Germany ditches rower over 'neo-Nazi lover' In other ways to get sent home [although her sportive duties have been completed already]: A female rower on Germany's Olympic team has left London after rumours surfaced that she was in a relationship with a neo-Nazi. Nadja Drygalla, 23, left after a long conversation with German Olympic officials about the allegations that her boyfriend was a leading member of the “Rostock National Socialists” and had fought a state election for a neo-Nazi party. “Ms Drygalla declared at the end of our conversation that she would leave the Olympic village in order not to be a burden for the Olympic team. The German Rowing Association welcomes this decision,” said Michael Vesper chef de Mission of the German Olympic Association. The rumours had also led to Drygalla leaving her training position with the police, Die Welt newspaper reported on Friday. Vesper said the rower had distanced herself from far-right ideas during their 90-minute conversation with the rower, which he described as very emotional. And although he was not fighting for her to remain, Die Welt reported that Vesper said what was important was her position, not that of anyone else. “I have no doubts that she not only stands for the German constitution but also Olympic values,” he said. “She explained things from her point of view. I made clear to her the problem. We spoke intensely about the whole development and also discussed her opinions,” he said. And he stressed that it would be unfair to define people by those around them. It was not his job to investigate the relationships of athletes, he added – but welcomed Drygalla’s early departure from the Olympics. The Local/jcw http://www.thelocal.de/sport/20120803-44147.html lso: http://www.spiegel.de/panorama/olym...alla-verlaesst-olympisches-dorf-a-847987.html
Gabby Douglas, Ryan Lochte: Why Families of America’s Olympics Athletes Are Broke by Kevin Fallon Aug 7, 2012 Gabby Douglas’s mother declared bankruptcy. Ryan Lochte’s family faces foreclosure on their home. Years of spending huge sums, with little outside assistance, to prepare their kids to become Olympic heroes leaves many U.S. families on the brink of financial disaster. Gabby Douglas is America’s newest sweetheart. She’s also its newest millionaire. Her mother, however, is broke. The 16-year-old gymnast, who became the first black gymnast to win the all-around competition last week in London, stands to make between $1 million and $3 million a year in endorsements, and has already agreed to plaster her infectious smile on the Kellogg’s corn flakes box. Douglas’s forthcoming gold-medal payday makes a new revelation about her family all the more shocking. Natalie Hawkins, Douglas’s mother, filed for bankruptcy earlier this year in Virginia, court documents show. The Chapter 13 filing reveals roughly $80,000 in debts, and will allow her to reorganize her finances to pay down the total over several years. Hawkins, who went on long-term medical disability in 2009, reported a six-month stretch in which the single mother of four had little to no income. The news comes the day after TMZ broke the story that Ryan Lochte’s parents are facing foreclosure on their Florida home. CitiMortgage is suing the Lochtes, claiming that they stopped making mortgage payments in February 2011. As with Douglas, Lochte, who won five medals in London, is primed for a slew of endorsement deals that couldn’t be better timed for his family. Both athletes are—at this moment, at least—national heroes and beacons of American patriotism. But the financial strain their years of training put on their families indicates that investing in a future Olympian may not always be a financially sound decision. How did these families get so broke? Cont'd: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articl...of-america-s-olympics-athletes-are-broke.html
Olympic Medalists Get Luxury Cars 16 August 2012 By Jonathan Earle This year’s Olympic medalists on Red Square on Wednesday preparing to receive black Audi sedans for their performances in the London Games. The Russian Olympians Foundation, financed by wealthy businessmen, gave them the cars to accompany cash prizes doled out by the fund. Besides fame and glory, this year's Russian Olympic medalists are getting a handsome cash prize and a new luxury car. The Russian Olympians Foundation, financed by 15 of the nation's wealthiest businesspeople, presented the Audi sedans to the Olympians on Wednesday. After a closed ceremony in the Kremlin hosted by President Vladimir Putin, the athletes ventured out onto Red Square, where 129 black Audis, accompanied by 129 hired drivers, ties flapping in the wind, were waiting on the cobblestone slope behind St. Basil's Cathedral. With undisguised glee, the athletes posed for a haphazard photograph beside the historic church, which was lined with cheering fans, including one who'd come all the way from Murmansk. Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko mingled with the athletes and their graying trainers, at one point stopping to give a female Olympian a congratulatory, two-handed pinch on the cheeks. Then the cordon was opened and the athletes percolated through the lot, each claiming a car. Gold medal winners received Audi A8s, which sell new for $120,000. Silver medalists got A7s ($75,000), and bronze medalists got A6s ($50,000). The fund's executive director, Alexander Katushev, wouldn't say how much it had spent on the cars, except that they were acquired through an open tender at a "significant discount." He added that elite athletes deserve elite cars. "A fine athlete in a crappy car is like a beautiful girl who cusses. The exterior doesn't match the interior, and this won't do," he told The Moscow Times, adding that athletes in other countries enjoyed similar perks. In addition to the cars, the fund is giving cash prizes to the medalists: 4 million rubles ($125,000) for gold, 2.5 million rubles for silver, and 1.7 million rubles for bronze. Even though athletes interviewed by The Moscow Times said cars and cash didn't motivate them to win, they happily accepted the gifts. Volleyball player Alexei Obmochayev rifled through his car's glove compartment. He took out the manual to look up the car's horsepower, which turned out to be enough to elicit a devilish grin. His teammate, Alexander Volkov, carefully folded his towering, 210-centimeter frame into the back seat of one car. "Plenty of room here," he said, hunching forward awkwardly. One by one, the athletes were driven away by the hired drivers, with the exception of several wrestlers, who insisted on getting behind the wheel. Gymnast Alina Makarenko, 17, will only be sitting shotgun for the foreseeable future — she doesn't have a driver's license. Makarenko said her mother would drive the A8 until she received one. "I think if they had been Russian cars, nobody would have shown up," said pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva, who won bronze after taking home gold in the last two Olympics. The Russian Olympians Foundation includes Russia's richest man, Alisher Usmanov, as well as tycoons Roman Abramovich, Viktor Vekselberg and Oleg Deripaska. The nation finished fourth in the total medals count, with 82, including 24 golds, 26 silvers and 32 bronzes. Read more: http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/...sts-get-luxury-cars/466643.html#ixzz23kfTa3Kq The Moscow Times
