#Viktor Tretiakov

[grupul-iubim-brasovul]

Zâmbete Culturale - cu Alexandra Grancea

Astăzi, de la ora 16.00, LIVE, la o nouă emisiune specială, "Zâmbete Culturale"!

Invitat - violonistul Florin Ionescu - Galați, solist al Filarmonicii Brașov!

Repere profesionale...

Violonist virtuoz, Florin Ionescu-Galaţi s-a impus în viaţa muzicală românească drept unul dintre vârfurile generaţiei sale. Născut la Bucureşti, în anul 1970, a început studiul viorii la vârsta de patru ani, sub îndrumarea tatălui său, cunoscutul violonist şi dirijor I. Ionescu-Galaţi. Apariţia în public alături de Orchestra Naţională Radio, la vârsta de zece ani, cu concertul de vioară de Kabalevski, prevestea un talent neobişnuit ce avea să devină curând cunoscut.

A studiat la Şcoala de Muzică din Braşov cu profesorul Radu Hamzea şi a absolvit cursurile Universităţii Naţionale de Muzică din Bucureşti, la clasa maestrului Ştefan Gheorghiu.

Este laureat al concursurilor internaţionale „Usti nad Orlici” (Cehoslovacia), „Dinu Lipatti” şi „George Enescu” (România), „Tibor Varga” (Elveţia), „Paganini” (Italia), „Wieniawski” (Polonia).

Cariera sa internaţională, începută în 1982, s-a derulat spectaculos în recitaluri şi concerte alături de ansambluri cunoscute ca: orchestrele simfonice de la Graz, Saarbrucken, Marsilia, München, Genova, Atena, Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Chişinău, orchestrele radio din Basel, Bucureşti, etc., în săli de renume din Europa, SUA şi Japonia, precum „Gasteig” şi „Herkule” din München, „Carnegie Hall” din New York, „Beethoven Halle” – Bonn, „Santory Hall” – Tokyo. În diverse formule camerale a colaborat cu Ayla Erduran, Viktor Pikaisen, Viktor Tretiakov, Lory Wallfisch, Valentin Gheorghiu.

A realizat înregistrări de referinţă pentru posturi de radio sau TV din Germania, Turcia, Franţa, Japonia, SUA. În ţara noastră artistului i s-a acordat Premiul Televiziunii Române (1996, 1997) şi Premiul Pro TV pentru participarea ca solist în concertul televizat co-producţie România-America, Marele Premiu al Uniunii Criticilor şi Interpreţilor români (1996), Premiul pentru promovarea muzicii româneşti în ţară şi în străinătate acordat de Uniunea Criticilor Muzicali (2002) și Cel mai bun solist al Anului 2002 în Turcia.

Pianista Corina Ibănescu s-a născut la Brașov într-o familie de intelectuali (tatăl doctor, mama profesoară), mari iubitori ai artelor, și a studiat pianul la Şcoala generală de muzică din orașul natal cu prof. Cornelia Orban și pianiștii Horia Cristian, și Gabriela Popescu. Și-a continuat studiile la Liceul de muzică „George Enescu” din Bucureşti sub îndrumarea renumitei profesoare Ludmila Popişteanu.

Este licenţiat-cu 10- a Conservatorului de Muzică ,,Ciprian Porumbescu din Bucureşti (specializarea pian, clasa prof. univ. Sandu Sandrin). A urmat cursuri de perfecţionare pianistică la Academia ,,Mozarteum” din Salzburg, Austria, sub îndrumarea celebrului pianist și dirijor, Carlo Zecchi.

[rudyroth79]

Aplicația pentru mobil JuratEnescu – un test personal de ascultare critică

Începând de astăzi, 5 septembrie 2018, aplicația pentru mobil JuratEnescu este la îndemâna celor care doresc să își testeze abilitatea de a aprecia o interpretare artistică. Prin intermediul aplicației fie din sală, fie urmărind online, iubitorii de muzică au ocazia să noteze participanții la Concursul Internațional ”George Enescu” și pot vedea în ce măsură opțiunile lor se potrivesc cu cele ale juriului.

Aplicația, organizată pe cele trei secțiuni de interpretare pian, vioară, violoncel, conține profilurile tuturor candidaților calificați și propune o serie de criterii de apreciere în baza cărora jurații amatori să își ordoneze opțiunile.

Aplicația compară selecția făcută de fiecare utilizator cu cea făcută de juriu. Utilizatorii primesc puncte pentru numărul de candidați aleși pentru etapa următoare, care corespund cu cei din lista juriului. Pentru finală, este punctată și ordinea corectă a premiaților. Utilizatorii care primesc cele mai multe puncte vor fi primi diplome de Jurat Ucenic, o invitație la un cocktail cu membrii juriului și bilete în Festivalul ”George Enescu” de anul viitor.

“Ne dorim să încurajăm ascultarea critică, urmărirea concurenților în mai multe etape, nu numai în finală, să împărtășim bucuria descoperirii talentelor. Sperăm ca astfel să contribuim și la înțelegerea mai profundă a demersului artiștilor și la creșterea respectului pentru efortul lor. Performanța nu vine numai dintr-un recital reușit, ci din anduranță în concurs, disciplină, tehnică, expresivitate. Prin abordarea aceasta, la limita jocului, sperăm să facilităm aprecierea muzicii și apropierea de arta interpretării”, spune Mihai Constantinescu, directorul Festivalului și Concursului Internațional ”George Enescu”.

Aplicația este al treilea pilon al proiectului ”Ce auzim când ascultăm muzică?”, dedicat celor interesați să se familiarizeze cu muzica clasică, un proiect suport pentru ediția 2018 a Concursului ”George Enescu”. Acesta a inclus: o Caravană în licee, unde muzicianul Paul Ilea și actorul Marius Manole au dialogat cu tinerii pe teme privind interpretarea muzicii clasice, o serie de dialoguri video care dezvoltă relaxat teme de educație muzicală și cele privind aprecierea interpretării (distribuită pe canalul YouTube al Festivalului ”Enescu” și aplicația Culturesc) și aplicația mobilă JuratEnescu. Cei interesați pot descărca JuratEnescu din Google Play sau din Apple Store.

Programul ”Ce auzim când ascultăm muzică?” a fost realizat cu sprijinul Raiffeisen Bank, Samsung și Wilo Foundation.

Despre Concursul Internațional ”George Enescu”

Ajuns la cea de-a XVI-a ediție, Concursul Internațional ”George Enescu” se desfășoară în perioada 1 – 23 septembrie 2018, la București. Este cea mai amplă competiție internațională de muzică clasică din România și atrage tineri muzicieni și compozitori din întreaga lume pentru a-și demonstra talentul în cadrul celor patru secțiuni ale concursului: pian, vioară, violoncel și compoziție. Prestația și compozițiile concurenților sunt evaluate de un juriu internațional din care fac parte personalități importante ale muzicii clasice internaționale, precum: Philippe Entremont, Pierre Amoyal, SalvatoreAccardo, Viktor Tretiakov, Peter Jablonski, David Geringas, ZygmuntKrauze, ArtoNoras, Myung-WhunChung, Raphael Wallfisch, Jian Wang, Marin Cazacu, Remus Azoiței, Dan Dediu, Silvia Marcovici și alții.

Toate etapele Concursului Enescu 2018 – Etapa I, Etapa a II-a și Etapa a III-a, Semifinală, pentru cele trei secțiuni de concurs (secțiunea Violoncel, secțiunea Vioară și secțiunea Pian) – sunt deschise pentru public, la fel și la Galele Finale cu orchestră (finala la Violoncel – 11 septembrie 2018, finala la Vioară – 17 septembrie 2018 și finala la Pian – 23 septembrie 2018) și au loc la Ateneul Român.

Ediția din 2018 a Concursului Internațional ”George Enescu” a înregistrat un număr record de tineri artiști. S-au înscris 400 de tineri muzicieni, din 46 de țări de pe cinci continente, în creștere cu 26% față de ediția anterioară, consemnându-se și cea mai ridicată participare românească din istoria Concursului.

Crezul sub care se va derula Concursul Internațional George Enescu 2018 este ”Descoperă talentul. Aplaudă efortul. Captează emoția”. Pornind de la considerațiile marelui compozitor român George Enescu, care spunea că în muzică este nevoie de 30% talent și de 70% muncă, Concursul Internațional ”George Enescu” 2018 își propune să fie o sărbătoare a darului unui artist și a muncii depuse, încununate în bucuria participativă a publicului: o invitație la a trăi împreună emoția.

Echipa de Comunicare a Concursului Internațional ”George Enescu”

Informații la zi, imagini, comentarii despre ediția 2018 a Concursului Internațional ”George Enescu” – în Revista Culturală Leviathan, partener media al evenimentului.

Arhiva rubricii Concursul Internațional George Enescu 2018

Arhiva rubricii Festivalul Internațional George Enescu 2017

Arhiva rubricii Musica

Concursul Internațional ”George Enescu” invită publicul să își exerseze calitatea de jurat Aplicația pentru mobil JuratEnescu – un test personal de ascultare critică Începând de astăzi, 5 septembrie 2018, aplicația pentru mobil JuratEnescu este la îndemâna celor care doresc să își testeze abilitatea de a aprecia o interpretare artistică.

[stratejibulteni]

RT @turksoyorg: 🎼 🎶 TÜRKSOY Gençlik Oda Orkestrası Balkan Turnesi kapsamında genç yetenekler bu akşam Çetince'de. Orkestramıza bu akşamki konserde dünyaca ünlü kemancı 🎻 Viktor Tretiakov eşlik ediyor. Konserimiz birazdan başlayacak. https://t.co/PtUNVR7H98

[stkguncel]

RT @turksoyorg: 🎼 🎶 TÜRKSOY Gençlik Oda Orkestrası Balkan Turnesi kapsamında genç yetenekler bu akşam Çetince'de. Orkestramıza bu akşamki konserde dünyaca ünlü kemancı 🎻 Viktor Tretiakov eşlik ediyor. Konserimiz birazdan başlayacak. https://t.co/gRxsnLUNCF

[mystlnewsonline]

New Post has been published on https://www.stl.news/court-rejects-appeals-by-47-russians-against-olympic-bans/83101/

Court rejects appeals by 47 Russians against Olympic bans

PYEONGCHANG, South Korea/February 8, 2018 (AP)(STL.News) — Sports’ highest court rejected appeals by all 45 Russian athletes plus two coaches who were banned from the Pyeongchang Olympics over doping concerns in a decision announced Friday less than nine hours before the opening ceremony.

The International Olympic Committee had refused to invite the group of Russians, saying it had evidence of alleged doping in Russian sports.

After two days of hearings, the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled that the IOC has the right to set its own standards for who is eligible.

CAS Secretary General Matthieu Reeb, reading from a statement and declining to take questions, said the IOC process “could not be described as a sanction but rather as an eligibility decision.”

“The CAS panel found that the applicants did not demonstrate that the manner in which the two special commissions — the Invitation Review Panel and the Olympic Athlete from Russia Implementation Group — independently evaluated the applicants was carried out in a discriminatory, arbitrary or unfair manner. The Panel also concluded that there was no evidence the (commissions) improperly exercised their discretion.”

The IOC issued a statement saying: “We welcome this decision which supports the fight against doping and brings clarity for all athletes.”

A vetting process was designed to exclude Russian athletes from the games if IOC officials weren’t sure they were clean, even if they hadn’t been banned for doping.

Following that, the IOC invited 168 Russians to participate as “Olympic Athletes from Russia,” competing in neutral uniforms under the Olympic flag in a decision designed to balance the rights of individual athletes with the need for a strong deterrent to doping.

The CAS ruling is a heavy blow to Russian medal chances in Pyeongchang.

Among those excluded are six-time gold medalist Viktor Ahn, the short track speedskater whose return to his native South Korea for the Olympics had been hotly anticipated by local fans.

Also out are cross-country skiing gold medalist Alexander Legkov and skeleton gold medalist Alexander Tretiakov, as well as potential medal contenders in biathlon, luge and bobsled.

Three former NHL players — Sergei Plotnikov, Anton Belov and Valeri Nichushkin — also lost appeals, though it was widely considered unlikely they’d have played even if they’d been successful, since the Russian roster is already full.

U.S. Anti-Doping Agency chief executive Travis Tygart said the decision was a “a small glimmer of hope in an otherwise dark and sordid affair.”

“You hope justice has been served but how some of these athletes can keep dirty medals from Sochi but be excluded now is hard to reconcile,” Tygart said. “And why the IOC rushed the process on the Sochi medal decisions is unexplainable and a tragedy for clean athletes.”

