Maman Poulet

10,000 people from all over the world are expected to converge on Cologne for the Gay Games which begin tomorrow. The Irish Ambassador to Germany is hosting a reception for the Irish participants tomorrow afternoon.

Minister for Arts and Culture and Sport Mary Hanafin TD.  has written to Team Ireland giving her good wishes and support to the team. Maybe  the influence of her colleague Dermot Ahern at work.

The Gay Games Blog has a copy of the letter.

I know we all appreciate the important role that sport plays in our society in promoting healthy lifestyles, creating a sense of identity and belonging and bringing people together. Active participation in sport and physical recreation contributes enormously to the physical and mental well being of the individual and by extension, of the whole community.

Could I suggest maybe an official reception for our medallists on their return?

Good luck to everyone in Team Ireland taking part in next week ( I believe some of Cork’s finest footballers are due to be playing a team of German policewomen in the Soccer tournament amongst others!)

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Poor Aoife Hickey and Claire Bergin, all (!) they did was get good at a sport, train hard, get a good time and qualify for the Olympics Bobsleigh. This must be doing their heads in.

After the Australians get their berth back and the Irish are recommended to also keep a place in the competition, now the Brazilians are unhappy that the Irish are being allowed to remain – seemingly the Irish were late to start competing in the first place – eh is this not more reason they should be allowed in as they have shown themselves to be better than Brazil and Australia?

The Court of Arbitration of Sport will consider this matter tomorrow afternoon seemingly.

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Olympic Council CEO Stephen Martin with Aoife Hoey (centre) Claire Bergin (left) and Leona Byrne (right – alternate brakewoman)  at the launch of the OCI bob in Igles last year.

The Australian Olympic Committee have won their appeal against the Bobsleigh and Tobogganing Federation and their women’s bobsleigh team are allowed compete in the Winter Olympics.

The Court of Arbitration has recommended that the Irish are permitted to compete as a 21st team.  No word yet from the International Olympic Committee if this will be permitted. If there is any word from Pat Hickey I’ll update the post.

Vancouver, 9 February 2010 – The ad hoc Division of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has upheld the application filed by the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) which claimed that the International Bobsleigh & Tobogganing Federation (FIBT) did not apply its qualification system for
the Olympic Winter Games 2010 properly. The AOC argued that the FIBT qualification system provided for the qualification of NOCs of non-represented continents with a maximum of one men’s bob team and one women’s bob team per continent, subject to minimal performance requirements.

The FIBT contended that continental representation was applicable only in case a NOC does not take up a place it earned according to the FIBT Ranking. The Irish Olympic Council, which was heard as an interested party considering that the Irish team was the last team qualified on the basis of the performance criteria, contended that the continental representation rule was applicable to either the men’s or the women’s bobsleigh event and that it should take place only at the stage of the reallocation of unused quota position.

A CAS Panel composed of Prof. Michael Geistlinger, (Austria), President, Mr Henri Alvarez QC (Canada) and Prof. Ulrich Haas (Germany) heard the representatives of each party and interested party, either by video conference, telephone conference or in person on the afternoon of 8 February
2010.

The CAS Panel found that the clear wording of the qualification system implemented by the FIBT reflected the intention of representation by one men’s bob team and one women’s bob team from non-represented continents and could not be interpreted otherwise than as formulated. Accordingly,
the application of the AOC was granted and the FIBT was ordered to allocate a continental representation quota place to the AOC for participation of the pilot Astrid Loch-Wilkinson in the 2- man Women’s Bob Event in the 2010 Winter Olympic Games.

Nevertheless, considering the situation of the Irish athletes, who expected legitimately to be entitled to participate in the Olympic Winter Games 2010 after their entry had been validated by the FIBT and the IOC, the CAS Panel has recommended to the IOC and VANOC the inclusion of a 21st team in the women’s bobsleigh event which is scheduled for 23 February 2010.

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No news yet from the Court of Arbitration in Vancouver on the appeal by the Australian Olympic Council seeking a place for their bobsleigh team in place of the Irish women’s team.

Pat Hickey, President of the Olympic Council of Ireland has been giving interviews and predicting civil unrest or something. No word yet from Martin Cullen.

The president of Ireland’s Olympic Council says Ireland “would go into a riot” if its women’s bobsled team is removed from competition at the 2010 Olympics by an Australian appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

“It would be outrageous if those girls were stripped of their accreditation and sent back home to Ireland,” said Patrick Hickey to the Olympic publication, Around the Rings.

