TeamUSATracker: MARCH 3, 2020
COVID Delay to Olympics? USA Davis Cup, USA Marathon Results, Rugby Sevens (LA Sevens Recap)
Team USA Tracker: March 3, 2020
@TeamUSATracker
Thoughts and Feedback email me back at 247teamusa@gmail.com
THE STARTING BLOCKS
DELAY THE OLYMPICS?
Japan Olympics Minister sending some uncertainty to an Olympic Postponement this AM in a Q&A to Parliament
“The contract details what happens if the Games are not held in 2020. Depending on how you interpret that, it could allow for a delay to sometime within this year,” said the minister in charge of the Olympics, Seiko Hashimoto, in Parliament on Tuesday when asked by a lawmaker whether they could be delayed
IOC President Thomas Bach calmed it down
"The IOC EB encourages all athletes to continue to prepare for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. The IOC will keep supporting the athletes by providing the latest information and developments, which are accessible for athletes worldwide on the Athlete365 website."
"The IOC, in cooperation with all the authorities and the National Olympic Committees (NOCs), is fully committed to a successful Olympic Games in Tokyo starting on the 24 July," he said.
According to a programme schedule for the IOC meeting, Tokyo 2020 organizers will deliver a status report on preparations Wednesday before Bach holds an official press conference.
https://edition.cnn.com/2020/03/03/sport/olympics-tokyo-2020-thomas-bach-ioc-spt-intl/index.html
WHO Also Answers Back to Japan’s Olympic Minister
- Deciding now on whether to postpone or cancel the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games could be too soon, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization, said during a press briefing on Tuesday.
“I think deciding now could be too early,” Ghebreyesus said, adding that WHO has been helping Japan to monitor the situation.
Bottom Line: Japan has another 3 months to decide what to do and until the end of May to do something. Hopefully in less than 3 months, some treatments for coronavirus may be identified and then I think the games should go on
Coronavirus may cause the final FIS World Cup scheduled for Cortina to be cancelled or moved- we will find out on Friday. Reminder no World Championships this year for Alpine Skiing so this was this final event of the season was the big event.
WHAT TO WATCH THIS WEEKEND:
March Madness: Conference Tournament Begins Tonight. Teams start battling for an automatic berth
Tennis: Davis Cup Tennis Qualifiers in Hawaii.
USA is a 4th seed in Qualifiers after getting bounced in the 1st round last year will take on Uzbekistan
https://www.daviscup.com/en/draws-results/tie.aspx?id=M-DC-2020-QLS-M-USA-UZB-01
Reilly Opelka, Taylor Fritz (fresh off his runner up finish in Acapulco), Tommy Paul and the Bryan Brothers
Rugby: Canada 7s. 3 more Rugby 7 Tournament until Tokyo 2020. More on USA Rugby below
Golf: Arnold Palmer Invitational: No Tiger
https://www.pgatour.com/tournaments/arnold-palmer-invitational-presented-by-mastercard/field.html
Alpine Skiing: Men are World Cup in Norway for Downhill and Super G; , Women Alpine Skiing events in Germany were cancelled they are next in Are, Sweden March 12 to March 14
Snowboard Cross World Cup continues in Spain
Oslo hosts World Cup Cross Country, Nordic Combined, and Ski Jumping
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
10 Days Until Women's Curling World Championships
14 Days Until Figure Skating World Championships
OLYMPIC QUALIFICATION:
9 Days Until Wrestling Pan American Qualification Tournament (USA Wrestling trying to Get Tokyo Qualification Spots)
14 Days Until 3x3 Basketball Olympic Qualification Tournament (Both USA Men & Women 3x3 looking for Top 4 finishes)
16 Days Until Men’s Soccer Olympic Qualification Tournament
107 Days Until Track and Field US Trials
109 Days Until US Swimming Trials
113 Days Until 2020 US Gymnastics Trials
143 Days Until Tokyo Olympics
🥇 GOING TO THE OLYMPICS
Do you think athletes or teams should qualify for the Olympics in a one day or one event trial or based on a series of events like Fencing or Rugby? Because Marathon Trials were insane, one race to make to the Team. So much pressure
Email 247teamusa@gmail.com with thoughts and share this newsletter with others
Marathon: Congrats Galen Rupp, Jacob Riley, & Abdi Abdirahman for the Men and Aliphine Tuliamuk, Molly Seidel, & Sally Kipyego for the Women.
