The International Olympic Committee (IOC) ratified a proposal to award both the 2024 and 2028 Olympics this summer, paving the way for Los Angeles and Paris to both host the Games. Which city gets 2024 and which gets 2028 is to be decided after further negotiations among both cities and the IOC. LA and Paris both prefer 2024 over 2028. If an agreement can’t be reached, only the normal 2024 Olympic vote will happen in September between LA and Paris, the two remaining 2024 finalists.
The IOC deemed the LA and Paris bids for 2024 so strong that it wanted to grant an Olympics to each city.
“This is a golden opportunity,” IOC president Thomas Bach said of the rare double-awarding proposal by the IOC executive board before it was ratified in Lausanne, Switzerland. “It’s hard to imagine something better.”
The last time two Olympic hosts were determined at once was in 1921, when the 1924 Paris and 1928 Amsterdam Games were awarded, according to Olympstats.com
The U.S. would host its first Olympics since 2002 (and first Summer Games since 1996). Paris would host for the first time since 1924.
What are your thoughts? Where would you like to see the 2024, 2028 Olympic games held?
I hear you want to represent Liberia in the Olympics. Well, you’ve come to the right spot. This article should give you enough information to get started. Getting to the Big Game takes lots of stamina. The journey is filled with competitions and qualifiers, but it all starts with the athlete.
1. KNOW THE QUALIFYING STANDARD
As an athlete, you have to know the qualification criteria for your sport. The international federation that governs your sport sets a basic standard and publishes it to their website. Runners can get qualification standards from the International Association of Athletics Federation webpage. Boxers should visit the International Boxing Association site. Find your international federation and start there.
Sometimes federations publish their Olympic qualifying criteria closer to the Olympic Games. They might even amend the standards. Pay attention to the possible changes. If you cannot find the standards for the upcoming Olympics, use the criteria for the previous Games as a benchmark.
Now that you know how fast you must run or what competitions you must enter, start working towards that goal.
2. TRAINAND COMPETE
Liberian sprinter Ada Udaya competing in the 20th African Championships (Photo by Roger Sedres/Gallo Images).
Serious Olympic hopefuls must adhere to a strict schedule. You must learn to weave training and competing into your everyday life. In addition to the time commitment, prepare for the financial responsibility.
You must register and attend specific competitions in order to qualify for the Olympics. Again, you’ll find this information on your sport’s international federation webpage. The costs to train, travel, and compete adds up, but there are ways to minimize these expenses.
INSIDE LIBERIA
If you live in Liberia, you can contact the national federation for your sport. Depending on your sport, this could be helpful. Some federations are more active than others. Liberia has 29 sports federations/associations.
In 2015, the Ministry of Youth and Sports established guidelines for each government funded federation and association. These rules were created to monitor the organizations and assist them with their missions. If you qualify, your sport’s federation should assist you in representing Liberia. Below are some active Liberian Sports Federations.
Other national sports federations/associations include golf, kickball, amputee football, taekwondo, weight lifting, karate, volleyball, cricket, lawn tennis, handball, swimming, cycling, wrestling, netball, chess, wushu, canoeing and rowing.
If your sports federation is not active, you can still compete in international competitions, but you’ll have to represent a local club. This means your club will have to register you and assist you with funding.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) also offers athletic training scholarships. Financing your journey will take time and research.
Rio 2016 Liberia Olympic Team and delegates (Image from team).
OUTSIDE LIBERIA
If you live outside Liberia, don’t depend on the national sports federations for too much help with training. Their job is to develop their sport within the country. You might need to take advantage of your local resources (schools and clubs), until closer to competition time. Even during competitions, Liberian sports federations have struggled to finance Liberian athletes. Still, try to communicate with the federation. They might be able to guide you in some area.
Remember the IOC offers scholarships. Do your research. A little research can go a long way.
What if Liberia does not have a federation for your sport? No problem. The Liberia National Olympic Committee (LNOC) can vouch for you.
3. CONNECT WITH LIBERIA NATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE
The LNOC submits the final roster for the Liberia Olympic Team to the International Olympic Committee. The IOC then decides whether or not to accept each athlete as Liberia’s representative. It’s the LNOC’s job to make sure every athlete is qualified to represent the country.
If you have been training, competing, and meet your sports’ Olympic qualification standard, you might get the chance to represent our beloved Lone Star. Keep in mind this process is easier read than done.
This path can be filled with bumps, sharp turns, and even dead ends. You will probably spend half your time trying to reach the appropriate contact person and the other half searching for funds, but don’t give up. Remain persistent and keep working hard. I believe both of these issues will get better over time.
Read more about becoming an Olympian in the Olympic Charter.
Starting in 1956, Liberia has sent 44 athletes to the Summer Olympic Games. Click the image below to view our digital Olympic timeline and learn more about the team’s history. Enjoy!
Few professional athletes are blessed enough to gain national support and sponsorship, allowing them to focus solely on the grueling competition process. Others have to muster up the time and money to train, travel, and compete. Many Liberians find themselves in the latter group. In between full-time jobs, some Liberian athletes have the energy to not only train and compete, but also win. Their victories matched with the minimal support they often receive makes their medals even more impressive.
