Menu
Download the app

SBJ subscribers – Enhance your experience with the revamped iOS app

Olympics

Ukrainian Olympic Committee Denies Reports Athletes Leave Sochi To Protest Violence

The Ukrainian Olympic Committee on Thursday denied media reports "of an athlete exodus" from the Sochi Olympics "due to the violent clashes" on the streets of Kiev that have left a reported 28 people dead, according to R-SPORT. An Olympic Committee spokesperson said, "It’s not true. The whole team is in Sochi and preparing for competitions. One girl has withdrawn from her competition, that’s true, but no one has left the athletes’ village. To be more precise, if someone has left, then that’s only because the competitions for them have finished, so it was scheduled." The only Ukrainian athlete confirmed to have pulled out of a competition in protest is Alpine skier Bogdana Matsotska, "whose father and coach Oleg said on Facebook she would not compete in Saturday’s slalom event" (R-SPORT, 2/20). REUTERS' Karolos Grohmann reported some members of Ukraine's Olympic team "decided on Thursday to leave the Winter Games." IOC spokesperson Mark Adams said, "I believe some of them have decided to return home and (Ukraine Olympic Committee President) Sergey Bubka has said he absolutely respects every individual's right to make their own decision." Ukraine team officials and some athletes "held a minute's silence in memory of the victims and black ribbons were added to Ukraine flags hanging on the balconies of their building in the athletes' village." Adams said that the athlete's departure "was a matter for the Ukrainian team." Adams: "I think his (Bubka's) view was that the team should stay but equally he respects every athletes' decision to do what they think is best in the circumstances" (REUTERS, 2/20).

MATSOTSKA OUT: The BBC reported Matsotska "was set to compete in the slalom." Matsotska: "I have decided not to take part in my favorite discipline because of the horrible events that are happening in the capital of my Ukraine. I am not a political person, I am totally out of politics and political parties, but I stand against these horrible actions that Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych and his government are taking against our Ukrainian people" (BBC, 2/20).

SBJ Morning Buzzcast: March 25, 2024

NFL meeting preview; MLB's opening week ad effort and remembering Peter Angelos.

Big Get Jay Wright, March Madness is upon us and ESPN locks up CFP

On this week’s pod, our Big Get is CBS Sports college basketball analyst Jay Wright. The NCAA Championship-winning coach shares his insight with SBJ’s Austin Karp on key hoops issues and why being well dressed is an important part of his success. Also on the show, Poynter Institute senior writer Tom Jones shares who he has up and who is down in sports media. Later, SBJ’s Ben Portnoy talks the latest on ESPN’s CFP extension and who CBS, TNT Sports and ESPN need to make deep runs in the men’s and women's NCAA basketball tournaments.

SBJ I Factor: Nana-Yaw Asamoah

SBJ I Factor features an interview with AMB Sports and Entertainment Chief Commercial Office Nana-Yaw Asamoah. Asamoah, who moved over to AMBSE last year after 14 years at the NFL, talks with SBJ’s Ben Fischer about how his role model parents and older sisters pushed him to shrive, how the power of lifelong learning fuels successful people, and why AMBSE was an opportunity he could not pass up. Asamoah is 2021 SBJ Forty Under 40 honoree. SBJ I Factor is a monthly podcast offering interviews with sports executives who have been recipients of one of the magazine’s awards.

Shareable URL copied to clipboard!

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Global/Issues/2014/02/21/Olympics/Ukraine.aspx

Sorry, something went wrong with the copy but here is the link for you.

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Global/Issues/2014/02/21/Olympics/Ukraine.aspx

CLOSE