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Tag: beach volleyball

  • At the Olympic beach volleyball venue, the Eiffel Tower stars in a très French show

    At the Olympic beach volleyball venue, the Eiffel Tower stars in a très French show

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    PARIS (AP) — The biggest beach volleyball star at the Paris Olympics can’t set, spike or dive around the sand.

    But she sure is pretty.

    The Eiffel Tower has been stealing the show from the competition below at the Summer Games so far, with fans and players alike ooh-la-la-ing over the nonpareil setting that has turned the stadium on the Champ de Mars into the Olympics’ iconic venue.

    “I don’t know who chose this place to put beach volleyball. He deserves a medal, too,” said Cherif Younousse of Qatar, a Olympic medalist himself. “Warming up on the side court, we were like, ‘Wow, we are under the Eiffel Tower.’ We couldn’t even imagine playing beach volleyball here.”

    And the landmark the locals call La Dame de Fer — the Iron Lady — is just one reason the venue is such a hit. Fans wave baguettes, dance the can-can and sing along to music pumped out by a DJ, who turns the 12,860-seat stadium into the hottest club in Paris. A stream of celebrities, heads of state and royalty have stopped by to check it out.

    “I’m more than happy to tell all the other sports, ‘Yeah, we definitely got the best venue,’” said Australian Taliqua Clancy, who won a silver medal in Tokyo. “It’s absolutely incredible. Honestly, you can’t beat it.”

    Although beach volleyball only joined the Olympic program in 1996, it quickly has become one of the Summer Games’ most popular sports — thanks in part, no doubt, to the women in bathing suits, but also to an atmosphere that surrounds a fast-moving competition with a beach party vibe.

    The London venue at Horse Guards Parade sparkled with a view of the Big Ben clock tower and Benny Hill-style hijinx; four years later, the stadium at Copacabana beach pulsed with a samba beat, surrounded by Cariocas sunbathing — and playing beach volleyball and soccer — on the surrounding sands. Tokyo placed its venue in a waterfront park with a view of the Rainbow Bridge.

    Catch up on the latest from the 2024 Paris Olympics:

    But Paris, as Paris tends to do, upstaged them all.

    Every night as the sun sets behind the latticed landmark, the stadium goes dark and fans hold up their cellphone lights in a sort of digital reboot of Vincent Van Gogh’s “Starry Night.” At 10 p.m., the Eiffel Tower is illuminated with twinkling strobes, and would-be influencers scramble to get into position for the perfect picture, with the court and the Olympic rings and the tower all lined up in a row in the background.

    “That is what dreams are made of,” said American Kristen Nuss, whose Olympic debut began right after the light show. “Guys, it’s a memory that will definitely be imprinted in my brain for forever.”

    It’s not just the athletes.

    Spanish, Jordanian and Luxembourgish royalty have graced the arena, as have the presidents of Finland, Estonia and Lithuania ( and France, mais oui! ). French soccer great Zinedine Zidane came by the morning after carrying the torch in the opening ceremony, and basketball Hall of Famer Pau Gasol came to root for his Spanish countrymen.

    Gymnast Livvy Dunne cheered on fellow LSU Tigers Nuss and Taryn Kloth before posing for pictures to satisfy her 6 million TikTok followers. On Wednesday, Snoop Dogg and the cast of the “Today” show came to watch Americans Kelly Cheng and Sara Hughes beat France in straight sets.

    Moviemakers Baz Luhrmann and Judd Apatow and movie stars Elizabeth Banks and Leslie Mann have checked out the setting. Other times, it resembled a movie set: During a women’s match between France and Germany on Sunday, the crowd broke into a rendition of “La Marseillaise,” the French national anthem, that would make the resistance in “Casablanca” proud.

    It is a scene that is, most of all, très French: One woman dressed as a can-can dancer in bleu, blanc and rouge posed for pictures with any fan who asked. A painter dabbed at his oils in the back of the press tribune — the only place that offers even a few hours of shade. The DJ worked Edith Piaf songs into his hip-hop and techno playlist, and the crowd sings along. Men in berets, with painted-on Dali moustaches, waved baguettes to cheer on the French team.

    Hang that in the Louvre.

    And looming over it all is the century-old latticed landmark that gives the venue its name. Looking for a practice court before play began, a volunteer helpfully offered directions: “You go there,” she said, “and turn left from the Eiffel Tower.”

    “I think it’s the best venue ever,” France’s Clemence Vieira said after a 21-16, 23-21 loss to the Americans in front of the enthusiastic hometown fans. “It’s very symbolic, because the Tour Eiffel is a symbol of France. So I think there’s nothing to say but it’s just the best ever.”

    Vieira, a 23-year-old first-time Olympian from Toulouse, might be a little biased. But even some repeat competitors agree: The 2024 beach volleyball venue is not just the best in Paris, but maybe the best in the history of the Games.

    At the very least, it sets a standard that future organizers will struggle to surpass.

    “This will be a hard one to top, I think,” said Nuss, who is hoping her first Olympics won’t be her last. “I’m not sure how anyone else would do it. But, I mean, I’m willing to see how they try.”

    ___

    AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games

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  • US women’s professional volleyball void is filled, and possibly overflowing, with 3 upstart leagues

    US women’s professional volleyball void is filled, and possibly overflowing, with 3 upstart leagues

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    OMAHA, Neb. — Volleyball has been the No. 1 sport in girls participation in the United States for almost a decade.

    More than 90,000 fans showed up for an outdoor match in Nebraska’s football stadium last summer, and the NCAA semifinal and championship matches set attendance and television viewership records.

