Latest news with #OpeningCeremony
BBC News
5 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Orkney welcome's world's islands for the opening of the Games
Excitement is building in Orkney as the final countdown begins to the Island from across the world are in Kirkwall for the opening ceremony in the huge multi-sport event on Saturday games will be officially opened by the Princess Royal, while the opening ceremony at the town's Bignold Park will begin at 17: TV presenter Lorraine Kelly will host alongside BBC Radio Orkney Presenter Stuart Bain. The event has been years in the making, with hundreds of local people and businesses event is comparable in terms of competitor numbers to the Winter it has been planned and delivered mainly by volunteers - with just three staff employed by Orkney 2025.A range of public events kick off from 15:15 on Saturday to build the atmosphere. Taking a starring role in ramping up the fun will be Games mascot Ola the whale character was created by Sarah Sutcliffe, 12, who won a competition of 880 local young ceremony is expected to be "short but entertaining" and organisers say the streets will lined with local and international support. After the opening ceremony, Athletes will parade through the town, in an array of different colours representing their teams. The parade will leave Bignold Park at 17:45 and make its way to St Magnus Cathedral in have been warned about road closures in the centre of Kirkwall from 16:00 to 19:00. Sporting competition gets underway on Sunday with events including the triathlon and sports include swimming, gymnastics and lawn bowls. Events will be held across the week before the closing ceremony on Friday 18 July. The island spirit is alive in Orkney and has had a ripple affect across the other Li and Annelise Mellor are from the Isle of Man Badminton Annelise, this will be her first island games. She says lots of hard work has gone in to getting here."It feels amazing to be here, especially the weather, it really helps," she said: "This is my fourth games so I always like meeting the people that we've seen before. That's always really fun."The atmosphere and the people are all really supportive. The local people are always eager to ask questions so it's really great."I love badge swapping with all of the other islands."Both Annelise and Philippa are excited to see Ola the Orca at the Opening Ceremony. The pressure is on to get all the athletes to Orkney before the opening ceremony and some competitors have already been facing the realities of island Alvarez is the chairman of the Gibraltar island games association. Some of her team have been held up in delayed flights. She has a total of around 70 people competing."As you know from an island, we always get delays for one reason or another. Schedules or weather or whatever. "They have been delayed for a couple of hours but we've got people coming in all different ways from all different places. "Because Gibraltar is such a long way, it's been three flights or two flights or a ferry. I've got them coming in all different ways," she said. Despite the delays, Linda is looking forward to the excitement that comes with the opening ceremony."It's always nice to see everyone together. It comes from the heart. When you're marching with your team and your flag and everybody gets together, it's always a special occasion. "I'm sure Orkney's going to have a great time, will do a great ceremony and it will be remembered for a long time." Speaking to BBC Radio Orkney, Stuart Bain said there would be a lot in store for the opening ceremony, including singing and dancing. "I think its going to be a fantastic day for folk, especially with this bonnie weather that's forecast. "There's a really good buzz about Kirkwall already and Orkney in general. Driving in this morning and seeing all the Orkney flags that had popped up just since yesterday when I went home is really encouraging."A full schedule for the events can be found on the Orkney Island Games 2025 there will be daily updates and coverage on BBC Radio Orkney.
Yahoo
17-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Olympic hockey game schedules set for 2026 Milan Cortina Games
The U.S. women's hockey team will face Czechia in its first game of the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics, while the U.S. men play Latvia in their opener. The women's tournament starts Feb. 5, one day before the Opening Ceremony, and finishes with medal games Feb. 19. The men's tournament starts Feb. 11 (the U.S. opens Feb. 12) and finishes Feb. 22, the day of the Closing Ceremony. Advertisement In the women's tournament, the U.S. and Canada have met in six of the seven Olympic finals. Canada is the reigning Olympic champion. The U.S. is the reigning world champion. They're joined in Group A by Czechia, Switzerland and Finland. At the world championship in April, the U.S. edged Czechia 2-1 in a close semifinal, though the Americans outshot the Czechs 45-11. OLYMPIC HOCKEY SCHEDULES: Women | Men All of the Group A teams — the world's five highest-ranked teams — automatically qualify for the quarterfinals and will be seeded based on their group results. In the men's tournament, NHL players will participate for the first time since the 2014 Sochi Games. Advertisement The U.S. is grouped with Latvia, Denmark and Germany. The three group winners, plus the single best second-place team, advance to the quarterfinals. The other eight teams play in a qualification round to determine the last four quarterfinalists. Finland won the 2022 Olympic title without NHL players. Canada won the last two Olympics with NHL players. The U.S. last won Olympic men's hockey gold at the 1980 Lake Placid Games. 2026 Olympic hockey rosters 2026 Olympic men's hockey rosters: first six players for all 12 teams All 12 Olympic men's hockey teams named their first six players on June 16.
