We talk a lot about more nations getting involved with sports, or smaller nations having more presence at an Olympics or Paralympics. For a nation to be at the Games, they need to have a national governing body in the sport – but what does it take to start one? On this episode we’re talking with skeleton athlete Shannon Galea, who has dual citizenship with Canada and Malta, and who founded the Maltese Bobsled and Skeleton Federation with hopes of qualifying for the Olympics.
Book Club Claire is back for another session of book club! This time we've got our first Paralympics-related selection: "Driven to Ride: The True Story of an Elite Athlete Who Rebuilt His Leg, His Life, and His Career" by two-time Paralympic Snowboarder Mike Schultz. In the genre of athlete memoir, how does this one rate with us?
Nordic Combined is the only sport on the current Olympic program that is only open to men. Many athletes are working to change that, including Team USA’s Annika Malacinski. We talk with Annika about how the sport works, which surprisingly involves a lot of body measurements (see: ski jumping suit scandal at Beijing), and we learn about one of the best winner's prizes ever. Also, how you can help the women in their effort to get onto the Olympic program.
We love it when we get to talk with a TKFLASTANI again! Wheelchair curler Steve Emt returns to talk with us about his experiences at the Beijing 2022 Paralympics and how he found out his Russian competitors were banned from the Games.
Olympic Host Cities usually get a reputation for spending a ton of money building venues that become white elephants, but that's not necessarily the case. We delve into the International Olympic Committee's new report on venue legacy. Which cities have done it right, and which haven't?
What are TKFLASTANIs like on other podcasts? We've got a special cross-over episode of Hear Her Sports, where host Elizabeth Emery talks with Olympic speedskater Erin Jackson. Dive into more of the details of this sport -- something we love to do!
What's it like to call a sports competition remotely vs. calling it in person? Paralympian and CBC commentator Rob Snoek fills us in on the difference and why being there matters.
Josh Williamson, our very first TKFLASTANI, makes a return visit on the show. He's no longer an Olympic hopeful; he's now an actual Olympian, and we couldn't be more proud of him. Josh tells us about his experiences at Beijing 2022, which involve COVID positives, an unusual competition, lots of issues with security during the Closing Ceremonies, and a robot who said he was beautiful.
John Coates has stepped down as president of the Australian Olympic Committee. UIPM, the modern pentathlon federation, has selected a sport to test to replace the horse showjumping discipline. The International Skating Union is set to vote on raising the minimum age limits for senior-level athletes. So much going on in the world of the Olympics this week!
Author David Davis returns to the show to talk about his book and the upcoming documentary Waterman: The Life and Times of Duke Kahanamoku, about the legendary 3x Olympic medalist and surfing pioneer.
Photographer Mark Edward Harris was one of the friends we made in the Closed Loop at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. We talked with him about his craft--and his several frostbitten fingers.
(Photo: Mark Edward Harris)
It's time for another Lightning Round! This week we showcase our "quickfire" questions with three athletes who were in the mix for going to Beijing 2022: Wheelchair curler Steve Emt, doubles luger Jayson Terdiman and biathlete Clare Egan. Learn about their earliest memories of the Games and their favorite souvenirs.
Now that we're back from Beijing 2022, we're able to restart our history segment. This year we're focusing on the Albertville 1992 Winter Games, and what better way to reboot this bit than by chatting with ski historian Tom Kelly. Tom shares some of the big skiing stories of these Games, including the demonstration sport that turned deadly. Plus, the Paris 2024 Olympic schedule has been released. We take a look at the amazing weekend of sports it's slated to have. And we break down just how much it cost us to report from Beijing 2022.
It's Part 2 of our contributor roundtable with Book Club Claire and Superfan Sarah, with more hot takes on the Beijing 2022 Olympics and Paralympics. Plus, Jill has a story she's been waiting seven weeks to tell.
We are back from Beijing, so it's time to talk about all of the things we couldn't get to while we were in China! Coming along for the fun are contributors Book Club Claire and Superfan Sarah. We talk with them about how we got out of China, as well as the US vs. China Games experience.