    The next sign of the sport’s evolution in this country was on display Wednesday night when the Atlanta Vibe played the Omaha Supernovas in the debut of the Pro Volleyball Federation.

    The PVF is one of three U.S. women’s professional leagues now operating or planned for players who previously had no choice but to go overseas to continue their careers. League One Volleyball is on track to launch in November. The five-week Athletes Unlimited league recently wrapped up its third season.

    Tori Dixon, the 31-year-old middle blocker for the Supernovas, has played in Azerbaijan, Japan, Italy and China over seven pro seasons. She said there’s international buzz about the PVF, and former teammates have asked her to help them get a contract.

    “Maybe it’s a little less money, but you get to stay home and be comfortable,” Dixon said. “Overseas is a grind. It’s really, really difficult. I think a lot of top players are choosing to stay home in the States.”

    Besides Atlanta and Omaha, the PVF has teams in Columbus, Las Vegas, Orlando, San Diego and Grand Rapids, Michigan.

    Opening night was everything PVF officials could have wanted. A crowd of 11,624 turned out at the CHI Health Center, and it was treated to a five-set thriller won by the Vibe. Fans were enthusiastic until the end with encouragement from an arena emcee, music between points and high-level play.

    “This was breaking ground for a professional volleyball league, and there could have been 800 people and a poorly played match,” Omaha coach Shelton Collier said. “It was an incredible match with an incredible crowd, an incredible atmosphere, incredible support staff. Whoever put on this production for the fans, it was amazing. It was epic.”

    Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, Orlando Magic chairman Dan DeVos, three-time Olympic beach volleyball gold medalist Kerri Walsh Jennings and multi-platinum recording artist Jason Derulo are among PVF team owners.

    Big-name investors in League One Volleyball, known as LOVB, include basketball stars Candace Parker, Jayson Tatum and Kevin Durant, tennis icon Billie Jean King, skiing star Lindsey Vonn and entertainers Amy Schumer and Chelsea Handler.

    LOVB’s franchises are owned by the league and have been announced in Atlanta, Houston, Omaha, Salt Lake City and Madison, Wisconsin.

    The Athletes Unlimited league, co-founded by Jon Patricof and Jonathan Soros, plays a five-week season at one site with 44 players who rotate weekly among four teams and are paid a minimum of $10,000.

    PVF players are under contract for a 24-match regular season and playoffs running through May and are to be paid $60,000 with bonuses for individual and team performance. There also is revenue sharing. The league champion is promised $1 million to divide among players and staff. Housing is provided along with other benefits. Two players on each roster will live year-round in their market and be paid an additional $40,000 as ambassadors for their team.

    LOVB has not announced its pay structure or schedule.

    It’s possible to earn six figures overseas, with the very best players making into the millions. But many more get paid far less, and some don’t receive paychecks consistently.

    PVF co-founder Dave Whinham said of some 300 American women who played in other countries last year, at least 120 were in PVF training camps this winter.

    “That’s impactful,” Whinham said. “What else is so cool is so many of them have been pros for five, six, seven, eight years. So we’re not walking into the North American professional sports scene as a minor league. We’re rocking it at a very high level.”

    PVF held its college draft in December and league officials were pleased, if not a bit surprised, 30 of the 35 selected players signed contracts, including No. 1 overall pick Asjia O’Neal of Texas (Columbus). Including veterans, at least 35 players in the league have been members of national or Olympic teams.

    PVF officials said their league’s competitive level this season probably won’t match that of the top leagues in Europe and Asia, but they predict it will within five years.

    Whinham and PVF co-founder Stephen Evans have worked together on several sports and entertainment projects over 25 years and began planning for a women’s pro league as the volleyball boom started about 10 years ago.

    League administration is headed by CEO Jen Spicher, a longtime business executive and former college player and club coach. Former Florida State coach Cecile Reynaud is vice president of operations and former Texas A&M coach Laurie Corbelli is operations consultant. Four-time U.S. Olympian Logan Tom is director of international development and player strategy.

    The start is well-timed. The sport drew global attention in August when the largest documented crowd for a women’s sporting event (92,003) showed up to see perennial college power Nebraska play Omaha at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln. More than 19,000 attended each of the two nights of the NCAA final four in Tampa, Florida. The championship match was televised on ABC for the first time and attracted 1.7 million viewers.

    CBS Sports Network will televise at least 10 PVF regular-season matches in addition to the playoffs. The PVF also has streaming agreements with Bally Sports and Stadium.

    While the PVF has a more traditional structure, each LOVB team is associated with a junior volleyball club in its market where the pros train alongside club players and join them in other activities.

    “Most leagues start kind of top down, if you will,” CEO Katlyn Gao said. “They start with pro (team) and then do programs with local youth clubs. What we saw as an opportunity was how vibrant and expansive the network of youth volleyball there already is at the club level, so we’ve asked these clubs to join us.”

    The most significant previous attempt to establish a U.S. pro league was Major League Volleyball. MLV came about following a mini volleyball boom after the United States won the silver medal at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. Most players earned $5,000 and had day jobs as coaches or in the 9-to-5 world. The league folded for financial reasons a month into its third season in 1989.

    The PVF’s Corbelli, one of the ‘84 Olympians who played in MLV, said she’s confident it’s the right time for a women’s pro league in this country. Athletes Unlimited is in a different orbit with its structure and short season. As for the PVF and LOVB, the questions are whether one or both can survive long-term even if they play different times of year or whether they will merge.

    “The hardest part for me is all these volleyball people are a family. We all know each other. There’s no animosity. It’s just hard because we’re going to go head-to-head for players and cities. It’s going to have to happen until one league …” Corbelli said, her voice trailing off.

