https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Switzerland in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed Switzerland has 12 medals - three of them gold - and counting, which is already one of the best results in history. For a diverse nation with a small population, why is Switzerland suddenly good at sports? https://www.thelocal.ch/20210802/why-is-the-secret-to-switzerlands-olympic-success Mon, 02 Aug 2021 13:36:36 +0200 why-is-the-secret-to-switzerlands-olympic-success An International Olympic Committee member has made controversial statements praising dictatorships' ability to hold sporting events without the people's consent. https://www.thelocal.ch/20190206/swiss-ski-chief-kasper-olympics-are-easier-in-dictatorships Wed, 06 Feb 2019 13:06:35 +0100 swiss-ski-chief-kasper-olympics-are-easier-in-dictatorships The Olympic movement may be dedicated to celebrating world class athleticism but some say its growth can be helped by something that requires hardly any movement at all: gaming. https://www.thelocal.ch/20180720/online-games-looking-to-get-a-foot-into-the-olympics Fri, 20 Jul 2018 13:26:34 +0200 online-games-looking-to-get-a-foot-into-the-olympics Dario Cologna has made Olympic history by winning the men’s 15km cross-country freestyle ski event for the third time in a row. https://www.thelocal.ch/20180216/olympics-super-dario-wins-switzerland-its-first-gold-medal Fri, 16 Feb 2018 10:23:03 +0100 olympics-super-dario-wins-switzerland-its-first-gold-medal Forty-seven Russians implicated in doping lost a last-minute court bid to take part in the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics on Friday, just hours before the opening ceremony. https://www.thelocal.ch/20180209/russian-athletes-lose-appeal-over-olympics-ban Fri, 09 Feb 2018 09:39:20 +0100 russian-athletes-lose-appeal-over-olympics-ban The Court of Arbitration for Sport on Thursday lifted life bans on 28 of the 43 Russians accused of doping at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, meaning some could still compete at this month's Pyeongchang Games. https://www.thelocal.ch/20180201/sports-court-in-switzerland-lifts-life-bans-of-28-russians-accused-of-doping Thu, 01 Feb 2018 12:39:58 +0100 sports-court-in-switzerland-lifts-life-bans-of-28-russians-accused-of-doping Switzerland are sending their biggest ever Winter Olympics team to Pyeongchang for the Games that start on February 9th, the country's Olympic Committee said on Monday. https://www.thelocal.ch/20180130/switzerlands-biggest-ever-winter-olympics-team-will-compete-in-south-korea Tue, 30 Jan 2018 09:44:58 +0100 switzerlands-biggest-ever-winter-olympics-team-will-compete-in-south-korea Dozens of Russian athletes banned by the International Olympic Committee for life over doping began an appeal against their suspension on Monday at the world's top sports court. https://www.thelocal.ch/20180122/appeal-begins-in-geneva-for-russian-athletes-suspended-in-doping-scandal Mon, 22 Jan 2018 13:59:44 +0100 appeal-begins-in-geneva-for-russian-athletes-suspended-in-doping-scandal North Korea will send 22 athletes to next month's Winter Games in the South, the International Olympic Committee said in Lausanne, Switzerland on Saturday. The IOC also confirmed that the two nations will march together at the opening ceremony. https://www.thelocal.ch/20180120/22-north-korean-athletes-will-compete-at-2018-games-ioc Sat, 20 Jan 2018 15:19:44 +0100 22-north-korean-athletes-will-compete-at-2018-games-ioc Whistleblower Grigory Rodchenkov, the source of revelations about state-sponsored doping in Russia, is expected to testify next week at a Court of Arbitration for Sport hearing involving the appeals of 39 Russians banned for doping. https://www.thelocal.ch/20180118/doping-whistleblower-to-testify-in-geneva-as-athletes-appeal Thu, 18 Jan 2018 09:47:29 +0100 