“We’re already suffering from the football (situation) of (France’s) Thierry Henry scoring a goal with his hand and eliminating us from the World Cup finals. And if something like this happened it would be catastrophe altogether.”

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The Australian Olympics Committee are taking a case against the International Bobsleigh and Tobogganing Federation (FIBT) at the Court of Arbitration. The Court has set up an office in Vancouver ahead of the Winter Olympics which starts next Friday.

The outcome of the case affects the Irish Women’s Bobsleigh team who thought they had qualified and were getting settled in. Yes we have a team – Aoife Hoey and Claire Bergin qualified in 19th place. However the Australian women’s team, who were slower than the Irish, are saying that there should be a place for them in the Olympics due to an understanding about the participation of a team from Oceania. Japan is already in there in 20th place (yup Ireland were also quicker than the Japanese!)

The Australian Olympic Committee have dispatched a lawyer from Sydney to help out.

In a situation that brings to mind the movie Cool Runnings, based on a true story about an underdog bobsled team from Jamaica, the team say they are being shut out of the opportunity to represent Australia.

Loch-Wilkinson and McIntosh had expected they would automatically be awarded a berth in the event as the top-ranked representatives of Oceania under the rules of International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation.

”If any continent is not represented in the top 20 rankings, it was always an understanding that they would get a spot,” Loch-Wilkinson told The Sun-Herald from Canada.

But the team, which just missed out on a top 20 ranking, found out 10 days ago there would be no berth for Oceania as part of an International Olympic Committee attempt at tightening athlete numbers.

The Court of Arbitration have announced that they will hear the case tomorrow – they were due to hear it yesterday. There are snippets about this in the Sunday Independent and Irish Times but no radio call ins, national gnashing of teeth etc ala Henry’s handball….yet

Update:

The Olympic Council of Ireland have released a statement on the matter. (Thanks to SG for the email)

The Olympic Council of Ireland is making strong legal representations to CAS regarding the proven rights of qualification of the Irish Women’s bobsleigh team via the standard qualification process, and are highlighting the fact that the team has passed all verification standards for participation in the Winter Olympic Games, including full clearance and accreditation by the International Olympic Committee.

The Olympic Council of Ireland and the women’s bobsleigh athletes are very disappointed at the Australian Olympic Committee’s approach and are determined to fight for their rightful and well earned position in the Olympic Bobsleigh competition which starts on Tuesday, February 23rd.

“The Irish team is now currently based in the Olympic Village in Whistler, Vancouver, having passed all relevant accreditation registration. It is training at the nearby Olympic bobsleigh track alongside all the other national teams that have qualified for the Games. Nevertheless, CAS is an independent legal entity and may well decide that the Australian Olympic Committee has a case against the FIBT regarding qualification issues that they have raised.

The Australian Olympic Committee has presented a very lengthy legal submission to CAS outlining their request that the Irish team be replaced by the Australian team – a very technical submission based on Australia’s interpretation of the rules governing qualification. The Irish team, which now is in 19th position on the qualification table, has fully qualified by all international interpretations.

Japan is in 20th place and completes the quota in the view of the International Olympic Committee and the FIBT. Australia’s case is that, being on the continent of Oceania entitles them automatically, despite much weaker performances than Ireland, to a guaranteed place in the final line-up. This is the issue that CAS has to address.”

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It’s been a while since I’ve brought you news on a Bertie earner - being the recession and all I suppose times are tough for the Iar Taoiseach and the way he might scratch a few euros to make up for his pension levy losses.

However news reaches us today of Bertie Ahern’s signing as the newest columnist with the Irish News of the Screws – entitled Bertie Ahern Talks Sport, the column will bring us the opinions of Dublin Centrals’ finest on sports at home and abroad.

‘It’s no secret that I am sports-mad and this column will give me the chance to look at the good, the bad and the ugly of Irish and international sport. Let’s hope I end up writing about Ireland qualifying for the World Cup, winning the Six Nations again and Padraig Harrington lifting a few more Majors.”

That’s code for earners to all the 6 nations Matches and a few Major’s so?

And is Bertie the first former prime minister to have a sports column? He says in the press release from the NOTW that he’ll have to set aside his allegiances to Dublin GAA (not so difficult after yesterday) and Manchester United for his new role.  His first column will be published this weekend in what Geoff Frazer, the editor of the Irish News of the World says ‘will be an unmissable read for every sports fan in Ireland. ‘

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Blogging on Maman Poulet might be a bit light cos I’ve caught the Olympics bug – struck down terribly I am.

