Newspack’s Post

Why the Paris pool is holding swimmers back and hampering Olympic records | Paris 2024 Olympic Games Léon Marchand will never be 24 again, the age of the heyday of middle-distance swimmers. Nor will he have his fans waiting for him in a hall full of 17,000 fans to pump him up like they are these days at La Défense. The zenith of the French hero is now. Now is when he intended to set his marks in stone and break the absolute record for the 400-metre medley. But there is a problem. It cannot be now because the pool that the Paris Games organisers ordered to be built is not deep enough: 2.20 metres compared to the 2.50 metres that the international federation has imposed as a minimum from 2023. Two spans that represent an immensity in a sport that discriminates between the good and the fabulous in hundredths of a second. The physics of fluids conspires against Marchand and against the fifteen or so swimmers who entered this championship with times bordering on world records. “You have to find depth to reduce the resistance produced by the waves on the surface,” explains Raúl Arellano, a biomechanical specialist in charge of the laboratory at the University of Granada, one of the centres that has most studied the phenomenon that enables elite swimmers to propel themselves. “When they do the underwater swimming phase at the start and during the turns, swimmers generate vortices with the undulation of their body,” he says. “These vortices are rotational flows, similar to a wave, that push swimmers and produce their maximum energy when they are done in sufficiently wide areas. But if you get too close to the bottom or the surface, these vortices are less efficient. Swimmers go down more than a metre and a half. If the pool is 2.5 metres deep, you still have a metre below. In Paris, the distance from the bottom has been reduced.” When a swimmer wants to go under 4 minutes in the 400-meter medley, which is an epic time, all these details have an impact. As it is a distance of 400 meters, this is amplified because the best swimmers can advance up to 100 meters underwater, 15 meters for every 50. Marchand was affected in a decisive way because he is a swimmer who uses the underwater phase in an extraordinary way.” After four days of finals, the results point to a sudden drop in speeds. A phenomenon that, with a few exceptions, such as the Australian women’s relay, means that the morning and evening times in practically all the competitions are worse than at the Tokyo 2021 Games and the Fukuoka 2023 World Championships, or that swimmers such as David Popovici, the first man to swim the 200-metre freestyle in 1m 42 seconds in a textile swimsuit, won gold on Monday with a time of 1m 44.72s. A time that would not have been enough to win any Olympic championship since Sydney 2000. As poor as the time in the 100 breaststroke final, settled by the eight participants in the 59-second range, when in Tokyo they all went under 59s and Peaty took gold with 57...

🏊♂️💦 The Seine River - is it fit for Olympic glory? As we gear up for the Paris Olympics, all eyes are on more than just the athletes; the iconic Seine River itself is under scrutiny. Why? A recent hiccup where the Olympic triathlon practice swim was cancelled due to concerns over water quality has sparked a city-wide effort to purify this historic river. From personal experience, swimming in open water can be exhilarating yet nerve-wracking, depending on the cleanliness of the water. It’s not just about athletic performance but also about ensuring the health and safety of the athletes. 🌍👩⚕️ 📊 Did you know that major efforts are being taken to ensure that the Seine's water quality meets stringent standards? It's a massive undertaking reflecting how environmental aspects are crucial in sports today. 💬 What are your thoughts on the importance of environmental health in hosting global sports events? Have you ever faced issues like this in your athletic or professional endeavors? Let's chat about how we can promote sustainability in sports. 🌐🌿 #ParisOlympics #SustainabilityInSports #EnvironmentalHealth #Triathlon #SeineRiver Discover more tips, insights, and resources by visiting our site at https://lnkd.in/gKZH9STi

Today’s scheduled paralympic triathlon events were postponed to tomorrow, and given the poor water quality results, it was undoubtedly the right call. But what does tomorrow look like based on today’s tests? Unfortunately, while there's some improvement, the situation remains concerning. This morning at 9am, E.coli levels at the Alexandre III bridge in Paris, the Olympic venue for the Paratriathlon, recorded 868 E.coli/100 mL (planktonic count)—just under the World Triathlon's threshold of 1000. However, the river is still heavily contaminated with E.coli-rich fecal particles, which aren’t detected by standard testing methods. Factoring these in raises the comprehensive E.coli count to 2119 E.coli/100 mL—more than twice the acceptable limit—indicating potentially unsafe conditions. Moreover, the Seine and Marne rivers just outside of Paris are also highly polluted. At Alfortville, just upstream of their confluence, the Seine measured 1356 (planktonic) and 11,000 (comprehensive) E.coli/100 mL, while the smaller Marne river measured 565 (planktonic) and 2119 (comprehensive) E.coli/100 mL. This suggests ongoing pollution from upstream sewer overflows, primarily affecting the Seine, making cleanup challenging. As we look to tomorrow, there’s a significant risk that the athletes will compete in water that falls within a "gray zone" for safety. We can only hope their immune systems are strong enough to handle it. Stay tuned for further updates as we closely monitor the situation. Watch our data: https://lnkd.in/eXKk24fd #watersafety #triathlon #olympics #ecoli

