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• St. Lucia's quest for Olympic glory: A glimmer of hope in Paris

  As the 2024 Paris Olympics approach, St Lucia finds itself on the brink of a historic milestone. The island nation, which first participated in the Olympics at the 1996 Atlanta Games, has yet to secure its first Olympic medal. However, this summer's games offer a unique opportunity for Saint Lucia to rewrite its Olympic history.

   St Lucia's journey in the Olympics began with the establishment of their National Olympic Committee on January 22, 1987, which received official recognition from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in September 1993. Since their debut in Atlanta in 1996, St Lucia has competed in every subsequent Olympic Games, displaying their emerging talents on the global stage.

   The island's first Olympic team in 1996 consisted of six members who competed in athletics and sailing. The athletics team included Michelle Baptiste, Ivan Jn. Marie, Maxwell Seales, Dominic Johnson, and Maxime Charlemagne, with Andrew Magloire serving as manager/coach. Michael Greene led the sailing team, with Michael Gordon as manager/coach and Abigail Williams as chef de mission.

   Greene, the oldest athlete at 42, made history as the first to represent St Lucia in the men's laser event on July 23. Meanwhile, 18-year-old Michelle Baptiste, the lone female athlete and flag bearer, competed in the 100m and long jump, representing her country with pride despite not advancing to the finals.

  

  Levern Spencer

   St Lucia has continued to send athletes to the Olympics, with notable performances along the way. In the 2012 London Olympics, a team of four competed in athletics, sailing, and swimming. The 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics saw a team of five participate in these same sports. High jumper Levern Spencer stands out as a remarkable athlete for the island nation. A four-time Olympian, Spencer came tantalizingly close to winning the country's first medal in 2016, finishing sixth in the high jump with a clearance of 1.93m.

   As the Paris 2024 Olympics draw near, St Lucia's hopes are pinned on a talented team led by World Indoor champion for the women’s 60m dash, Julien Alfred. Alfred's speed and determination make her a strong contender for a medal. Michael Joseph will compete in the men’s 400m, sailor Luc Chevrier will represent the island in the men’s dinghy, and swimmer Jayhan Odlum Smith will contest the men’s 100m freestyle. Leading Team St Lucia as Chef De Mission is former national athlete Helena Renee-Emmanuel.

   The upcoming 2024 Paris Olympic Games provide Saint Lucia with another chance to shine on the world stage. With a talented and determined team, the island nation is poised to make history. As St Lucia aims for its first Olympic medal, the excitement and anticipation build, offering a glimmer of hope for a historic achievement in Paris.

   

   

• Vondrousova pulls out of Olympics as Hurkacz fails to recover in time

  Marketa Vondrousova has withdrawn from the upcoming Paris Olympics with a hand injury.

  The former Wimbledon champion, whose title defence was ended by Jessica Bouzas Maneiro in the first round earlier this month, was a silver medallist in Tokyo three years ago, losing out on gold to Belinda Bencic.

  The Czech was aiming to go the extra step this time around at Roland-Garros, where she reached the French Open final in 2019.

  However, Vondrousova has instead chosen to focus on preparing for the final major of 2024 at the US Open in August.

  "I am very sorry, but due to health reasons, I will not be participating in this year's Olympic Games in Paris," she posted on Instagram.

  "I hoped until the last moment that I could go at least in doubles, but problems with my hand won't allow me on the court."

  Vondrousova joins Aryna Sabalenka, Ons Jabeur and Emma Raducanu on the absentee list for the women's tournament, while the men's event will not feature world number seven Hubert Hurkacz.

  The Pole, who was forced to retire with a knee injury during his second-round match at Wimbledon, has failed to recover in time.

  Meanwhile, Poland's Hubert Hurkacz, ranked seventh in the world, has also withdrawn from the men's competition.

  The 27-year-old has not recovered from a knee injury which forced him to retire from his second-round match at Wimbledon.

  "My rehabilitation is going very well, and I am making continuous progress," he said in a video posted on his Instagram Stories. "However, my team and I have decided that I am unable to compete in the Olympic Games in Paris.

  "This was a very, very difficult decision because I have always dreamed of representing Poland at the Olympics, being able to win a medal for the national team, but unfortunately, my health does not allow it this year."

• JAAA “deeply saddened” by CAS ruling preventing national champion Nayoka Clunis from competing in Paris Olympics

  Nayoka Clunis will not get her chance to compete at the Paris Olympics as the Court of Arbitration for Sport Ad Hoc Division concluded that it lacks jurisdiction to hear the dispute brought forward by the 28-year-old.

  Clunis, a four-time Jamaican national champion and current national record holder, filed a last-minute appeal to the CAS Ad Hoc Division on Friday after she qualified for and was selected by the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA) to represent Jamaica in the hammer throw competition in Paris, but her name was not submitted by the local governing body to World Athletics.

  “The application filed by Ms Nayoka Clunis (JAM), who sought a decision from the CAS ad hoc Division directing that she be included on the appropriate list to participate in the hammer throw competition at the Olympic Games Paris 2024, could not be entertained as it was filed outside the jurisdiction of the CAS ad hoc Division Paris 2024. As a consequence, the case could not be reviewed on the merits.” the CAS ad hoc division release stated on Monday.

  It continued, “Nayoka Clunis was qualified and selected by the JAAA to represent Jamaica in the hammer throw competition at the Olympic Games Paris 2024, but her name was not submitted by the JAAA to World Athletics (WA) due to an unfortunate omission. The unused quota was reallocated to another athlete, Iryna Klymets (Ukraine).”

  The JAAA expressed that they were “deeply saddened” by the situation in a release of their own on Monday.

  “We note the decision of the ad hoc panel of CAS that they do not have jurisdiction to hear the matter as the dispute arose outside the 10 days window for disputes relating to the Olympic Games,” the release stated.

  It continued: “At all times we (JAAA) have been supportive of the athlete’s participation at the Olympic Games and in fact had petitioned World Athletics to include her in the list of participating athletes even if it meant increasing the number of participants to 33.”

  The Association noted that while World Athletics didn’t alter their position of 32 participants, they maintained that if any vacancy arises, it would be allocated to Clunis.

  The statement continued: “Notwithstanding the above CAS also made note that the respondent (JAAA) would have been unable to provide the relief being sought by the applicant (Clunis) and that World Athletics and the IOC would be the ones that could provide that relief. Again, we are deeply saddened that this situation continues and are making every effort in the hope that World Athletics and the IOC will find a way to enable Ms. Clunis to compete in the Olympics.”

  Clunis set a new national record of 71.83m at the USATF Throws Festival in Tucson, Arizona in May, one of three throws she’s had over 70m this season.

  She represented the country at the World Championships in Budapest last year and this  would’ve been her first appearance at the Olympics.