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olympics

2024 Paris Olympics Planning On Keeping Athletes Cool Without Air Conditioning 

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According to reports, the Paris Olympics is currently trying to plan a way to keep the athletes of the 2024 Games cool without the use of air conditioning. 

According to organizers, as reported by AP, the current plan is to use a water-cooling system under the Athletes Village. They compared it to the current system used for the Louvre Museum, which helped keep the space cool during record-breaking heat waves last year. 

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Organizers are working to make an air conditioner-less cooling system work as a means of cutting the carbon footprint of the Paris Games overall. The current goal is to cut the carbon footprint by half and put on the most sustainable Olympic Games in history. 

By installing special technology that utilizes natural resources to keep everyone cool, even if a heat wave occurs, is how organizers plan to accomplish this goal. 

“I want the Paris Games to be exemplary from an environmental point of view,” said Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo.

Outside of the Olympics, Mayor Hidalgo has had the plan to tackle climate change through multiple action plans that will, ideally, reduce Paris’ greenhouse gas emissions and become carbon neutral by 2050.

“Compared to a conventional project, the carbon impact will be reduced by 45% for the Athletes Village during the construction phase and over the entire Olympic cycle,” she said.

Between July to September 2024, the Athletes Village in Paris will host around 15,600 athletes and sports officials, as well as 9,000 athletes and teams during the Paralympics. 

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Organizers have been studying heatwave patterns block by block in the Athletes Village to prepare for next years Games. Their methods include simulations where heatwave conditions are recreated to see how successful their cooling system will be at combating high levels of heat. 

“The geothermal energy system will ensure that the temperature in the athlete apartments in the Seine-Saint-Denis suburb does not rise above 26 degrees Celsius (79 degrees Fahrenheit) at night, including during a potential a heat wave,” said Laurent Michaud, the director of the Olympic and Paralympic Villages.

He continued to explain that “organizers have conducted tests in rooms that are located on the highest floors of the residences and are facing south and exposed to direct sun on two sides. [We’ve] also considered directions of winds in the region and the water temperature in the Seine. [We also] have worked closely with France’s national weather agency to develop temperature forecasts.”

“Despite outdoor temperatures reaching 41 degrees Celsius (106 degrees Fahrenheit), we had temperatures at 28 degrees (82 degrees Fahrenheit) in most of these rooms. In other rooms, we clearly had lower temperatures,” Michaud told The Associated Press. 

“In addition to the underfloor cooling, the insulation built into the buildings will enable residents to keep the cold obtained during the night throughout the day,” Michaud said. 

boxing

Conor Benn Addresses “Serious Concerns” Over Boxing’s Drug Testing Methods

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Conor Benn has some “serious concerns” over boxing’s drug testing after he was cleared of a failed test due to a “highly-elevated consumption of eggs.”

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daytona

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Wins First Daytona 500 In Record Breaking 212 Lap Race 

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Ricky Stenhouse Jr has won the Daytona 500 in a record breaking, nail biting race on Sunday. The race went into double overtime with 212 laps, in what’s now being referred to as the longest running of “The Great American Race.” 

Stenhouse won with JTG Daugherty Racing, marking the third win in his career, and the first win for a single-car team in the Daytona 500 since Wood Brothers Racing and Trevor Bayne in 2011, according to reports. 

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JTG Daugherty Racing is owned by Tad and Jodi Geschickter, as well as former NBA player Brad Daugherty; who’s the first Black car owner to win the race. Jodi Geschickter is also one of the first women car owners to win the Daytona 500. 

Mike Kelley, the crew chief working with Stenhouse for the race, discussed how he motivated Stenhouse to compete and win the race. 

“I just wrote him a note that only he would see. It was on top of the roll bar in front of him, and it just said, ‘We believe.’ That’s been our motto the whole offseason — that we believe. We’re trying to get people to believe in Ricky Stenhouse Jr. again.”

According to ESPN and their Stats & Information research, “Stenhouse’s only other victories came in 2017, at Talladega and the summer race at Daytona. His 199-race winless streak was the fourth-longest span between wins in Cup Series history.”

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“I think this whole offseason, Mike just preached how much we all believed in each other. They left me a note in the car that said they believe in me and to go get the job done,” Stenhouse said. 

“Man, this is unbelievable. This was the site of my last win, back in 2017. We’ve worked really hard. We had a couple shots last year to get a win and fell short. It was a tough season, but man, we got it done, Daytona 500.”

Kyle Larson congratulated his friend Stenhouse after jumping out of line too early in his own attempt to win:

“Happy that Ricky won. I’m super happy. That’s all I could think about after I crashed, waiting to hear that he won. He’s one of my best friends, so I was like yelling into my helmet when I helped push him to the lead there. I was hoping it was going to stay green so it would have been me or him win,”  Larson said.

mavericks

Kyrie Irving Traded To The Dallas Mavericks

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This past Sunday, The Brooklyn Nets and Dallas Mavericks made the major trade of Kyrie Irving, who’s now heading to Dallas.

