Belmonte Lands Magazine Cover…..Spaniard Mireia Belmonte, who earned gold and bronze in Rio under her coach Fred Vergnoux, made the cover of famous Spanish magazine, ‘AS.’ The 26-year-old wishes readers a Happy New Year, while Coach Vergnoux offers reflection on their successful 2016. “Everything has been like a Rubik’s cube,” Frenchman Vergnoux says. “Mireia has made a comeback thanks to experience, managing her injury, changing training habits, giving up participating in World Cup events, mental work and physiotherapy.”
Chupkov Takes Russian Military Oath…..Last month at Sochi Olympic Park, 167 Russian athletes across 37 Olympic sports took their nation’s military oath of recruits for further service in the CSKA sports battalions. Among them was Anton Chupkov, the 19-year-old Russian athlete who scored bronze in the 200m breaststroke in Rio. At the ceremony, Chupkov stated, “Service in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation – is the path you want to take with honor and dignity to our family and friends were proud of us. We are honestly and conscientiously give his duty to the Motherland. We promise to protect and honor the traditions of the Central Army Sports Club. We are honored to perform military service in the ranks of sports mouth CSKA. Every page of the history of the Army Club – is the story of the legendary names and outstanding victories.”
Swimming Mandatory For Czech Schoolchildren…..As of September 2017, swimming courses will become mandatory for all Czech children during elementary school, so says the nation’s Education Ministry. Children in 2nd through 4th grade will be subject to the compulsory swimming courses, which will be free to students and subsidized by the ministry. The goal is to help make the courses available to those schools form ‘problematic poor regions and children from low-income families.’ Project costs are estimated at 98 million crowns ($3.8 million),
I wonder what ‘ problematic poor regions ‘ look like in Czech Republik. Waves of peasant kids storming the local mall or maybe just getting 78% for maths .
I’d guess at the latter, UK govt reports seem to think Czech has the lowest poverty levels in the whole of Europe. That is the same dept that predicted the UK would now be in a deep recession post EU-leave vote though…