Rupp figures to be a medal contender again but before Marathon Trials had not been finishing marathons regularly as he worked through some injuries.
Table Tennis: Liu Juan, Wang Huijing, Zhou Xin and Nikhil Kuma make the team (this was also a one day event)
Note two teenagers will play singles for @usatabletennis as Nikhil Kuma (17) will join Kanak Jha (he is 19, turning 20 in June) #1 ranked US Table Tennis player.
Check out this story on Liu Juan (her family is originally from Wuhan) she retired because thought she would be ruled ineligble by ITTF
Sailing: (Windsurfing) Farrah Hall & Pedro Pascual
Shooting
Trap Shooters: Derrick Mein, Brian Burrows, Kayle Browning, Madelynn Bernau
25M Rapid Pistol: Alexis Lagan, Sandra Uptagrafft, & Keith Sanderson (US only had 1 quota spot in men)
10 M Air Pistol: Nick Mowrer & James Hall
Sport Climbing: 16 year old Colin Duffy who won the spot on his last climb as the USA Climbing swept IFSC Climbing Pan American Championships with the first 4 spots
Track Cycling World Championships: USA Men and Women’s Track Cycling Team qualified a lot of spots for Tokyo
US Track Cycling women secured a spot in Team Pursuit (where they look to be a gold medal contender), and also the other disciplines of Sprint, Keirin, Omnimum and Madison. Jennifer Valente and Chloe Dygert Owen will be medal contenders.
Plus US Track Cycling men secured places in Tokyo in the Madison and omnium,
🥈 RUGBY SEVENS
USA Rugby finished 5th at LA Sevens with a very tough loss QF to eventual champs South Africa which there was very questionable officiating that gave South Africa a try and having them avoid a penalty on the final play.
USA Rugby also lost Ben Pinkelman after two games in the tournament so his status for Canada 7s is questionable. USA Rugby also lost Joe Schroeder later in the tournament (who filled in for Pinkelman) and were without Prop Matai Letua for LA Sevens due to injury. USA Rugby could be short handed for the Canada 7s- Maceo Brown played some prop in LA but Ben Broselle, Anthony Wellmers, or Maloon Al-Jiboori may get the call up for Canada.
USA Rugby has been playing next man up all year. I’m hopeful they get Folau Niua and a full squad maybe including Nate Ebner for London and Paris 7s.
🥉SKIPPING TOKYO
Golf: Dustin Johnson said he was skipping Tokyo to focus on FedEx Cup Playoffs.
He joins US Tennis Stars John Isner and Sam Querrey as skipping (Tennis they are prepping for US Open and do not get ATP Points for playing Olympics like they do for ATP Cup)
A few things re pros skipping in Golf and Tennis:
Olympics should look at a team format for Golf or Tennis (Golf it could mean a couple of more spots I know that is tough)
Obviously Tiger Woods has had some back pain but if he makes a run at Masters or US Open, I think other US Golfers like Brooks Koepka might step aside so their President Cup Captain Tiger Woods can go to the Olympics. This might be Tiger’s only shot and he really wants to play. If Tiger represented any other country he would be going.
Tennis should give ATP points for Olympics, Make it an ATP 1000 Event and bump down ATP 1000 in Canada and Cincy (pre US Open Masters tournament) to ATP 500 for that Olympic year (so it would be easy for players to concentrate on Olympics). Also by restoring Canada to Cincy to ATP 1000 the following year it would be easy for the players to gain back points re Olympics.
One New Sport to Paris 2024?
I think Beach Handball will be added to the Paris 2024. I think Team Handball will get a smaller size or they may be more leniant with the extra athletes but this sport is great