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SPORTS Tuesday 14 February 2023
Lack of Winter Olympic bids may lead to rotating fixed hosts

By ANDREW DAMPF After last year’s Beijing
AP Sports Writer Games were held almost
MERIBEL, France (AP) — entirely on artificial snow,
Considering the dearth of the Milan-Cortina Games
candidates to stage the in 2026 will be held across
Winter Olympics amid spi- a wide swath of northern
ralling venue costs, the IOC Italy.
may have to resort to lining For 2022, Beijing beat Al-
up a list of fixed, rotating maty, Kazakhstan — the
hosts. only other candidate — for
A highly theoretical list hosting rights after several
could include Salt Lake City other bids were scrapped
and Vancouver in North by public referendums.
America, Pyeongchang in “There’s a lot of events that
Asia and places like Swit- are really difficult to run,”
zerland, Italy and Scandi- said Canadian skier James
navia in Europe. Crawford, who won the
“There are talks. It is a chal- super-G last week at the
lenge with climate change world championships. “I
and also infrastructure to think there’s a lot of places
be able to find venues for that can host the Winter
the Winter Olympics,” re- Olympics … but it’s definite-
tired Olympic skiing cham- ly hard for us when there’s
pion Lindsey Vonn said in Italy’s Christof Innerhofer is airborne during an alpine ski, men’s World Championships downhill so few that want to.”
a recent interview with The training, in Courchevel, France, Friday, Feb. 10, 2023. Associated Press Alexis Pinturault, the French
Associated Press. skier who won gold in com-
Vonn is on the bid commit- bined and bronze in super-
tee for Salt Lake City’s can- pre-existing structures and ers announced last week kyo held in 2021. Salt Lake G at the worlds, grew up
didacy for the 2030 or 2034 it would limit the cost for that they are weighing up City is the only other known utilizing the facilities built for
Games. the venues and it would whether to bid for 2030 bidder that might consider the 1992 Albertville Games.
Most of the rotating hosts limit the chances of cli- while the International taking 2030, though offi- “I also (tried) ski jumping
would have hosted the mate change affecting the Olympic Committee has cials have said they favor a here,” he said in his home-
Olympics previously, or competitions in a negative delayed the process to bid for 2034. town of Courchevel, where
have most of the venues way,” Vonn said. search for more contend- If a Stockholm-centered the ski jump is adjacent to
already built. “I know that’s been dis- ers. bid does go ahead, it cur- the downhill course. “I also
“A rotating venue option cussed. How early that will Sapporo, Japan was con- rently seems sure to win did cross country skiing.
is on the table in which happen, I don’t know, but sidered the favorite for 2030 without opposition and get That was the thing with the
certain altitude standards I don’t think it would hap- before an ongoing bid- the IOC out of a hole less Courchevel ski club: when
would be in place and it pen before 2034.” rigging scandal related to than seven years before you are young you can try
would have to have mostly Sweden’s Olympic lead- the Summer Olympics in To- the Games open. many different sports. q

Warriors guard Payton II to be sidelined at least a month

By JANIE McCAULEY before the playoffs. Payton sent center James Wise-
AP Sports Writer is listed on the injury report man to the Pistons. Myers
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — with right adductor sore- said the team evaluated
Newly acquired Golden ness, stemming from the all options, including per-
State guard Gary Payton abdominal area and there haps rescinding the trade
II will be out for at least a were no further details on altogether.
month as he fully recovers whether that means the “We had the time we had
from offseason surgery for high-flying Payton’s right to make a decision, so
a core muscle injury, and leg is also compromised. it was just more thinking
Warriors general manager “Gary’s going to be out. about it,” Myers said. “Prob-
Bob Myers is awaiting a We’re going to evaluate ably by Saturday night we
decision from the NBA on him in a month. It is our de- had a sense of the direc-
whether the Trail Blazers termination he’s not ready tion we going in.”
withheld anything on Pay- to play right now,” Myers While the defending cham-
ton’s health before trad- said. Myers wouldn’t ad- pions were hopeful of hav-
ing him. “What do I want? dress any issues the Warriors ing Payton play immedi-
Whatever the NBA says is had with how Portland han- ately, Myers still believes Portland Trail Blazers guard Gary Payton II wears a towel over
fair, just whatever that is,” dled the trade or whether in the move over the long his head during the second half of an NBA basketball game
Myers said Monday of re- they failed to share any haul. Payton signed a $28 against the Chicago Bulls, Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023, in Chicago.
Associated Press
ceiving any potential com- details on Payton’s health, million, three-year contract
pensation from Portland. “I citing legal constraints and with the Trail Blazers. night at Portland before “As far as Gary what he
just want a fair result. I don’t medical privacy. Golden “We still think it’s helpful. rejoining his former team does for us I think you all
know, whatever it takes it State did bring concerns We just have to wait till he ahead of the trade dead- know, you’ve seen what
takes, I don’t know how about the process to the gets healthy,” Myers said. line a day later. Payton is he does for us,” Myers said.
long.” league before deciding The 30-year-old Payton averaging 4.1 points, 2.6 re- “We’re trying to help give
Myers is hopeful the de- Sunday to go through with played against Golden bounds and 1.5 assists over this team a boost, near
fensive guard could return the four-team swap that State in a win Wednesday 15 games. term, long term.”q