    “As I look ahead,” she said, “I don’t know if it can sustain that way. It might. I’m no palm reader, but I just kind of think it would be nice to have one strong, great league. Both of these leagues really want to do it and make it work.”

    ___

    AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports

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  • Female athletes sue the University of Oregon alleging Title IX violations by the school

    Female athletes sue the University of Oregon alleging Title IX violations by the school

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    Thirty-two female athletes filed a lawsuit against the University of Oregon on Friday that alleges the school is violating Title IX.

    The plaintiffs, who are all either on the varsity beach volleyball team or the club rowing team, are accusing the school of “depriving women of equal treatment and benefits, equal athletic aid, and equal opportunities to participate in varsity intercollegiate athletics.”

    The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Eugene, Oregon, seeks correction of the alleged violations and unspecified damages.

    The lead counsel for the women is Arthur H. Bryant of Bailey & Glasser, who is known for legal efforts to enforce Title IX, the federal law that prohibits gender inequality by educational institutions receiving federal funds.

    The beach volleyball players say they do not have facilities for practicing or competing. Instead, the team must practice and compete at a public park with inadequate facilities.

    “For example, the public park lacks any stands for spectators, has bathrooms with no doors on the stalls, and is frequently littered with feces, drug paraphernalia, and other discarded items,” the players allege in the lawsuit. “No men’s team faces anything remotely similar.”

    Oregon released a statement that said an on-campus facility for beach volleyball is currently in the development stage. It also said Oregon is “committed to providing a quality, positive experience for all our student-athletes.”

    Many of Oregon’s men’s teams, including the fifth-ranked Ducks football team, have state-of-the-art facilities, take chartered flights to games, eat catered food and have other amenities. The Ducks were playing Friday night in the Pac-12 championship game against Washington in Las Vegas.

    Of the 20 varsity sports at Oregon, only beach volleyball does not provide scholarships, although NCAA rules allow the school to give the equivalent of six full athletic scholarships to the team. Players say they wear hand-me-down uniforms and are not provided with any name, image and likeness support.

    “Based on the way the beach volleyball team has been treated, female athletes at Oregon do not need much food or water, good or clean clothes or uniforms, scholarships, medical treatment or mental health services, their own facilities, a locker room, proper transportation, or other basic necessities. Male athletes are treated incredibly better in almost every respect,” team captain and lead plaintiff Ashley Schroeder said in a statement.

    Schroeder said the team could not practice this week because someone had died at the park.

    In its statement, Oregon said it provides “all student-athletes, including our female athletes, with academic support, tutoring, student-athlete development, medical care, mental health support, meals and snacks, and nutrition and sports training.”

    The school also said it has previously committed to increasing scholarships.

    “The university believes it complies with Title IX. UO has not yet been served a copy of the complaint, and therefore we are unable to comment on any further specifics,” the university’s statement said.

    Beach volleyball has been recognized by the NCAA since 2010 and Oregon’s program was founded in 2014. The first Division I championship was held in 2016.

    The rowers say the university fails to provide equal opportunities for athletic participation by not having a varsity women’s rowing team.

    The lawsuit, which sprang from an investigation published in July by The Oregonian newspaper, cites Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act statistics which show that 49% of the student-athletes at Oregon are women, but only 25% of athletics dollars and 15% of its recruiting dollars are spent on them.

    NCAA President Charlie Baker has previously addressed possible inequities in NIL deals, saying he was concerned about potential Title IX implications because NIL opportunities seem to be disproportionately going to male athletes.

    The NCAA lifted its ban on college athletes being able to earn money for sponsorship deals and endorsements in 2020.

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  • Pregnancy and sports a challenging combination for female professional athletes

    Pregnancy and sports a challenging combination for female professional athletes

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    LOS ANGELES — LOS ANGELES (AP) — Pro soccer player Jess McDonald was traded across six teams in her first five years as a single parent, making it difficult to find, let alone afford, child care in new cities. She and her then-8-month-old son were often forced to share a hotel room with a teammate — and sometimes she had no choice but to bring him with her to practice.

    “If I’d have a bad game, you know, my kid would be blamed for it at times, and it was just like, ‘Oh, was your kid up late at night?’” the U.S. Women’s National Team player said in a recent interview.

    Arizona State basketball coach Charli Turner Thorne had three children without taking maternity leave. And New York Liberty head coach and former WNBA player Sandy Brondello — acknowledging the difficulties that she would face if she got pregnant — waited to have kids until she retired as a player at age 38.

    Juggling the demands of parenthood with those of a professional sports career is just one of myriad challenges female athletes face in an industry that also has been rife with pay disparities, harassment and bullying in the 27 years since the WNBA, the first women’s professional sports league, was formed.

    The issue once again drew national attention right before the season began, when WNBA player Dearica Hamby said she had been harassed by her coach for getting pregnant during the season.

    Las Vegas Aces Coach Becky Hammon, one of the league’s marquee figures and a six-time WNBA All-Star, denied bullying Hamby; she said the player wasn’t traded to the Los Angeles Sparks because she was pregnant. The trade, she said, had “everything to do with freeing up money to sign free agents.”

    Still, Hammon said she may have made a “misstep” by asking Hamby at one point about her pregnancy, and she indicated that the rules in the WNBA “regarding pregnant players and how that looks within an organization” have to be better defined, shining a light on the balancing act of having a family and maintaining a professional sports career.

    Women have never been formally banned from the WNBA for getting pregnant; in fact, the first player to sign with the league in 1997, Sheryl Swoopes, was expecting when she did so. But pregnant athletes have encountered attitudes ranging from ambivalent to outright hostile from leagues, coaches, fellow players and sponsors throughout the years.