There is no better way to celebrate Canada than to marvel at our performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics. It was remarkable and historic. With twenty-seven medals, including nine gold medals, Canada set new records surpassing previous highs from the Tokyo 2020 Games and the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. A standing ovation goes out to the athletes and all who support them, including their coaches, agents, sponsors, and the Canadian Olympic Committee. I also want to give a big shout-out to RBC, which also sponsors Chatter That Matters for their #RBCTrainingGround, a talent identification and athlete funding program designed to find young athletes with Olympic potential and provide them with the resources they need to achieve their podium dreams. This isn't a one-off sponsorship but a program that travels the country searching for athletes between the ages of 14 and 25 that will fuel the Canadian Olympic pipeline. Here are the RBC Training Ground alumni who competed. Abby Dent (Rowing) Avalon Wasteneys, OLY (Rowing) Carissa Norsten (Rugby) Chloe Daniels (Rugby) Fancy Bermudez (Rugby) Jackie Boyle (Cycling) Jerome Blake OLY (Athletics) Kelsey Mitchell (Cycling) Krissy Scurfield, OLY (Rugby) Kristen Siermachesky (Rowing – Alternate) Laurent Lavigne (Canoe-Kayak) Lauriane Genest (Cycling) Pierce LePage (Athletics) Sarah Orban (Track Cycling) Sophia Jensen (Canoe-Kayak) Teigen Pascual (Cycling ) If you are curious about the backstories behind some athletes who competed, you can listen to these Chatter that Matters Interviews. Each one will move you because of their ability to dream, do, and conquer. If you want more information on RBC Training Ground, start with Avalon, who aspired to be a cross-country ski champion until RBC Training Ground saw her potential as an Olympian Rower. They were right. She now has Gold and Silver Medals. Avalon Wasteneys /Rower - https://lnkd.in/gs3XuF4H Nick Taylor /Golfer - https://lnkd.in/g_gSyH5c Andre De Grasse - https://lnkd.in/g65idiuw Penny Oleksiak - https://lnkd.in/gfK79ET Brooke Henderson - https://lnkd.in/g4uE6pN #chatterthatmatters #olympics #Canada #recordsetting #inspiration #podcast Sam Effah Shannon Cole Mark Soder, MBA, MSA Mark Thomas Georgia Balinsky Mary DePaoli Shelagh McGrogan Caroline Paxton Jacquie Ryan Brian Levine Rowing Canada Aviron Canadian Olympic Foundation Christopher Ronald Kim Mason, ICD.D Jennifer Howard (Reed) Leanne Kaufman Stephen Hewitt Tanis Feasby Jeff Junke Anne Valeri Isabel Tremblay, MBA Jennifer Hilborn Jennifer Publicover Jennifer Marron Marion Thénault (OLY) Sudha Sankar Sarah Seto Amy Cairncross

I love the #Olympics so I thought I'd share 10 Olympic fun facts... Go #TeamUSA! 1. Over 10,000 athletes from 206 different nations and territories will compete in the Games this year. It's actually more than 206 because of the Refugee Olympic Team, which has athletes from lots of places. Team USA has over 500 athletes. 2. There are 329 events across 32 sports, including four sports they're testing out this year: surfing, skateboarding, sport climbing, and breakdancing. 3. Since the first modern Games in 1896, 10 sports have been dropped. They include croquet, polo, lacrosse, motorboating, and tug-of-war. 4. Between the Olympics and Paralympics, around 5,000 medals will be handed out. Each one has over half-an-ounce of iron from the Eiffel Tower mixed in. 5. Around 10,000 different torchbearers have carried the torch over the past three months. It's been winding its way through France since early May. 6. The youngest and oldest athletes this year are both on Team USA. Gymnast Hezly Rivera just turned 16 last month. Steffen Peters will compete in dressage, the fancy horse-dancing event. He's 59, and it's his sixth Olympics. 7. 59% of American adults plan to watch at least some of the events this year. And around four billion people will watch worldwide. 8. 74% of people prefer watching the Olympics live if possible.  9. Tickets to the events this year range in price from $24 all the way up to $980. Tickets to the Opening Ceremony went for as much as $2,700. They're expecting to sell a total of around 10 million tickets. 10. No matter what, no one's passing Team USA on the all-time medals list. Between the Summer and Winter Games, America has 2,975 medals coming into the Games. The Soviet Union is next at 1,204, then Germany at 1,058.