For the pass 2 weeks, we’ve tirelessly watched our Liberian athletes represent Liberia in fierce competition. What might have taken us seconds or days to watch,has taken these athletes YEARS to prepare for. The road to the next Olympic Game starts HERE. The next four years will consist of practicing, training, competing, and qualifying; all in an effort to represent our Dear Liberia in 2016 and possibly bring her a medal. The journey to Rio begins NOW. May the 2012 Liberian Olympic Team inspireother Liberian athletes to begin their quest for the GOLD. May these future athletes receive support from family, friends, the Liberian government, businesses and fellow Liberians around the world. This is by no means an easy journey, but it is one that is possible (as these Olympians and the ones before them have proven). Congratulations 2012 Liberian Olympic Team on a job well done; best wishes to those beginning their journey to RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL.
The final day of the 2012 London Olympic Decathlon is here; and the RESULTS ARE IN. Liberia finished 23 out of 32 competitors with a total of 7586 points. Addy gave a great performance, ranking high in the track events; and succesfully completing all TEN events. His efforts at this year’s Olympic Games are applauded, along with the efforts of each athlete who represented Liberia. This concludes Liberia’s athletic participation in the 2012 London Olympic Games. Thank you to the 2012 Liberian Olympic Team and all of the coaches/supporters who made the team possible. Specific results for Decathlon Day 2 are below. You can continue to visit the site for more tweets, exclusives, and possible interviews. Feel free to leave a comment to congratulate ALL of the athletes; and return for the final medal count and to view pics from the closing ceremony.
With Day 1 of the 2012 London Olympic Decathlon event over, Liberia is ranked 20th out of 31 competitors. However, this is not the final ranking. Tomorrow will determine each countries ultimate ranking in the Decathlon at this years Olympic Games. Jangy Addy gave a stellar performance finishing FIRST in each heat that he raced in. You can view his Overall performance below (note: each rank represents his place in his competition heat or group). Stay tuned for part two. Tomorrow, Addy will attempt to improve his rank by competing in the 110m Hurdles, Javelin, Discus, Pole Vault and 1500m. Wish him well and be sure to congratulate ALL of the athletes, who have represented Liberia at this years Olympic Games.
Tru-Vision Wear is a clothing company whose motto, Risk &Conquer defines more than just their fashion designs. Risk can be defined as “taking difficult chances”; while to conquer is “to overcome”. This motto nicely suites the 2012 Liberian Olympic Team, and ALL individuals who strive to do their best. Only by “taking difficult chances” can one truly “overcome” difficult situations. This year, the London Olympic Games opened with the theme Inspire A Generation. As the final competitors prepare to compete,during the last week of the 2012 London Olympic Games, I hope that each generation of Liberia, will be inspired to take reasonable risks in order to conquer all obstacles and achieve their goals.
Tomorrow at 10am BST, Liberia’s final athlete, in the 2012 Summer Olympic Games, will take to the field. Jangy Addy will be competing in TEN events, over the period of TWO days. This young Liberian athlete has already obtained an international GOLD medal for Liberia during the 2011 All-Africa Games in Mozambique. Addy has also represented Liberia at the previous Olympics in Beijing. On August 8th, Liberians around the world will be tuning in to Liberia’s final opportunity to acquire a 2012 Olympic medal. Regardless of what place Liberia takes in this event, we are proud to have qualified and we are proud of Jangy Addy for representing the nation. Visit his page on the site to wish him well. Below is his schedule; we will be updating his page with results as they become available.
*The 400m Decathlon race will be televised on NBC-NY 4:30-5pm EST. For immediate results from London’s Official Olympic Page CLICK HERE
Just days after her race, Liberia’s Phobay Kutu-Akoi responds to some questions sent to her from this site. The questions and her answers are below. Enjoy and lookout for other possible interviews.
1.What has been your most memorable experience in London, so far?
My Most memorable experiences in London so far have been walking out to the stadium to compete and also walking out during opening ceremony.
2.How does your Olympic Time compare to Your Personal Best?
My personal best of 11.37 is faster than the time I ran at the Olympics, 11.52.
3. How’s the Liberian Olympic Team support & Dynamic?
I love my teammates and everyone gets along well. We are supportive of each other and we all have the same vision and goal of getting our country forward athletically.
4.What will you be doing for the remainder of your time in London?
I will spend a few days with my mother, support and cheer on my teammates, my training partners, watch some other athletes compete in different sports, go sightseeing and enjoy the closing ceremony.
5.How’s the Olympic Village & any shoutouts for your fans to add to the site?
The Olympic Village is cool. There are a lot of choices of food and things to do. It can be compared to walking around a compound of super humans (lol that was only a joke) but I am enjoying my time here.
Yes, a special shoutout to EVERYONE that has ever said a prayer for me, sent well wishes, posted on Facebook or twitter about team Liberia. I Love You guys. The support is amazing. Also to My family, my amazing friends, St. Johns U family, and the JfK high school family.
This concludes our interview with Liberia’s 100m athlete. Thanks Phobay for the interview and thanks for all of your efforts representing Our SWEET LIBERIA.
A LIBERIAN OLYMPIC BLOG 