However I’m still reading – and in fact consuming a lot of Olympic blogging. Over at the Irish Times we have Sean (Sean who??) – who seemingly is being paid to stay up all night to watch the Olympics. Not a bad idea on the sports editors part to hire him – the Guardian do up all night blogging and all day live blogging of sports for that matter. Last night it was Beach Volleyball, Swimming and Volleyball that had him trying to stay awake.

Meanwhile at RTE’s Olympic website there is a veritable feast of Olympic blogging going on. We have Con Murphy, John Kenny and Gearóid Mac Donncha blogging as Gaelige. However it’s the work of George Hamilton which has piqued my interest (ok when I saw it I knew there was fodder for many a post and perhaps even a Green Ink Cartoon could appear to Ireland’s newest blogging superstar- Fustar could be writing manys a post on George Hamilton and the Back Seat Drivers might be spurred into lots of more regular posting – a silly season of Hamilton induced blogging if you will.)

The sports fans amongst you will realise that George Hamilton is no ordinary sports commentator. Years before internet fan websites were ten a penny – we had Dangerhere.com in homage to the commentator and his love for putting his foot in it. A indepth explanation on George and his special talent is available here and here.

Hamilton has taken to this blogging lark with ease and is regaling us with tales of eating in Beijing. He’s also trying to give us a bit of politics and culture on the side in his own special way!!

You’ll note that from his pic his computer runs on windows 95 or something so we know that George is not a man who likes new ideas!

Today’s entry might make it into the food blogging category in next years blog awards!

We needed somewhere to get down to business and discuss the discus, and everything else that’s on the agenda from Friday in the Bird’s Nest, so we found ourselves a sweet little French-themed restaurant, up a typical side alley in what is as near as it gets to downtown Beijing.

The menu offered the tomato and mozzarella starter so beloved of my colleague, and a steak in pepper sauce. We both went for both.

The insalata caprese was delightful, we were both raving about it, and I was just about to add that it was equally delightful that we were back in the kind of territory that we know, where you get the opportunity to have a first course before the second lands on the table (or worse, the main course is there before the soup), when, lo and behold, around the corner came the steak. Ah well, when in Rome. Or Beijing.

But then came our visit to Ristorante L’Isola. Now this is so far east of our digs, it’s in a different weather system. We left home in a thunderstorm, and arrived in the peace and quiet of an evening of oriental calm. Beside the Mercedes-Benz dealership. On the first floor of an office tower.

But it was an exquisite Italian restaurant that was as good as it gets. Bean salad with tuna for Tony, bresaola with rocket and parmesan for me, followed by osso bucco for him and sea bass for me. Then tiramisu and a blueberry confection with raspberries.

All enjoyed at a table in this bang up-to-date dining room with a floor to ceiling window through which we delighted in the sights of a busy unfamiliar city at night. Broad street, bright lights, flowing traffic, with the occasional reminder that we were in China, like the guy on the bicycle pulling the trailer loaded high with whatever it was he had to get to wherever.

Ah yes down hanging out with the real people our George – with just a brief reminder whilst glugging the Chianti that he was in China working on the Olympics and partly responsible for bringing it to our screens.

The thing is, when you’re on the ground in Beijing, your preconceptions shoot right out the window. We become conditioned by what we’ve learned from the media that we use. We take comfort from the fact that it’s so far away and so different.

Yet, when you arrive, and get down among the locals and experience life as they live it, you are struck by a bolt between your eyes. This is a big city populated by people, exactly like every other one you’ve ever been to, be it London, Paris, New York, or Sydney.

So in the world according to George the regular Beijing ‘life as they live it’ experience involves eating in French and Italian Restaurants downing caprese salads and Osso Bucco! Beijing we are informed is a ‘A big city populated with people.’ (As opposed to Martians I suppose but George is to be ever to be relied upon for under or over statements!)

If you want more you should read all about George’s experience of Chinese hotel breakfasts and how they have become more international and the service has suffered since his arrival. I can’t wait till the athletics start and we’ll have more insights into George’s foray’s into lunch on the run! You never know perhaps he’ll meander into human rights or political blogging or maybe Beijing is like any other city in the world and there are no human rights concerns for it’s residents.

UPDATE: Wednesday’s missive from George is his search for a Starbucks .

Lunchtime arrived, and thinking back to our last excursion when several Starbucks flashed by the taxi window, I thought I’d seek one out for the Chinese version of the experience.