    As recently as 2019, Olympic runners Allyson Felix and Kara Goucher spoke out against Nike for slashing their pay and then dropping them for becoming pregnant. And it’s taken years for professional women’s leagues to provide their athletes with the support systems they need to balance their family and career obligations.

    “I’ve been walking on eggshells as a mom in this league since Day 1,” said McDonald, who last week announced her second pregnancy.

    McDonald said that back in 2012, she trained up until two weeks before giving birth; it wasn’t until last year that players in the league were guaranteed paid maternity leave. Arizona State’s Thorne told the AP she once returned to work just two days after giving birth.

    “We’re light years ahead of where we were, you know, 20-some years ago in terms of people understanding that they have to support women’s rights,” Thorne said. Still, “there is pressure on you as the athlete, as the coach, as that person, that woman either starting their family or having kids, to get back to their job” soon after giving birth.

    Under the WNBA’s most recent collective bargaining agreement, which was ratified in 2020, league members receive their full salary while on maternity leave, though each player has to individually negotiate the length of her leave. During the season, players with children under 13 can receive up to $5,000 a year for child care, and a paid-for two-bedroom apartment.

    A small number of elite, veteran athletes who have played eight or more seasons can be reimbursed up to $20,000 per year for costs directly related to adoption, surrogacy, egg freezing or other fertility treatments. Per player, the amount is capped at a total of $60,000. Compared to other industries, this is a progressive offering that is inclusive of LGBTQ+ athletes.

    “We’ve made strides and everything,” Thorne said, but she added that the leagues still have a long way to go to support athletes who become mothers.

    “There’s always this little asterisk, that it has to be after your eighth year of service to get” fertility benefits, said four-time WNBA All-Star Breanna Stewart, who plays for the New York Liberty and has a 2-year-old daughter with her wife. Stewart’s wife is pregnant with their second child now.

    Stewart said child care stipends aren’t dispensed freely without requiring something in return: She said she and other players have to submit itemized receipts for such necessities as diapers and babysitters. “If you don’t go to them, they don’t give it to you,” Stewart said. “You have to go and send invoices and it’s a little bit more complicated than it seems.”

    Facing these challenges, many women in sports, like Brondello, decide to have kids after they retire — or to forgo parenthood altogether.

    “Female athletes shouldn’t have to give up motherhood because they want to be an athlete,” said Dr. Kathryn Ackerman, a sports medicine physician based in Boston and the co-chair of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee’s women’s health task force.

    Ackerman said there’s a fear that when female athletes become parents, they may not value being an athlete as much. She said that is a fallacy.

    The record books are replete with examples of female athletes who became parents and continued to perform at the highest level.

    Former tennis star Serena Williams famously won a grand slam when she was about eight weeks pregnant. Professional swimmers, runners and basketball players have all competed while pregnant: Beach volleyball player Kerri Walsh Jennings even won Olympic medals.

    Mothers “often are better athletes because they learn how to manage their time better, they understand their bodies better,” Ackerman said. “And they may be peaking even later in life.”

    ___

    AP Basketball Writer Doug Feinberg in New York contributed to this report.

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  • Pay per wave: Native Hawaiians divided over artificial surf lagoon in the birthplace of surfing

    Pay per wave: Native Hawaiians divided over artificial surf lagoon in the birthplace of surfing

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    EWA BEACH, Hawaii — Brian Keaulana is the quintessential Native Hawaiian waterman, well-known in Hawaii and beyond for his deep understanding of the ocean, gifted with surfing and lifeguarding skills passed down from his big-wave rider father.

    Now, as one of the islands’ standard-bearers of surfing, Keaulana wants to further boost the sport in his homeland by building an artificial wave pool just down the road from the beach — a spot where competitive surfers could always be guaranteed the perfect breaks that are sometimes elusive in nature.

    The bold proposal has made waves in Hawaii, particularly among some Native Hawaiians, and raised questions about how a modern-day sport followed by millions worldwide fits into the cultural legacy of islanders who have been riding waves for millennia.

    The project has landed in court and reflects the unease some Native Hawaiians feel about the commercialization of what long has been a cultural touchstone.

    “They’re profiting off a cultural practice by controlling it by making these wave pools, which are going to destroy the actual beach that is nearby,” said Healani Sonoda-Pale, a plaintiff in a civil case seeking to stop the wave pool. “I cannot speak for other Hawaiians. All I can I say is as a Hawaiian … it goes against my culture.”

    Surfer and writer Mindy Pennybacker said the controversy highlights a struggle over how to balance tradition with a booming sport. In researching her book, “Surfing Sisterhood Hawai‘i: Women Reclaiming the Waves,” she learned of creative ways Hawaiians compensated when there was no surf, including finding standing river waves or sledding down hillsides.

    She also sees how wave pools help athletes improve, noting a World Surf League championship tour competition over Memorial Day weekend at a California wave pool developed by pro surfer Kelly Slater.

    “The beauty of surfing, and the frustration of surfing at the recreational and competitive level, remains the unpredictability and how surfers have to have the reflexes to deal with changing conditions,” she said.

    The lawsuit — filed in state environmental court by a group of Hawaiians and residents near the proposed site — alleges the 7 million-gallon (26-million liter) artificial pool would damage nearshore limu, or seaweed, and desecrate iwi kupuna, or ancient Hawaiian remains.

    Bidding to halt the project, the lawsuit challenges the Hawaii Community Development Authority’s approval and finding that it will have no significant environmental impacts. The development authority and the state attorney general’s office declined to comment on the lawsuit, which seeks a new environmental review.

    A hearing is set for July and it’s not clear when a judge might rule.

