University of Cambridge’s Post

5️⃣8️⃣ Days to Go! When Jim Thorpe won all events in the decathlon and was best in three events in the pentathlon, during the 1912 Olympic Games in Stockholm, not every Native American had a citizen status in the United States. Born to parents of mixed-race ancestry, Thorpe was a member of the Sac and Fox Native American Nation, with the name Wha-Tho-Huck (“Bright Path”). Like others who didn’t fit in the profile that gave birth to the modern Olympics – male, white, Eurocentric – Thorpe had to deal with the ambivalence of glory and discrimination. One year after his victory, the International Olympic Committee revoked his medals, based on allegations he had won money as a baseball player, which was interdicted at the time, but the most probable reason was the racism that governed many institutions at the time. In 1983, 30 years after his death, the IOC symbolically restored his medals with replicas. Despite this and other honours, such as a 1951 biographical film about his life, starring Burt Lancaster, Thorpe struggled financially most of his life, and died young, at age 65. Still, he and other Native athletes who were also part of the 1912 Olympics started a path that was later walked by many others, such as Billy Mills, from the Sioux Nation, who won the golden medal in the 1964 Olympics in the 10’000 meters race. During the 2020 Tokyo Games, more than 20 Indigenous athletes from different countries won medals. There wouldn’t be a true celebration across nations and cultures if Native communities were not an integral part of the Olympics, and that is why we must also celebrate the leaders who are making this a reality. #100DaysofSummer #LegacyGroupe #Sport #Paris2024 #OlympicGames #Paris

Ahead of the 2024 Summer Olympics, we’ve released a report you NEED to read 🎾🏏🥊 The first chapter of ‘Future of Sport,’ a four-part series from Backslash and Dark Horses, is now live. It explores how an upending of tradition is giving way to a more balanced future. As the very foundation of sport is uprooted and remixed, we throw out old assumptions of what’s considered a sport, which nations govern it, and how influence is divided between genders.   Download the report at https://backslash.com/ to learn more. #Paris2024

Like all great fashion stories, EXEAT® began in Paris, so it was an honour to be invited to Châteaux Versailles this week to visit the most important tennis court in European history. A court becomes canonised when it plays host to clashing titans - Federer vs Nadal, Serena vs Venus etc… and this story is no different, all-be-it that this battle of wills took place 300 years ago against the backdrop of the French Revolution. And the stakes were life or death. The year was 1789 and the two opponents, French ‘Commoners’ and lofty French Nobility were at loggerheads. The country was deep in civil war and on the edge of financial ruin. Representatives from the commoners travelled to Versailles to meet with the Nobles and seek resolution, but upon their arrival found they had been churlishly locked out of their meeting room. The Nobles didn’t want to play ball. Frustrated, the commoners, who represented the majority of the population, declared themselves the National Assembly and reconvened in Louis XVI sumptuous indoor tennis court. There, they took an oath not to disband until they had established a constitution for France, effectively asserting their authority and commitment to reform. This event became known as the Tennis Court Oath. The oath was a pivotal moment in the French Revolution, symbolizing the shift of power from the monarchy to the people. It demonstrated the determination of the commoners to bring about political change and set the stage for further revolutionary actions. The Tennis Court Oath is considered a foundational moment in the development of modern democracy and the concept of popular sovereignty. It played a crucial role in the subsequent events of the French Revolution, which ultimately led to radical political and social transformations in France. 🎾🇫🇷

Can confirm: the issue is 🔥🔥

An interesting read in the Guardian exploring the intersectionality between race equity and sport. It's crucial to continue to recognise that the world of sports is not immune to the realities of racial inequality and discrimination. In fact, the intersection of race equity and sport is a complex and multifaceted issue that demands our attention now more than ever. Across the globe, athletes of colour continue to face systemic barriers and injustices that hinder their access to opportunities and recognition within the sporting arena. From disparities in funding and resources to overt acts of racism and discrimination, the journey towards race equity in sports is fraught with challenges. However, amidst these challenges lie moments of resilience, courage, and triumph. The stories of trailblazing athletes who have shattered barriers and defied expectations serve as powerful reminders of the transformative potential of sport as a catalyst for social change. Alongside William DeHart Hubbard, consider the legacy of other Olympic athletes like Jesse Owens, who defied Adolf Hitler's notion of Aryan supremacy by winning four gold medals at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, or Wilma Rudolph, who overcame childhood polio to become the first American woman to win three gold medals in track and field. These trailblazers not only achieved athletic greatness but also paved the way for future generations of athletes of colour to thrive on the global stage. Yet, despite the progress made in recent decades, the fight for race equity in sports is far from over. Bananas are STILL being thrown at Black footballers across Europe and monkey chants are STILL being heard in football terraces up and down the country. Black and Asian cricketers are STILL being racially abused by in some cases, their own teammates. Opportunities for funding across sport at grassroots level are STILL not reaching underserved sections of our society, and some sports are STILL woefully unrepresentative. We ALL have a responsibility to confront these issues head-on and work towards creating a more inclusive and equitable playing field. This begins with acknowledging the systemic biases and barriers that exist within our sporting institutions and committing to dismantling them through intentional and sustained action. The intersectionality of race equity and sport is a critical issue that demands our collective attention and action. By recognising the inherent power of sports to unite and inspire, we can harness its potential to drive positive change and create a more inclusive and equitable world for future generations. #RaceEquity #SportsEquality #Inclusion #Diversity #SocialChange #Leadership #AthleteAdvocacy