The ruling comes a day after the first Olympic competitions began and ends more than a week of uncertainty for two groups of athletes who lodged last-ditch cases to the CAS.

As well as the 45 athletes, the ruling covers a luge coach and a skeleton coach.

The IOC has refused to comment on individual Russian athletes but says it decided who to exclude using a newly obtained Moscow laboratory database with evidence of past doping offenses.

It refused to invite some Russians even after their disqualifications from the 2014 Olympics were lifted by CAS last week.

Stephen Hess, an international sports lawyer based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, said the decision was a victory for the IOC.

“There is no absolute right to get an invitation from the IOC to come to the Olympics,” Hess said in a telephone interview. “That was within the IOC’s discretion, and they didn’t exercise it arbitrarily. If Russia had an Olympic team, CAS might have said: ‘IOC, the Russians can put them on their own team. You can’t keep them out.’ But Russian doesn’t have an Olympic team.

“Even though CAS earlier decided there was insufficient evidence to sanction individual Russian athletes, nonetheless it decided that since the Russian Olympic Committee had been barred from sending a team, the IOC had discretion as to what athletes it would let into the Games.”

The IOC pointed to a CAS statement that declared the Russians were not necessarily innocent of doping, just that the evidence was insufficient to ban them. Also, the IOC said, “there were additional elements and/or evidence, which could not be considered” in last week’s CAS case “that raised suspicion about the integrity of these athletes.”

U.S. athletes praised the decision and the end to uncertainty of participation of some Russian athletes.

“That is great news,” said U.S. women’s skeleton athlete Katie Uhlaender, who placed fourth in the Sochi Olympics — one spot behind bronze medalist Elena Nikitina, who was one of the 45 appealing her ban. U.S. bobsledder Nick Cunningham said he’s tried to not focus on the will-they-or-won’t-they drama surrounding the Russians.

“It’s not going to change what happens to me in the next two weeks,” Cunningham said. “If dirty athletes are taken out, then clean athletes will prevail. That’s what I hope.”

___

AP Sports Writers Stephen Wade, Tim Reynolds and Eddie Pells contributed to this report.

By JAMES ELLINGWORTH, AP Sports Writer, By Associated Press – published on STL.News by St. Louis Media, LLC (Z.S)

___

[cubaverdad]

Las medidas activas

Las medidas activas 2 Mayo, 2017 8:59 pm por Eduardo Prida Miami, USA, Ed Prida, (PD) "Medidas activas" es un término operativo utilizado por los soviéticos para las acciones de guerra política llevadas a cabo en distintas épocas por los servicios de Contra Inteligencia e Inteligencia. La aparición de este concepto se remonta a la época de Pedro el Grande y después notoriamente con la implementación de la represión desde el mismo año 1917 con la usurpación del Poder en Rusia por el Partido Bolchevique. Los órganos represivos (GRU, DI, Cheka, OGPU, NKVD, KGB) buscaban influir de manera deliberada y discreta para crear una situación determinada de antemano que resultara ventajosa para los intereses del ejecutor. Se utiliza con mucha frecuencia creando situaciones para que los sucesos se precipiten sin dejar huellas del verdadero ejecutor, complicando la situación del adversario en el curso de los acontecimientos del ambiente político, militar o tecnológico en que se opere. Las medidas activas se pueden crear para facilitar la recolección de información, y producir escenas que aparentemente sean las conocidas como "políticamente correctos" al evaluarse las mismas por la opinión pública. Las medidas activas a distancia se ejecutan a través de los medios de comunicación social, para crear rumores o estados de opinión, favorables o desfavorables, sobre una persona o suceso. También se crean manipulaciones o tergiversaciones sobre hechos o factores enfiladas a precipitar acciones especiales que implican diversos grados de violencia. Pueden ser dentro del país o en el extranjero. Pueden ser dirigidas a crear algún género de desinformación o engaño sobre cierto suceso o persona de interés. Se pueden utilizar diversos mecanismos tales como: desinformación, contramedidas, propaganda, falsificación de documentos oficiales, asesinatos, penetración de organizaciones o eliminación por diferentes vías de líderes de oposición, chantaje, secuestro de líderes o sus familiares. Las medidas activas pueden diseñarse o ejecutarse con el patrocinio clandestino de organizaciones aparentemente ajenas a la organización que genera la medida activa o propósito político. Estas instituciones paralelas, aparentemente independientes, pero con objetivos comunes, crean la confusión en la opinión pública y el resultado final hace aumentar el prestigio y poder de la institución que las crea, pues el individuo medio alcanza la conclusión que la organización original coincide en objetivos con otras que aparentemente son independientes. Esta es una forma de romper prejuicios hacia ciertos conceptos políticos, ya sea por rechazo o desprestigio de la organización fuente y su filosofía de desempeño. Por ejemplo, como norma, los partidos comunistas han navegado siempre en bajo nivel de aceptación por su historia sangrienta de represión y despojo de las propiedades individuales. Como medida activa, crean una o varias organizaciones de diferentes nombres pero que de manera indirecta buscan ciertos objetivos parecidos a los comunistas, sin embargo, aparentemente se orientan a otros fines no comunes con el comunismo. Sin embargo, la acción efectiva de estas organizaciones coincide con los intereses políticos de los comunistas. Por esta razón, Josef Stalin los categorizaba como "tontos útiles". Por lo general, estas organizaciones las orientan a romper las normas jurídicas para que sean los llamados mártires de la causa, con operaciones de alto riesgo, como acciones de terrorismo, asaltos, etc. Los comunistas, una vez obtenido el poder, ignoran o eliminan, de una manera u otra, a estas personas. Existen múltiples ejemplos en todos los países y época en que han emergido organizaciones diseñadas y financiadas para cumplir objetivos, y de muchos niveles de importancia. Por ejemplo, a nivel diplomático, el Movimiento de Países No Alineados, cuyos integrantes coincidían en los objetivos políticos y militares del Pacto de Varsovia; el Consejo Mundial por la Paz, que servía a los intereses soviéticos al denunciar el Complejo Militar Industrial de Estados Unidos para crear un estado de opinión entre los políticos y la opinión pública. Partidos comunistas, socialistas y de oposición, guerras de liberación nacional del Tercer Mundo, la insurgencia revolucionaria de grupos criminales y terroristas, contaron con el apoyo de las agencias de inteligencia de los Estados del bloque del Este, que les proporcionaban inteligencia y los ayudaba a planificar operativos de asesinatos y otros tipos de operaciones encubiertas. El mayor retirado del KGB, general Oleg Kalugin ha descrito las medidas activas como: "…el corazón y el alma de la inteligencia Soviética, no la recolección de inteligencia y subversión, las medidas activas para debilitar al Oeste, a la unidad de cuñas en las alianzas de la comunidad occidental de todo tipo, especialmente de la OTAN, para sembrar la discordia entre los aliados y debilitar a los Estados Unidos a los ojos de la gente de Europa, Asia, África, América Latina y así preparar el terreno en caso de que la guerra realmente ocurra". Había cursos especiales de medidas activas en el Instituto Andropov, de la KGB, situado en la sede de la RCC, en Yasenevo, cerca de Moscú. El jefe del Departamento de medidas activas era Yuri Modin, ex controlador de los cinco agentes soviéticos dentro del MI5 britanico. Algunas medidas activas contra los Estados Unidos fueron descritas en el archivo Mitrojin. A través de Philip Agee, intentaron desacreditar a la Agencia Central de Inteligencia (CIA). A Martin Luther King, Jr. intentaron desacreditarlo retratándolo como un 'tío Tom', que recibía secretamente subsidios del gobierno. Con la llamada Operación Pandora intentaron agitar las tensiones raciales. Hubo cartas falsas del Ku Klux Klan, envíos de paquetes explosivos y difusión de rumores de que el asesinato de Luther King Jr. había sido planeado por el gobierno de Estados Unidos. También se valieron ampliamente de la teoría de la conspiración: que el fluorado del agua potable buscaba el control de la población, que el alunizaje fue un engaño y el dinero supuestamente utilizado por la NASA fue en realidad utilizado por la CIA, que la Iniciativa de Defensa Estratégica era algo así como 'Stars War', la historia de que el virus del SIDA fue fabricado por científicos de Estados Unidos en Fort Detrick, que fue difundida por el biólogo de origen ruso Jakob Segal. Según Stanislav Lunev, GRU gastó más de 1 billón de dólares en los movimientos de paz y contra la guerra de Vietnam. Consideraban que "era una 'campaña exitosa y bien valía la pena el costo". GRU y la KGB ayudaron a financiar casi todo movimiento contra la guerra en Norteamérica y en el extranjero. Según Oleg Kalugin, "la inteligencia soviética era realmente incomparable". Preparaba todo tipo de congresos, de la paz, de jóvenes, festivales, movimientos de mujeres, movimientos sindicales, campañas contra los misiles norteamericanos en Europa y la bomba de neutrones. Como las denuncias que el SIDA fue creado por la CIA, todo tipo de falsificaciones fueron dirigidas a políticos, la comunidad académica y el público en general. Asegura Sergei Tretyakov que el KGB fue responsable de crear la historia del invierno nuclear para detener los misiles Pershing II. Tretiakov explica que Andropov quería evitar que los Estados Unidos desplegaran sus misiles en Europa Occidental. La KGB utilizó el Comité Soviético por la Paz, una organización del gobierno, para organizar y financiar las manifestaciones en Europa contra las bases norteamericanas Un falsificado 'informe del fin del mundo' por la Academia Soviética de Ciencias sobre el efecto de una guerra nuclear sobre el clima fue distribuida a los grupos pacifistas, el movimiento ambientalista y la revista Ambio que llevó a un artículo clave sobre el tema en 1982. Después de la II Guerra Mundial, los soviéticos desempeñaron un papel clave en la instalación de gobiernos comunistas títeres en Europa Oriental, la República Popular de China, Corea del Norte y posteriormente Afganistán. En ellos, de la represión política se encargaban los servicios secretos, subordinados a la KGB. Los servicios secretos soviéticos implementaron medidas activas contra algunos gobernantes comunistas. Los historiadores rusos Antón Antonov-Ovseenko y Edvard Radzinsky sugieren que Joseph Stalin fue asesinado por órdenes del jefe del NKVD, Lavrentiy Beria. De acuerdo a Yevgeniya Alabts, el jefe de la KGB, Vladimir Semichastny, estaba entre los conspiradores contra Nikita Khrushchev, en 1964, y el jefe del KGB Yuri Andropov habría luchado por el poder con Leonid Brezhnev. El golpe de estado de 1991 contra Mikhail Gorbachev fue organizado por el jefe de la KGB Vladimir Kryuchkov. El general Viktor Barannikov, ex jefe de la seguridad del estado, se convirtió en uno de los líderes del levantamiento contra Boris Yeltsin durante crisis constitucional de 1993. El actual Servicio de Inteligencia Ruso (SVR) trabaja para socavar los gobiernos de los ex satélites soviéticos como Polonia, los países bálticos, Georgia, etc. En 2006 varios oficiales del GRU fueron acusados por las autoridades de Georgia de preparar sabotajes y actos terroristas Entre 1921 y 1926 existió una organización clandestina denominada Unión Monárquica de Rusia Central, que supuestamente combatía a los bolcheviques, pero que en realidad había sido creada por la GPU. El principal éxito de la operación fue atraer a Rusia a Boris Savinkov y Sidney Reilly, quienes fueron arrestados y ejecutados. Durante la Rebelión de los Basmachis en Asia Central, destacamentos militares especiales soviéticos se enmascararon como rebeldes y recibieron el apoyo de los servicios de inteligencia británicos y turcos. Las operaciones de estos destacamentos facilitaron el colapso Basmachi y condujeron al asesinato de Enver Pasha. Luego del fin de la II Guerra Mundial, en los países bálticos, Polonia y Ucrania occidental, agentes de la NKVD penetraron los movimientos que luchaban por la independencia. El teniente general Ion Mihai Pacepa afirmó haber tenido una conversación con Nicolae Ceausescu, quien le dijo de los planes del Kremlin para matar a los húngaros Laszlo Rajk e Imre Nagy, los rumanos Lucretiu Patrascanu y Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej, los checos Rudolf Slánský y Jan Masaryk, Reza Pahlevi, el Shah de Irán, Zia-ul-Haq, Presidente de Paquistán y el italiano Palmiro Togliatti. y John F. Kennedy y Mao Zedong. Pacepa habló también de un plan para asesinar a Mao Zedong, con la ayuda de Lin Biao, organizado por la KGB, y afirma que entre los líderes de los servicios de inteligencia rusos había la convicción de que la KGB había estado implicada en el asesinato del presidente John F. Kennedy. El segundo presidente de Afganistán, Hafizullah Amin, fue asesinado por el Grupo Alpha del KGB en la operación Tormenta-333. Los líderes separatistas de la República Chechena de Ichkeria, Dzhokhar Dudaev, Zelimkhan Yandarbiev, Aslan Maskhadov, Abdul-Khalim Saidullaev fueron asesinados por las fuerzas de la FSB. Otros casos muy publicitados son los asesinatos de León Trotsky y del búlgaro Georgi Markov. También hubo denuncias de que el KGB estaba detrás del atentado contra el Papa Juan Pablo II en 1981. El senador Paolo Guzzanti (de Forza Italia), que trabajó en los archivos de Mitrojin de 2003 a marzo de 2006, revivió la teoría de la 'conexión búlgara' en el intento de asesinato del turco Mehmet Ali Agca contra el Papa Juan Pablo II. Guzzanti, declaró que "más allá de cualquier duda razonable, la KGB estaba detrás del atentado". El proyecto de informe italiano dice que la inteligencia militar soviética y no la KGB, fue la responsable. En Rusia, el portavoz del servicio de inteligencia exterior, Boris Labusov, calificó la acusación como "un absurdo". Las investigaciones judiciales se cerraron en marzo de 2006. Hay varias alegaciones muy controvertidas, como la de que Romano Prodi,quien fuera primer ministro de Italia y presidente de la Comisión Europea, era "el hombre de la KGB en Europa". Uno de los informantes del senador Paolo Guzzanti, Mario Scaramella, fue detenido por difamación. pridaissues@gmail.com; Prof. Ed Prida Source: Las medidas activas | Primavera Digital - http://ift.tt/2qGdgeZ via Blogger http://ift.tt/2oYyhVT