    Sonoda-Pale pointed out that the artificial lagoon would be 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) from a beach called White Plains, long a popular surf spot.

    A wave pool recently opened nearby and opponents say another one is unnecessary and a waste of water. But Keaulana remains committed, noting ocean conditions aren’t always ideal for learning how to surf or save lives.

    One recent afternoon, no one was surfing at Makaha beach in west Oahu, where Keaulana grew up. Conditions were too calm despite Makaha’s world-famous reputation for its ferocious shore break.

    “The ocean is the greatest treasure that we have,” he said, but “it can be flat. It can be big. It can be dirty. It can have, you know, sharks here and there.”

    He worries Hawaii’s Olympic surfing hopefuls are at a disadvantage to competitors who can easily train at one of several surf parks worldwide. A wave pool allows for more time on a surfboard in an hour than most surfers get in the ocean in a week, he said.

    “You see these surfers going to these surf parks and catching wave after wave and they are honing their skills and then they go into the ocean when there’s a swell,” he said. “Boom. They’re already primed and ready.”

    Using the latest technology, the facility would simulate ideal conditions needed to keep top surfers competitive and serve as a “life-saving lab” for teaching safety skills in a controlled setting, he said.

    His business partner, Keno Knieriem, said waves can be customized with a tap on a tablet, noting an electromechanical system would use panels to generate up to 1,000 waves per hour, mimicking ocean swells up to 8 feet (2.4 meters) high. Some 80 surfers could work different waves simultaneously: barrelling waves, big waves, kid-friendly waves, Knieriem said.

    “That would be sick,” professional surfer Sheldon Paishon said of the details. He grew up surfing at Makaha and now surfs all over the world, and has trained at the Slater wave pool and a Texas one. “When the waves are small … we could go there and do our thing.”

    Ikaika Kaulukukui, surf operations manager for the exisiting wave pool at a facility called Wai Kai, said it has improved his surfing.

    “Everyone comes to Hawaii for you know, big winter waves, like we’re … the mecca for big-wave surfing … but that’s not gonna be here … every day,” he said.

    Sonoda-Pale, who calls herself a water protector, questioned whether a wave pool is really necessary to excel at surfing. While she surfed in her youth, she’s no longer an active surfer.

    “I know as a cultural practice that from our histories, when the surf was up, families would drop everything they’re doing and go out and surf,” she said. “So, the timeline of when to surf, when it is a good time to surf … was made by nature, was made by Kanaloa,” she added, referring to the Hawaiian ocean god.

    Knieriem said the project would incorporate water conservation and off-the-grid electricity and feature native plants in its landscaping. Keaulana said a vacant tract in an area outside Honolulu known as Kalaeloa was selected because it wasn’t pristine and had been used as an aircraft engine test site for the U.S. military.

    Besides a surf lagoon, the 19-acre (7.6-hectare) site also would feature rock climbing, beach volleyball, skateboarding and other activities. The proposed facility is eyeing a summer 2024 opening, though it’s not clear how the lawsuit could affect the timeline.

    “We’ve met with a number of Hawaiian cultural advisors and conducted extensive archaeological and environmental studies to ensure that we protect and mālama the site,” said a company statement online, using the Hawaiian word that can mean “to take care of.”

    Keaulana said he’s hopeful differences can be worked out with hooponopono, a traditional, culture-based form of mediation. Project opponents say they are open to such a meeting.

    “I’m more disappointed in myself. I felt — and we felt — that we’ve pretty much tried to do everything possible,” Keaulana said of concerns about the project. “I just feel to be Hawaiian is to meet up and work your differences and problems out.”

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  • Venezuela hosts event of sports, table games and geopolitics

    Venezuela hosts event of sports, table games and geopolitics

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    CARACAS, Venezuela — Manuel Diaz dreams of representing Venezuela in the Olympics but thinks he needs to improve his times and get more international experience. So he is among dozens of swimmers competing in a multi-sport event being put on by Venezuela this month that is part athletics and part geopolitics.

    The 16-year-old Diaz will swim the 200-meter individual medley and 200-meter butterfly for the experience more than to earn any medal at the fifth edition of the Alba Games, whose participants represent Latin American and Caribbean nations in the left-leaning Alba alliance and this year’s guest country, Russia.

    “For us, it’s more like political games. They are more, hmm, among countries, hmm, you understand me?” Diaz said Saturday, standing by a pool and hesitantly moving his hands back and forth. “For me, it is an opportunity to swim in the best pool in the country and lower my times.”

    Hundreds of people from 11 countries are participating in 33 events, among them boxing, gymnastics, bodybuilding, swimming, chess and dominoes. None of their victories will get them a step closer to the 2024 Olympics, though, because they are purely exhibition competitions.

    And like it or not, the entrants are participating in a geopolitical game.

    They come from Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Lucia, Bolivia, Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua and Russia. The last four are allies and have authoritarian governments.

    The competition had not taken place since 2011. Even as the games restart, this year’s host, Venezuela, continues to struggle with a complex economic, social and political crisis that has pushed millions to migrate and forced those who have not left, including teachers and utility workers, to live off of a $5 monthly minimum wage.

    This is the third time that Venezuela has been host and the first under the government of President Nicolas Maduro, who is working to regain the international recognition he lost when his 2018 re-election was deemed a sham by dozens of countries.

    Simon Chadwick, sports and geopolitical economy professor at the Skema Business School in France, said sports have quickly “become an instrument of policy or strategy” that governments deploy “as a response to the geographic, political and economic challenges” they face.

    “Sport may be used in attempts to generate a positive economic impact, it might be used to project soft power, or it can be used to put a country’s natural resource assets to productive use,” he said. “However, unfortunately, there are still elements of whimsy, conspicuous consumption, corruption and bellicose posturing behind some event hosting decisions.”

