Olympic Gold Research Articles

Characteristics of successful performance support team members at the Olympic games

Objectives Athletes and coaches rely on their performance support team to optimise training and competition. The specific characteristics of performance support teams that contribute to success in competition from the perspective of athletes and coaches have not been examined. Olympic gold medal winning athletes and coaches were asked about the characteristics they valued in the performance support team members who were with them at the Olympic Games. The insights shared provide important context to the role of the performance support team member, beyond technical skills, in the high-stress environment of elite sporting competition. Methods Concept mapping was completed online to collect, analyse, and visually represent insights from 30 Olympic gold medal winning athletes and coaches. The concept mapping focus prompt used to generate insights from participants was ‘When I reflect on my gold medal winning performance, a characteristic that I really valued within my support team was….’. Athletes then brainstormed, sorted, and rated relevant statements. Results Multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analysis produced an 8-cluster map – Way of Working, Communication Style, Emotional Management in Competition, Teamwork, Commitment to Athlete Preparation, Professionalism, Embracing the Experience, and Equality – as the best visual representation of the way participants sorted the 49 unique brainstormed statements. Conclusions Olympic gold medal winning athletes and coaches prioritised ways of working, communication style, emotional management, and teamwork as the characteristics they valued most in their performance support team. These constructs, when further examined by item, encourage performance support staff to develop emotional management skills to (a) strengthen interpersonal relationships within the team, (b) enhance the working alliance with athletes and coaches, and (c) contribute to team performance overall. Concept mapping provided a structured way of collecting lived experience insights that may compliment other qualitative approaches such as structured interviews.

Особливості спортивної кар’єри олімпійських чемпіонок у боротьбі жіночій

Purpose: to identify the features of the sports career of Olympic champions in women's wrestling. Material and Methods. The main materials for the study were personal indicators of the sports career of 18 Olympic champions in wrestling (data were taken from the official website of UWW (https://unitedworldwrestling.org)). Research methods: analysis and synthesis, documentary method, comparison, methods of mathematical statistics. The study analyzed the careers of 18 freestyle wrestlers from 5 Olympic Games who won the title of champion in these competitions. The study took into account all the performances at official competitions (continental championships and world championships in all age groups and the Youth Olympic Games) of wrestlers. Results: it was found that in 5 Olympic Games, which included women's wrestling in the program (since 2004), 18 athletes won 18 out of 24 possible Olympic gold titles. The youngest age of the first performance at official international competitions before the Olympic triumph among the studied athletes was 15 years old. The latest first performance in the international arena among the study participants was recorded at the age of 25. It was found that the period from the first performance at official competitions to the gold medal at the Olympic Games was 5-9 years. It was also found that the shortest period from the first performance in the international arena to winning the Olympic Games was 2 years, and the longest was 15 years. To win Olympic gold, athletes had to participate in 9 official international competitions on average. The average age at which female athletes won at the Olympics is 22. Conclusions. To win gold at the Olympics, highly skilled wrestlers usually need to participate in a fairly large number of international competitions. However, there are exceptions in history among female athletes who have managed to reach the highest podium much faster and with fewer international competitions. This largely depends on individual characteristics and the specifics of the wrestlers' training system. Keywords: free wrestling, women, highly qualified sportswomen, competition, Olympic Games.

Using Human Genetics to Develop Strategies to Increase Erythropoietic Output from Genome-Edited Hematopoietic Stem and Progenitor Cells

