympic Games. However, this time it was especially important because we are close to recession and many people have been impacted by the virus,” Triguboff said, per the AOC.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“The medallists in Tokyo made us all very happy and we were glued to the television and were only thinking of our athletes during this difficult time.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The news comes as pay disparities between Olympic and Paralympic athletes have come into the spotlight, with a SBS report revealing that Paralympians do not and have ever received the same performance bonus.</span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">The superhumans get nothing??? That’s a disgrace. <br />“Australian Olympians who won gold at the Tokyo Games received $20,000. Our Paralympians will get zero” <a href="https://t.co/OCd93DzXIW">https://t.co/OCd93DzXIW</a></p> — 🩴 Annie Parker 🩴 #SmashThePatriarchy #FullyVaxed (@annie_parker) <a href="https://twitter.com/annie_parker/status/1431553390706925573?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 28, 2021</a></blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Prime Minister Scott Morrison has since announced that Paralympic athletes who win medals at the Games would receive the same bonuses as Olympic athletes from now on.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Gold medal winners will receive $20,000, while silver and bronze medallists will be awarded $15,000 and $10,000 respectively.</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: AUS Olympic Team / Twitter</span></em></p>

Money & Banking

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Calls to sack Kyle Sandilands after shocking Paralympics comments

<p>Radio host Kyle Sandilands was live on <em>KIIS FM</em> as he branded the Paralympics as “horrific” after watching the high-jump event and the soccer.</p> <p>“Players throwing themselves on the ground like sausages to block the ball” was how he described watching the soccer, going on to suggest “Shake it off” the popular Metro Station song be the theme song of the games.</p> <p>“Kyle’s comments are abhorrent, ignorant and ableist” Greens Senator Jordon Steele-John says as he calls for Kyle to be sacked from his role in broadcasting.</p> <p>“These comments are hurtful to disabled people. He needs to pull his head in and apologise to our athletes and the disability community”.</p> <p> </p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7843652/kyle-sandilands-story-2-copy.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/682d36de8da342ce9e50b4d0a464c4d3" /></p> <p><em>Image: Twitter </em></p> <p>Australia sits eighth in the medal tally as Dylan Alcott’s semi-final win brought the audience to tears on Wednesday night.</p> <p>The 30-year-old tennis professional beat Dutch teen Niels Vink in what he described as “the best match of his life”. Moments like these have really won over millions of viewers across the world.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/KIIS1065?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KIIS1065</a> How you can possibly not sack <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KyleSandilands?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KyleSandilands</a> after his abhorrent comments about our amazing <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Paralympians?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Paralympians</a>?! He needs to go IMMEDIATELY or you are obviously condoning his able-ist attitudes and comments!!! Hang your heads in shame for allowing this to happen!! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KIIS1065?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KIIS1065</a></p> — Matt (@Matt62485467) <a href="https://twitter.com/Matt62485467/status/1433268824489402371?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 2, 2021</a></blockquote> <p>While Kyle admitted to liking the “spirt of the contest” he quickly slapped down newsreader Brooklyn Ross who said Paralympians put in more effort than those able-bodied athletes.</p> <p>“You can be nice to handicapped athletes, but you don’t have to compare them to the non-handicapped. You don’t have to lift them up to be better than the non-handicapped” he said.</p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7843653/kyle-sandilands-story-2.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/6d7ce4e8a2e84059a922f1c5e276e1f8" /></p> <p><em>Dylan Alcott. Image: Getty.</em></p> <p>Kyle Sandilands has always been a controversial figure in the media and has previously been close to losing his job on the most popular radio show in Sydney.</p>

News

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World’s tallest athlete towering in Tokyo