As I think I’ve indicated, I’m discovering a latent desire to restrict my intake of slippery dumplings and egg fried rice. Not that I’ve anything against them. Just not every night.

So I seized the day, and armed with the address of the nearest Seattle coffee shop transliterated into Chinese characters, headed off in a taxi to God knows where.

We then get loads of macho stuff about how he got followed by someone as he looked. He managed to lose the person who he called ‘Gum Shoes’. Someone has been watching far too much Mike Hammer!!

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Oops a sport’s post! I am a bit of a sports addict – as in the armchair variety. Later this year I hope to combine my interest in disability and society and sport in writing some posts on the Paralympics as I know some of the paralympians and know how little coverage they get, and I’m fed up of how a lot of that coverage will be about their bravery, their bodies and extremeness and and how they don’t work, how the athletes ‘overcome their disabilities’ and quirky posts about boccia.

Which brings me to the issue of Oscar Pistorius. Someone has called him ‘Blade Runner’ probably not Oscar but it’s stuck. Pistorius received a ruling from the Court of Arbitration yesterday which means that he can try to qualify for the Olympics and other athletics events- only right and proper.

However this comment from Tanni Grey Thompson had me thinking.

“For Oscar, it is huge and I can understand why he is doing it,” She said. “He will be the first Paralympian who is truly known worldwide and the movement will benefit from it. But the argument goes much deeper than Oscar.

If he runs at the Olympics, they have to take his event out of the Paralympics because I would not want the Paralympics race becoming the ‘B’ event . . .

If Oscar is seen to be making the jump from Paralympics to Olympics, then the Paralympics is immediately B finals . . . He has always said he wants to run both but there is something about that which does not feel quite right . . . It is the whole future of his event at the Paralympics Games which is under discussion.”

I had never seen Oscar’s quest to compete in the Olympics as dissing the Paralympics or damaging it in anyway. Tanni has always been for me a bit on the conservative side in her sports politics and her disability politics also. However I do wonder how the double amputees who run sprint events and are training for the Paralympics this year are feeling this morning. In the Paralympics they run against each other and don’t get the coverage. In the quest for competing in the Olmypics an athlete gets called Blade Runner with focus on the mechanics and lots of accusations of privilege – some made in the way drugs cheats get pointed to.

I see the Paralympics and wanting to run in the Olympics as both being about equality. Well I think I do? Are my glasses rose tinted?

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Tonights Six One News contained the usual sports report with Colm Murray. Steven Staunton has announced his squad for the forthcoming internationals. Not a lot of interest probably as qualificiation is virtually impossible probably involving 5 Bulgarians scoring 20 goals against Lithuania.

But what was very interesting was the Staunton philosophy on Irish leadership and what he and Bertie Ahern have in common- he said that his recent difficulties were just something in the media, that Eddie O’Sullivan will survive his little problems and is probably hoping that the soccer matches come quickly and everyone will forget about it. ‘If it’s the rugby, if its the soccer, it’s the gaelic, even if it’s the Taoiseach.’

So this is how it works – Can’t manage a soccer team, no bother. Can’t manage a rugby team and get us out of a qualification group at a world cup, no bother. Can’t get the story right at a tribunal and don’t have a bank account when a government minister, no bother. Media and public complain about it a lot (unless ye are from Dundalk) no bother. It will all pass over! Watch and learn! (Click on the sports news link for the Real Player clip – about 3 minutes in.) Who needs a spin doctor or other over paid guru when one has an overpaid soccer manager who can disperse such wisdom!

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Sky News reports that Mourinho has left Stamford Bridge.

BBC News 24 report that senior players received text messages this evening confirming Jose Mourinho’s departure

So no more special one on Today FM? What will Mario Rosenstock do? I predict a No. 1 Record with a new version of ‘I think I better leave right now!

Update 1
Chelsea Fanzine Editor reports seeing Mourinho at a screening of the soccumentary ‘The Blue Revolution’ earlier this evening and all seemed well.

BBC 5 Live cannot confirm if he was pushed or he left voluntarily. An emergency meeting of the Chelsea Board was held this evening and senior players received texts from Jose himself.

Update 2

Some Gift Grub Youtube Links – Shaddup your Face

Jose and his Technicolour Overcoat

Update 3

1.09am – Sky News now say Mourinho was ’sacked’. BBC News 24 say that he resigned and there is nothing official yet blah blah blah. And I’m off to my bed, unusual fodder for Maman Poulet, normal blogging will return when the inspiration hits!

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