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sports Diahuebs 24 Februari 2022

Olympics say goodbye to Asia after a star-crossed run

(AP) — The Olympics As it did with China, the IOC for the IOC. This includes
have said goodbye to Asia can envision India as a new a state-sponsored doping
after a star-crossed run, frontier that will yield deep- scandal from the 2014 Sochi
and it’s unclear when pocketed sponsors, television Winter Olympics that lingers
they’ll be back after the rights deals and generous and surfaced again with al-
continent hosted four of government support. legations in Beijing against
the last eight Games. Russian figure skater Kamila
Departing Asia means re- Valieva.
The earliest the Summer turning to familiar terrain:
Games could return is 2036, the Summer Games in Paris There was IOC vote-buying
and the favorite could be in 2024, the 2026 Winter linked to the award of the To-
the world’s most populous Games in Milan-Corti- kyo Olympics, which forced
country — not China, as you na, and the 2028 Summer the resignation of the head of
might expect, but India. Games in Los Angeles. Bris- Japan’s Olympic Commit-
bane is also lined up for the tee, Tsunekazu Takeda, and
India’s population is expected 2032 Summer Olympics, a a diplomatic boycott of the
to overtake China’s 1.4 bil- return to Australia 32 years just-finished Beijing Games
lion in the next decade, and after Sydney. centered on human rights Christophe Dubi, the Olym- The other return to Asia
it is lobbying for the west- abuses that also dogged Bei- pic Games’ executive direc- could come with the 2030
ern city of Ahmedabad to be Brisbane is certain to add jing in 2008. tor, acknowledged India has Winter Olympics, where
the host city for 2036, with cricket to its sports menu expressed strong interest, Sapporo, Japan — the 1972
events elsewhere, including and, of course, it would stay Add in the 2016 Games in but declined to name other Winter host — is probably
New Delhi, the capital. in place for India, where the Rio de Janeiro. This was an- countries that have. Several the favorite.
sport has the world’s most other nontraditional stop that Chinese cities have been
“India is in a race for hosting fervent following. caused problems. It saw the mentioned as possibilities, Also in the mix could be Van-
2036,” Narinder Batra, presi- organizing committee face along with Jakarta, Indonesia, couver, Salt Lake City and a
dent of the Indian Olympic The Asia focus started with bankruptcy and Carlos Nuz- Seoul and others. Spanish bid, perhaps from
Committee, told The Asso- the 2008 Beijing Olympics, a man, the head of the com- Barcelona.
ciated Press. He offered few grand coming-out party that mittee, convicted of corrup- “We have to respect that some
other details. many hoped would change tion, money laundering and are speaking confidentially to The Japanese news agency
China. Instead, China used tax evasion. The former IOC us because the public author- Kyodo, citing unidentified
In a show of support, the to Games to change how it member is appealing. ities are not fully on board, sources, has reported that
IOC has scheduled the an- was viewed. or sometimes governments Sapporo and the IOC are in
nual meeting of its full mem- “The IOC I think is viewed are interested but it’s not the talks and a decision could
bership for next year in the The Asia run enriched the as a villain globally at this right timing,” Dubi said. come before the end of the
western Indian metropolis IOC with lucrative billion- time, and they have to do year. The city has put the cost
of Mumbai. It’s a signal the dollar sponsorship deals with something to change their The IOC no longer runs a at $2.4 billion to $2.6 billion.
courting has begun. China’s Alibaba and Japan’s image,” said Robert Baade, a wide-open bidding process,
Toyota, put down roots in the sports economist at Lake For- instead selecting cities in The IOC owes Japan a favor
Delivering the pitch: Indian world’s most populous con- est College outside Chicago. which it has interest — and after the one-year delay of
IOC member Nita Ambani, tinent and featured a return ”I’m not sure that’s going to vice versa. It puts the selec- the 2020 Olympics cost or-
who is married to Mukesh to South Korea 30 years af- happen at any time soon.” tion in the hands of the IOC ganizers an added $2 billion.
Ambani, the chairman of In- ter the 1988 Seoul Olympics leadership rather than with Dubi would not confirm
dia’s multinational conglom- were credited with helping to Baade is the co-author of IOC members. The 2036 any of this but said the IOC
erate Reliance Industries. usher in democracy. “Going for Gold: The Eco- host is unlikely to be picked was lucky to have Japan and
The family fortune has been nomics of the Olympics,” a until after the next IOC pres- China organizing the last two
estimated at $100 billion. Asia has also generated con- study that looks at the costs idential election in 2025. Olympics in the middle of
sistently bad public relations and benefits of the Games. the pandemic.

MLB lockout could cost Scherzer $232K daily, Cole $193K

(AP) — Sometime soon, 1990 lockout, the 1994-95 paid for the medical coverage tive subcommittee, which the other member, is among
lockout costs become real: strike and the 2020 pandemic of former players. supervises the negotiations. the hundreds of players who
Max Scherzer would for- delay. Among others in the union’s remained unsigned heading
feit $232,975 for each reg- It’s harder to calculate what leadership group, the daily into the transaction freeze
ular-season day lost, and Talks resumed this week in owners of the 30 teams price comes to $172,043 for that began with the lockout.
Gerrit Cole $193,548. the second-longest work would lose if games are lost, Francisco Lindor, $134,409
stoppage in baseball history, but a similar amount is likely. for Marcus Semien, $75,269 Stoppage costs would com-
Based on last year’s base sala- which started Dec. 2. While players received about for Zack Britton, $32,258 for pound in future seasons due
ries that totaled just over $3.8 half of industry revenue that James Paxton and $20,161 for to the major league service
billion, major league players A player at management’s reached a high of $9.7 billion Jason Castro. Andrew Miller, time that wouldn’t be ac-
would combine to lose $20.5 proposed $630,000 mini- in 2019 (a percentage that crued. Once 15 days of the
million for each day wiped mum would lose $3,387 for includes spending on draft regular season are missed, the
off the 186-day regular-sea- each day he’s not on a big picks and international ama- free-agent eligibility of some
son schedule. league roster, the amount teurs), they are paid during players would be delayed by
rising to $4,167 under the the regular season, and teams one year unless management
Major League Baseball has union’s offer of a $775,000 receive a substantial percent- agrees to give credit in an
told the players’ association a minimum. age of revenue from the post- eventual agreement, which it
labor deal must be reached by season. hasn’t done in the past.
Monday in order for opening While medical insurance
day to come off as scheduled would expire after March For players, the cost is clear: That would delay free-agent
on March 31 and a 162-game 31 for players in the ma- Each earns 1/186th of his eligibility for Shohei Ohtani
season to remain intact. The jor leagues when last season base salary each day. from 2023 to 2024, Pete
union hasn’t said whether it ended, the union would pay Alonso from 2024 to 2025,
believes that deadline, and COBRA payments to con- Jake Cronenworth from
there likely is some leeway tinue their coverage and also Scherzer and Cole are on the 2025 to 2026 and Jonathan
based on timing after the will cover the subsidy usually union’s eight-man execu- India from 2026 to 2027.