[made-in-russia]

Viktor Tretiakov - Tyubik

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnD5-i7XhDU

[stkguncel]

RT @turksoyorg: 🎼 🎶 TÜRKSOY Gençlik Oda Orkestrası Balkan Turnesi kapsamında genç yetenekler bu akşam Çetince'de. Orkestramıza bu akşamki konserde dünyaca ünlü kemancı 🎻 Viktor Tretiakov eşlik ediyor. Konserimiz birazdan başlayacak. https://t.co/PtUNVR7H98

[mystlnewsonline]

New Post has been published on https://www.stl.news/latest-cold-comes-pyeongchang-ahead-olympics/82005/

The Latest: Cold comes to Pyeongchang ahead of Olympics

PYEONGCHANG, South Korea/February 7, 2018 (AP)(STL.News) —  The Latest on the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics (all times local):

___

8:55 p.m.

The temperature at the Olympic Stadium in Pyeongchang was minus-3 Fahrenheit (minus-16 Celsius) when many athletes and officials woke up. Sidewalks in the nearby mountain cluster were sparsely populated all day.

Those who did venture outside layered clothing under bulky jackets and stepped over icy mounds of old snow in sturdy boots. Olympic volunteers stationed at bus stops crowded around patio heaters. Few tourists appeared willing to brave the elements.

Competitors and spectators can’t stay inside through the entire Pyeongchang Games though. And there’s concern about their well-being with the wind chill at the Olympic Stadium projected at 14 degrees F (minus-10 C) for the opening ceremony on Friday.

___

8:45 p.m.

Defending Olympic champion Kamil Stoch showed why he’s a strong candidate to win another gold medal in ski jumping at the Pyeongchang Games.

Stoch finished first in a training run for Saturday’s normal hill final and also had a second- and third-place finish as the athletes got their first chance to test the Alpensia Ski Jumping Center on Wednesday.

The Polish ski jumper won both the normal and large hill events at the 2014 Sochi Olympics and has been in peak form heading into this year’s games.

He won his second straight Four Hills tournament in Bischofshofen, Austria, on Jan. 6 and became only the second ski jumper in the long history of the sport to win all four stages of the prestigious event.

He is currently first in the overall World Cup standings with four titles this season.

Andreas Wellinger of Germany, another contender for gold, also had a first-place finish in one of six practice sessions on Wednesday.

___

8:15 p.m.

IOC President Thomas Bach is hoping for a repeat of the 2000 Olympics, when North and South Korean athletes made an emotional entry together into Sydney’s Olympic stadium.

As an International Olympic Committee member, Bach says he traveled to North Korea prior to the 2000 Games. He described how talks there were bogged down by protocol, details, and large doses of tedium.

“Some moments were terrible,” he says.

As he tells the story, Bach perks up as he recalls how — at the last moment — South and North Koreans “took each other by the hands and marched into the stadium. This is the Olympic Games. I guess you will see the same here on Friday.”

The IOC is counting on it.

8 p.m.

IOC President Thomas Bach won’t say what he thinks will happen with appeals filed by Russian athletes trying to gain entry into the Pyeongchang Olympics.

Two groups of Russians, 47 in all, have appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. A decision is expected Thursday from world sports’ highest court, but it could come as late as Friday, just hours before the Olympics open.

The IOC expects 168 Russian athletes to compete under the neutral banner of “Olympic Athletes from Russia.” Many more have been barred for the games for doping or suspicion of doping.

“We think we have good arguments,” Bach told reporters. “And now the procedure is on-going, so I will not speculate on the outcome.”

7:15 p.m.

Pope Francis is praising the decision of North and South Korea to compete alongside each other at the Winter Olympics, saying it shows that conflicts can be resolved peacefully through dialogue and mutual respect.

Francis sent a special greeting and blessing to athletes and organizers of the Pyeongchang Olympics at the end of his weekly Wednesday general audience. He says the traditional Olympic truce “takes on special importance this year” with the decision by the two Koreas, which will compete together in women’s hockey and march together at the opening ceremony.

He says the move shows that sports can promote peace.

Francis has frequently warned about the threat posed by the nuclear standoff on the Korean peninsula, and has demanded complete nuclear disarmament. He said the Holy See would support any initiative that favors peace and encounter among peoples.

___

7 p.m.

The Pyeongchang Organizing Committee is offering volunteers and staff unsold tickets for Thursday’s curling and ski jumping events.

Committee manager Ji Young Lee says 94 percent of tickets for Thursday’s curling events have already been sold. She says the offer of free tickets gives volunteers who are normally working a chance to experience the Olympics in a different way.

Lee didn’t immediately have information about tickets sold for Thursday’s ski jumping events.

Lee says overall ticket sales were at 77.3 percent for the entire Pyeongchang Olympic schedule as of Monday. She said that’s up from 75 percent for the Sochi Olympics at approximately the same time in 2014.

___

5:15 p.m.

Two leading speedskaters are among six Russian athletes who will miss the Pyeongchang Olympics after their appeals were delayed until after the games.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport says it won’t hear the case of the six athletes, who claim the International Olympic Committee unfairly excluded them over past doping offenses.

They include Pavel Kulizhinikov, a former world champion in short-track speedskating who was banned from 2012 through 2014 after testing positive for the banned substance methylhexanamine. Also among the six is speedskater Denis Yuskov, who served a ban for marijuana, and the biathletes Irina Starykh and Alexander Loginov, who returned in 2016 from bans for the blood-booster EPO.

The IOC ruled in December that Russians who served doping bans in the past weren’t eligible for Pyeongchang under its vetting procedure.

The court is hearing cases involving 45 other Russians and two coaches in time for the Olympics.

___

5 p.m.

This will be an unusual Olympics for Russian athletes, who are being forced to compete in neutral uniforms with no national insignia as punishment for doping offenses in Sochi in 2014.

In Friday’s opening ceremony, they will march under the Olympic flag in red and gray tracksuits with an “Olympic Athlete from Russia” emblem. If they win medals, they’ll stand under the Olympic flag while the Olympic anthem plays.

The 168-person not-quite-Russian team is still one of the largest in Pyeongchang. They’ll wear hastily redesigned or repurposed uniforms.

To even get here, they had to pass an International Olympic Committee vetting process, with athletes’ names checked against data of possible past Russian drug use and cover-ups.

___

4:45 p.m.

South Korea says the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will be part of the high-level delegation coming to the South for the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.

South Korea’s Unification Ministry said North Korea informed it Wednesday that Kim Yo Jong would be part of the delegation led by the country’s nominal head of state Kim Yong Nam.

Seoul previously said the delegation would arrive Friday.

Kim Yo Jong was promoted by her brother last year to a new post within the North’s ruling party that analysts said showed that her activities are more substantive and more important than previously thought.

___

4:30 p.m.

A 229-member strong, all-female cheering section has arrived from North Korea for the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.

The squad, which features women chosen for their youth, good looks and enthusiasm, has been allowed to root for the North’s much smaller contingent of athletes as part of a last-minute arrangement between Pyongyang and Seoul.

Both sides are hoping to use participation by the North in the games to ease tensions that have been exceptionally high over the past year amid North Korea’s stepped-up missile launches and nuclear weapons’ development.

Arriving with the cheering squad was North Korea’s Sports Minister Kim Il Guk, Olympic committee officials and a demonstration taekwondo team that will perform before the opening ceremony on Friday and again later in Seoul.

___

4:15 p.m.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport has adjourned for the day without ruling on appeals filed by Russian athletes who want to compete at the Pyeongchang Olympics.

The court did not decide on an appeal involving 32 Russian athletes, not did it start hearing a second case involving 13 athletes and two coaches. It will reconvene Thursday at noon local time, the day before the opening ceremony.

The International Olympic Committee turned the Russians down during a vetting process that involved analyzing data about alleged doping in previous years.

Russian athletes who have appealed include Viktor Ahn, a six-time Olympic gold medalist in short-track speedskating, as well as cross-country ski gold medalist Alexander Legkov and skeleton gold medalist Alexander Tretiakov.

___

3:30 p.m.

The IOC Athletes’ Commission is trying to assure the 3,000 Olympians entered in Pyeongchang that they will be competing against “clean athletes.”

This stems from the chaos around Russia, which has seen many of its athletes banned from the Olympics for doping.

In an open letter on Wednesday to Olympians, the IOC Athletes’ Commission says “we want to give you the assurance that every measure has been taken to ensure that you will be competing against clean athletes.”

The International Olympic Committee is expecting 168 Russians to compete in Pyeongchang under the neutral banner of “Olympic Athletes From Russia.” Dozens of Russian athletes have failed to pass IOC vetting.

The letter says “we believe it is important to respect and treat each of these athletes equally.”

It also encouraged athletes to avoid distractions, saying, “We believe it is time for you to focus on your sport and what you have worked so hard for over the last few years.”

___

2:30 p.m.

Cases of norovirus at the Pyeongchang Games have officials scrambling on the eve of the biggest event in South Korea in years.

Olympics organizers say the norovirus spread began Sunday when private security workers staying in the Jinbu area of Pyeongchang started complaining of headaches, stomach pain and diarrhea.

About 1,200 people were kept in their rooms during tests for the contagious virus. Games organizers said Wednesday that 32 workers are being treated and are in quarantine.

Because the sick workers handled security, 900 military personnel have been brought in to work at 20 venues until the sick and sequestered can return to work.

___

2:15 p.m.

Two Olympic gold medalists are among the latest group of 15 Russians who have launched an appeal seeking late entry to the Pyeongchang Olympics.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport says the 13 athletes and two coaches include cross-country ski gold medalist Alexander Legkov and skeleton gold medalist Alexander Tretiakov, as well as speedskating silver medalist Olga Fatkulina.

They were all banned last year over doping at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, but those verdicts were overturned at the CAS last week. They’re now seeking to force the IOC to invite them to the Pyeongchang Games.

The court is already hearing a separate appeal by 32 Russians who were denied invites on what the IOC said was evidence linking them to past doping.

The court didn’t say how quickly it will issue decisions.

___

12:45 p.m.

Fifteen more Russians have appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, seeking to be admitted to the Pyeongchang Olympics.

They join 32 Russians who appealed a day earlier. John Coates, who heads the court, says decisions on some appeals are expected Wednesday.

Coates gave few details and did not give names of the Russians who appealed Wednesday. The games start Friday.

The 32 who appealed on Tuesday failed to pass mandatory International Olympic Committee vetting, which was imposed as a result of Russian doping at the 2014 Sochi Olympics.

The International Olympic Committee expects 168 Russian athletes to compete under the neutral banner of “Olympic Athletes From Russia.” Hundreds more have been barred, and many have gone to court seeking entry, causing last-minute chaos.

___

11:45 a.m.

Organizers of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics say they’re having no problems raising cash.

International Olympic Committee member John Coates, head of the IOC coordination commission for Tokyo, says local organizers have raised $2.9 billion in national sponsorship money.

He provided the update to about 100 IOC committee members gathered in Pyeongchang for meetings prior to the games there, which start Friday.

