The first person known to defect at an Olympic Games came at London 1948 when Marie Provaznikova, leader of the Czechoslovakian women's gymnastics team, refused to return home because "there is no freedom of speech, of the press or of assembly". After a few months' stay in England she moved to the United States and resided there for the rest of her life, teaching PE and organising Sokol units in America and internationally. She died in 1992, at the age of 100.
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Fact of the day
Canadian show jumper Ian Millar holds the record for the most Olympic appearances by an athlete in any sport. When he competed at London 2012 at the age of 65 it was the tenth time he had competed in the Games since making his debut 30 years earlier at Munich 1972. He had won his only Olympic medal at Beijing 2008 when he was part of Canada’s team that took silver in the team jumping event. Millar won a gold medal in the Pan American Games team jumping event at Toronto 2015. He announced his retirement in 2019.
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International Paralympic Committee - Paralympic Games Brand Manager - Bonn, Germany
The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) offers the position of a full-time Paralympic Games Brand Manager (f/m/x) in an international and multicultural team at the IPC Headquarters in Bonn, Germany, starting in early 2021. The IPC is the global governing body of the Paralympic Movement. We supervise the organisation of the Paralympic Games and Paralympic Winter Games and serve as International Federation for 10 Para sports. The Paralympic Games Brand Manager is accountable to the Head of Brand and Engagement and will be responsible for ensuring the Paralympic brand is represented in a consistent and impactful way at the Paralympic Games.
The Big Read
As the International Ice Hockey Federation prepares to decide whether Belarus remains a co-host of its World Championship later this year, Philip Barker recalls other occasions where human rights has been a key topic in the build-up to a country staging a major sports event.
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