    Unlike at official international tournaments since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Russian athletes are being allowed to use their country’s name, flag and anthem. They will participate in boxing, beach volleyball, weightlifting, gymnastics, table tennis and karate competitions.

    More than 30 people walked behind the Russian flag during the opening ceremony Friday at a Caribbean-facing baseball stadium and received a standing ovation at the request of the emcee, who described the group as a “delegation of resistance to the world.” Their supporters sat behind first base and waved flags.

    Virtually everyone in the stands during the ceremony was Venezuelan. A significant number were supporters of the governing United Socialist Party of Venezuela and public employees still in uniform. Military cadets who had swapped uniforms for jeans and white T-shirts arrived in a truck.

    Also attendering were area residents who wanted to meet attendance quotas to keep receiving government benefits like subsidized food. Just as at pro-government demonstrations, neighborhood leaders passed around sheets of paper or notebooks for people to enter their names and other personal information. Some leaders handed out meal containers holding spaghetti and others distributed hotdogs delivered in big trash bags.

    “A friend invited me, and I came without knowing anything,” Carolina Barcelo, 19, said.

    On Saturday, the stands around the outdoor pool in Caracas were practically empty when swimming competitions began. Organizers paused the event after a race and began inspecting cables by the pool. A trainer said there was a problem with a speaker on a starting block, but a swimmer attributed the pause to touchpads not working.

    While that was sorted out, Jose Gonzalez and other swimmers sat under a tent by the pool. Gonzalez, 24, was first selected to Nicaragua’s swimming team in 2017 and planned to participate in at least four races in the Alba Games, including 50-meter butterfly and 100-meter freestyle.

    He said he sees the games only as an opportunity to assess if he has improved over time and does not consider the politics.

    “For me, sports and politics are two very different things,” Gonzalez said. “I believe that they are opportunities that should be taken advantage of and not related to or clouded by conflicts.”

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  • Venezuela hosts event of sports, table games and geopolitics

    Venezuela hosts event of sports, table games and geopolitics

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    CARACAS, Venezuela — Manuel Diaz dreams of representing Venezuela in the Olympics but thinks he needs to improve his times and get more international experience. So he is among dozens of swimmers competing in a multi-sport event being put on by Venezuela this month that is part athletics and part geopolitics.

    The 16-year-old Diaz will swim the 200-meter individual medley and 200-meter butterfly for the experience more than to earn any medal at the fifth edition of the Alba Games, whose participants represent Latin American and Caribbean nations in the left-leaning Alba alliance and this year’s guest country, Russia.

    “For us, it’s more like political games. They are more, hmm, among countries, hmm, you understand me?” Diaz said Saturday, standing by a pool and hesitantly moving his hands back and forth. “For me, it is an opportunity to swim in the best pool in the country and lower my times.”

    Hundreds of people from 11 countries are participating in 33 events, among them boxing, gymnastics, bodybuilding, swimming, chess and dominoes. None of their victories will get them a step closer to the 2024 Olympics, though, because they are purely exhibition competitions.

    And like it or not, the entrants are participating in a geopolitical game.

    They come from Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Lucia, Bolivia, Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua and Russia. The last four are allies and have authoritarian governments.

    The competition had not taken place since 2011. Even as the games restart, this year’s host, Venezuela, continues to struggle with a complex economic, social and political crisis that has pushed millions to migrate and forced those who have not left, including teachers and utility workers, to live off of a $5 monthly minimum wage.

    This is the third time that Venezuela has been host and the first under the government of President Nicolas Maduro, who is working to regain the international recognition he lost when his 2018 re-election was deemed a sham by dozens of countries.

    Simon Chadwick, sports and geopolitical economy professor at the Skema Business School in France, said sports have quickly “become an instrument of policy or strategy” that governments deploy “as a response to the geographic, political and economic challenges” they face.

    “Sport may be used in attempts to generate a positive economic impact, it might be used to project soft power, or it can be used to put a country’s natural resource assets to productive use,” he said. “However, unfortunately, there are still elements of whimsy, conspicuous consumption, corruption and bellicose posturing behind some event hosting decisions.”

    Unlike at official international tournaments since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Russian athletes are being allowed to use their country’s name, flag and anthem. They will participate in boxing, beach volleyball, weightlifting, gymnastics, table tennis and karate competitions.

    More than 30 people walked behind the Russian flag during the opening ceremony Friday at a Caribbean-facing baseball stadium and received a standing ovation at the request of the emcee, who described the group as a “delegation of resistance to the world.” Their supporters sat behind first base and waved flags.

    Virtually everyone in the stands during the ceremony was Venezuelan. A significant number were supporters of the governing United Socialist Party of Venezuela and public employees still in uniform. Military cadets who had swapped uniforms for jeans and white T-shirts arrived in a truck.

    Also attendering were area residents who wanted to meet attendance quotas to keep receiving government benefits like subsidized food. Just as at pro-government demonstrations, neighborhood leaders passed around sheets of paper or notebooks for people to enter their names and other personal information. Some leaders handed out meal containers holding spaghetti and others distributed hotdogs delivered in big trash bags.

    “A friend invited me, and I came without knowing anything,” Carolina Barcelo, 19, said.

    On Saturday, the stands around the outdoor pool in Caracas were practically empty when swimming competitions began. Organizers paused the event after a race and began inspecting cables by the pool. A trainer said there was a problem with a speaker on a starting block, but a swimmer attributed the pause to touchpads not working.