Genome editing is a powerful tool that enables precise changes in the genetic code of a cell. Genome-edited hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) yield genome-corrected cells of all lineages, yet the only cell type of clinical relevance in red blood cell (RBC) disorders is the RBC. Most applications of genome editing have sought to correct disease-causing mutations of monogenic diseases. However, human genetic variation reveals variants that confer positive health benefits as well. In this study we took advantage of a naturally occurring human variant to increase erythropoietic output from genome-edited HSPCs. The variant leads to a condition termed congenital erythrocytosis (CE), a rare phenotype in which people have higher than normal levels of RBCs and consequently elevated hemoglobin. It is caused by truncations in the erythropoietin receptor (tEPOR) in which the intracellular inhibitory domain to erythropoietin (EPO) signaling is eliminated. The genetic cause of this phenotype was identified in a family of a Finnish Olympic gold medal-winning cross-country skier who was found to have levels of hemoglobin >50% higher than normal. One of the challenges in gene therapy is to achieve sufficient engraftment of genetically engineered cells to have a clinical effect. Here we sought to give edited cells a selective advantage such that low levels of engraftment might still result in a clinical benefit through use of genome editing to recreate the CE phenotype by engineering tEPOR into HSPCs in different ways. We hypothesized we could recapitulate the CE variant using CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing of HSPCs to create insertions/deletions (indels) at the EPOR locus near the site of the mutation ( EPOR c.1316G>A) and then transfer the cells into culture media that promotes erythroid differentiation (Fig. 1). We demonstrated increased erythropoietic output from cells containing truncating mutations in EPOR, measured by an increase in indel formation throughout erythroid differentiation (1.3-3.8-fold increase). Because not all indels created cause truncations in EPOR, we explored if we could amplify this effect by integrating an AAV6 repair template that introduces a stop codon into EPOR followed by a BGH-polyA tail and GFP marker driven by a constitutive UbC promoter. This strategy enriched for GFP + cells with the truncation even more dramatically as they developed during erythroid differentiation (2.5-4.6-fold increase). We also found a substantial increase in the total number of cells produced from the tEPOR edited condition at the end of differentiation (3.3 times greater fold increase compared to mock edited cells). Importantly, we observed no enrichment in cells kept in HSPC media or cultured in RBC media without EPO, indicating this effect is EPO-dependent (Fig. 2). Next, we investigated whether a tEPOR cDNA could be targeted to the CCR5 safe harbor locus under ubiquitous expression or to the HBA1 RBC-specific safe harbor site imparting high levels of erythroid specific expression. Integration of the tEPOR cDNA at both loci yielded strong enrichment of edited alleles in an EPO-dependent manner when put through erythroid differentiation (6.2-8.6-fold increase at CCR5 and 2.9-5.2 at HBA1). Lastly, we sought to pair the tEPOR cDNA with a clinical edit for β-thalassemia to boost production of disease-corrected RBCs. We showed that through use of bi-cistronic cassettes we were able to drive a >2-fold enrichment of edited alleles over the course of differentiation. Additionally, we were able to pair the tEPOR cDNA and clinical edit for β-thalassemia through multiplexed gene editing at EPOR and HBA1, respectively, and again demonstrated enrichment of edited alleles. Ultimately, we believe this work has the potential to amplify the efficacy of gene and cell therapies for blood disorders currently in the clinic. Expression of tEPOR could be integrated into any treatment for blood disorders that involve transplantation of HSPCs, including both allogeneic and autologous bone marrow transplants. Further, as low chimerism in the bone marrow could produce high levels of peripheral RBCs using our strategy, it has the potential to reduce the morbidity of myeloablation regimens currently required for cure of blood disorders. This work, in effect, has the potential to improve the safety and accessibility to currently available treatments for the millions of patients affected by RBC disorders worldwide.

