Latest news with #Schenk
DW
02-07-2025
- Sport
- DW
Women's Euro 2025: Zero tolerance for discrimination – DW – 07/02/2025
Organizers of Euro 2025 in Switzerland will be placing a particular emphasis on human rights, drawing on experiences UEFA gained at the 2024 Men's European Championship in Germany. Last summer, organizers of the men's Euros in Germany agreed to make upholding human rights a particular focus during the month-long tournament European football's governing body UEFA, the German Football Association (DFB), the German government and the German states and cities where matches were held all pledged to prioritize "democracy, respect, equality, and the promotion and protection of human rights" during Euro 2024. This summer, organizers of the Women's Euros in Switzerland are planning to step up such efforts. The Swiss government and the other associations and institutions participating in the tournament signed a declaration in March in which they committed themselves to "diversity, equal opportunities, and inclusion in and through sport," as Swiss Sports Minister Viola Amherd put it. The human rights advisory board for the women's tournament is modeled on the one used in Germany, with non-governmental organizations also represented. "Building on the experiences of the UEFA Euro 2024 Advisory Board, we also involved representatives from authorities (the Council of Europe and the Swiss Department of Foreign Affairs) to ensure a more comprehensive approach to human rights," UEFA told DW in a statement. Former middle-distance runner Sylvia Schenk of Transparency International Germany was a member of that board. "It was just the beginning," Schenk told DW. "But it was important. We fought for it for years." Last year, things were thrown together at the last minute, but as Schenk noted, this isn't the case this time. "The Human Rights Advisory Board was only convened in May (last year), and we had the first meeting in June [the European Championship began on June 14]. For the Women's European Championship, the body was formed at the beginning of the year." Organizers involved the Advisory Board when assessing the risks of human-rights violations at Euro 2025. UEFA, the Swiss FA, and the eight host cities wound up implementing some of the board's suggestions in their planning. Anyone who feels threatened or discriminated against in the stadiums can report this using a QR code prominently displayed on posters. "Awareness teams" will be available to respond to incidents in the stadiums. Complaints of human rights violations can also be submitted to UEFA via the tournament app or the website. An independent legal body is to assess the complaints, where appropriate, and pass them on to the authorities. "Even if these are less comprehensive than desired, this approach is a step in the right direction," Lisa Salza, head of sport and human rights at Amnesty Switzerland told DW. "Ultimately, it is also important that the rules of conduct for this tournament are clearly visible in the stadium, in the fan zones, and in sensitive locations such as train stations," she said. The message is "zero tolerance for discrimination, racism, and sexual violence." During Euro 2024, the Frankfurt law firm hired by UEFA to assess such reports dealt with nearly 400 of them. Most of these were political in nature, such as nationalist, right-wing statements, gestures, or symbols attributed to players or fans. Only a small number of cases of sexual harassment and racial discrimination were reported. Another focus is combating cyberbullying. At last year's tournament, the social media accounts of around 700 players, coaches, and referees were monitored. According to UEFA, 666 offensive posts were reported to the social platforms during the group stage alone. The vast majority of the posts were directed against players, 90% involved hate speech. UEFA estimated the proportion of racist insults at around 5% and homophobic statements at 2.5%. The picture was quite different at the 2022 Women's European Championship in England, when UEFA first made combating cyberbullying a priority – working in cooperation with META, X, and TikTok. During the final between England and Germany, 189 posts were flagged. Just over half of these were classified as general hate speech and 45% sexism Cases of racism and homophobia accounted for 2% each. META and X changed their corporate policies following the re-election of US President Donald Trump last year and are now taking less action against hate speech. However, UEFA does not expect this to have a significant impact on the fight against cyberbullying at Euro 2025. "The social media companies reaffirmed their commitment to working with UEFA and continue to support efforts to protect the game," UEFA said. Schenk doesn't expect sexism to be more of a problem at this summer's women's tournament than at the men's last year – at least not in the stadiums. "Not the spectator areas, I don't think, because the mix is different. It's more of a family atmosphere there," she said. "It could play a larger role in the hate comments online." However, Salza perceives a "risk of verbal or physical sexualized violence, both in the fan zones and in the stadium, against fans and players. Hate speech and violence emanating from right-wing extremist movements cannot be dismissed, given the resurgence of these forces." One example of this came at the Eurovision Song Contest hosted by Basel in May, when a right-wing extremist organization attempted to incite hatred against refugees and other migrants. "Given the multiple crises worldwide and the risk that these will escalate further in the coming weeks, one can assume that there will be further protests and expressions of opinion inside and outside (Euro 2024) stadiums," Salza warned. "It will be the duty of organizers to adequately protect freedom of expression and assembly, even in this exceptional situation."
