Tatsuki Machida leads Skate America over Jeremy Abbott, Jason Brown

By Nick ZaccardiOct 24, 2014, 10:59 PM EDT

Japan’s Tatsuki Machida topped both U.S. Olympians in the Skate America short program in Hoffman Estates, Ill., on Friday night. He can become the first repeat men’s champion at the Grand Prix series event in 13 years on Saturday.

Machida, who was fifth at the Sochi Olympics and second at the World Championships in March, landed all of his jumps cleanly — unlike the other leading men — and scored 93.39 points.

The four-time U.S. champion Jeremy Abbott turned out of his triple Axel landing and scored 81.82 points for second place. Abbott, 29, skated with facial hair, wearing a tie and to Sam Smith‘s “Lay Me Down,” accompanied by Smith’s vocal lyrics, allowed under a new rule this season.

Jason Brown fell on his opening triple Axel and scored 79.75 points for third place. Brown, 19, won his first senior international competition in Germany last month after placing ninth at the Sochi Olympics.

Sochi Olympic bronze medalist Denis Ten of Kazakhstan fell on his opening quadruple jump, and into the Sears Centre boards. He’s in fourth with 77.18 points.

The last man to win two straight Skate America titles was American Tim Goebel in 2000 and 2001. Goebel won Olympic bronze in 2002.

A Japanese man won Skate America seven of the previous nine years. Vancouver Olympic gold medalist Evan Lysacek was the only American men’s champ in that stretch, in 2009.

Earlier, U.S. Olympians Madison Chock and Evan Bates took the ice dance lead with 68.96 points in the short dance. Sochi teammates Maia and Alex Shibutani were second with 64.14.

The Sochi Olympic ice dance gold and silver medalists — Americans Meryl Davis and Charlie White and Canadians Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir — are taking the season off. The Sochi bronze medalists and fourth-place couple are also not skating together this season.

Chock and Bates and the Shibutani siblings were eighth and ninth, respectively, in Sochi.

Skate America continues Saturday with the pairs short program (1 p.m. ET), women’s short program (2:30), free dance (8) and men’s free skate (9:30).

NBC will air coverage of the women’s free skate Sunday (4-6 ET).

Johnny Weir, Tara Lipinski preview Skate America

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Tatsuki Machida just rocked Skate America. The bird flies grandly…🇯🇵

— Johnny Weir (@JohnnyGWeir) October 25, 2014

Ukraine officials say athletes should not compete in Olympic qualifiers with Russians

By OlympicTalkMar 31, 2023, 9:11 AM EDT

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The Ukraine government decided that its athletes should not compete in 2024 Olympic qualifying events if Russians are present, according to several media reports in Ukraine.

“At a meeting of the government, a protocol decision was made on the proposal of colleague (sports minister Vadym) Guttsait that we take part in qualifying competitions only where there are no Russians,” government minister Oleh Nemchinov said Thursday, according to a Reuters translation of a Ukraine public broadcaster report. “Accordingly, participation outside these criteria may be grounds for depriving federations of their national status.”

A decision has not been published on the Ukraine government website.

Guttsait is also the president of Ukraine’s National Olympic Committee. A message was sent to the committee late Thursday seeking comment.

On Tuesday, the IOC updated its recommendations for the possible participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes in international competition. Previously, the IOC recommended no Russians or Belarusians be allowed to compete.

Tuesday’s update called for strict measures should international sports federations decide to readmit Russians and Belarusians who do not actively support the war as neutral athletes in individual events.

“I want to tell our fellow athletes who are worried that due to the IOC measures and the admission of Russians or Belarusians to competitions, and accordingly Ukrainians will not be able to participate, that their careers will be broken,” Nemchinov said, according to the Reuters translation of the public broadcaster report. “But your life and that of your children will remain.”

The International Fencing Federation (FIE) decided earlier in March that it planned to readmit Russians and Belarusians starting in the second half of April, which is also when the 2024 Olympic qualifying period begins in that sport.

Most other international federations for Olympic sports are so far still barring Russians and Belarusians. Some have said they are considering the IOC’s updated recommendations as they monitor their positions.

After Nemchinov’s reported comments, the Ukraine fencing federation press secretary said late Thursday that its fencers will not compete against Russians.

“Ukrainian fencers will not only refuse to compete against Russian and Belarusian athletes but will not participate in events of any level where Russian or Belarusian athletes will be competing,” the press secretary said in an email.

Ukraine won at least one fencing medal at each of the last five Olympics.

“We are all professionals, and if I will fence, which can be or cannot, I think I will be professional,” Ukrainian fencer Olga Kharlan, a four-time Olympic medalist and a four-time individual world champion, said Wednesday regarding a possible boycott. “As a Ukrainian citizen, it’s tough to even imagine how to stand next to [Russians], to know that they’re supporting or they’re in silence and we haven’t heard any word from them or we know that they represent army that’s shelling Ukraine every day.”

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Wimbledon reverses ban on Russia, Belarus tennis players

Associated PressMar 31, 2023, 8:30 AM EDT

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Russian and Belarusian players will be able to compete at Wimbledon as neutral athletes after the All England Club on Friday reversed its ban from last year.

The players must sign declarations of neutrality and comply with “appropriate conditions,” including not expressing support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“This was an incredibly difficult decision, not taken lightly or without a great deal of consideration for those who will be impacted,” All England Club chairman Ian Hewitt said in a statement.

The players cannot receive funding from the Russian or Belarusian states, including sponsorship from companies operated or controlled by the states.

Those impacted include Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus and Russian players Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev.

Other tennis tournaments have allowed Russian and Belarusian players to compete as neutral athletes.

“We also consider alignment between the Grand Slams to be increasingly important in the current tennis environment,” the club said.

The same conditions will apply for Lawn Tennis Association tournaments used by players as grass-court warmups for the sport’s oldest Grand Slam tournament.

The women’s and men’s professional tennis tours last year imposed heavy fines on the LTA and threatened to pull its tournaments. The ATP and WTA had also responded to last year’s ban by not awarding ranking points for Wimbledon — an unprecedented move against the prestigious event.

“There was a strong and very disappointing reaction from some governing bodies in tennis to the position taken by the All England Club and the LTA last year with consequences which, if continued, would be damaging to the interests of players, fans, The Championships and British tennis,” the club said.

This year’s Wimbledon tournament will start on July 3. The women’s final is scheduled for July 15 and the men’s final on July 16.

The All England Club said the conditions were developed through talks with the British government, the LTA and “international stakeholder bodies in tennis.”

The club’s statement described “personal player declarations” but didn’t provide details. The LTA said the players and support staff “will be required to sign neutrality declarations” similar to those used in other sports.

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