    While that was sorted out, Jose Gonzalez and other swimmers sat under a tent by the pool. Gonzalez, 24, was first selected to Nicaragua’s swimming team in 2017 and planned to participate in at least four races in the Alba Games, including 50-meter butterfly and 100-meter freestyle.

    He said he sees the games only as an opportunity to assess if he has improved over time and does not consider the politics.

    “For me, sports and politics are two very different things,” Gonzalez said. “I believe that they are opportunities that should be taken advantage of and not related to or clouded by conflicts.”

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  • New this week: ‘Rye Lane,’ ‘Tetris,’ ‘Riverdale’ and Chlöe

    New this week: ‘Rye Lane,’ ‘Tetris,’ ‘Riverdale’ and Chlöe

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    From the compelling backstory of how “Tetris” became a cultural juggernaut to a return to “Riverdale,” here’s a collection curated by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists of what’s arriving on TV, streaming services and music and video game platforms this week.

    NEW MOVIES TO STREAM

    — Romantic comedy fans would do well to make an evening around “Rye Lane,” a Sundance Film Festival breakout that arrives on Hulu on Friday. The 80-minute charmer follows 20-somethings Dom (“Industry’s” David Jonsson), sensitive and a little uptight, and Yas (Vivian Oparah), a lively free spirit, on one eventful day in South London. When they meet, they are strangers who are reeling from bad breakups and appear to be polar opposites. The feature debut of director Raine Allen-Miller and writers Tom Melia and Nathan Byron, “Rye Lane” has garnered comparisons to Richard Curtis in his heyday and had critics singing about Jonsson and Oparah’s terrific chemistry its freshness.

    — “Tetris,” a new film coming to Apple TV+ on Friday, explores the wild origin story of how one of the most popular video games of all time reached the world from its Soviet beginnings. Taron Egerton, sporting a Ted Lasso mustache, plays Henk Rogers, the American who secured the rights to distribute it globally from the Soviets and, specifically, Alexey Pajitnov, the Russian computer engineer who created the addictive block puzzle. Directed by Jon S. Baird, the film takes quite a few liberties with the truth to create suspenseful, comedic, Cold War-era thriller.

    — With over $2.3 billion grossed at the box office, there’s a good chance you (and everyone you know) has already seen “Avatar: The Way of Water,” James Cameron’s 13-years-in-the-making, $350 million, 3-hour-long spectacle that won over critics and audiences alike, despite over a decade of jokes about its cultural irrelevance. Now after months of playing in theaters only, you can finally bring Pandora to your living room. Starting Tuesday, it’ll be available to purchase digitally (its Disney+ release date has yet to be announced). The film left this critic (a self-proclaimed “Avatar” agnostic) dazzled and floating on a blockbuster high. But a big question remains: Will it have the same impact on the small screen?

    — AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr

    NEW MUSIC TO STREAM

    — When Joni Mitchell was celebrated with the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, the event was by invitation only. Now PBS is inviting you to watch a recording of that night from earlier this month. It airs Friday and features James Taylor, Brandi Carlile, Annie Lennox, Herbie Hancock, Cyndi Lauper, Marcus Mumford, Graham Nash, Diana Krall, Lucius and Angelique Kidjo. Mitchell will sing George Gershwin’s “Porgy and Bess.”

    — Chlöe — the elder half of Chloe x Halle — is releasing her solo debut, “In Pieces,” on Friday. The 14-track album has features by Chris Brown (on ”How Does It Feel”), Missy Elliott (on “Told Ya”) and Future (on “Cheatback”). The cover art depicts Chlöe holding a colorful, crystalline version of her heart. “I hope this project brings healing to those who listen, as it’s been completely therapeutic for me,” she wrote on social media. In the single, “Pray It Away” she sings “I lost my halo/My halo is gone.”

    — AP Entertainment Writer Mark Kennedy

    NEW TELEVISION TO STREAM

    — A new docuseries on Fuse tackles issues surrounding women in sports including mental health, gender, race, social stigmas, and body image. “Like A Girl” is hosted by former college basketball player and designer Bejia Velez. Female athletes featured include Paralympic swimmer Anastasia Pagonis, beach volleyball player April Ross, who is a three-time Olympic medalist, and a skateboarder from Jersey City, New Jersey named Jennifer Soto. “Like a Girl” debuts Wednesday on Fuse.

    — “Riverdale” returns for its final season Wednesday on the CW. Season seven begins with Archie, Veronica, Betty, Jughead and the rest of the gang transported back to the age of sock hops, swing skirts, cardigan sweaters and milkshakes in 1955. Jughead is the only one who remembers where they came from and works to convince his friends that they need to get back to their former lives. Like the previous “Riverdale” seasons, the last episodes will also feature a murder mystery.

    — “The Big Door Prize” is a new series on Apple TV+ that’s a blend of sci-fi, comedy and heart. A mysterious machine that can reveal people’s true purpose in life appears in a local drug store and turns a small-town upside down. Some view the machine’s revelations as a push in the right direction and freedom to live out fantasies. Others feel defensive or let down by what the machine says. The series stars Chris O’Dowd (“Bridesmaids”) in a charming and delightfully silly role — but each episode also focuses on a different character’s reaction to their personal prediction by the machine. The show is based on the novel by M.O. Walsh and debuts Wednesday.

    — Alicia Rancilio

    NEW GAMES TO PLAY

    — Major League Baseball is always looking for ways to reach a younger audience. Which may explain why Jazz Chisholm Jr. — an appealing yet unproven young outfielder for the Miami Marlins — is on the cover of MLB The Show 23. On the other hand, the most intriguing new feature of the annual baseball sim may be more appealing to old-timers: a mode celebrating heroes of the Negro Leagues like Satchel Paige and Buck O’Neil. The just-concluded World Baseball Classic tournament is also part of this year’s lineup. As usual, Sony’s San Diego Studio has spent the offseason tinkering with game mechanics and graphics, most dramatically by giving you the ability to scan your own face onto a player. The Show 23 steps up to the plate Tuesday on PlayStation 5/4, Xbox X/S/One and Nintendo Switch.