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Human rights expert: FIFA's Infantino and Trump made for each other
German human rights expert Sylvia Schenk has criticised the Gianni Infantino's leadership of the ruling body FIFA and named his closeness to United States President Donald Trump a matter of power-political calculation. "Infantino behaves like a sun king at FIFA. And nobody does anything against it. You can only watch it with amazement," Schenk told the t-online portal in an interview published on the eve of Saturday's start of the FIFA Club World Cup in the US. Schenk is a former member of FIFA's human rights advisory body and chairs Transparency International's working group on sports. She said that Infantino and Trump were made for each other concerning their claims to power. ""These are two men who always push themselves to the fore. To describe them as extroverted is an understatement," she said. Schenk said that Trump is using the month-long Club World Cup starting on Saturday and next year's World Cup, which the US hosts together with Canada and Mexico, for his own interests. "Trump knows how to utilise sport for populist purposes. That helps him in certain voter and demographic groups. As his poll ratings are currently plummeting, he perhaps needs this even more urgently," she said. Schenk said that Trump exaggerates FIFA and "flatters Infantino's ego." Infantino was an invited guest at Trump's inauguration and last month accompanied him on a trip to the Middle East, which controversially made him arrive late for the FIFA Congress in Paraguay. Schenk said that Infantino leads FIFA in a way not even his predecessor Joseph Blatter would have done but said that "he only gets this power because everyone is giving it to him and nobody is opposing it." Schenk also said that Infantino's closeness with Trump would not change the political situation in the US, such as Human Rights Watch calling on Infantino to put pressure on Trump. "So far it has been the other way around: the US has been instrumentalised to put pressure on football and Infantino to change things in other countries," Schenk said. "But I'm of the opinion: please sort things out in your own country first and don't ask FIFA to change the American president now, nobody else can do that either."
The Hill
09-06-2025
- Sport
- The Hill
Soccer fan dies after fall during Nations League final between Spain and Portugal
MUNICH (AP) — A soccer fan died during Sunday's Nations League final between Spain and Portugal after falling from an overhead level onto the media section below. 'A man fell from the middle tier to the lower tier, onto a staircase near the press area, and unfortunately died at the scene,' Munich police spokesman Tobias Schenk said Monday. 'As always in such cases, the Munich police have taken over the investigation. Criminal police are on site, witnesses are being interviewed and videos reviewed. At this time, there's no evidence of anything but a tragic accident.' The fatal fall occurred during the first period of extra time at the Munich stadium, when tension was high between rival players, and fans were becoming more animated. Shocked spectators called for help and medical personnel, stewards and police cordoned off the area. Medics used a tarpaulin to shield the scene from view as doctors tried to save the man's life. 'We can't give more details at the moment, except to say the man was from the Garmisch-Partenkirchen area,' Schenk said. Portugal went on to win the game on penalties. Both coaches addressed the incident in their postgame news conferences. 'Before we begin with the questions, I would like to express my condolences because a fan died in the stands today. My condolences to the family,' Spain coach Luis de la Fuente said. 'We're mourning the fan who died,' Portugal counterpart Roberto Martínez said. 'It's very sad news.' ___ AP soccer:
Winnipeg Free Press
05-06-2025
- General
- Winnipeg Free Press
Fire commissioner lauds work of front-line disaster-response team
As thousands fled wildfires raging in northern Manitoba, members of a specialized disaster response team flew toward the flames. The Manitoba Urban Search and Rescue team, also known as Canadian Task Force Four, are some of the many heroes critical to the provincial wildfire response. They proved their worth last week, while co-ordinating the evacuation of Mathias Colomb First Nation (Pukatawagan), said Manitoba Fire Commissioner Ryan Schenk. 