Coates called the money-raising effort “extraordinarily successful.” He says Tokyo now has 47 local sponsors, and this excludes long-term IOC sponsors like Bridgestone, Panasonic and Toyota.

The sponsorship money will help fund the $5.5 billion local operating budget, which Coates says is not expected to need public money.

The total cost of preparing the games is about $20 billion, with the rest of the money coming for the city of Tokyo and the national government.

___

10 a.m.

The Pyeongchang Winter Olympics open in two days, but the issue of which Russians are in — and which are out — is dominating the agenda of IOC President Thomas Bach.

As Bach presides Wednesday over meetings with roughly 100 IOC members, the Court of Arbitration for Sport — sport’s top legal body — is expected to decide appeals by 32 Russian athletes seeking spots in the Games.

The 32 failed to pass mandatory International Olympic Committee vetting, imposed as a result of Russian doping at the 2014 Sochi Olympics.

The International Olympic Committee expects 168 Russian athletes to compete under the neutral banner of “Olympic Athletes From Russia.” Hundreds more have been barred, and many have gone to court seeking entry and causing last-minute chaos.

____

By Associated Press – published on STL.News by St. Louis Media, LLC (A.S)

___

[mystlnewsonline]

New Post has been published on https://www.stl.news/latest-stoch-leads-way-ski-jump-training/81994/

The Latest: Stoch leads the way in ski jump training

PYEONGCHANG, South Korea /February 7, 2018 (AP)(STL.News) —  The Latest on the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics (all times local):

___

8:45 p.m.

Defending Olympic champion Kamil Stoch showed why he’s a strong candidate to win another gold medal in ski jumping at the Pyeongchang Games.

Stoch finished first in a training run for Saturday’s normal hill final and also had a second- and third-place finish as the athletes got their first chance to test the Alpensia Ski Jumping Center on Wednesday.

The Polish ski jumper won both the normal and large hill events at the 2014 Sochi Olympics and has been in peak form heading into this year’s games.

He won his second straight Four Hills tournament in Bischofshofen, Austria, on Jan. 6 and became only the second ski jumper in the long history of the sport to win all four stages of the prestigious event.

He is currently first in the overall World Cup standings with four titles this season.

Andreas Wellinger of Germany, another contender for gold, also had a first-place finish in one of six practice sessions on Wednesday.

___

8:15 p.m.

IOC President Thomas Bach is hoping for a repeat of the 2000 Olympics, when North and South Korean athletes made an emotional entry together into Sydney’s Olympic stadium.

As an International Olympic Committee member, Bach says he traveled to North Korea prior to the 2000 Games. He described how talks there were bogged down by protocol, details, and large doses of tedium.

“Some moments were terrible,” he says.

As he tells the story, Bach perks up as he recalls how — at the last moment — South and North Koreans “took each other by the hands and marched into the stadium. This is the Olympic Games. I guess you will see the same here on Friday.”

The IOC is counting on it.

8 p.m.

IOC President Thomas Bach won’t say what he thinks will happen with appeals filed by Russian athletes trying to gain entry into the Pyeongchang Olympics.

Two groups of Russians, 47 in all, have appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. A decision is expected Thursday from world sports’ highest court, but it could come as late as Friday, just hours before the Olympics open.

The IOC expects 168 Russian athletes to compete under the neutral banner of “Olympic Athletes from Russia.” Many more have been barred for the games for doping or suspicion of doping.

“We think we have good arguments,” Bach told reporters. “And now the procedure is on-going, so I will not speculate on the outcome.”

7:15 p.m.

Pope Francis is praising the decision of North and South Korea to compete alongside each other at the Winter Olympics, saying it shows that conflicts can be resolved peacefully through dialogue and mutual respect.

Francis sent a special greeting and blessing to athletes and organizers of the Pyeongchang Olympics at the end of his weekly Wednesday general audience. He says the traditional Olympic truce “takes on special importance this year” with the decision by the two Koreas, which will compete together in women’s hockey and march together at the opening ceremony.

He says the move shows that sports can promote peace.

Francis has frequently warned about the threat posed by the nuclear standoff on the Korean peninsula, and has demanded complete nuclear disarmament. He said the Holy See would support any initiative that favors peace and encounter among peoples.

___

7 p.m.

The Pyeongchang Organizing Committee is offering volunteers and staff unsold tickets for Thursday’s curling and ski jumping events.

Committee manager Ji Young Lee says 94 percent of tickets for Thursday’s curling events have already been sold. She says the offer of free tickets gives volunteers who are normally working a chance to experience the Olympics in a different way.

Lee didn’t immediately have information about tickets sold for Thursday’s ski jumping events.

Lee says overall ticket sales were at 77.3 percent for the entire Pyeongchang Olympic schedule as of Monday. She said that’s up from 75 percent for the Sochi Olympics at approximately the same time in 2014.

___

5:15 p.m.

Two leading speedskaters are among six Russian athletes who will miss the Pyeongchang Olympics after their appeals were delayed until after the games.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport says it won’t hear the case of the six athletes, who claim the International Olympic Committee unfairly excluded them over past doping offenses.

They include Pavel Kulizhinikov, a former world champion in short-track speedskating who was banned from 2012 through 2014 after testing positive for the banned substance methylhexanamine. Also among the six is speedskater Denis Yuskov, who served a ban for marijuana, and the biathletes Irina Starykh and Alexander Loginov, who returned in 2016 from bans for the blood-booster EPO.

The IOC ruled in December that Russians who served doping bans in the past weren’t eligible for Pyeongchang under its vetting procedure.

The court is hearing cases involving 45 other Russians and two coaches in time for the Olympics.

___

5 p.m.

This will be an unusual Olympics for Russian athletes, who are being forced to compete in neutral uniforms with no national insignia as punishment for doping offenses in Sochi in 2014.

In Friday’s opening ceremony, they will march under the Olympic flag in red and gray tracksuits with an “Olympic Athlete from Russia” emblem. If they win medals, they’ll stand under the Olympic flag while the Olympic anthem plays.

The 168-person not-quite-Russian team is still one of the largest in Pyeongchang. They’ll wear hastily redesigned or repurposed uniforms.

To even get here, they had to pass an International Olympic Committee vetting process, with athletes’ names checked against data of possible past Russian drug use and cover-ups.

___

4:45 p.m.

South Korea says the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will be part of the high-level delegation coming to the South for the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.

South Korea’s Unification Ministry said North Korea informed it Wednesday that Kim Yo Jong would be part of the delegation led by the country’s nominal head of state Kim Yong Nam.

Seoul previously said the delegation would arrive Friday.

Kim Yo Jong was promoted by her brother last year to a new post within the North’s ruling party that analysts said showed that her activities are more substantive and more important than previously thought.

___

4:30 p.m.

A 229-member strong, all-female cheering section has arrived from North Korea for the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.

The squad, which features women chosen for their youth, good looks and enthusiasm, has been allowed to root for the North’s much smaller contingent of athletes as part of a last-minute arrangement between Pyongyang and Seoul.

Both sides are hoping to use participation by the North in the games to ease tensions that have been exceptionally high over the past year amid North Korea’s stepped-up missile launches and nuclear weapons’ development.

Arriving with the cheering squad was North Korea’s Sports Minister Kim Il Guk, Olympic committee officials and a demonstration taekwondo team that will perform before the opening ceremony on Friday and again later in Seoul.

___

4:15 p.m.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport has adjourned for the day without ruling on appeals filed by Russian athletes who want to compete at the Pyeongchang Olympics.

The court did not decide on an appeal involving 32 Russian athletes, not did it start hearing a second case involving 13 athletes and two coaches. It will reconvene Thursday at noon local time, the day before the opening ceremony.

The International Olympic Committee turned the Russians down during a vetting process that involved analyzing data about alleged doping in previous years.

Russian athletes who have appealed include Viktor Ahn, a six-time Olympic gold medalist in short-track speedskating, as well as cross-country ski gold medalist Alexander Legkov and skeleton gold medalist Alexander Tretiakov.

___

3:30 p.m.

The IOC Athletes’ Commission is trying to assure the 3,000 Olympians entered in Pyeongchang that they will be competing against “clean athletes.”

This stems from the chaos around Russia, which has seen many of its athletes banned from the Olympics for doping.

In an open letter on Wednesday to Olympians, the IOC Athletes’ Commission says “we want to give you the assurance that every measure has been taken to ensure that you will be competing against clean athletes.”

The International Olympic Committee is expecting 168 Russians to compete in Pyeongchang under the neutral banner of “Olympic Athletes From Russia.” Dozens of Russian athletes have failed to pass IOC vetting.

The letter says “we believe it is important to respect and treat each of these athletes equally.”

It also encouraged athletes to avoid distractions, saying, “We believe it is time for you to focus on your sport and what you have worked so hard for over the last few years.”

___

2:30 p.m.

Cases of norovirus at the Pyeongchang Games have officials scrambling on the eve of the biggest event in South Korea in years.

Olympics organizers say the norovirus spread began Sunday when private security workers staying in the Jinbu area of Pyeongchang started complaining of headaches, stomach pain and diarrhea.

About 1,200 people were kept in their rooms during tests for the contagious virus. Games organizers said Wednesday that 32 workers are being treated and are in quarantine.

Because the sick workers handled security, 900 military personnel have been brought in to work at 20 venues until the sick and sequestered can return to work.

___

2:15 p.m.

Two Olympic gold medalists are among the latest group of 15 Russians who have launched an appeal seeking late entry to the Pyeongchang Olympics.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport says the 13 athletes and two coaches include cross-country ski gold medalist Alexander Legkov and skeleton gold medalist Alexander Tretiakov, as well as speedskating silver medalist Olga Fatkulina.

They were all banned last year over doping at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, but those verdicts were overturned at the CAS last week. They’re now seeking to force the IOC to invite them to the Pyeongchang Games.

The court is already hearing a separate appeal by 32 Russians who were denied invites on what the IOC said was evidence linking them to past doping.

The court didn’t say how quickly it will issue decisions.

___

12:45 p.m.

Fifteen more Russians have appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, seeking to be admitted to the Pyeongchang Olympics.

They join 32 Russians who appealed a day earlier. John Coates, who heads the court, says decisions on some appeals are expected Wednesday.

Coates gave few details and did not give names of the Russians who appealed Wednesday. The games start Friday.

The 32 who appealed on Tuesday failed to pass mandatory International Olympic Committee vetting, which was imposed as a result of Russian doping at the 2014 Sochi Olympics.

The International Olympic Committee expects 168 Russian athletes to compete under the neutral banner of “Olympic Athletes From Russia.” Hundreds more have been barred, and many have gone to court seeking entry, causing last-minute chaos.

___

11:45 a.m.

Organizers of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics say they’re having no problems raising cash.

International Olympic Committee member John Coates, head of the IOC coordination commission for Tokyo, says local organizers have raised $2.9 billion in national sponsorship money.

He provided the update to about 100 IOC committee members gathered in Pyeongchang for meetings prior to the games there, which start Friday.

Coates called the money-raising effort “extraordinarily successful.” He says Tokyo now has 47 local sponsors, and this excludes long-term IOC sponsors like Bridgestone, Panasonic and Toyota.

The sponsorship money will help fund the $5.5 billion local operating budget, which Coates says is not expected to need public money.

The total cost of preparing the games is about $20 billion, with the rest of the money coming for the city of Tokyo and the national government.

___

10 a.m.

The Pyeongchang Winter Olympics open in two days, but the issue of which Russians are in — and which are out — is dominating the agenda of IOC President Thomas Bach.

As Bach presides Wednesday over meetings with roughly 100 IOC members, the Court of Arbitration for Sport — sport’s top legal body — is expected to decide appeals by 32 Russian athletes seeking spots in the Games.

The 32 failed to pass mandatory International Olympic Committee vetting, imposed as a result of Russian doping at the 2014 Sochi Olympics.

The International Olympic Committee expects 168 Russian athletes to compete under the neutral banner of “Olympic Athletes From Russia.” Hundreds more have been barred, and many have gone to court seeking entry and causing last-minute chaos.

____

By Associated Press – published on STL.News by St. Louis Media, LLC (A.S)

___

[mystlnewsonline]

New Post has been published on https://www.stl.news/latest-ioc-head-hopes-repeat-korean-unity/81986/

The Latest: IOC head hopes for repeat of Korean unity

PYEONGCHANG, South Korea  /February 7, 2018 (AP)(STL.News) — The Latest on the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics (all times local):

8:15 p.m.

IOC President Thomas Bach is hoping for a repeat of the 2000 Olympics, when North and South Korean athletes made an emotional entry together into Sydney’s Olympic stadium.