Yaşamak İçin Savaşmak: Türk Kültüründe Boksun Tarihsel Gelişimi

Sports have been an integral part of Turkish culture since ancient times, with Turks valuing physical abilities, agility, and strength. This article explores the historical and cultural significance of sports in Turkish society, focusing specifically on boxing. It highlights the historical significance of sports as a means of physical and mental preparation for war, while also acknowledging the contemporary achievements and aspirations of Turkish boxing in the international arena. The article begins by explaining the connection between sports and warfare in Turkish culture. The nomadic lifestyle of Turks, which required them to be constantly wandering and on the verge of danger, led them to prioritize physical strength and combat skills. This emphasis on sports as a means of survival and preparation for war can be traced back to the pre-Islamic era, as evident in ancient epics and inscriptions. As an example, one of the great writers of the 16th century, Sudi's book "Hediyet-ul Irfan Fimahr-ul Gulistan" includes boxing. Sudi referred to the "punch shooters" game in his work and stated that some of the students who came to Samarkand to receive training after learning how the game was played while he was in Damascus were masters of boxing demonstrations. In Divanu Lugati't-Turk, the oldest known Turkish dictionary, written by Mahmud of Kashgar between 1072-1074 in Baghdad, it is reported that boxing can be observed in Turkish history in this period, based on terms similar to boxing. Furthermore, the body shapes of legendary figures like Oguz Kagan, depicted with images of powerful animals, reflect the importance placed on muscle strength in Turkish culture. Throughout different Turkish states, including Hun, Gokturk, Seljuk, and Ottoman, various sports branches such as hunting, archery, wrestling, horse riding, and sword handling emerged and developed. These sports evolved from practical war preparation to become inseparable parts of Turkish daily life. Sports were not only valued for their physical benefits but also played a role in children's upbringing, the selection of Khans and Sultans, and even wedding ceremonies and traditions. The paper then goes into the historical evolution of boxing in modern Turkiye. While boxing has roots in ancient Turkish civilizations, its modern form was introduced by Monsieur Goury, a French Literature Teacher, during the late Ottoman Empire. Boxing gained popularity during the occupation of Istanbul, as competitions between foreign soldiers took place. The interest in boxing continued to increase after the War of Independence, leading to the establishment of the first boxing clubs and the organization of competitions in the early 20th century. The establishment of the Turkish Boxing Federation in 1923 marked an important milestone for the sport. Turkish boxers began participating in national and international competitions and achieved success in the Olympic Games, including a gold medal in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which was the first Olympic gold medal in Turkish boxing history. The article concludes by acknowledging the progress made in Turkish boxing and highlighting the ongoing efforts to popularize the sport, train successful athletes, and increase the number of licensed active participants. While Turkish boxing has a rich history, there is still room for further development and modernization. However, the achievements in recent years and the commitment of the Turkish Boxing Federation point towards a promising future for the sport in Turkiye.

“No Anthem Linked to Russia”: Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 at the Olympic Games

At the 2020 Summer Games in Tokyo and again at the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing, Russian athletes taking home Olympic gold heard Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-Flat Minor, Op. 23 in place of their national anthem. The prohibition of Russia’s anthem, along with the nation’s flag and other state symbols at international sporting events, was the result of an investigation into Russia’s state-run doping program. Although this restriction was heavily debated on social media outlets during the Games, the choice of Tchaikovsky’s beloved concerto was widely accepted as a symbol of the Russian state. The “Russianness” of Tchaikovsky’s concerto, however, is capacious and complex. In this article, I examine the Russian state’s appropriation of Tchaikovsky’s concerto not only as a nationalist musical motif, but as an irredentist anthem reflecting President Vladimir Putin’s intention to restore Russia’s “historic frontiers.” In addition to analyzing how the work was deployed before, during, and after the 2020 and 2022 Games, the article explores the composition’s appearance in contemporary Russian internet culture, including in a popular mashup of the concerto with Queen’s anthem “We Will Rock You.” Arguing that these examples offer musical evidence for the political rhetoric that insists Ukraine is rightfully a part of Russia, this article illustrates the ways that musical nationalism has proven malleable and been (mis)used in the Russo-Ukrainian War.

De-exceptionalizing Sunisa Lee: Uneven Gymnastics and a Hmong American State-less Critique

Abstract: Hmong American gymnast Sunisa "Suni" Lee won the gold medal in the individual all-around event at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. This essay analyzes the media frenzy surrounding Lee's rise to Olympic stardom in US gymnastics. In particular, it focuses on how the media narrate Lee's family and Hmong ethnic history of being refugees to becoming an Olympic gold medalist. This essay deconstructs how the state exceptionalizes this history in the context of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in service of the imperial US nation-state in ways that recuperates US empire and bolsters US nationalism. The essay reveals the ways that ongoing anti-Asian racism in the US contradicts the state's claim to Lee's gold medal. Ultimately, the essay argues that Hmong American writing during Lee's Olympic journey presents a "state-less critique" that situates Lee's success in her ethnic Hmong American community and not within the nation-state.