'These are the folks that are on the front lines, working behind the scenes. They are leaving their families, they are leaving their loved ones to make sure people have a home to return to,' Schenk said from The Pas Thursday afternoon. PROVINCE OF MANITOBA Several members of the Manitoba Urban Search and Rescue team flew to Pukatawagan to assist with the mandatory evacuation. The Manitoba Urban Search and Rescue team heads out to Pukatawagan 'They are answering the call.' The task force includes more than 100 members, including engineers, physicians, paramedics and specialists in incident management, logistics, and search and rescue. Manitoba's team is one of six others across Canada and is overseen by the Office of the Fire Commissioner, Schenk said. 'The spirit and intent of these task forces are to essentially be the last line of defence before we are deploying Canadian Armed Forces. These are boots-on-the-ground folks that are decisively engaged in operations and supporting the evacuations,' he said. Buffeted by high winds, heat and thick smoke, several members flew into the remote First Nation after it was placed under mandatory evacuation orders on May 28. Flames had already damaged electrical infrastructure, cutting off power to the community and limiting communications. Their job was to co-ordinate the evacuations of about 2,500 people via an assortment of military planes and helicopters, Schenk said. 'Our folks were leading the landing-zone operations. They had deployed equipment that allowed them to communicate between the aircraft, as well as co-ordinate evacuees,' he said. 'Our team showed great leadership in working alongside the community.' The evacuation of Mathias Colomb has since been completed, the provincial government said in a release. On Tuesday, Chief Gordie Bear said about 50 essential workers, including firefighters, were still in the First Nation. In an update Wednesday, the province said the nearby fire measured 9,785 hectares and was still considered out of control. The mandatory evacuation order remains in effect. Earlier this week, First Nations leaders called on the federal and provincial governments to send more equipment and resources to their communities. PROVINCE OF MANITOBA The Manitoba Urban Search and Rescue team heads to Pukatawagan on May 30. Schenk said an emergency operations centre has been set up in Mathias Colomb, and a fire chief has taken the lead. Weekday Mornings A quick glance at the news for the upcoming day. '(The Office of the Fire Commissioner) will work alongside them to make sure that their needs are being met, resources and infrastructure are being brought in,' he said. 'The one thing I can't do is thank the communities enough for their support. We wouldn't be able to do this without them…. Their leadership contributes to the success, whether its the local-level knowledge or the access to certain limited resources.' Task force members have also been assisting wildfire responses elsewhere in the province. Some are on the ground supporting incident management in Flin Flon and in eastern Manitoba, Schenk said. Part of their role included establishing a 'tent city' near fire lines in Lac du Bonnet, providing accommodations that keep firefighters at the front, he said. Tyler SearleReporter Tyler Searle is a multimedia producer who writes for the Free Press's city desk. A graduate of Red River College Polytechnic's creative communications program, he wrote for the Stonewall Teulon Tribune, Selkirk Record and Express Weekly News before joining the paper in 2022. Read more about Tyler. Every piece of reporting Tyler produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
USA Today
29-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Adam Schenk odds to win the 2025 THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson
Adam Schenk odds to win the 2025 THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson details and info Date: May 1-4, 2025 May 1-4, 2025 Course: TPC Craig Ranch TPC Craig Ranch Location: McKinney, TX McKinney, TX Previous Winner: Rory McIlroy How to watch THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson Thursday: The Golf Channel The Golf Channel Friday: The Golf Channel The Golf Channel Saturday: CBS (KBAK-Bakersfield, CA), The Golf Channel CBS (KBAK-Bakersfield, CA), The Golf Channel Sunday: CBS (KBAK-Bakersfield, CA), The Golf Channel Watch golf on Fubo! Schenk odds to win THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson PGA odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook. Odds updated Tuesday at 3:09 PM ET. For a full list of sports betting odds, access USA TODAY Sports Betting Scores Odds Hub. Schenk odds to finish in the top 5 at THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson Schenk odds to finish in the top 10 at THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson Other betting markets for Schenk at THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson Schenk recent performances Schenk has played 11 tournaments this season, and while he hasn't won any of them, he has come away with one finish in the top-10.