As an International Olympic Committee member, Bach says he traveled to North Korea prior to the 2000 Games. He described how talks there were bogged down by protocol, details, and large doses of tedium.

“Some moments were terrible,” he says.

As he tells the story, Bach perks up as he recalls how — at the last moment — South and North Koreans “took each other by the hands and marched into the stadium. This is the Olympic Games. I guess you will see the same here on Friday.”

The IOC is counting on it.

8 p.m.

IOC President Thomas Bach won’t say what he thinks will happen with appeals filed by Russian athletes trying to gain entry into the Pyeongchang Olympics.

Two groups of Russians, 47 in all, have appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. A decision is expected Thursday from world sports’ highest court, but it could come as late as Friday, just hours before the Olympics open.

The IOC expects 168 Russian athletes to compete under the neutral banner of “Olympic Athletes from Russia.” Many more have been barred for the games for doping or suspicion of doping.

“We think we have good arguments,” Bach told reporters. “And now the procedure is on-going, so I will not speculate on the outcome.”

7:15 p.m.

Pope Francis is praising the decision of North and South Korea to compete alongside each other at the Winter Olympics, saying it shows that conflicts can be resolved peacefully through dialogue and mutual respect.

Francis sent a special greeting and blessing to athletes and organizers of the Pyeongchang Olympics at the end of his weekly Wednesday general audience. He says the traditional Olympic truce “takes on special importance this year” with the decision by the two Koreas, which will compete together in women’s hockey and march together at the opening ceremony.

He says the move shows that sports can promote peace.

Francis has frequently warned about the threat posed by the nuclear standoff on the Korean peninsula, and has demanded complete nuclear disarmament. He said the Holy See would support any initiative that favors peace and encounter among peoples.

___

7 p.m.

The Pyeongchang Organizing Committee is offering volunteers and staff unsold tickets for Thursday’s curling and ski jumping events.

Committee manager Ji Young Lee says 94 percent of tickets for Thursday’s curling events have already been sold. She says the offer of free tickets gives volunteers who are normally working a chance to experience the Olympics in a different way.

Lee didn’t immediately have information about tickets sold for Thursday’s ski jumping events.

Lee says overall ticket sales were at 77.3 percent for the entire Pyeongchang Olympic schedule as of Monday. She said that’s up from 75 percent for the Sochi Olympics at approximately the same time in 2014.

___

5:15 p.m.

Two leading speedskaters are among six Russian athletes who will miss the Pyeongchang Olympics after their appeals were delayed until after the games.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport says it won’t hear the case of the six athletes, who claim the International Olympic Committee unfairly excluded them over past doping offenses.

They include Pavel Kulizhinikov, a former world champion in short-track speedskating who was banned from 2012 through 2014 after testing positive for the banned substance methylhexanamine. Also among the six is speedskater Denis Yuskov, who served a ban for marijuana, and the biathletes Irina Starykh and Alexander Loginov, who returned in 2016 from bans for the blood-booster EPO.

The IOC ruled in December that Russians who served doping bans in the past weren’t eligible for Pyeongchang under its vetting procedure.

The court is hearing cases involving 45 other Russians and two coaches in time for the Olympics.

___

5 p.m.

This will be an unusual Olympics for Russian athletes, who are being forced to compete in neutral uniforms with no national insignia as punishment for doping offenses in Sochi in 2014.

In Friday’s opening ceremony, they will march under the Olympic flag in red and gray tracksuits with an “Olympic Athlete from Russia” emblem. If they win medals, they’ll stand under the Olympic flag while the Olympic anthem plays.

The 168-person not-quite-Russian team is still one of the largest in Pyeongchang. They’ll wear hastily redesigned or repurposed uniforms.

To even get here, they had to pass an International Olympic Committee vetting process, with athletes’ names checked against data of possible past Russian drug use and cover-ups.

___

4:45 p.m.

South Korea says the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will be part of the high-level delegation coming to the South for the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.

South Korea’s Unification Ministry said North Korea informed it Wednesday that Kim Yo Jong would be part of the delegation led by the country’s nominal head of state Kim Yong Nam.

Seoul previously said the delegation would arrive Friday.

Kim Yo Jong was promoted by her brother last year to a new post within the North’s ruling party that analysts said showed that her activities are more substantive and more important than previously thought.

___

4:30 p.m.

A 229-member strong, all-female cheering section has arrived from North Korea for the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.

The squad, which features women chosen for their youth, good looks and enthusiasm, has been allowed to root for the North’s much smaller contingent of athletes as part of a last-minute arrangement between Pyongyang and Seoul.

Both sides are hoping to use participation by the North in the games to ease tensions that have been exceptionally high over the past year amid North Korea’s stepped-up missile launches and nuclear weapons’ development.

Arriving with the cheering squad was North Korea’s Sports Minister Kim Il Guk, Olympic committee officials and a demonstration taekwondo team that will perform before the opening ceremony on Friday and again later in Seoul.

___

4:15 p.m.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport has adjourned for the day without ruling on appeals filed by Russian athletes who want to compete at the Pyeongchang Olympics.

The court did not decide on an appeal involving 32 Russian athletes, not did it start hearing a second case involving 13 athletes and two coaches. It will reconvene Thursday at noon local time, the day before the opening ceremony.

The International Olympic Committee turned the Russians down during a vetting process that involved analyzing data about alleged doping in previous years.

Russian athletes who have appealed include Viktor Ahn, a six-time Olympic gold medalist in short-track speedskating, as well as cross-country ski gold medalist Alexander Legkov and skeleton gold medalist Alexander Tretiakov.

___

3:30 p.m.

The IOC Athletes’ Commission is trying to assure the 3,000 Olympians entered in Pyeongchang that they will be competing against “clean athletes.”

This stems from the chaos around Russia, which has seen many of its athletes banned from the Olympics for doping.

In an open letter on Wednesday to Olympians, the IOC Athletes’ Commission says “we want to give you the assurance that every measure has been taken to ensure that you will be competing against clean athletes.”

The International Olympic Committee is expecting 168 Russians to compete in Pyeongchang under the neutral banner of “Olympic Athletes From Russia.” Dozens of Russian athletes have failed to pass IOC vetting.

The letter says “we believe it is important to respect and treat each of these athletes equally.”

It also encouraged athletes to avoid distractions, saying, “We believe it is time for you to focus on your sport and what you have worked so hard for over the last few years.”

___

2:30 p.m.

Cases of norovirus at the Pyeongchang Games have officials scrambling on the eve of the biggest event in South Korea in years.

Olympics organizers say the norovirus spread began Sunday when private security workers staying in the Jinbu area of Pyeongchang started complaining of headaches, stomach pain and diarrhea.

About 1,200 people were kept in their rooms during tests for the contagious virus. Games organizers said Wednesday that 32 workers are being treated and are in quarantine.

Because the sick workers handled security, 900 military personnel have been brought in to work at 20 venues until the sick and sequestered can return to work.

___

2:15 p.m.

Two Olympic gold medalists are among the latest group of 15 Russians who have launched an appeal seeking late entry to the Pyeongchang Olympics.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport says the 13 athletes and two coaches include cross-country ski gold medalist Alexander Legkov and skeleton gold medalist Alexander Tretiakov, as well as speedskating silver medalist Olga Fatkulina.

They were all banned last year over doping at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, but those verdicts were overturned at the CAS last week. They’re now seeking to force the IOC to invite them to the Pyeongchang Games.

The court is already hearing a separate appeal by 32 Russians who were denied invites on what the IOC said was evidence linking them to past doping.

The court didn’t say how quickly it will issue decisions.

___

12:45 p.m.

Fifteen more Russians have appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, seeking to be admitted to the Pyeongchang Olympics.

They join 32 Russians who appealed a day earlier. John Coates, who heads the court, says decisions on some appeals are expected Wednesday.

Coates gave few details and did not give names of the Russians who appealed Wednesday. The games start Friday.

The 32 who appealed on Tuesday failed to pass mandatory International Olympic Committee vetting, which was imposed as a result of Russian doping at the 2014 Sochi Olympics.

The International Olympic Committee expects 168 Russian athletes to compete under the neutral banner of “Olympic Athletes From Russia.” Hundreds more have been barred, and many have gone to court seeking entry, causing last-minute chaos.

___

11:45 a.m.

Organizers of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics say they’re having no problems raising cash.

International Olympic Committee member John Coates, head of the IOC coordination commission for Tokyo, says local organizers have raised $2.9 billion in national sponsorship money.

He provided the update to about 100 IOC committee members gathered in Pyeongchang for meetings prior to the games there, which start Friday.

Coates called the money-raising effort “extraordinarily successful.” He says Tokyo now has 47 local sponsors, and this excludes long-term IOC sponsors like Bridgestone, Panasonic and Toyota.

The sponsorship money will help fund the $5.5 billion local operating budget, which Coates says is not expected to need public money.

The total cost of preparing the games is about $20 billion, with the rest of the money coming for the city of Tokyo and the national government.

___

10 a.m.

The Pyeongchang Winter Olympics open in two days, but the issue of which Russians are in — and which are out — is dominating the agenda of IOC President Thomas Bach.

As Bach presides Wednesday over meetings with roughly 100 IOC members, the Court of Arbitration for Sport — sport’s top legal body — is expected to decide appeals by 32 Russian athletes seeking spots in the Games.

The 32 failed to pass mandatory International Olympic Committee vetting, imposed as a result of Russian doping at the 2014 Sochi Olympics.

The International Olympic Committee expects 168 Russian athletes to compete under the neutral banner of “Olympic Athletes From Russia.” Hundreds more have been barred, and many have gone to court seeking entry and causing last-minute chaos.

____

By Associated Press – published on STL.News by St. Louis Media, LLC (A.S)

___

[mystlnewsonline]

New Post has been published on https://www.stl.news/latest-ioc-head-wont-speculate-russian-appeals/81978/

The Latest: IOC head won't speculate on Russian appeals

PYEONGCHANG, South Korea  /February 7, 2018 (AP)(STL.News) — The Latest on the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics (all times local):

8 p.m.

IOC President Thomas Bach won’t say what he thinks will happen with appeals filed by Russian athletes trying to gain entry into the Pyeongchang Olympics.

Two groups of Russians, 47 in all, have appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. A decision is expected Thursday from world sports’ highest court, but it could come as late as Friday, just hours before the Olympics open.

The IOC expects 168 Russian athletes to compete under the neutral banner of “Olympic Athletes from Russia.” Many more have been barred for the games for doping or suspicion of doping.

“We think we have good arguments,” Bach told reporters. “And now the procedure is on-going, so I will not speculate on the outcome.”

7:15 p.m.

Pope Francis is praising the decision of North and South Korea to compete alongside each other at the Winter Olympics, saying it shows that conflicts can be resolved peacefully through dialogue and mutual respect.

Francis sent a special greeting and blessing to athletes and organizers of the Pyeongchang Olympics at the end of his weekly Wednesday general audience. He says the traditional Olympic truce “takes on special importance this year” with the decision by the two Koreas, which will compete together in women’s hockey and march together at the opening ceremony.

He says the move shows that sports can promote peace.

Francis has frequently warned about the threat posed by the nuclear standoff on the Korean peninsula, and has demanded complete nuclear disarmament. He said the Holy See would support any initiative that favors peace and encounter among peoples.

___

7 p.m.

The Pyeongchang Organizing Committee is offering volunteers and staff unsold tickets for Thursday’s curling and ski jumping events.

Committee manager Ji Young Lee says 94 percent of tickets for Thursday’s curling events have already been sold. She says the offer of free tickets gives volunteers who are normally working a chance to experience the Olympics in a different way.

Lee didn’t immediately have information about tickets sold for Thursday’s ski jumping events.

Lee says overall ticket sales were at 77.3 percent for the entire Pyeongchang Olympic schedule as of Monday. She said that’s up from 75 percent for the Sochi Olympics at approximately the same time in 2014.

___

5:15 p.m.

Two leading speedskaters are among six Russian athletes who will miss the Pyeongchang Olympics after their appeals were delayed until after the games.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport says it won’t hear the case of the six athletes, who claim the International Olympic Committee unfairly excluded them over past doping offenses.

They include Pavel Kulizhinikov, a former world champion in short-track speedskating who was banned from 2012 through 2014 after testing positive for the banned substance methylhexanamine. Also among the six is speedskater Denis Yuskov, who served a ban for marijuana, and the biathletes Irina Starykh and Alexander Loginov, who returned in 2016 from bans for the blood-booster EPO.

The IOC ruled in December that Russians who served doping bans in the past weren’t eligible for Pyeongchang under its vetting procedure.