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race

Seven-Time Formula One World Champion Lewis Hamilton Recalls Racist Abuse In New Podcast

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Lewis Hamilton, seven-time Formula One world champion, recently appeared in the On Purpose podcast where he discussed the racist abuse he suffered in school.

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thanks

Buffalo Bills Damar Hamlin Raising Funds For First Responders

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Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin is continuing his recovery at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center after suffering from cardiac arrest during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals last week. 

Now, Hamlin has announced his plans to raise funds to benefit the first responders and hospital that has aided him in his recovery. Hamlin took to Twitter to announce the sale of T-shirts in which the proceeds will be given to first responders and the UC Trauma Center. 

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“We all won. I want to give back an ounce of the love y’all showed me. Proceeds of this shirt will go to first-responders and the UC Trauma Center. Go get yours!”

Hamlin included a link to the website in which fans can choose from three different T-shirt options, all of which feature Hamlin’s hands in the shape of a heart and “Did We Win?” in big print. 

The T-shirt also features a hospital tag ID bracelet on Hamlin’s right wrist. The question “Did We Win” is what Hamlin asked his team of medical professionals after waking up last week following his cardiac arrest last Monday. 

Every NFL team honored Hamlin in this past weekend’s final slate of regular season games. Players, coaches, and team personnel were sporting T-shirts that had “Love You Damar” printed on them along with his jersey number, 3. 

Teams also painted the 30-yard line in red within their hosting stadiums. 

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During the first quarter of last week’s Monday Night Football contest, Hamlin, 24, suffered cardiac arrest after completing his tackle of Tee Higgins, the Bengals wide receiver. After standing up following the tackle, Hamlin almost immediately collapsed. 

Hamlin had to be resuscitated by medical officials on the field following his collapse. Afterwards he was transported to UC Medical Center and was listed as being in critical condition for days following the cardiac arrest. 

Medical officials stated last Thursday that Hamlin was awake and “had made substantial improvement. As he recovered, he continued to show his support for his team during the season finale of regular games against division rival New England Patriots. 

Hamlin continuously tweeted from his hospital bed during the game up until the Bills defeated the Patriots 35-23. 

Following his charity announcement, fans raised more than $8.5 million for the Chasing M’s Foundation Community Toy Drive, surpassing their initial goal of raising $2,500. 

world cup

World Cup Champion Argentina Returns Home To Massive Celebration

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The World Cup winning team of Argentina arrived home to a major celebration of fans in Buenos Aires. Millions of people took to the streets to celebrate the champions’ return.

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warriors

Warriors’ Draymond Green Fined, Not Suspended, for Punching Jordan Poole

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After punching teammate Jordan Poole during practice last week, all-star forward Draymond Green has been fined but will not be suspended by the Golden State Warriors.

Warriors’ coach, Steve Kerr, relayed the information after the team’s preseason win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday. Kerr said he expects Green to return to practice on Thursday. He will also participate in the Golden State’s preseason finale game against the Denver Nuggets on Friday and open the regular season in a game against the Lakers Oct. 18.

The decision came after Kerr met with the team and general manager Bob Myers.  Green and Poole have since met to talk about the incident. Two-time MVP Stephen Curry also stepped in to mediate some of those conversations, saying that there is “nothing that warranted the situation.” Curry believes it was “also something we feel like won’t derail our season, what we’re trying to build, and that’s with Draymond a part of that.” Kerr has decided not to reveal how much Green was fined.

“We have spent the last week in deep discussions with all of our key figures in the organization, including Jordan and Draymond, of course, Steph, all of our players, Bob, myself, and I can tell you there have been a lot of conversations, individual, one-on-one discussions, players-only discussions, everything that you can think of, all the different combinations that are possible to have in a conversation, we’ve had them. It’s been an exhaustive process.”

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Green has publicly apologized for punching Poole, saying he “failed as a leader.” Green also shared that he was in “a very, very, very bad space mentally” when he punched Poole. He decided to distance himself from the Warriors for a few days to give his teammates some time to “heal.” Green had since been completing his workouts alone until the team decided how to move forward.

“Hurt people hurt people. I hurt someone because I was in a place of hurt.”

During the Warriors’ run of four championship titles in eight seasons, Green has been instrumental to the team’s success, playing a pivotal role as a veteran presence and defensive leader. However, the time he has spent on the team has been tainted by a few incidents.

“Draymond sort of lives on the edge as far as his spot on our basketball team. He’s always right in the thick of things, and a couple times in his career, he’s crossed the line. He crossed the line with Kevin (Durant), and he crossed the line the other night in a much worse fashion.”

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On Friday, TMZ released a leaked video of the punch. The video shows the two players in a verbal altercation. Green then approaches Poole near the baseline until he bumps him in the chest. Poole pushed Green away, and then Green punched Poole in the face, sending him into the wall behind the baseline. The other teammates eventually broke up the fight.