NBC Sports
17-06-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Olympic hockey game schedules set for 2026 Milan Cortina Games
The U.S. women's hockey team will face Czechia in its first game of the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics, while the U.S. men play Latvia in their opener. The women's tournament starts Feb. 5, one day before the Opening Ceremony, and finishes with medal games Feb. 19. The men's tournament starts Feb. 11 (the U.S. opens Feb. 12) and finishes Feb. 22, the day of the Closing Ceremony. In the women's tournament, the U.S. and Canada have met in six of the seven Olympic finals. Canada is the reigning Olympic champion. The U.S. is the reigning world champion. They're joined in Group A by Czechia, Switzerland and Finland. At the world championship in April, the U.S. edged Czechia 2-1 in a close semifinal, though the Americans outshot the Czechs 45-11. OLYMPIC HOCKEY SCHEDULES: Women | Men All of the Group A teams — the world's five highest-ranked teams — automatically qualify for the quarterfinals and will be seeded based on their group results. In the men's tournament, NHL players will participate for the first time since the 2014 Sochi Games. The U.S. is grouped with Latvia, Denmark and Germany. The three group winners, plus the single best second-place team, advance to the quarterfinals. The other eight teams play in a qualification round to determine the last four quarterfinalists. Finland won the 2022 Olympic title without NHL players. Canada won the last two Olympics with NHL players. The U.S. last won Olympic men's hockey gold at the 1980 Lake Placid Games. Nick Zaccardi,
Daily Mail
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Eurovision artists 'banned from taking Pride flags onto the stage' for 2025 Switzerland competition
Eurovision acts have reportedly been banned from taking Pride flags onto the stage for the 2025 competition in Switzerland. Bosses of the annual song contest, which is this year taking place in the city of Basel, have issued new flag guidance. The rules, which have been developed by the Swiss host broadcaster SRG SSR, state that contestants will only be able to bring the official flag of their country into any official Eurovision events, venues or related performances. This includes the likes of the Opening Ceremony, the Eurovision Village Stage, the Flag Parade, the Green Room and of course the main Eurovision stage. In a statement provided to Metro, the event states the new guidance is 'in line with other international competitive events' The competition explained: 'Together we wanted to strike a balance to ensure that our audiences and artists can express their enthusiasm and identities, whilst at the same time provide more clarity for the delegations when it comes to official spaces.' 'Outside of these official spaces the flag policy for delegations is the same as for audiences, where all flags permitted under Swiss law can be used, including Pride flags, and provides plenty of opportunities for the expression of everyone's identities.' It comes after last year's non-binary winner Nemo had to 'smuggle in' the non-binary flag to the parade after being refused by officials in Malmö, Sweden. The song contest has long been associated with the LGBTQ community, often called 'Queer Christmas' by fans. However, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) banned the yellow, white, purple and black striped flag, forcing champion Nemo to 'smuggle' one in. In a press conference after their win, Nemo was asked about the decision and branded it 'unbelievable', and accused the contest bosses of a 'double standard'. They said: 'I had to smuggle my flag in because Eurovision said no, but I did it anyway, so I hope some people did that too. 'But, I mean, come on, this is clearly a double standard.' The EBU received further backlash after the official Eurovision Twitter account shared a photo of Nemo holding the non-binary flag aloft, with the caption: 'Non-binary finery', with fans calling this 'hypocritical'. MailOnline has contacted Eurovision for comment. In February, this year's UK Eurovision was revealed as country girl band Remember Monday. The band, comprising of Charlotte, Holly and Lauren, will perform their song What The Hell Just Happened? in a bid to compete for Eurovision glory next month. And it isn't the band's first time taking part in a televised competition after they entered The Voice back in 2019 and caught the eye of BBC Radio 2 Breakfast host Scott Mills when they were played on the station last year. They have also performed at a string of major UK events including Country to Country, The Long Road and Buckle and Boots. The group are a trio of best friends, who have earned a reputation for their strong vocals and perfectly blended harmonies. Their entry into the competition marks the first time a girlband will represent the UK for the first time since 1999. The song, which is out now, is an upbeat pop track full of energy, excitement and drama and was co-written by Billen Ted (Tom Hollings and Sam Brennan), Thomas Stengaard and Julie 'Kill J' Aagaard. The girls look set to be onto a winning formula as BRIT Award nominees, Billen Ted, have worked with Little Mix, Anne Marie, MNEK and Armin van Buuren to name a few. Thomas Stengaard previously wrote Denmark's 2013 Eurovision winning song Only Teardrops. Meanwhile, Julie 'Kill J' Aagaard is both a multi-platinum songwriter and a successful experimental pop artist in her own right. As well as their own brand of empowering pop, Remember Monday have become renowned for their viral melodies on social media. They've amassed over half a million loyal followers and 11.3 million likes on TikTok alone. The band have skilfully crafted playful acapella takes on the songs of a wide range of artists from Sabrina Carpenter, Queen and Shania Twain, to Wicked.