The court is hearing cases involving 45 other Russians and two coaches in time for the Olympics.

___

5 p.m.

This will be an unusual Olympics for Russian athletes, who are being forced to compete in neutral uniforms with no national insignia as punishment for doping offenses in Sochi in 2014.

In Friday’s opening ceremony, they will march under the Olympic flag in red and gray tracksuits with an “Olympic Athlete from Russia” emblem. If they win medals, they’ll stand under the Olympic flag while the Olympic anthem plays.

The 168-person not-quite-Russian team is still one of the largest in Pyeongchang. They’ll wear hastily redesigned or repurposed uniforms.

To even get here, they had to pass an International Olympic Committee vetting process, with athletes’ names checked against data of possible past Russian drug use and cover-ups.

___

4:45 p.m.

South Korea says the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will be part of the high-level delegation coming to the South for the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.

South Korea’s Unification Ministry said North Korea informed it Wednesday that Kim Yo Jong would be part of the delegation led by the country’s nominal head of state Kim Yong Nam.

Seoul previously said the delegation would arrive Friday.

Kim Yo Jong was promoted by her brother last year to a new post within the North’s ruling party that analysts said showed that her activities are more substantive and more important than previously thought.

___

4:30 p.m.

A 229-member strong, all-female cheering section has arrived from North Korea for the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.

The squad, which features women chosen for their youth, good looks and enthusiasm, has been allowed to root for the North’s much smaller contingent of athletes as part of a last-minute arrangement between Pyongyang and Seoul.

Both sides are hoping to use participation by the North in the games to ease tensions that have been exceptionally high over the past year amid North Korea’s stepped-up missile launches and nuclear weapons’ development.

Arriving with the cheering squad was North Korea’s Sports Minister Kim Il Guk, Olympic committee officials and a demonstration taekwondo team that will perform before the opening ceremony on Friday and again later in Seoul.

___

4:15 p.m.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport has adjourned for the day without ruling on appeals filed by Russian athletes who want to compete at the Pyeongchang Olympics.

The court did not decide on an appeal involving 32 Russian athletes, not did it start hearing a second case involving 13 athletes and two coaches. It will reconvene Thursday at noon local time, the day before the opening ceremony.

The International Olympic Committee turned the Russians down during a vetting process that involved analyzing data about alleged doping in previous years.

Russian athletes who have appealed include Viktor Ahn, a six-time Olympic gold medalist in short-track speedskating, as well as cross-country ski gold medalist Alexander Legkov and skeleton gold medalist Alexander Tretiakov.

___

3:30 p.m.

The IOC Athletes’ Commission is trying to assure the 3,000 Olympians entered in Pyeongchang that they will be competing against “clean athletes.”

This stems from the chaos around Russia, which has seen many of its athletes banned from the Olympics for doping.

In an open letter on Wednesday to Olympians, the IOC Athletes’ Commission says “we want to give you the assurance that every measure has been taken to ensure that you will be competing against clean athletes.”

The International Olympic Committee is expecting 168 Russians to compete in Pyeongchang under the neutral banner of “Olympic Athletes From Russia.” Dozens of Russian athletes have failed to pass IOC vetting.

The letter says “we believe it is important to respect and treat each of these athletes equally.”

It also encouraged athletes to avoid distractions, saying, “We believe it is time for you to focus on your sport and what you have worked so hard for over the last few years.”

___

2:30 p.m.

Cases of norovirus at the Pyeongchang Games have officials scrambling on the eve of the biggest event in South Korea in years.

Olympics organizers say the norovirus spread began Sunday when private security workers staying in the Jinbu area of Pyeongchang started complaining of headaches, stomach pain and diarrhea.

About 1,200 people were kept in their rooms during tests for the contagious virus. Games organizers said Wednesday that 32 workers are being treated and are in quarantine.

Because the sick workers handled security, 900 military personnel have been brought in to work at 20 venues until the sick and sequestered can return to work.

___

2:15 p.m.

Two Olympic gold medalists are among the latest group of 15 Russians who have launched an appeal seeking late entry to the Pyeongchang Olympics.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport says the 13 athletes and two coaches include cross-country ski gold medalist Alexander Legkov and skeleton gold medalist Alexander Tretiakov, as well as speedskating silver medalist Olga Fatkulina.

They were all banned last year over doping at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, but those verdicts were overturned at the CAS last week. They’re now seeking to force the IOC to invite them to the Pyeongchang Games.

The court is already hearing a separate appeal by 32 Russians who were denied invites on what the IOC said was evidence linking them to past doping.

The court didn’t say how quickly it will issue decisions.

___

12:45 p.m.

Fifteen more Russians have appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, seeking to be admitted to the Pyeongchang Olympics.

They join 32 Russians who appealed a day earlier. John Coates, who heads the court, says decisions on some appeals are expected Wednesday.

Coates gave few details and did not give names of the Russians who appealed Wednesday. The games start Friday.

The 32 who appealed on Tuesday failed to pass mandatory International Olympic Committee vetting, which was imposed as a result of Russian doping at the 2014 Sochi Olympics.

The International Olympic Committee expects 168 Russian athletes to compete under the neutral banner of “Olympic Athletes From Russia.” Hundreds more have been barred, and many have gone to court seeking entry, causing last-minute chaos.

___

11:45 a.m.

Organizers of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics say they’re having no problems raising cash.

International Olympic Committee member John Coates, head of the IOC coordination commission for Tokyo, says local organizers have raised $2.9 billion in national sponsorship money.

He provided the update to about 100 IOC committee members gathered in Pyeongchang for meetings prior to the games there, which start Friday.

Coates called the money-raising effort “extraordinarily successful.” He says Tokyo now has 47 local sponsors, and this excludes long-term IOC sponsors like Bridgestone, Panasonic and Toyota.

The sponsorship money will help fund the $5.5 billion local operating budget, which Coates says is not expected to need public money.

The total cost of preparing the games is about $20 billion, with the rest of the money coming for the city of Tokyo and the national government.

___

10 a.m.

The Pyeongchang Winter Olympics open in two days, but the issue of which Russians are in — and which are out — is dominating the agenda of IOC President Thomas Bach.

As Bach presides Wednesday over meetings with roughly 100 IOC members, the Court of Arbitration for Sport — sport’s top legal body — is expected to decide appeals by 32 Russian athletes seeking spots in the Games.

The 32 failed to pass mandatory International Olympic Committee vetting, imposed as a result of Russian doping at the 2014 Sochi Olympics.

The International Olympic Committee expects 168 Russian athletes to compete under the neutral banner of “Olympic Athletes From Russia.” Hundreds more have been barred, and many have gone to court seeking entry and causing last-minute chaos.

____

By Associated Press – published on STL.News by St. Louis Media, LLC (A.S)

___

[mystlnewsonline]

New Post has been published on https://www.stl.news/latest-pope-praises-koreas-olympic-cooperation/81949/

The Latest: Pope praises Koreas' Olympic cooperation

PYEONGCHANG, South Korea /February 7, 2018 (AP)(STL.News) — The Latest on the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics (all times local):

7:15 p.m.

Pope Francis is praising the decision of North and South Korea to compete alongside each other at the Winter Olympics, saying it shows that conflicts can be resolved peacefully through dialogue and mutual respect.

Francis sent a special greeting and blessing to athletes and organizers of the Pyeongchang Olympics at the end of his weekly Wednesday general audience. He says the traditional Olympic truce “takes on special importance this year” with the decision by the two Koreas, which will compete together in women’s hockey and march together at the opening ceremony.

He says the move shows that sports can promote peace.

Francis has frequently warned about the threat posed by the nuclear standoff on the Korean peninsula, and has demanded complete nuclear disarmament. He said the Holy See would support any initiative that favors peace and encounter among peoples.

___

7 p.m.

The Pyeongchang Organizing Committee is offering volunteers and staff unsold tickets for Thursday’s curling and ski jumping events.

Committee manager Ji Young Lee says 94 percent of tickets for Thursday’s curling events have already been sold. She says the offer of free tickets gives volunteers who are normally working a chance to experience the Olympics in a different way.

Lee didn’t immediately have information about tickets sold for Thursday’s ski jumping events.

Lee says overall ticket sales were at 77.3 percent for the entire Pyeongchang Olympic schedule as of Monday. She said that’s up from 75 percent for the Sochi Olympics at approximately the same time in 2014.

___

5:15 p.m.

Two leading speedskaters are among six Russian athletes who will miss the Pyeongchang Olympics after their appeals were delayed until after the games.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport says it won’t hear the case of the six athletes, who claim the International Olympic Committee unfairly excluded them over past doping offenses.

They include Pavel Kulizhinikov, a former world champion in short-track speedskating who was banned from 2012 through 2014 after testing positive for the banned substance methylhexanamine. Also among the six is speedskater Denis Yuskov, who served a ban for marijuana, and the biathletes Irina Starykh and Alexander Loginov, who returned in 2016 from bans for the blood-booster EPO.

The IOC ruled in December that Russians who served doping bans in the past weren’t eligible for Pyeongchang under its vetting procedure.

The court is hearing cases involving 45 other Russians and two coaches in time for the Olympics.

___

5 p.m.

This will be an unusual Olympics for Russian athletes, who are being forced to compete in neutral uniforms with no national insignia as punishment for doping offenses in Sochi in 2014.

In Friday’s opening ceremony, they will march under the Olympic flag in red and gray tracksuits with an “Olympic Athlete from Russia” emblem. If they win medals, they’ll stand under the Olympic flag while the Olympic anthem plays.

The 168-person not-quite-Russian team is still one of the largest in Pyeongchang. They’ll wear hastily redesigned or repurposed uniforms.

To even get here, they had to pass an International Olympic Committee vetting process, with athletes’ names checked against data of possible past Russian drug use and cover-ups.

___

4:45 p.m.

South Korea says the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will be part of the high-level delegation coming to the South for the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.

South Korea’s Unification Ministry said North Korea informed it Wednesday that Kim Yo Jong would be part of the delegation led by the country’s nominal head of state Kim Yong Nam.

Seoul previously said the delegation would arrive Friday.

Kim Yo Jong was promoted by her brother last year to a new post within the North’s ruling party that analysts said showed that her activities are more substantive and more important than previously thought.

___

4:30 p.m.

A 229-member strong, all-female cheering section has arrived from North Korea for the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.

The squad, which features women chosen for their youth, good looks and enthusiasm, has been allowed to root for the North’s much smaller contingent of athletes as part of a last-minute arrangement between Pyongyang and Seoul.

Both sides are hoping to use participation by the North in the games to ease tensions that have been exceptionally high over the past year amid North Korea’s stepped-up missile launches and nuclear weapons’ development.

Arriving with the cheering squad was North Korea’s Sports Minister Kim Il Guk, Olympic committee officials and a demonstration taekwondo team that will perform before the opening ceremony on Friday and again later in Seoul.

___

4:15 p.m.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport has adjourned for the day without ruling on appeals filed by Russian athletes who want to compete at the Pyeongchang Olympics.

The court did not decide on an appeal involving 32 Russian athletes, not did it start hearing a second case involving 13 athletes and two coaches. It will reconvene Thursday at noon local time, the day before the opening ceremony.

The International Olympic Committee turned the Russians down during a vetting process that involved analyzing data about alleged doping in previous years.

Russian athletes who have appealed include Viktor Ahn, a six-time Olympic gold medalist in short-track speedskating, as well as cross-country ski gold medalist Alexander Legkov and skeleton gold medalist Alexander Tretiakov.

___

3:30 p.m.

The IOC Athletes’ Commission is trying to assure the 3,000 Olympians entered in Pyeongchang that they will be competing against “clean athletes.”

This stems from the chaos around Russia, which has seen many of its athletes banned from the Olympics for doping.

In an open letter on Wednesday to Olympians, the IOC Athletes’ Commission says “we want to give you the assurance that every measure has been taken to ensure that you will be competing against clean athletes.”

The International Olympic Committee is expecting 168 Russians to compete in Pyeongchang under the neutral banner of “Olympic Athletes From Russia.” Dozens of Russian athletes have failed to pass IOC vetting.

The letter says “we believe it is important to respect and treat each of these athletes equally.”

It also encouraged athletes to avoid distractions, saying, “We believe it is time for you to focus on your sport and what you have worked so hard for over the last few years.”

___

2:30 p.m.

Cases of norovirus at the Pyeongchang Games have officials scrambling on the eve of the biggest event in South Korea in years.

Olympics organizers say the norovirus spread began Sunday when private security workers staying in the Jinbu area of Pyeongchang started complaining of headaches, stomach pain and diarrhea.