The 2024 Paris Olympics: A Game of Affordability? The latest Statista chart reveals a stark contrast in ticket prices for the Paris 2024 Olympics. While popular sports like athletics, basketball, and swimming boast the most expensive tickets (up to €980!), several outdoor events like race walking, mountain biking, and sailing remain incredibly affordable, with tickets starting at €24. Some of these can even be enjoyed for free along public routes! This pricing strategy raises interesting questions: Accessibility: Is the Olympic spirit truly inclusive when ticket prices create such barriers? Value Proposition: Are premium experiences justifying the high costs? Or is there room for adjustment? Fan Experience: How will the disparity in affordability impact the overall atmosphere and attendance at different events? What are your thoughts on this pricing model? Let's discuss! #Paris2024 #Olympics #TicketPrices #SportsBiz #Affordability

Winning Olympic Gold with a punctured tyre is superhuman! Congratulations to Team GB’s Tom Pidcock, who defended and won the Olympic Gold in Cross-Country Mountain Biking in what I think could be the most spectacular gold in these Olympics. Pidcock went into the 8-lap, 4.4 km race with a commanding 30-second lead in lap 4, and only France’s Koretzky keeping up. Then he gets a puncture which in all cases means the race is over. Yet in this case an Olympic legend unfolds in the last 4 laps. Here is what happened and some great lessons I took away. Pidcock was leading the 4th lap with momentum and looking comfortable. Just before a technical drop, he stopped to avoid any risk, and it turned out to be a great call, as his front tyre was deflating fast and he could have hurt himself. This is my first lesson watching Tom: being totally in the moment and aware of everything around him. The level of presence to ‘feel’ his bike and make a split-second decision that would mean a race and an Olympic dream were over, was decision-making mastery. What happened next was nothing short of brilliant. Pidcock let his mechanics replace his front tyre while he stood there sipping fluids from a bottle like a cool cucumber. He was more relaxed than a retired couple having a stroll in the park on a sunny day. What I took away here is how not to stress about things not in our control, and make the most of what’s possible, and in his case, it was to let his body relax, take in all important fluids, and breathe a little. That was all he could do at that moment and he did it impressively well. Pidcock got on the saddle again in 9th place and 39 seconds behind the leader Koretzky. The 8 riders ahead of him were the best in the world, with Nino Schurter arguably the greatest of all time. But clearly, Pidcock was not thinking about it this way; he just picked the next 8 riders like they were 8 separate races. He only focused on the next step in his control, not all 8 at once. The next 3 laps were an amazing display of focus and discipline to just get to that next step like any good salesperson does in a long sales cycle. Incredibly, Pidccok regained the lead entering the 8th and last lap, with everyone guessing if he had anything left in the tank. Koretzky was leading without pressure for 3 laps, and as expected, his fresh legs allowed him to regain the lead and put a few meters between him and Pidcock, who was trying everything to catch up. Pidcock’s last brilliant move was pure genius. At one point, the trail split around a large tree. Pidccok timed this so well that both riders came out together and almost collided as they re-entered the single track again. The presence of mind to take this calculated risk and throw caution to the air, literally putting everything on the line and executing it precisely was just legendary. The rest was academic as Pidcock went into the last stretch and crossed the finish line in 1hr:26m:22s Congrats Tom and Team GB.

Olympic Flashback: It’s day one of the Olympics. The athletes village is buzzing with excitement and anticipation for the next 16 days. Qualifying events, initial heats, finals, and good old-fashioned waiting around for your competition to start are all part of the experience. Reflecting on an Olympic dream has been a privilege to deliver over the last few decades. To relive that experience is an honor to share with audiences around the world. In August, I’ll have the honor of delivering my personal retrospect in Plano. Adding valuable takeaways is part of the offering. Check out this promo video for The 20… #MarketingStrategy #Storytelling #Olympics2024 #dreamscometrue #accelerategrowth Let’s stay connected Click🔝or 🔔 on my profile

We hope you are enjoying watching the Olympics! If you are curious about some listings in Paris, check out this blog post on Luxury Defined. #Paris #Olympics #QuailWestRealEstate #QuailWestGolfCountryClub #Golf #NaplesFlorida #LuxuryRealEstate #JohnRWoodProperties #Christies #ChristiesInternationalRealEstate #WhereLuxuryLives

With the 2024 Olympic Games upon us, the team at Genova is watching and cheering on our Canadian athletes in Paris. Like many of you, we grew up playing sports which we still relish today. While we may not have become professional athletes but instead professional wealth managers, we can draw many parallels between sport and investing. Read our latest Insight on how the Modern Pentathlon serves as a fitting comparison to successful investing.