Misty May-Treanor Talks 2012; Sambodromo Opens; IPC Launches Website

May-Treanor on 2012

Reigning two-time Olympic beach volleyball champion Misty May-Treanor tells Around the Rings she hopes to make one of the guards smile at London’s historic Horse Guards Parade.

The former headquarters of the British Army is surrounded by some of the city’s most famous landmarks, so May-Treanor is sure to sightsee a bit when volleyball stages its 2012 competition there.

"I’ve never been outside the airport, so it’ll be something very new," she tells ATR.

"Maybe we’ll get the Queen to the [venue] and the Prince and Princess. We’ve got a lot to look forward to. Maybe we’ll make one of the Guards smile."

She and longtime partner Kerri Walsh are looking to rebound from a thrilling three-set loss to Juliana Felisberta Silva and Larissa Franca of Brazil in the finals of last year’s world championships.

After competing with countrywoman Nicole Branaugh during the 2010 season, May-Treanor says the decision to reunite with Walsh for a shot at a third straight Olympic gold was a no-brainer.

"Oh, it’s easy, come on," she says. "We’ve done so many great things together. We’re the dynamic duo.

"It’s going to be very challenging, but we’re ready to take on the challenge. That’s why we started working out very hard."

That includes several hours together on the sand each day as well as track workouts, pilates and yoga for May-Treanor, 34.

"Training’s definitely changed from four years ago and beyond because as you get older, you have to change a little bit," she admits. "You need a little more recovery."

According to May-Treanor, her body’s not the only factor that’s changed between Beijing and now.

"We’re four years older, but experience-wise I feel we keep stronger and stronger and we’re still very physical, but the whole world in beach volleyball has grown," she tells ATR.

"Whereas it used to be U.S. and Brazil all the time, it’s not necessarily true anymore. China, Germany, Australia – and that’s what you want to see. You want to see the sport grow."

Indeed, for a discipline that only recently received its Olympic debut at Atlanta 1996, beach volleyball appears poised for quite a good showing in London. Tickets are already sold out, and sporting one of the most iconic venues of the Games certainly won’t hurt.

"I think beach volleyball’s one of the hottest tickets, so I expect it to be big," says May-Treanor. "The English love partying, I think, so it’s going to be very interesting. Maybe not so many tanned bodies in the crowd, but everybody’s going to have a great time."

Sambodromo Opens

Rio 2016’s first venue is open to the public.

Sambodromo, the iconic venue used during Carnival, will be the archery site as well as the start and finish line for the marathon in four years time.

Around $20 million was spent renovating Sambodromo, which was re-opened Sunday with 1,000 athletes taking part in a 5.5 kilometer run.

Work was completed by Rio de Janeiro city government one week before Carnival. Four new grandstands were built on one of the sides, increasing capacity from 60,000 to 72,500 people. The venue was adapted to offer better access to people with disabilities, more open boxes, and new hospitality suites. The Sambodromo will also have sound systems on both sides of the road.

"The opening of the Sambodromo is a testament to how the Games are integrated with the city," said Carlos Arthur Nuzman, president of Rio 2016.

"The choice of this venue for the Archery and the Marathon events not only gives us the opportunity to stage sports competitions against a worldwide known setting, but also offers Rio de Janeiro a renovated, enlarged stage for one of the city's largest popular celebrations. For the Rio 2016 Games, it also means completing a sports venue over four years in advance."

IPC Website Gets Favorable Reviews

The International Paralympic Committee has a new website up and running.

The format, which includes a new blog feature, received praise from the organization’s Facebook followers.

Iryna Troshyna described the website as "straight to the point" while Sy Wooks Seddon said it "looks really cool." Liam Harbinson also praised the new development saying, "Great site IPC. Well done."

Olympic Anniversaries

On Feb. 13, the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid and the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary opened.

The Lake Placid Games were the second time the upstate city hosted the event, and the Calgary Olympics were the last time the Olympics and Paralympics were not held in the same city. Innsbruck hosted the Paralympics a few weeks before.

On Feb. 13, the 1972 Sapporo Winter Olympics ended. It was the first time Japan hosted the Games.

On Feb. 12, the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver opened. More than 2,500 Olympians competed at the Games, the largest Winter Olympics ever.

On Feb. 10, the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin started. Turin was the largest city to host the Olympics with a population of 2.2 million.

Iraqi Sport Chief Arrested

The head of Iraq’s rowing federation was arrested "for unknown reasons," claims the Iraqi Olympic Committee.

A report from the AFP news agency quotes Samir al-Mussawi, an official with the IOC, saying state officials "arrested the president of the Iraqi Federation for Rowing, Abdul Salam Khalaf, at his house on Haifa Street early on Thursday for unknown reasons."

The IOC has asked for clarification about why he was arrested. However, AFP says the arrest was apparently not in connection with his rowing role.

1984 Venue Damaged

One of the venues for the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo was damaged from heavy snow.

The Associated Press reports that the roof of the Skenderija collapsed on Sunday due to heavy snow. Skenderija is a complex of venues, including the ice hockey and figure skating venues from the 1984 Games. The figure skating venue is the damaged site.

No one was hurt, according to the report.

Much of Europe is experiencing extreme winter weather, and the AP reports three feet of snow fell in Sarajevo on Sunday.

Media Watch

Reuters reports on South Sudan’s efforts to compete at the London Olympics.

RT looks at Dow’s record with Bhopal, India.

Written by Matthew Grayson and Ed Hula III.

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