<p>The world’s tallest athlete Morteza Mehrzad, who competes sitting down, is 246cm tall and he’s part of the Iranian men’s sitting volleyball team which is on track for back-to-back gold medals at the Paralympics.</p> <p>The middle-eastern nation has dominated the sport for decades — winning six of the past eight gold medals in the men’s game — but it’s the addition of Mehrzad which has made the team even more unbeatable.</p> <p>The 33-year-old is the second tallest man alive and the tallest Paralympian in history.</p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.12648221343875px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7843638/tallest-athlete-2-um.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/e7faee5aa18846fc80928421dc4af12c" /></p> <p>In a sport where players with a variety of ailments sit down and try to get the ball over the net which is approximately 1.15m off the floor, it’s very easy for Mehrzad.</p> <p>Iran will meet the sport’s other powerhouse Bosnia Herzegovina in the semi-finals on Thursday night in a rematch of the gold medal game in Rio four years ago.</p> <p>On that occasion, Mehrzad made the difference and Iran won the medal.</p> <p><strong>Iran’s coach asked Mehrzad to join</strong></p> <p>Iran’s coach Hadi Rezaeigarkani saw Mehrzad on a TV program about physical disorders and got in contact with him, asking him to join the team.</p> <p>He took up the sport nine years ago and made his international debut in 2016 and immediately started winning awards. He’s only improved, continuing to dominate at the Paralympics.</p> <p>Even sitting down, when Mehrzad raises his right arm, it reaches a height of 1.93 metres. When spiking — the term used to describe a forceful attacking shot to get the ball over the net — he can get his dominant hand up to 2.3m in the air.</p> <p><strong>It’s not all good news for the Iranian sports star</strong></p> <p>While it’s easy to see why Mehrzad would be happy with his progress, it isn’t all good news for the Iranian superstar.</p> <p>He suffers from acromegaly - a medical condition which arises from the brain’s pituitary gland producing too much growth hormone after the body’s growth plates have closed. By the age of 16 he was already over 1.9m tall.</p> <p>Mehrzad rarely stands up though because he seriously injured his pelvis in a bike accident as a teenager, meaning he now spends significant amounts of time either on crutches or in a wheelchair.</p> <p>His right leg has stopped growing and it’s about 15cm shorter than his left. The sad reality is that while he’s helping his teammates to win and bringing recognition to his country in Tokyo at the moment, his condition does not bode well for his long term future.</p> <p>A spokesperson for his team said: “His health is not going well. His health is currently declining because he’s getting taller. I think he’s still growing. The first time we saw him he could walk better but now he has to walk with crutches.”</p> <p>But now is a time for Mehrzad and his team to focus on the positives. Iran has won six gold medals and two silvers across the past eight Paralympics, and with Mehrzad’s help, it looks likely they’ll be heading home from these Games with some more medals as well.</p> <p><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

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Gold! Gold! Gold! Australia wins gold to lead the Paralympics

<p>The Paralympics have started in Tokyo and on the first day, Australia has won six gold medals, one silver and three bronze which puts us at the top of the medal tally.</p> <p>It was Australian cyclists who won the first two medals of the Games. Paige Greco and Emily Petricola both won their cycling events at the velodrome – the first two medals of the Games.</p> <p>The swimmers took things a step further with four golds to William Martin, Lakeisha Patterson and best mates Ben Popham and Rowan Crothers.</p> <p>Popham – who won both the men’s S8 100m freestyle - said to the media at the time: "I always tell my friends and family at home to not stress at the 50 if I'm not leading, and I quietly backed myself to reel 'em in but it still feels incredible."</p> <p>"I'm not sure the emotion's going to set in for a while," he added.</p> <p><strong>Winners talked about the positive effect of the Games</strong></p> <p>When talking to the media, our winners were full of inspiring messages for young people with disabilities, talking about how competing for the Games has transformed their lives.</p> <p>Rowan Crowthers, who won the S10 50m freestyle and suffers from cerebral palsy and chronic lung disease said: "When I was really young, my disability was so severe and I started with swimming to help my cerebral palsy as that kind of therapy.”</p> <p>"Back then, I hated it. I couldn't stand it”, he said.</p> <p>"If it wasn't for discovering the Paralympics, I never would have even come close to this. It's amazing to come up here and do this now and I've proved that I'm not just a person with a disability, I'm also an elite athlete," he added.</p> <p>Petricola said, after recording a world record at the Games, said she found her sport at a critical turning point in her life, kicking off a journey which has come to the point where she won her cycling event at the Games.</p> <p>She said "words can't describe" how grateful she was to Olympic rowing silver medallist Matt Ryan for suggesting she take up cycling and push for Tokyo and five-time Olympic cyclist Shane Kelly for his help along the way.</p> <p>"They've changed my life and they've saved my life," she said, before going on to thank her family and a long list of other supporters.</p> <p><strong>Excellence in the middle-distance swimming</strong></p> <p>The next events at the Paralympics were the middle-distance swimming and William Martin and Lakeisha Patterson took out the men's and women's S9 400m freestyle.</p> <p>Patterson powered home to win over Hungary's Zsofia Konkoly while Martin said he was just following his coach's instructions.</p> <p>"He told me to jump into this race as a bit of an introduction to the meet," said Martin, standing alongside bronze medal winning teammate Alexander Tuckfield.</p> <p>"I went alright, I guess I'll just do what I'm told, see how things go, and yeah, here we are."</p> <p>Patterson said: “All I could do was attack it from the start and hold on. It was such a good race by everyone. I knew I had it in me. I knew what I was capable of but to be able to finally put all the pieces together was really exciting.</p> <p>"It's been such a long, hard couple of years. So, it's just really really nice — oh my god, I told my couch I wasn't going to cry," she added.</p> <p>Still in the pool, Paige Leonhardt claimed silver in the S14 women's butterfly, just a second ahead of teammate Ruby Storm who won third.</p> <p>Benjamin James Hance finished third in the men's equivalent of the same race.</p> <p><em>Photos: Getty Images </em></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p>