    — Lou Kesten

    ___

    Catch up on AP’s entertainment coverage here: https://apnews.com/apf-entertainment.

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  • LakePoint Sports to Host Sold-Out ‘Old Hickory Elite Weekend’ Featuring Nation’s Elite Travel Athletes

    LakePoint Sports to Host Sold-Out ‘Old Hickory Elite Weekend’ Featuring Nation’s Elite Travel Athletes

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    Prep Baseball Report’s National Program Invitational headlines the weekend featuring top baseball prospects.

    Press Release
    –

    Jun 7, 2022


    ATLANTA, June 7, 2022 (Newswire.com)
    –
    LakePoint Sports, the nation’s premier travel and youth sports destination, is partnering with Old Hickory to host the “Old Hickory Elite Weekend,” featuring elite, top-tier competition in baseball, beach volleyball, soccer and basketball. Pro scouts and college coaches are eager to see the level of competition on the LakePoint Sports campus.

    The weekend’s excitement features something for all guests, including live music courtesy of a DJ, partner promotions, food and beverage specials and live broadcasts from 680 the Fan, the best sports talk radio station in the southeast and the flagship station of the Atlanta Braves. As the title partner of the Elite Weekend, Old Hickory will be running product demos, distributing giveaways and raffling off a bat signed by four-time MLB MVP and Old Hickory endorser Mike Trout. 

    “We are thrilled to partner with LakePoint Sports for the ‘Old Hickory Elite Weekend,’” said Travis Copley, VP of sales and marketing for Old Hickory. “We have been a partner with LakePoint since 2020 and regularly exceed our business objectives. Being the title partner of the Elite Weekend allows us to get our product in the hands of the best travel baseball players in the country who will participate in Prep Baseball Report’s National Program Invitational. We expect several of these players to be in the Major League, hitting the best bats in the business.”

    “We succeed when our partners surpass their business objectives,” said Greg Barckhoff, executive vice president, partnerships and marketing at LakePoint Sports. “We are thrilled to see Old Hickory expand its partnership with LakePoint and be the title partner for the ‘Old Hickory Elite Weekend.’” 

    The LakePoint Sports Baseball Village will host Prep Baseball Report’s (PBR), the country’s leading and most respected scouting service for amateur baseball, National Program Invitational (NPI), an invite-only event featuring the best travel high school baseball teams and players in the nation. Teams and players from as far away as California, Texas and New York will showcase their talents in front of hundreds of pro scouts and college coaches starting Thursday, June 9.

    “While the nation’s top baseball prospects are the focal point this weekend,” stated David Pate, director of marketing at LakePoint Sports. “We are excited to host athletes and families from a variety of other sports, including beach volleyball, basketball and soccer.”

    Beach volleyball athletes and fans will descend upon the LakePoint Beach Pavilion for the sold-out Rally Volleyball Georgia Sand Classic starting Saturday. Top teams from across the southeast will compete in pool play all day Saturday and Sunday morning before playoffs begin Sunday afternoon.

    The LakePoint Champions Center will be packed with guests as all 12 basketball courts will see competition from the rising generation of basketball stars in the RYZE Hoops Junior June Jamboree. The tournament will feature Georgia’s best 10- to 14-year-old players. 

    All four venues will be in action for the sold-out weekend, with the Multi-purpose Fields Complex playing host to soccer’s rising stars competing in the Southeastern Club Champions League. For many of those players, it will be the first time competing on the newly renovated fields. 

    “Demand to compete at LakePoint Sports has been at a fever pitch,” said Pate. “The ‘Old Hickory Elite Weekend’ is the third of six sold-out Champions Weekend of the year. We are excited to partner with a great brand like Old Hickory, which is kicking off the first of three Champions Weekends this summer and creating lifelong memories for all guests on campus, one experience, one game and one guest at a time.”

    Fans, scouts, coaches, and media who cannot make it to campus can catch all the action via LakePoint Live, powered by PlaySight. LakePoint Live features more than 130 HD cameras across campus, with over 70 cameras in the Champions Center and 56 cameras across all eight major league-sized baseball fields (seven cameras per field) and multiple angles by court or field to catch the live action or download for viewing it later. For details, check out LakePointSports.com/LakePoint-Live. 

    To learn more about LakePoint Sports or the “Old Hickory Elite Weekend,” please visit LakePointSports.com.

    Media Contact: pr@lakepointsports.com

    ###

    About LakePoint Sports
    LakePoint Sports, the premier travel and youth sports destination in the country, serves athletes in more than 30 sports year-round, including baseball, basketball, volleyball, soccer, lacrosse, gymnastics and cheer. Based in the greater Atlanta area, the 1,300-acre LakePoint Sports campus features the 170,000-square-foot Champions Center with the world’s largest continuous wood floor where 12 full-court basketball games or 24 full-court volleyball games can play at once. Additionally, the campus includes eight Major League-sized baseball fields and three multi-use fields for soccer, lacrosse, rugby and football, as well as a 10-court beach volleyball pavilion and a three-lake wakeboarding park. LakePoint Sports is the flagship campus for Prep Baseball Report (PBR) and offers live streaming and video-on-demand capabilities, serving as the global testing site for PlaySight Interactive. For more information, visit LakePointSports.com.

    Source: LakePoint Sports

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