Kerr said an investigation into the leak of the video is ongoing.

“We feel like this is the best way after assessing everything for us to move forward. It’s never easy, no matter what decision you make in a situation like this. It’s not going to be perfect. This is the biggest crisis that we’ve ever had since I’ve been coach here. It’s really serious stuff…We’re not perfect. Our team isn’t perfect. Bob and I have definitely made our share of mistakes over the years, but we’re going to lean on the experience we’ve had together over the last nine years and trust this is the best decision for our team.”

Kerr said that while Green broke “our trust with this incident,” he is “giving him the benefit of the doubt because he’s earned that, and I think our team feels the same way.”

dolphins

Miami Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa Suffers Concussion Days After Suspected Head Injury

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The Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa suffered a head injury on Thursday during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals and was carried off the field on a stretcher. He had suffered another injury less than a week ago in a game against the Buffalo Bills.

In the second quarter of the Bengals game, Tagovailoa was tackled by Bengals defensive lineman Josh Tupou. When he hit the ground, he made a gesture with his hands called the “fencing response,” which is often a sign of a brain injury. He then laid there, barely moving on the field, for nearly 10 minutes until trainers put him on a stretcher and carried him off the field.

A few minutes after the injury, broadcasters announced he had suffered head and neck injuries and was being taken to a hospital to be treated. Later, The Dolphins confirmed that Tagovailoa had suffered a concussion but had movement in all his extremities. After he was released from the hospital, he flew back with the team to Florida on Thursday night.

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Head Coach Mike McDaniel said it was a “scary moment” after the game.

“He was evaluated for a concussion and is in concussion protocol. That was an emotional moment. That is not part of the deal anyone signs up for even though you know it’s a possibility in football.”

Just a few days prior, Tagovailoa had suffered another blow to his head during a game against the Bills. His helmet slammed against the turf after he got hit by linebacker Matt Milano in the second quarter. He “immediately grabbed the sides of his helmet, staggered to his feet and after taking a few steps, fell to his knees.” He was examined for a concussion, cleared and returned to the field in the third quarter.

The Dolphins later said he had suffered a back injury, not a head injury. Tagovailoa agreed that he had passed the concussion evaluations before he returned to the game.

McDaniel defended playing Tagovailoa in the game against the Bengals less than a week after the injury, saying Tagovailoa had been evaluated by an independent doctor who said he was fit to play.

“For me, as long as I’m coaching here, I’m not going to fudge that whole situation—if there’s any sort of inclination that someone has a concussion, they go into the concussion protocol. We don’t mess with that. I never have and as long as I’m the head coach, it will never be an issue that you guys have to worry about.”

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Dr. Sanjay Gupta told CNN that the incident from the game was likely much more severe than it was being portrayed.

“When you look at the video from last night, it obviously looks like a pretty significant injury. Tua’s on the ground for a long time. This movement that he’s doing with his hands … that is a significant sign, something that people really need to pay attention to…It can be a sign of basically disrupting some of the pathways, even temporarily, between the brain and the spinal cord. If that sounds serious, it is serious.”

Dr. Gupta said Tagovailoa appeared unstable after his first injury in the game with the Bills and should not have been cleared to play under the NFL concussion protocol.

Offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth spoke about his past experiences with a head injury and the pressures to keep playing after being injured.

“I can literally remember playing the Philadelphia Eagles on a Thursday night football game years ago myself—getting concussed, wobbling around, a referee actually removed me from the game. I go back in the game because you want to play. I was able to get myself through the test, explain that I’m fine, knowing that I had been dinged pretty good. I had a teammate that was like, ‘Man, this guy just is not right and I don’t feel right letting him keep playing.’ He actually pulled me out of the game and told the coaches that I need to be removed. And I’m so thankful for that. … This situation just brings back those memories. For us guys that have been on that field, it’s tough, man. We’ve gotta keep these guys uninvolved in it. They shouldn’t feel obligated to do something more than what they need to. It’s just an ugly scene to see.”

Several people believe that Tagovailoa may have suffered two concussions in five days, which is extremely dangerous. The National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) said their “investigation into the potential protocol violation is ongoing,” and they were hoping for Tagovailoa’s “full and speedy recovery.” NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith vowed he would hold all responsible parties accountable.

“We insisted on these rules to avoid exactly this scenario. We will pursue every legal option, including making referrals against the doctors to licensing agencies and the team that is obligated to keep our players safe.”

chess

Chess Grandmaster Quits Abruptly During Game, Fueling Cheating Scandal

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Chess World Champion Magnus Carlsen abruptly quit an online chess match against Grandmaster Hans Niemann Monday, sending shockwaves throughout the chess community. Commentators are speculating that Carlsen believes Niemann cheated during their previous match.

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