Halina Konopacka: Famous Polish Female Athlete and Woman of Arts (Sport, Literature, Painting)

Sports heroes have long been drawing the attention of scholars. Their achievements resonate widely, and their stories are engraved in the collective memory of fans. Halina Konopacka was one of the early pioneers of female sport. She was the first woman to win an Olympic gold in track and field (discus, 1928). She was also Poland’s first Olympic gold medal winner. She therefore became an embodiment of success in the newborn Polish state and the first interwar celebrity, confirmed by the social reception of her accomplishments. Konopacka had an all-round personality; apart from being an outstanding sportswoman, she was also a poet and painter. Thus, her legacy is rich and multifaceted, demonstrated by sports press reports, interviews and fans’ opinions, as well as Konopacka’s utterances and biographies of her.

Laser ablation (in situ) Lu-Hf dating of magmatic fluorite and hydrothermal fluorite-bearing veins

Fluorite (CaF2) is a common hydrothermal mineral, which precipitates from fluorine-rich fluids with an exceptional capacity to transport metals and Rare Earth Elements (REEs). Hence, the ability to date fluorite has important implications for understanding the timing of metal transport in hydrothermal systems. Here we present, for the first time, fluorite Lu-Hf dates from fluorite-carbonate veins from the Olympic Cu-Au Province in South Australia. The fluorite dates were obtained in situ using the recently developed LA-ICP-MS/MS Lu-Hf dating method. A fluorite-calcite age of 1588 ± 19 Ma was obtained for the Torrens Dam prospect, consistent with the timing of the formation of the nearby Olympic Dam iron-oxide copper gold Breccia Complex. Veins in the overlying Neoproterozoic successions were dated at 502 ± 14 Ma, indicating a temporal link between Cu-sulphide remobilisation and the Delamerian Orogeny. Additionally, we present a multi-session reproducible date for magmatic fluorite from a monzogranite in the Pilbara Craton (Lu-Hf age of 2866 ± 19 Ma). This age is consistent with a garnet Lu-Hf age from the same sample (2850 ± 12 Ma) and holds potential to be developed into a secondary reference material for future fluorite Lu-Hf dating.

Cruising faster than Usain Bolt

Salmincola californiensis is a freshwater parasitic copepod of Pacific salmon and trout (genus Oncorhynchus). While the duration of its juvenile life stage – the free-swimming copepodid (pictured here) – lasts for only about 5 days at 16°C, this short time represents the only opportunity when members of this species can seek and attach themselves to potential hosts. One way that copepods move in the water column is by executing a sequence of small jumps. Although the jump speeds of non-parasitic adult copepods are well documented, little is known about the speeds of parasitic juvenile copepods. Copepodids must move to seek hosts and maintain their relative (vertical) position in the water column, as they are negatively buoyant. Jump speeds would be critical in certain situations, such as once a host is identified or to escape predation. Using time-lapse video tracking, we observed undisturbed S californiensis copepodids at cruising speeds of more than 10 body lengths per second (10.9 ± 3.2 [mean ± standard deviation], n = 10 copepodids). This is 1.7 times faster than eight-time Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt, who reaches running speeds of approximately 6.2 body lengths per second. At 3 frames per second, our time-lapse video tracking occurred in an undisturbed laboratory setting (under a dissecting scope at room temperature) and was intended to observe hatching of copepodids. What might be uncovered by future research using high-speed photography to examine the maximum jump speeds of these tiny vampires?

BIOCHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF THE PATIENTS WITH DIHYDROLIPOAMIDE DEHYDROGENASE DEFICIENCY

In 2016 Wayde Van Niekerk, a South African athlete of mixed-race heritage won an Olympic gold medal. In South Africa, his win caused hashtags such as #proudlysouthafrican, #blackexcellence and #colouredexcellence to trend online. By and large, these hashtags index the ongoing competitive discourses regarding nationalism, race and culture in Cape Town (cf. Author, 2018).Amongst these hashtags, however, was #dalawhatyoumust, a Kaaps hashtag generally meaning to “do what needs to be done”. Unlike the aforementioned hashtags, this one seems to cross the linguistic and racial divide despite its strong associations with Coloured1 people on the Cape Flats. The seemingly effortless uptake of this hashtag by diverse South Africans suggest that it has somehow become unmoored of its ethnic and linguistic inception.We explore the use of this Kaaps hashtag as a form of translingual practice which is affect-laden and transportable across and between diverse users online and which promotes a particular “cool Capetonian” culture. Analyzing select posts from the #dalawhatyoumust thread on Facebook, we provide a nuanced look at #dalawhatyoumust as an uplifting genre which proleptically advises nameless viewers of the importance of self-actualization, determination and aspiration. Additionally, we include Goffman’s (1974) framing foundation to investigate how positivistic discourse has been rhizomatically taken up by a ‘realm’ of implicit collective users online. This research interrogates long-held ideological boundaries between Kaaps and legitimized Standard Afrikaans and standard English.We conclude with a focus on Kaaps hashtags as semiotic acts of Linguistic Citizenship (cf. Williams and Stroud, 2013) which allows for the conjoining of Kaaps with diverse audiences, complex trajectories, and an assortment of accompanying semiotics. Following Stroud (2018:3) we argue that this Kaaps hashtag has become a form of languaging that facilitates “…the building of broad affinities of speakers that cut across…divisions and borders, and that negotiate co-existence/co-habitation outside of common ground in recognition of equivocation”. In South Africa, division was the order of the day and when we explore contemporary ordinary moments posted by heterogenous users using #dalawhatyoumust (henceforth #dwym) we aim to explore the ordinariness of languaging which brings people together despite their race, linguistic background, and ethnicity, that is to say an affinity of ‘cool Capetonian’ style.

Dalawhatyoumust: Kaaps, translingualism and linguistic citizenship in Cape Town, South Africa

In 2016 Wayde Van Niekerk, a South African athlete of mixed-race heritage won an Olympic gold medal. In South Africa, his win caused hashtags such as #proudlysouthafrican, #blackexcellence and #colouredexcellence to trend online. By and large, these hashtags index the ongoing competitive discourses regarding nationalism, race and culture in Cape Town (cf. Author, 2018).Amongst these hashtags, however, was #dalawhatyoumust, a Kaaps hashtag generally meaning to “do what needs to be done”. Unlike the aforementioned hashtags, this one seems to cross the linguistic and racial divide despite its strong associations with Coloured11Coloured people are characterized as those of mixed descent and so was differentiated from Black and White during apartheid. This is a diverse group where heritage could stem from countries such as Britain, Netherlands, Malaysia, Madagascar, Ceylon, India, Java and other places in Africa. people on the Cape Flats. The seemingly effortless uptake of this hashtag by diverse South Africans suggest that it has somehow become unmoored of its ethnic and linguistic inception.We explore the use of this Kaaps hashtag as a form of translingual practice which is affect-laden and transportable across and between diverse users online and which promotes a particular “cool Capetonian” culture. Analyzing select posts from the #dalawhatyoumust thread on Facebook, we provide a nuanced look at #dalawhatyoumust as an uplifting genre which proleptically advises nameless viewers of the importance of self-actualization, determination and aspiration. Additionally, we include Goffman’s (1974) framing foundation to investigate how positivistic discourse has been rhizomatically taken up by a ‘realm’ of implicit collective users online. This research interrogates long-held ideological boundaries between Kaaps and legitimized Standard Afrikaans and standard English.We conclude with a focus on Kaaps hashtags as semiotic acts of Linguistic Citizenship (cf. Williams and Stroud, 2013) which allows for the conjoining of Kaaps with diverse audiences, complex trajectories, and an assortment of accompanying semiotics. Following Stroud (2018:3) we argue that this Kaaps hashtag has become a form of languaging that facilitates “…the building of broad affinities of speakers that cut across…divisions and borders, and that negotiate co-existence/co-habitation outside of common ground in recognition of equivocation”. In South Africa, division was the order of the day and when we explore contemporary ordinary moments posted by heterogenous users using #dalawhatyoumust (henceforth #dwym) we aim to explore the ordinariness of languaging which brings people together despite their race, linguistic background, and ethnicity, that is to say an affinity of ‘cool Capetonian’ style.

