The Russian president, Dmitry Medvedev is not a happy man if his recent comment are to be believed. Russia's disappointing medals tally at the Vancouver games has been a source of much anger at home, and he has been quick to demand changes. He will of course, have to be careful how he treads and who he criticises, given the role that Vladimir Putin played in setting up the funding for the Olympic programme, but, with the Russians now on the clock as the next hosts of the Winter Olympics, the pressure will be on to ensure that they can produce results to match those of Canada, whose slow start in Vancouver was forgotten by the end of the games, as they topped the medals table and won the all important final gold medal in the men's ice hockey.
Medvedev has made his dissatisfaction with the Russian Olympic team clear
From a neutral point of view, it always seems to make for a better games when the host nation does well, which they often do, as it lifts the home crowds and builds the atmosphere. Four years is a long time in sport though, and Britain's turnaround from an embarrassing show at the 1996 Atlanta games to a successful Sydney Olympics, shows that it can be done. If the Russians fail however, there will be some uncomfortable questions for the sportsmen and women, and the administrators from the very highest levels of power, that much is now clear.
There's a good round up on on the BBC website of the consequences that Portsmouth face, assuming they enter administration in the coming days. Unless a very wealthy owner who is willing to take a significant loss is found in the next couple of days (a highly unlikely prospect), the club will be facing certain relegation from the Premier League and after that, the unknown. It will seem like a long summer for Portsmouth's fans, as they wait to see if a viable business can be extracted from the ruins of the club, one which will be able to take part in the Championship.
Avram Grant is unlikely to be in Portsmouth next season
Also of interest is this piece, linked to by Matt Slater in the comments, which provides more details on the challenges faced after a club goes into administration.
There's a good article on the BBC website about the role that English referees are playing in educating their counterparts from around the world. Referees get a hard time in the Premier League week in and week out, and it might be hard for many fans, players and managers to believe that they are the best in the world, but it is true nonetheless. Imagine what the standards are like elsewhere in the world, and how apoplectic Neil Warnock or Alex Ferguson would be if they had to coach in another country.
Recent criticism of Howard Webb has suggested that he would embarrass England at the World Cup, and whilst the risk of a Graeme Poll-esque mistake is always possible for any referee, it is far more likely that Webb will be one of the best most qualified referees at the tournament, especially when it comes to dealing with the pressure of a big game. It is worth remembering complaints at past World Cups about the standard of refereeing from other countries' representatives, which suggests that, despite the odd mistake, those in the English game should be thankful for what they have.
With attention turning to the 2010 NFL draft, college footballer Myron Rolle has been getting increasing attention in the American sports media, and he is profiled in this fascinating article courtesy of ESPN.
The draft, where the teams take their pick of the best young talent from the college game, is the culmination of a ruthless process which leaves no stone unturned in the assessment of the student athletes pursuing their NFL dreams. Through the NFL Combine, where the top prospects are worked out and interviewed for the scouts; the pro days held by the major colleges, offering largely the same process; the video analysis; personal visits with interested teams; and endless media speculation, the hopefuls will have their lives dissected by franchises who want to be absolutely sure they are choosing the right candidate for the multi-million dollar contracts on offer.
Rolle (left) intercepting a pass for Florida State
Rolle will attend this year's combine, and the scouts will have video footage of three seasons of football at Florida State, one of the biggest and best college football programmes in the country. They won't have much footage of his fourth season though, apart from an appearance in the Senior Bowl, an end of season all star game, but they will have plenty to discuss in his interviews, because Rolle gave up his 2009 season at Florida State to study at Oxford on a Rhodes Scholarship. This was no small decision, the defensive back was already a college star being tipped as a high draft choice, and putting those ambitions on hold for a year was a gamble, as there was the risk of losing his status to the next wave of players, all of whom would have recent playing time and no rustiness.
Professional football is only one of Rolle's ambitions though, alongside a medical degree and an eventual career as a neurosurgeon. As the ESPN article shows, everyone he comes into contact with seems to invest a new set of hopes in him, whether in the fields of medicine, science, politics or something else. For him it seems, football is not the be all and end all, although that is not to say that he does not take it seriously, as the preparation work he has put in shows. There is also scope for crossover, with concussion being a hotly debated topic in the game at the moment, he has co-designed a helmet that reduces the risk of head injuries.
Rolle appears to have the potential to be a genuinely successful polymath, and takes his status as a role model very seriously, but with such great expectation comes the pressure to live up to it. One hopes that he can successfully balance all his commitments, and find a way to achieve his goals, rather than those other people have in mind for him. First among those goals is being drafted and establishing himself as an NFL player. After that, anything seems possible.
A remarkable game of rugby took place in Johannesburg tonight. 18 tries and 137 points were scored in the Super 14 clash between the Chiefs and the Lions, which ended with a 72-65 win for the Chiefs, who amazingly were down 25-17 until just before half time. Read the match report here. Astonishing.
Following on from Afghanistan's qualification for the World Twenty20, as blogged about last week, the Guardian's weekly cricket roundup, The Spin, has a good piece about the various contributors from the cricketing world who have helped them get to where they are today. As the author Andy Bull points out in the comments below the piece, the team itself should get the bulk of the credit, but there are many people from the international community who have pitched in, and their work deserves some attention as well.
(Also in the comments is a fantastic response from one reader to the idea of Brian Blessed playing Mike Gatting in a film: "WHAT? Gatting's ALIVE!". Well it amused me anyway.)
Elsewhere in The Spin is the remarkable tale of New Zealand'sEwen Thompson and the kebab which hospitalised him, but not before he bowled 10 overs with it stuck in his throat. Much like the story of Afghan cricket, you couldn't make it up.
A little out of date now, with Super Bowl media day long gone, but with the game fresh in the memory, even a week later, this video made me laugh. If nothing else it's fun trying to identify all the NFL-related people who feature.