About 1,200 people were kept in their rooms during tests for the contagious virus. Games organizers said Wednesday that 32 workers are being treated and are in quarantine.

Because the sick workers handled security, 900 military personnel have been brought in to work at 20 venues until the sick and sequestered can return to work.

___

2:15 p.m.

Two Olympic gold medalists are among the latest group of 15 Russians who have launched an appeal seeking late entry to the Pyeongchang Olympics.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport says the 13 athletes and two coaches include cross-country ski gold medalist Alexander Legkov and skeleton gold medalist Alexander Tretiakov, as well as speedskating silver medalist Olga Fatkulina.

They were all banned last year over doping at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, but those verdicts were overturned at the CAS last week. They’re now seeking to force the IOC to invite them to the Pyeongchang Games.

The court is already hearing a separate appeal by 32 Russians who were denied invites on what the IOC said was evidence linking them to past doping.

The court didn’t say how quickly it will issue decisions.

___

12:45 p.m.

Fifteen more Russians have appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, seeking to be admitted to the Pyeongchang Olympics.

They join 32 Russians who appealed a day earlier. John Coates, who heads the court, says decisions on some appeals are expected Wednesday.

Coates gave few details and did not give names of the Russians who appealed Wednesday. The games start Friday.

The 32 who appealed on Tuesday failed to pass mandatory International Olympic Committee vetting, which was imposed as a result of Russian doping at the 2014 Sochi Olympics.

The International Olympic Committee expects 168 Russian athletes to compete under the neutral banner of “Olympic Athletes From Russia.” Hundreds more have been barred, and many have gone to court seeking entry, causing last-minute chaos.

___

11:45 a.m.

Organizers of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics say they’re having no problems raising cash.

International Olympic Committee member John Coates, head of the IOC coordination commission for Tokyo, says local organizers have raised $2.9 billion in national sponsorship money.

He provided the update to about 100 IOC committee members gathered in Pyeongchang for meetings prior to the games there, which start Friday.

Coates called the money-raising effort “extraordinarily successful.” He says Tokyo now has 47 local sponsors, and this excludes long-term IOC sponsors like Bridgestone, Panasonic and Toyota.

The sponsorship money will help fund the $5.5 billion local operating budget, which Coates says is not expected to need public money.

The total cost of preparing the games is about $20 billion, with the rest of the money coming for the city of Tokyo and the national government.

___

10 a.m.

The Pyeongchang Winter Olympics open in two days, but the issue of which Russians are in — and which are out — is dominating the agenda of IOC President Thomas Bach.

As Bach presides Wednesday over meetings with roughly 100 IOC members, the Court of Arbitration for Sport — sport’s top legal body — is expected to decide appeals by 32 Russian athletes seeking spots in the Games.

The 32 failed to pass mandatory International Olympic Committee vetting, imposed as a result of Russian doping at the 2014 Sochi Olympics.

The International Olympic Committee expects 168 Russian athletes to compete under the neutral banner of “Olympic Athletes From Russia.” Hundreds more have been barred, and many have gone to court seeking entry and causing last-minute chaos.

___

By Associated Press – published on STL.News by St. Louis Media, LLC (Z.S)

___

[mystlnewsonline]

New Post has been published on https://www.stl.news/latest-unsold-tickets-offered-olympic-volunteers/81945/

The Latest: Unsold tickets offered to Olympic volunteers

PYEONGCHANG, South Korea/February 7, 2018 (AP)(STL.News) —The Latest on the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics (all times local):

7 p.m.

The Pyeongchang Organizing Committee is offering volunteers and staff unsold tickets for Thursday’s curling and ski jumping events.

Committee manager Ji Young Lee says 94 percent of tickets for Thursday’s curling events have already been sold. She says the offer of free tickets gives volunteers who are normally working a chance to experience the Olympics in a different way.

Lee didn’t immediately have information about tickets sold for Thursday’s ski jumping events.

Lee says overall ticket sales were at 77.3 percent for the entire Pyeongchang Olympic schedule as of Monday. She said that’s up from 75 percent for the Sochi Olympics at approximately the same time in 2014.

___

5:15 p.m.

Two leading speedskaters are among six Russian athletes who will miss the Pyeongchang Olympics after their appeals were delayed until after the games.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport says it won’t hear the case of the six athletes, who claim the International Olympic Committee unfairly excluded them over past doping offenses.

They include Pavel Kulizhinikov, a former world champion in short-track speedskating who was banned from 2012 through 2014 after testing positive for the banned substance methylhexanamine. Also among the six is speedskater Denis Yuskov, who served a ban for marijuana, and the biathletes Irina Starykh and Alexander Loginov, who returned in 2016 from bans for the blood-booster EPO.

The IOC ruled in December that Russians who served doping bans in the past weren’t eligible for Pyeongchang under its vetting procedure.

The court is hearing cases involving 45 other Russians and two coaches in time for the Olympics.

___

5 p.m.

This will be an unusual Olympics for Russian athletes, who are being forced to compete in neutral uniforms with no national insignia as punishment for doping offenses in Sochi in 2014.

In Friday’s opening ceremony, they will march under the Olympic flag in red and gray tracksuits with an “Olympic Athlete from Russia” emblem. If they win medals, they’ll stand under the Olympic flag while the Olympic anthem plays.

The 168-person not-quite-Russian team is still one of the largest in Pyeongchang. They’ll wear hastily redesigned or repurposed uniforms.

To even get here, they had to pass an International Olympic Committee vetting process, with athletes’ names checked against data of possible past Russian drug use and cover-ups.

4:45 p.m.

South Korea says the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will be part of the high-level delegation coming to the South for the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.

South Korea’s Unification Ministry said North Korea informed it Wednesday that Kim Yo Jong would be part of the delegation led by the country’s nominal head of state Kim Yong Nam.

Seoul previously said the delegation would arrive Friday.

Kim Yo Jong was promoted by her brother last year to a new post within the North’s ruling party that analysts said showed that her activities are more substantive and more important than previously thought.

___

4:30 p.m.

A 229-member strong, all-female cheering section has arrived from North Korea for the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.

The squad, which features women chosen for their youth, good looks and enthusiasm, has been allowed to root for the North’s much smaller contingent of athletes as part of a last-minute arrangement between Pyongyang and Seoul.

Both sides are hoping to use participation by the North in the games to ease tensions that have been exceptionally high over the past year amid North Korea’s stepped-up missile launches and nuclear weapons’ development.

Arriving with the cheering squad was North Korea’s Sports Minister Kim Il Guk, Olympic committee officials and a demonstration taekwondo team that will perform before the opening ceremony on Friday and again later in Seoul.

___

4:15 p.m.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport has adjourned for the day without ruling on appeals filed by Russian athletes who want to compete at the Pyeongchang Olympics.

The court did not decide on an appeal involving 32 Russian athletes, not did it start hearing a second case involving 13 athletes and two coaches. It will reconvene Thursday at noon local time, the day before the opening ceremony.

The International Olympic Committee turned the Russians down during a vetting process that involved analyzing data about alleged doping in previous years.

Russian athletes who have appealed include Viktor Ahn, a six-time Olympic gold medalist in short-track speedskating, as well as cross-country ski gold medalist Alexander Legkov and skeleton gold medalist Alexander Tretiakov.

___

3:30 p.m.

The IOC Athletes’ Commission is trying to assure the 3,000 Olympians entered in Pyeongchang that they will be competing against “clean athletes.”

This stems from the chaos around Russia, which has seen many of its athletes banned from the Olympics for doping.

In an open letter on Wednesday to Olympians, the IOC Athletes’ Commission says “we want to give you the assurance that every measure has been taken to ensure that you will be competing against clean athletes.”

The International Olympic Committee is expecting 168 Russians to compete in Pyeongchang under the neutral banner of “Olympic Athletes From Russia.” Dozens of Russian athletes have failed to pass IOC vetting.

The letter says “we believe it is important to respect and treat each of these athletes equally.”

It also encouraged athletes to avoid distractions, saying, “We believe it is time for you to focus on your sport and what you have worked so hard for over the last few years.”

___

2:30 p.m.

Cases of norovirus at the Pyeongchang Games have officials scrambling on the eve of the biggest event in South Korea in years.

Olympics organizers say the norovirus spread began Sunday when private security workers staying in the Jinbu area of Pyeongchang started complaining of headaches, stomach pain and diarrhea.

About 1,200 people were kept in their rooms during tests for the contagious virus. Games organizers said Wednesday that 32 workers are being treated and are in quarantine.

Because the sick workers handled security, 900 military personnel have been brought in to work at 20 venues until the sick and sequestered can return to work.

___

2:15 p.m.

Two Olympic gold medalists are among the latest group of 15 Russians who have launched an appeal seeking late entry to the Pyeongchang Olympics.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport says the 13 athletes and two coaches include cross-country ski gold medalist Alexander Legkov and skeleton gold medalist Alexander Tretiakov, as well as speed skating silver medalist Olga Fatkulina.

They were all banned last year over doping at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, but those verdicts were overturned at the CAS last week. They’re now seeking to force the IOC to invite them to the Pyeongchang Games.

The court is already hearing a separate appeal by 32 Russians who were denied invites on what the IOC said was evidence linking them to past doping.

The court didn’t say how quickly it will issue decisions.

___

12:45 p.m.

Fifteen more Russians have appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, seeking to be admitted to the Pyeongchang Olympics.

They join 32 Russians who appealed a day earlier. John Coates, who heads the court, says decisions on some appeals are expected Wednesday.

Coates gave few details and did not give names of the Russians who appealed Wednesday. The games start Friday.

The 32 who appealed on Tuesday failed to pass mandatory International Olympic Committee vetting, which was imposed as a result of Russian doping at the 2014 Sochi Olympics.

The International Olympic Committee expects 168 Russian athletes to compete under the neutral banner of “Olympic Athletes From Russia.” Hundreds more have been barred, and many have gone to court seeking entry, causing last-minute chaos.

___

11:45 a.m.

Organizers of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics say they’re having no problems raising cash.

International Olympic Committee member John Coates, head of the IOC coordination commission for Tokyo, says local organizers have raised $2.9 billion in national sponsorship money.

He provided the update to about 100 IOC committee members gathered in Pyeongchang for meetings prior to the games there, which start Friday.

Coates called the money-raising effort “extraordinarily successful.” He says Tokyo now has 47 local sponsors, and this excludes long-term IOC sponsors like Bridgestone, Panasonic and Toyota.

The sponsorship money will help fund the $5.5 billion local operating budget, which Coates says is not expected to need public money.

The total cost of preparing the games is about $20 billion, with the rest of the money coming for the city of Tokyo and the national government.

___

10 a.m.

The Pyeongchang Winter Olympics open in two days, but the issue of which Russians are in — and which are out — is dominating the agenda of IOC President Thomas Bach.

As Bach presides Wednesday over meetings with roughly 100 IOC members, the Court of Arbitration for Sport — sport’s top legal body — is expected to decide appeals by 32 Russian athletes seeking spots in the Games.

The 32 failed to pass mandatory International Olympic Committee vetting, imposed as a result of Russian doping at the 2014 Sochi Olympics.

The International Olympic Committee expects 168 Russian athletes to compete under the neutral banner of “Olympic Athletes From Russia.” Hundreds more have been barred, and many have gone to court seeking entry and causing last-minute chaos.

____

By Associated Press – published on STL.News by St. Louis Media, LLC (Z.S)

___

[mystlnewsonline]

New Post has been published on https://www.stl.news/latest-6-russian-appeals-delayed-till-after-olympics/81908/

The Latest: 6 Russian appeals delayed till after Olympics

PYEONGCHANG, South Korea /February 7, 2018 (AP)(STL.News) — The Latest on the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics (all times local):

5:15 p.m.

Two leading speedskaters are among six Russian athletes who will miss the Pyeongchang Olympics after their appeals were delayed until after the games.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport says it won’t hear the case of the six athletes, who claim the International Olympic Committee unfairly excluded them over past doping offenses.

They include Pavel Kulizhinikov, a former world champion in short-track speedskating who was banned from 2012 through 2014 after testing positive for the banned substance methylhexanamine. Also among the six is speedskater Denis Yuskov, who served a ban for marijuana, and the biathletes Irina Starykh and Alexander Loginov, who returned in 2016 from bans for the blood-booster EPO.

The IOC ruled in December that Russians who served doping bans in the past weren’t eligible for Pyeongchang under its vetting procedure.

The court is hearing cases involving 45 other Russians and two coaches in time for the Olympics.

___

5 p.m.

This will be an unusual Olympics for Russian athletes, who are being forced to compete in neutral uniforms with no national insignia as punishment for doping offenses in Sochi in 2014.

