Football manager Jürgen Klopp is given a surprise role at the Winter Olympics, while French ice hockey players are unhappy about the ban handed to a teammate for fighting.
Here are the quick hits from day 11 of the Milano Cortina Winter Games.
1. Klopp’s Olympic appearance
We’ve had plenty of celebrity content at these Games, including Snoop Dogg … well, everywhere, and Novak Djokovic losing his mind in the stands at Ilia Malinin’s backflip in the team figure skating.
But we had a genuine surprise inclusion on day 11 at the biathlon at Interselva.
It was the men’s 4 x 7.5km relay, and like most relays at the Summer or Winter Games, there is a bell rung to mark the start of the final lap.
But when the cameras showed the ringer for the relay, it was none other than former Liverpool Premier League manager Jürgen Klopp.
“I’m a fan of everything,” Klopp said. “I love all alpine skiing, I love all cross-country skiing disciplines, I love biathlon. It’s all just exciting.”
Klopp is a man never short of enthusiasm, but perhaps it’s not as big a surprise to find the sport he turned up at.
The German was part of a 2019 documentary on legendary Norwegian biathlete Ole Einar Bjorndalen, who has a record 14 Winter Olympic medals.
“It’s like meeting Muhammad Ali in boxing. Bjorndalen is biathlon. I try to explain it to the English. He is Franz Beckenbauer, Pelé and Bobby Moore in one person,” Klopp said at the time.
2. Hockey fight ban a ‘joke’
You must be living under a rock if you didn’t know fighting was commonplace in the NHL.
But in the Olympic ice hockey competition?
Not so much.
Fighting is strictly forbidden in Olympic play, which appears to be why the French Ice Hockey Federation (FFHG) removed defenceman Pierre Crinon from the tournament after he fought with Canadian winger Tom Wilson in their final group game.
Pierre Crinon (right) lays into Tom Wilson during France’s game against Canada. (Getty Images: Catherine Steenkeste)
The FFHG said it was also unhappy with what it called Crinon’s “provocative behaviour” following the incident.
“We are a big family. When we come together, we come as brothers, and they just got rid of one of our brothers. So it’s a joke from the French committee,” French goaltender Antoine Keller said.
“We needed him today and they just took him off of us for something that just happens every weekend in any hockey game.”
Pierre-Édouard Bellemare added: “Not one of us thought there was anything dramatic about what he did.”
3. Heated Rivalry’s unique tributes
Heated Rivalry — the TV adaptation of a novel about a romantic relationship between two gay ice hockey players — has attracted a massive worldwide audience.
And its impact is being felt at the Winter Olympics, even beyond the ice hockey competition.
Connor Storrie (left) and Hudson Williams are the stars of Heated Rivalry. (Getty Images: Harold Feng)
Heated Rivalry’s two main characters — Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov — have been honoured in a unique way among Canada’s delegation.
As part of the Olympic experience, athletes were gifted a potted plant, with many on the Canadian team naming theirs Shane or Ilya.
Canadian Alpine skier Kiki Alexander took the love a bit further, sharing on her TikTok account that the village’s Canadian moose has been named Shane.
“If you know, you know,” she said.
4. Russian’s support of Ukraine
Anastasia Kucherova, a Russian living in Milan, voiced her opposition to the war against Ukraine with a highly symbolic, if anonymous, act.
It has been revealed Kucherova carried the Ukraine team placard during the opening ceremony of the Milan Cortina Winter Games.
Anastasia Kucherova carries the Ukraine sign at the opening ceremony. (AP: Petr David Josek)
Kucherova was swathed in a long, hooded silver puffer coat, her eyes covered with dark glasses — like all the other placard bearers for the 92 nations competing in the Olympics. The Ukraine sign was illuminated for the crowd to read.
At first the country assignments were going to be random, but later the choreographer asked if the volunteers had preferences, and Kucherova chose Ukraine.
Kucherova — an architect who has been living in Milan for 14 years — was unrecognisable, and her nationality was not announced to the public when she led the five Ukrainian athletes competing in Milan into San Siro stadium to resounding cheers.
Anastasia Kucherova says she wanted to show her opposition to Russia’s war with Ukraine. (AP: Andrea Rosa)
She first revealed her role to her 879 Instagram followers and then in an interview with The Associated Press.
“When you walk by the side of these people you realise they have every human right to feel hatred towards any Russian,” she said.
“Still, I think it’s important to do even a small action to show them that maybe not all the people are thinking the same way.”
5. Ex-Supercars driver’s new gig
Simona de Silvestro has raced the Indianapolis 500 six times, tested a Formula 1 car and contested the Supercars Championship, but has found new thrills in steering a sled down an icy track at the Olympics.
Although the Swiss-Italian has a long list of motor-racing achievements to her name, representing Italy in two-woman bobsleigh and monobob at the Milano Cortina Games is a dream come true.
Simona de Silvestro is in a vehicle of a different kind at the Olympics.
(AP: Aijaz Rahi)
“I always felt so inspired by the athletes … and to think that I’m an Olympian is very special, especially after all the things I’ve been able to do in my career,” the 37-year-old Switzerland-born racer said.
“It’s incredible to be here.
“[Motor] racing is not an Olympic sport so I just kind of went through the sports and I figured bobsleigh is maybe going to be the closest thing to achieve this dream.
“And yeah, it’s been a pretty crazy ride so far.”
De Silvestro was 23rd in the monobob and competes in the two-woman bobsleigh this weekend.
ABC/wires
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