The Legal Status of a Pregnant Woman: An Intersectoral Aspect

The paper is devoted to the analysis of family and demographic policy in the context of determining the legal status of a pregnant woman under the Russian legislation, as well as the impact of a set of social support measures on the attractiveness of having many children in family planning. The author states that the absence of an established form of a woman’s pregnancy certificate is a huge disadvantage, since the issuance of a document is a legal fact with which the law connects the emergence, modification and termination of legal relations, the basis when a woman acquires a special social and legal status of a subject with a privileged position, reflected in various branches of Russian legislation. The paper analyzes judicial practice regarding the filing of claims by men for compensation for moral damage in connection with the termination of pregnancy by women without reaching a general agreement on the issue of family planning. In the transport sector, there is no uniform practice of providing transportation services to pregnant women by airlines. Regarding the legislation on sports, the author draws attention to the fact that the hormone released in the pregnant woman’s body is deemed doping. However, restrictions on access to competitions are discrimination, so it is not uncommon for a pregnant woman to receive an Olympic gold medal being heavily pregnant. The state of pregnancy is also of legal importance for criminal legislation, since a significant number of criminal law norms take into account the special status of a pregnant woman as a characteristic of the defendant’s personality, as well as as a circumstance that gives great public danger when the victim is the expectant mother. The granting of a special privileged status to a pregnant woman is also subject to consideration in housing legislation: the expectant mother should have the right to additional state support, including in terms of meeting housing needs. The author summarizes that for the Russian legislator, a pregnant woman is unconditionally a value whose rights and interests are protected as much as possible. The principle of state support for motherhood is reflected in the entire system of Russian legislation.

Pattern-Matching Kinematic Analysis of Glide Phase after Start with Different Techniques in Medley Swimming: An Olympic Champion Case

<strong>Background:</strong> The analysis of kinematic characteristics in the glide phase after the start of swimming is significantly valuable for the technical optimization of competition. However, in the traditional analysis of kinematic parameters in time series are generally similar in the time axis, but their corresponding relationship is unknown. <strong>Objective:</strong> The objective of this study is to identify the difference in kinematic parameters in underwater phases of hands-free start and hands-together start by using a case of an Olympic champion in men’s 200 m individual medley competition, through the dynamic time warp (DTW) pattern-matching approach. <strong>Methods:</strong> An Olympic gold medal winner in the men’s 200 m individual medley competition is the subject of this study. The start techniques of hands-together and hands-free were included in the comparison. A Marker-Free Subaqueous Motion Recognition System was used to capture the motion, and nonlinear regressions between each kinematic parameter were made according to their theoretical physical relationships. And the DTW was applied to conduct the pattern matching. <strong>Results:</strong> The majority of the resistance loads on the swimmer’s body in the subaqueous glide phase is the pressure drag of the water, and the swimmer will have a higher instantaneous and average velocity at the end of the start when the swimmer keeps his or her hands together and arms straight forward in the subaqueous glide phase due to the dynamic benefit prepared during the whole glide phase. <strong>Conclusion:</strong> A start technique with hands-together and arms straight forwards could create mechanical and kinematical advantages for the swimmer, and the advantages might come from the optimal preload for the muscle activation at the end of the glide phase.

Lifting weights, raising voices: an analysis of reactions to Hidilyn Diaz’s views on the South China Sea issue after her Olympic gold medal win

Hidilyn Diaz won the Philippines’ first Gold Medal in the 2020 Olympics. After her win, news emerged that her coaches used the South China Sea issue to make Diaz win over her rival, who represented China. Diaz later said in interviews that the sea belonged to the Philippines. The researcher inductively analyzed Facebook reactions to these news items to unearth constructs of country loyalty, sports, and the Olympics. The researcher found that Filipinos were divided according to how they perceived loyalty to country: those who saw it as innate also sided with Hidilyn and tended not to separate sports from politics; on the other hand, those who wanted to separate sports from politics tended to perceive the country as powerless, and nationalism as futile. These findings have implications for studies into athletes’ protests, which have hardly been studied in the Philippine context.