The most inspiring book I have read. Not only am I passionate about the sport but the lesson and journey of being and building a team and what it means to sit in the seat of a boat and make a difference. I encourage you all to read the book and see the movie. #lifechanging.

Celebrate Jyothi Yarraji’s Silver, but Also Question Stolen Gold Unless the HOC Stadium in Hangzhou was suddenly the setting for smoke, mirrors and optical illusions of the David Copperfield variety, what happened at the start of the women’s 100m hurdles was really beyond dispute. Before the race, the attention was squarely on the middle lanes, with China’s Yanni Wu in lane 4 and Yuwei Lin in lane 6 sandwiching India’s Jyothi Yarraji in lane 5. The trio were expected to share the medals, though no one knew in what order they would finish. With Wu and Jyothi having season’s bests within 0.02s of each other, there really was nothing between them. And that made the start especially important. What then took place has been viewed by millions – in real time, slow motion and ultra-slow motion. There was no ambiguity in the pictures. While the other seven athletes were still in the blocks, Wu took off. Japan’s Masumi Aoki, in lane 3, and Jyothi reacted next. But as you saw the imagess, it was obvious that they were only responding to the movement next to them. Whichever angle you viewed it from, there wasn’t so much as a twitch from Jyothi before her Chinese opponent raised herself and pushed off. And there is no confusion in the rules either. World Athletics’ Technical Rules 16.8 says this: Except in Combined Events, any athlete responsible for a false start shall be disqualified by the Starter. In this case, no other athlete was responsible for the false start, only Wu. So, for the officials present to attempt to drag Jyothi into the fray was little short of scandalous. If we’re being especially cynical, we could say it was cheating, plain and simple. There was no replay, from any angle, that remotely suggested that Jyothi had triggered the false start. The onus was on Wu, and Wu alone. For her and the officials to even suggest otherwise was preposterous. Jyothi’s cause was helped because of two strong characters in her corner. Adille Sumariwalla and Anju Bobby George, President and vice-president of the Athletics Federation of India (AFI). They were quick to initiate a protest against the initial result, which had the Chinese first and second. Had the AFI not filed their appeal within half an hour, the medal she deserved may not have come Jyothi’s way, at least not tonight. That justice was done in the end, and Wu denied the silver, is neither here nor there. Should we have expected anything more? Having been hounded for minutes for no fault of her own, her mental state was such that a safe and conservative start was almost the only option left to her. While sports lovers at large may celebrate a silver in an event where India have seldom even been a factor, the reality is that the unnecessary controversy deprived Jyothi of a real chance of gold. Celebrate her silver, by all means. But don’t stop at that. Keep asking questions, because what happened made a mockery of every principle of fair play that governs sport.

Once in a while I'll start what I think will be a simple, short trivia post and then it becomes an obsessively detailed article. When you're watching the Olympics *exactly* 100 days from now, and you're like, "How do they sort the countries in that parade?" you'll now have a solid resource to refer to! https://lnkd.in/eG4kug8u

Vote for our alumna Sonja Zimmermann in the election as the German Sports Aid Foundation's Sports Scholarship Holder of the Year 2024. 💪 You can vote for Sonja until 25 July! Find more information in the post below. #Spitzensport #SupportAthletes #VoteForSonja #StudentAthlete #BusinessGraduate #BusinessAndSport

Tomorrow is the start of the Paris Olympic Games! The United Kingdom is the only nation that has been represented at every modern Olympic Games and Team GB have won a gold medal at every summer Olympics since 1896! The modern Olympic Games were inspired by the ancient Olympic Games, which were held in Olympia, Greece, from the 8th century BC to the 4th century AD. The modern Games were revived in the late 19th century by Baron Pierre de Coubertin and have been held every four years since 1896, with the exception of interruptions due to World War I and World War II. Clearly this needs a new mug of history @teamGB @Paris2024 #Olympics #TeamGB #Paris #TheBest https://lnkd.in/evTzsDJM https://lnkd.in/dxreBMic