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Team GB rocked by doping controversy at Tokyo 2020 Olympics

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Great Britain's men’s track team is in danger of having their silver medal being stripped, after one of its athletes tested positive for banned substances. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Britain's Olympic 4x100m relay silver medallist Chijindu 'CJ' Ujah has been provisionally suspended for allegedly breaching strict anti-doping rules at the games.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) reported that athlete had returned an Adverse Analytical Finding (AAF) from a test carried during the Olympics in Japan. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The substances detected were Ostarine and S-23, which are both classified by the World Anti-doping Organisation, as they have similar effects to steroids. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The substances have been banned from the Olympics for some time, as they help build muscle and enhance overall sporting performance. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">CJ responded to the news of the doping scandal with a cryptic Instagram post that said, “Stay focused… Because truth is madder than fiction.” </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">CJ is allowed to request independent analysis of the sample to prove his innocence and keep his Olympic title. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">If he is found guilty of using performance-enhancing drugs, it could be devastating for his fellow members of the relay team. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Zharnel Hughes, Richard Kilty and Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake will also be at risk of being stripped if the positive is confirmed.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The news comes after three other track and field athletes were suspended during the Games for suspected doping. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Moroccan-born Bahraini 1,500m runner Sadik Mikhou, Georgian shot putter Benik Abramyan and Kenyan sprinter Mark Otieno Odhiambo were listed for using performance-enhancing drugs, and remain under investigation by the AIU. </span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image credit: Getty Images</span></em></p>

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World’s most relatable Olympic Athlete

<p><span>In a bittersweet moment, the entire nation watched as the affable hurdler Nicholas Hough battled in the semi-final of the 110m on Wednesday.</span><br /><br /><span>While he sadly failed to reach the finals, he did cross the line in 13.88 - just half a second slower than his heat time.</span><br /><br /><span>However, Hough made international headlines after colliding with every single hurdle on his way through.</span><br /><br /><span>It has been revealed the Australian Olympian was dealing with an injury he’d suffered from due to his previous race.</span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Nicholas Hough just put in a lovely trial to represent the <a href="https://twitter.com/NSWWaratahs?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NSWWaratahs</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/110mHurdle?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#110mHurdle</a></p> — Matt Taylor 🐎💨 (@DreamTeamMatt) <a href="https://twitter.com/DreamTeamMatt/status/1422740467934851083?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 4, 2021</a></blockquote> <p><br /><span>"I'm just happy I got out there on the track today, I had a bit of a sore calf after the heat yesterday," Hough said.</span><br /><br /><span>While the sportsman was able to run on the injury, he was forced to limit his preparation for the big semi-final.</span><br /><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7842844/nicholas-hough.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/6b233c7062014609babcd7a49b0a332b" /></p> <p><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p> <p><span>"I didn't know how bad it was gonna get, but I got through the race. Be a bit sore tomorrow, but that's OK.</span><br /><br /><span>"It was a bit of a struggle to warm up, didn't have much power getting going and driving through the hurdles - but it's great to be out here representing Australia."</span><br /><br /><span>American Grant Holloway qualified fastest for tomorrow's final, with a time of 13.13.</span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Nicholas Hough is a legend.<br /><br />Injured, but still ran. He knew what it meant.</p> — Johnny Worthington (@jworthington) <a href="https://twitter.com/jworthington/status/1422774692591534081?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 4, 2021</a></blockquote> <p><br /><span>Hough is determined to spend the next three years building up for the 2024 games in France.</span><br /><br /><span>"It's a big couple of years - Paris is my time, that's going to be the big one for me,” he said.</span></p> <p><em>Image: Instagram <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/nick_hough/?hl=en" target="_blank">@Nick_Hough</a></em></p>

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