Adapted physical activity for breast cancer patients: shared considerations with two Olympic and world Italian sports champions.

Breast cancer is a growing global public health concern. Thanks to the recent treatments progress, the survival rate of BC patients has significantly improved (88% of 5-year survival rate) and the number of cancer survivors has also increased. Notwithstanding these brilliant results, many BC patients have long-term side effects as pain, oedema, limited mobility, cancer related fatigue, etc. as a consequence of surgical, radiotherapy and medical treatments. For example, posture appears to be frequently altered after mastectomy, due to the impairment of the mobility of the arm caused by surgical scars. All these aspects negatively affect the health-related Quality of Life (QoL) of BC patients. Recent several randomized clinical trials have shown benefits of regular and appropriate physical activity (PA) during and after BC treatment, particularly in terms of benefits for health, reducing fatigue, improving strength levels, QoL and physical function. In this context, two types of sports have demonstrated their affinity and efficacy as treatment support during and after treatments for BC patients: fencing and rowing. Here we report considerations shared with two sport champions: the fencing Olympic gold medal Daniele Garozzo and the rowing World Champion Giovanni Ficarra, with the aim to find the adapted PA for BC patients.

Does sports success increase government support? Voter (ir)rationality in a multiparty context

A growing number of studies discuss the impact of non-political factors on the political success of incumbents. Theoretically, this literature addresses core ideas about electoral accountability and voter rationality. Scholars have explored factors such as shark attacks, weather, natural disasters, and sports results. So far, the evidence has been inconclusive and almost exclusively from majoritarian contexts, where government accountability is easy for voters to assign. We contribute with an analysis of whether nationally important sports success, such as Olympic gold medals, affect support for coalition governments in a multiparty context. We use monthly polling from Finland for a 28-year period from Jan 1994 to Dec 2021, which we combine with data on sports success. Our analysis shows that nationally important sports success has no impact on government popularity. The finding holds while controlling for traditional drivers of government popularity and across different operationalizations of government support and sports success. With this finding, the study joins several previous analyses, which have been supportive of voter rationality.

Media Presentations of Olympic Victories and Nation-Related Identification Among Viewers: The Influence of Emotions Induced by Sportscasts

This study uses experimental methods to assess the causal effect of media presentations on viewer’s emotions, national identification, and nation-related values. In three experiments covering marginal sports disciplines, viewers watched broadcasts of compatriots winning an Olympic gold medal, either featuring emotional and partisan reporting styles or a neutral audio commentary. Findings show that those exposed to the partisan commentary experienced heightened emotions; identified more strongly with their nation; exhibited more patriotism and nationalism; and ascribed positive values (e.g., achievement, diligence) more strongly to their home country than did viewers in the control group. These results suggest that the broadcasting styles influence viewers’ emotions, attitudes, and collective identifications beyond the effects of the sporting competition itself.

How Do We Learn Skilled Movements?

All athletes were novices at one point in their lives, even Olympic gold medalists and world champions. They committed years of practice to become competitive and even longer to become elite performers. This transformation from novice to expert requires motor learning, which is the process of acquiring and refining motor (movement) skills. Inspired by the observation that motor skills evolve from being effortful to effortless, psychologists have divided motor learning into three separate stages: the cognitive stage, in which we gather information about the actions needed to perform a skill; the associative stage, in which we refine our movements; and the autonomous stage, in which our movements become smooth and automatic. Here, we will explore how a fictional young athlete, Amy, progresses through these three stages and uses different parts of her brain to make the transition from novice to expert.