doping-whistleblower-to-testify-in-geneva-as-athletes-appeal North Korea's decision to take part in the Winter Olympics in the South was a "great step forward", IOC chief Thomas Bach said on Tuesday. https://www.thelocal.ch/20180110/ioc-hails-north-koreas-participation-in-olympics-a-great-step-forward Wed, 10 Jan 2018 09:45:07 +0100 ioc-hails-north-koreas-participation-in-olympics-a-great-step-forward The International Olympic Committee has "extended the deadline" for North Korea's participation in the winter Olympics, it announced on Monday. https://www.thelocal.ch/20180109/ioc-extends-deadline-for-north-korea-to-register-for-winter-games Tue, 09 Jan 2018 09:42:21 +0100 ioc-extends-deadline-for-north-korea-to-register-for-winter-games Russia were banned from the 2018 Olympics on Tuesday over state-sponsored doping but the Lausanne-based International Olympic Committee (IOC) said Russian competitors would be able to compete "under strict conditions". https://www.thelocal.ch/20171205/russia-banned-from-2018-winter-olympics Tue, 05 Dec 2017 21:08:58 +0100 russia-banned-from-2018-winter-olympics The president of Sion and the Valais cantonal government on Monday launched their campaign in favour of staging the Winter Olympics in Sion in 2026, hoping the public will agree with them when they go to vote on the issue on June 10th next year. https://www.thelocal.ch/20171107/valais-launches-referendum-campaign-for-sion-olympics Tue, 07 Nov 2017 10:33:05 +0100 valais-launches-referendum-campaign-for-sion-olympics They may apparently require no more than a comfortable chair, decent knowledge of a computer screen and nimble mastery of controllers, but the International Olympic Committee insisted on Saturday that eSports are indeed...sports. https://www.thelocal.ch/20171030/olympic-committee-recognizes-video-games-as-sports Mon, 30 Oct 2017 09:22:58 +0100 olympic-committee-recognizes-video-games-as-sports The cost of staging the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Sion would be 2.4 billion francs, not 1.98 billion as often stated by the bid organizers, according to broadcaster RTS. https://www.thelocal.ch/20171026/cost-of-sion-olympics-likely-to-be-far-more-than-stated Thu, 26 Oct 2017 11:55:18 +0200 cost-of-sion-olympics-likely-to-be-far-more-than-stated The Swiss government on Wednesday pledged a billion dollars in support of a national effort to host the 2026 Olympics, raising the chances that Sion will compete for the Winter Games -- if local people agree to it in a referendum. https://www.thelocal.ch/20171019/swiss-government-backs-sion-2026-as-date-set-for-valais-vote Thu, 19 Oct 2017 10:34:00 +0200 swiss-government-backs-sion-2026-as-date-set-for-valais-vote The Lausanne-based International Olympic Committee said it was disappointed the Austrian state of Tyrol voted against Innsbruck's bid for the 2026 Winter Olympics, but will continue its search for a host city. https://www.thelocal.ch/20171016/ioc-disappointed-by-innsbrucks-vote-against-potential-olympic-bid Mon, 16 Oct 2017 18:39:04 +0200 ioc-disappointed-by-innsbrucks-vote-against-potential-olympic-bid Swiss International Air Lines will offer additional flights between Sion airport in the Valais and London Heathrow this winter, expanding the route it trialled for two weeks last season. https://www.thelocal.ch/20170920/swiss-launches-more-ski-flights-between-sion-and-uk Wed, 20 Sep 2017 14:38:52 +0200 swiss-launches-more-ski-flights-between-sion-and-uk There is a maxim in politics that says you should never let a crisis go to waste: International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach seems to have taken that to heart. https://www.thelocal.ch/20170802/ioc-strategy-pays-off-as-los-angeles-agrees-to-take-on-2028-olympics Wed, 02 Aug 2017 10:26:50 +0200 ioc-strategy-pays-off-as-los-angeles-agrees-to-take-on-2028-olympics