In Friday’s opening ceremony, they will march under the Olympic flag in red and gray tracksuits with an “Olympic Athlete from Russia” emblem. If they win medals, they’ll stand under the Olympic flag while the Olympic anthem plays.

The 168-person not-quite-Russian team is still one of the largest in Pyeongchang. They’ll wear hastily redesigned or repurposed uniforms.

To even get here, they had to pass an International Olympic Committee vetting process, with athletes’ names checked against data of possible past Russian drug use and cover-ups.

4:45 p.m.

South Korea says the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will be part of the high-level delegation coming to the South for the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.

South Korea’s Unification Ministry said North Korea informed it Wednesday that Kim Yo Jong would be part of the delegation led by the country’s nominal head of state Kim Yong Nam.

Seoul previously said the delegation would arrive Friday.

Kim Yo Jong was promoted by her brother last year to a new post within the North’s ruling party that analysts said showed that her activities are more substantive and more important than previously thought.

___

4:30 p.m.

A 229-member strong, all-female cheering section has arrived from North Korea for the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.

The squad, which features women chosen for their youth, good looks and enthusiasm, has been allowed to root for the North’s much smaller contingent of athletes as part of a last-minute arrangement between Pyongyang and Seoul.

Both sides are hoping to use participation by the North in the games to ease tensions that have been exceptionally high over the past year amid North Korea’s stepped-up missile launches and nuclear weapons’ development.

Arriving with the cheering squad was North Korea’s Sports Minister Kim Il Guk, Olympic committee officials and a demonstration taekwondo team that will perform before the opening ceremony on Friday and again later in Seoul.

___

4:15 p.m.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport has adjourned for the day without ruling on appeals filed by Russian athletes who want to compete at the Pyeongchang Olympics.

The court did not decide on an appeal involving 32 Russian athletes, not did it start hearing a second case involving 13 athletes and two coaches. It will reconvene Thursday at noon local time, the day before the opening ceremony.

The International Olympic Committee turned the Russians down during a vetting process that involved analyzing data about alleged doping in previous years.

Russian athletes who have appealed include Viktor Ahn, a six-time Olympic gold medalist in short-track speedskating, as well as cross-country ski gold medalist Alexander Legkov and skeleton gold medalist Alexander Tretiakov.

___

3:30 p.m.

The IOC Athletes’ Commission is trying to assure the 3,000 Olympians entered in Pyeongchang that they will be competing against “clean athletes.”

This stems from the chaos around Russia, which has seen many of its athletes banned from the Olympics for doping.

In an open letter on Wednesday to Olympians, the IOC Athletes’ Commission says “we want to give you the assurance that every measure has been taken to ensure that you will be competing against clean athletes.”

The International Olympic Committee is expecting 168 Russians to compete in Pyeongchang under the neutral banner of “Olympic Athletes From Russia.” Dozens of Russian athletes have failed to pass IOC vetting.

The letter says “we believe it is important to respect and treat each of these athletes equally.”

It also encouraged athletes to avoid distractions, saying, “We believe it is time for you to focus on your sport and what you have worked so hard for over the last few years.”

___

2:30 p.m.

Cases of norovirus at the Pyeongchang Games have officials scrambling on the eve of the biggest event in South Korea in years.

Olympics organizers say the norovirus spread began Sunday when private security workers staying in the Jinbu area of Pyeongchang started complaining of headaches, stomach pain and diarrhea.

About 1,200 people were kept in their rooms during tests for the contagious virus. Games organizers said Wednesday that 32 workers are being treated and are in quarantine.

Because the sick workers handled security, 900 military personnel have been brought in to work at 20 venues until the sick and sequestered can return to work.

___

2:15 p.m.

Two Olympic gold medalists are among the latest group of 15 Russians who have launched an appeal seeking late entry to the Pyeongchang Olympics.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport says the 13 athletes and two coaches include cross-country ski gold medalist Alexander Legkov and skeleton gold medalist Alexander Tretiakov, as well as speed skating silver medalist Olga Fatkulina.

They were all banned last year over doping at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, but those verdicts were overturned at the CAS last week. They’re now seeking to force the IOC to invite them to the Pyeongchang Games.

The court is already hearing a separate appeal by 32 Russians who were denied invites on what the IOC said was evidence linking them to past doping.

The court didn’t say how quickly it will issue decisions.

___

12:45 p.m.

Fifteen more Russians have appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, seeking to be admitted to the Pyeongchang Olympics.

They join 32 Russians who appealed a day earlier. John Coates, who heads the court, says decisions on some appeals are expected Wednesday.

Coates gave few details and did not give names of the Russians who appealed Wednesday. The games start Friday.

The 32 who appealed on Tuesday failed to pass mandatory International Olympic Committee vetting, which was imposed as a result of Russian doping at the 2014 Sochi Olympics.

The International Olympic Committee expects 168 Russian athletes to compete under the neutral banner of “Olympic Athletes From Russia.” Hundreds more have been barred, and many have gone to court seeking entry, causing last-minute chaos.

___

11:45 a.m.

Organizers of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics say they’re having no problems raising cash.

International Olympic Committee member John Coates, head of the IOC coordination commission for Tokyo, says local organizers have raised $2.9 billion in national sponsorship money.

He provided the update to about 100 IOC committee members gathered in Pyeongchang for meetings prior to the games there, which start Friday.

Coates called the money-raising effort “extraordinarily successful.” He says Tokyo now has 47 local sponsors, and this excludes long-term IOC sponsors like Bridgestone, Panasonic and Toyota.

The sponsorship money will help fund the $5.5 billion local operating budget, which Coates says is not expected to need public money.

The total cost of preparing the games is about $20 billion, with the rest of the money coming for the city of Tokyo and the national government.

___

10 a.m.

The Pyeongchang Winter Olympics open in two days, but the issue of which Russians are in — and which are out — is dominating the agenda of IOC President Thomas Bach.

As Bach presides Wednesday over meetings with roughly 100 IOC members, the Court of Arbitration for Sport — sport’s top legal body — is expected to decide appeals by 32 Russian athletes seeking spots in the Games.

The 32 failed to pass mandatory International Olympic Committee vetting, imposed as a result of Russian doping at the 2014 Sochi Olympics.

The International Olympic Committee expects 168 Russian athletes to compete under the neutral banner of “Olympic Athletes From Russia.” Hundreds more have been barred, and many have gone to court seeking entry and causing last-minute chaos.

____

By Associated Press – published on STL.News by St. Louis Media, LLC (Z.S)

___

[mystlnewsonline]

New Post has been published on https://www.stl.news/latest-north-korean-leaders-sister-attend-olympics/81903/

The Latest: North Korean leader's sister to attend Olympics

PYEONGCHANG, South Korea /February 6, 2018 (AP)(STL.News) —

 The Latest on the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics (all times local):

___

4:45 p.m.

South Korea says the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will be part of the high-level delegation coming to the South for the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.

South Korea’s Unification Ministry said North Korea informed it Wednesday that Kim Yo Jong would be part of the delegation led by the country’s nominal head of state Kim Yong Nam.

Seoul previously said the delegation would arrive Friday.

Kim Yo Jong was promoted by her brother last year to a new post within the North’s ruling party that analysts said showed that her activities are more substantive and more important than previously thought.

___

4:30 p.m.

A 229-member strong, all-female cheering section has arrived from North Korea for the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.

The squad, which features women chosen for their youth, good looks and enthusiasm, has been allowed to root for the North’s much smaller contingent of athletes as part of a last-minute arrangement between Pyongyang and Seoul.

Both sides are hoping to use participation by the North in the games to ease tensions that have been exceptionally high over the past year amid North Korea’s stepped-up missile launches and nuclear weapons’ development.

Arriving with the cheering squad was North Korea’s Sports Minister Kim Il Guk, Olympic committee officials and a demonstration taekwondo team that will perform before the opening ceremony on Friday and again later in Seoul.

___

4:15 p.m.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport has adjourned for the day without ruling on appeals filed by Russian athletes who want to compete at the Pyeongchang Olympics.

The court did not decide on an appeal involving 32 Russian athletes, not did it start hearing a second case involving 13 athletes and two coaches. It will reconvene Thursday at noon local time, the day before the opening ceremony.

The International Olympic Committee turned the Russians down during a vetting process that involved analyzing data about alleged doping in previous years.

Russian athletes who have appealed include Viktor Ahn, a six-time Olympic gold medalist in short-track speedskating, as well as cross-country ski gold medalist Alexander Legkov and skeleton gold medalist Alexander Tretiakov.

___

3:30 p.m.

The IOC Athletes’ Commission is trying to assure the 3,000 Olympians entered in Pyeongchang that they will be competing against “clean athletes.”

This stems from the chaos around Russia, which has seen many of its athletes banned from the Olympics for doping.

In an open letter on Wednesday to Olympians, the IOC Athletes’ Commission says “we want to give you the assurance that every measure has been taken to ensure that you will be competing against clean athletes.”

The International Olympic Committee is expecting 168 Russians to compete in Pyeongchang under the neutral banner of “Olympic Athletes From Russia.” Dozens of Russian athletes have failed to pass IOC vetting.

The letter says “we believe it is important to respect and treat each of these athletes equally.”

It also encouraged athletes to avoid distractions, saying, “We believe it is time for you to focus on your sport and what you have worked so hard for over the last few years.”

___

2:30 p.m.

Cases of norovirus at the Pyeongchang Games have officials scrambling on the eve of the biggest event in South Korea in years.

Olympics organizers say the norovirus spread began Sunday when private security workers staying in the Jinbu area of Pyeongchang started complaining of headaches, stomach pain and diarrhea.

About 1,200 people were kept in their rooms during tests for the contagious virus. Games organizers said Wednesday that 32 workers are being treated and are in quarantine.

Because the sick workers handled security, 900 military personnel have been brought in to work at 20 venues until the sick and sequestered can return to work.

___

2:15 p.m.

Two Olympic gold medalists are among the latest group of 15 Russians who have launched an appeal seeking late entry to the Pyeongchang Olympics.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport says the 13 athletes and two coaches include cross-country ski gold medalist Alexander Legkov and skeleton gold medalist Alexander Tretiakov, as well as speed skating silver medalist Olga Fatkulina.

They were all banned last year over doping at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, but those verdicts were overturned at the CAS last week. They’re now seeking to force the IOC to invite them to the Pyeongchang Games.

The court is already hearing a separate appeal by 32 Russians who were denied invites on what the IOC said was evidence linking them to past doping.

The court didn’t say how quickly it will issue decisions.

___

12:45 p.m.

Fifteen more Russians have appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, seeking to be admitted to the Pyeongchang Olympics.

They join 32 Russians who appealed a day earlier. John Coates, who heads the court, says decisions on some appeals are expected Wednesday.

Coates gave few details and did not give names of the Russians who appealed Wednesday. The games start Friday.

The 32 who appealed on Tuesday failed to pass mandatory International Olympic Committee vetting, which was imposed as a result of Russian doping at the 2014 Sochi Olympics.

The International Olympic Committee expects 168 Russian athletes to compete under the neutral banner of “Olympic Athletes From Russia.” Hundreds more have been barred, and many have gone to court seeking entry, causing last-minute chaos.

___

11:45 a.m.

Organizers of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics say they’re having no problems raising cash.

International Olympic Committee member John Coates, head of the IOC coordination commission for Tokyo, says local organizers have raised $2.9 billion in national sponsorship money.

He provided the update to about 100 IOC committee members gathered in Pyeongchang for meetings prior to the games there, which start Friday.

Coates called the money-raising effort “extraordinarily successful.” He says Tokyo now has 47 local sponsors, and this excludes long-term IOC sponsors like Bridgestone, Panasonic and Toyota.

The sponsorship money will help fund the $5.5 billion local operating budget, which Coates says is not expected to need public money.

The total cost of preparing the games is about $20 billion, with the rest of the money coming for the city of Tokyo and the national government.

___

10 a.m.

The Pyeongchang Winter Olympics open in two days, but the issue of which Russians are in — and which are out — is dominating the agenda of IOC President Thomas Bach.

As Bach presides Wednesday over meetings with roughly 100 IOC members, the Court of Arbitration for Sport — sport’s top legal body — is expected to decide appeals by 32 Russian athletes seeking spots in the Games.

The 32 failed to pass mandatory International Olympic Committee vetting, imposed as a result of Russian doping at the 2014 Sochi Olympics.

The International Olympic Committee expects 168 Russian athletes to compete under the neutral banner of “Olympic Athletes From Russia.” Hundreds more have been barred, and many have gone to court seeking entry and causing last-minute chaos.

____

By Associated Press – published on STL.News by St. Louis Media, LLC (Z.S)

___