The Development of Olympic Movement in the Philippines: Actors, Stakeholders, and Capacities

The article describes the relevant actors, structures, and stakeholders involved, with emphasis on its roles, functions, and relevance in the Philippine Olympic Movement utilizing Jean-Loup Chappelet’s conceptual analysis of the governance of the Olympic System as an epistemological tool. The article, then, proceeded to discuss the Olympic governance structure as well as the dynamic interaction and relationships between and among various actors and stakeholders in terms of decision-making and policy-making impacts and outcomes. More importantly, the article analyzes ongoing and existing policy capacities which seeks to build and strengthen the capacities of Olympic Movement in the Philippines such as the establishment of the Philippine Sports Academy, the conduct of sports summits among National Sports Associations stakeholders, the creation of Department of Sports, and provision for expanded coverage of sports benefits and incentives as ways forward in the country’s quest for more Olympic gold.

Passing the Baton: Black Women Track Stars and American Identity

Passing the Baton frames the intersectionality of femininity and athleticism through an examination of the challenges experienced by Black women who compete in track and field. Sport historians will appreciate Cat Ariail's use of a historical timeline of Black women's accomplishments in track and field to express the golden age of athletic competition. Another bonus to this book is the notes section at the end of the book. The notes could be used as a guide toward continuing research on Black women in track and field, as the author thoughtfully provided thorough details on each section of the book.Insightfully, the introduction grabs the attention of the reader through teasing topics like boundaries of belonging, Black women's athleticism, and the athletic agency of Black American track women. Then the book transitions to telling the story of Alice Coachman, who specialized in the high jump and was the first African American woman to win an Olympic medal. The chapter uncovers how Coachman's presence at the Olympic games contradicted the masculine identity of the American elite athlete. To verify this notion, the author creatively uses legendary baseball player Jackie Robinson to convey the destabilization of normative Americanness during the postwar period in sports. However, the portrayal of Jackie Robinson also discloses the challenges for Black women negotiating their athletic identity while seeking to achieve American acceptance.This is further explored through an introduction to the women's track and field club the Tuskegee Tigerettes. Known for their poise, femininity, and athleticism, the Tigerettes began competing in sports in the early twentieth century. The Tigerettes challenged negative labels affixed to female athletes participating in speed and strength sports by exemplifying normative American, southern values, which they coined the Tuskegee Model.Chapter 2 explores Black women tracksters as political actors. The author shows how Olympians competing on a global stage earned the honor and power of being representatives of their countries. Black women became the face of American culture and athleticism, making them a global symbol of America.What makes this book a priceless contribution to the field of sport history, however, is Ariail's argument that the athletic victories of Black women in track and field surpassed the sports stage and directly impacted political relationships with the United States and forged America's image. The author critically examines this point in chapter 3, where she highlights the story of Aertwentha Mae Faggs. Faggs presented Tennessee State University's famed Tigerbelles to the sports world. The Tigerbelles became internationally known for their superior athleticism in women's sports, and in 1952 Faggs won an Olympic gold medal, making her one of the first Tigerbelles to earn one. Like the Tigerettes, the athletic success and representation of the Tigerbelles provided the United States an opportunity to cast a picture of gender and racial equality on a global scale.Chapter 4 focuses on the notion of heteronormativity and its influence on Black women becoming symbols of American democracy. As such, the author states, “Heteronormativity and predominant blackness of American women's track and field meant that the squad assembled for the inaugural US-Soviet Union dual aligned with the American social order” (120). Chapter 5 then unpacks the story of Wilma Rudolph, who first appears in the introduction of the book. Through these two sections, the author creatively untangles Rudolph's story by examining the influences of the Cold War and the civil rights movement on the identity of elite Black women athletes.A highlight of chapter 5 is when Ariail discusses how Rudolph's image complicated the intersection of race, gender, and sexuality. The author contends that Rudolph's beauty was aligned with America's obsession with light skin, straight hair, and femininity, which propelled her celebrity status and morphed American traditions into accepting Black women as fierce athletic competitors.The book ends by detailing how the enduring efforts of Black women competing in speed and strength sports opens doors for white female athletes. For example, through her image, Wilma Rudolph made elite athleticism obtainable for white female athletes who were shunned for participating in strength sports, which attacked the dominant white gender ideology.In conclusion, I highly recommend this book as it intermingles foreign politics, American values, and challenges experienced by Black women in track and field seeking to reach the epitome of athleticism.