It's the final week of the World Games - Chengdu 2025! We're joined by John Moorhead, 2017 World Games athlete and current USA Fistball secretary, to get some insight as to how the athletes in Chengdu have enjoyed their time at the World Games.

Jill and Alison also recap their week 2 watching, with thoughts on:

• Boules
• Breakdancing
• Cheerleading
• Gymnastics
• Drone Racing
• Flag Football
• Inline Skating
• Motosurf
• Billiards
• Racquetball

Plus, we recap an amazingly short Closing Ceremony. It's been fun, Chengdu! We'll see the World Games again in 2029 in Karlsruhe, Germany!

In other news, LA 2028 will offer naming rights to its venues. This is a huge shift in visible sponsorship at the Olympics. Is it the right move?

The International Paralympic Committee recognized two new sports and will be holding board elections again in September.

Also, Salt Lake City 2034 offered insights on ticket prices. If you're interested in volunteering for the Games, organizers offer some advice.

We have a ton of news from TKFLASTAN, including Listener Tommy Phillips new book on Moscow 1980. You can order it here (affiliate link) (https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-1980-moscow-olympics-a-day-by-day-history-tommy-a-phillips/21750849?aid=17781&ean=9781476695181&listref=best-books-on-the-summer-olympics-paralympics).

If you haven't seen Noah Lyles get into it with TKFLASTANI Kenny Bednarek, find that here. (https://youtu.be/mkE7-OEPP_I?si=Lvq9wl8S4eL5MFvb)

For a transcript of this episode, please visit http://flamealivepod.com.

Thanks so much for listening, and until next time, keep the flame alive!

***

Keep the Flame Alive: The Olympics and Paralympics Fan Podcast with hosts Jill Jaracz & Alison Brown. New episodes released every week and daily during the Olympics and Paralympics.

Leave us a review, and we might read it on the show!

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The 12th edition of the World Games, Chengdu 2025 is underway! We discuss what sports and events we and other listeners have been bingeing on our feeds.

We start with the excellent Opening Ceremonies, which took a cue from Paris 2024.

Sports we discuss include:

• Canoe Polo
• DanceSport
• Dragon Boat racing
• Finswimming (we have a lot of thoughts about freediving)
• Floorball
• Gymnastics (including thoughts on the new format)
• Orienteering
• Parkour
• Squash
• Tug of War
• Wakeboard

Plus, our traditional Games question: What volunteer or officiating job would we want to do? And (surprise), we've got some beefs.

For a transcript of this episode, please visit http://flamealivepod.com.

Thanks so much for listening, and until next time, keep the flame alive!

Photo: Chengdu 2025

***

Keep the Flame Alive: The Olympics and Paralympics Fan Podcast with hosts Jill Jaracz & Alison Brown. New episodes released every week and daily during the Olympics and Paralympics.

Support the show: http://flamealivepod.com/support

Bookshop.org store: https://bookshop.org/shop/flamealivepod

Become a patron and get bonus content: http://www.patreon.com/flamealivepod

Buy merch here: https://flamealivepod.dashery.com

Hang out with us online:

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VM/Text: (208) FLAME-IT / (208) 352-6348

It's our monthly look back at the Sydney 2000 Olympics and Paralympics! This time, Jill looks at the Olympic equestrian eventing competition, including venue construction, difficult quarantine processes, and a vastly different competition format than you see in today's Olympic eventing.

Check out the cross-country course and its amazing fences: https://app.crosscountryapp.com/sydney-2000/phase-d-lntt

Then Alison takes to the harbor to discuss the first appearance of para sailing in the Paralympics, with Australian legend Noel Robins.

Plus, one other very important sport had its debut at Sydney 2000: Wheelchair rugby. Alison looks back on that first Paralympic tournament, which involved a lot of crashes and some unfortunate hair dyeing.

For a transcript of this episode, please visit http://flamealivepod.com.

For a complete list of sources used in this episode, visit: https://tinyurl.com/sydney2000sources.

Thanks so much for listening, and until next time, keep the flame alive!

***

Keep the Flame Alive: The Olympics and Paralympics Fan Podcast with hosts Jill Jaracz & Alison Brown. New episodes released every week and daily during the Olympics and Paralympics.

Support the show: http://flamealivepod.com/support

Bookshop.org store: https://bookshop.org/shop/flamealivepod

Become a patron and get bonus content: http://www.patreon.com/flamealivepod

Buy merch here: https://flamealivepod.dashery.com

Hang out with us online:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/flamealivepod

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VM/Text: (208) FLAME-IT / (208) 352-6348

Today we are talking with 2x Paralympian Noelle Lambert who competes in the 100m and long jump. We get into the details of running blades (and how much they cost), how she improved her 100m between the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Paralympics, and how she's training for LA 2028.

Noelle is also the founder of the Born to Run Foundation, which raises money to provide sports prosthetic legs for amputees. Born to Run is having its next bi-annual golf fundraiser on September 22. Go to theborntorunfoundation.org or its Facebook page to learn more.

Follow Noelle on TikTok and Instagram: @noellelambert

Also on this episode:

• London 2012 and Paris 2024 doping news
• Milano-Cortina 2026 releases its medals
• Drama for French Alps 2030 Olympic and Paralympic venues
• News from Team Keep the Flame Alive (TKFLASTAN)

For a transcript of this episode, visit flamealivepod.com

Thanks so much for listening, and until next time, keep the flame alive!

***

Keep the Flame Alive: The Olympics and Paralympics Fan Podcast with hosts Jill Jaracz & Alison Brown. New episodes released every week and daily during the Olympics and Paralympics.

Support the show: http://flamealivepod.com/support

Bookshop.org store: https://bookshop.org/shop/flamealivepod

Become a patron and get bonus content: http://www.patreon.com/flamealivepod

Buy merch here: https://flamealivepod.dashery.com

Hang out with us online:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/flamealivepod

Insta: http://www.instagram.com/flamealivepod

Facebook Group: hhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/flamealivepod

Newsletter: Sign up at https://flamealivepod.substack.com/subscribe

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This week, Keep the Flame Alive is celebrating a big milestone: Our 400th regular episode! This episode is an online party with many citizens of TKFLASTAN (Team Keep the Flame Alive, which are our guests and listeners of the show), and we're thrilled to be joined by:

• Past guests Sean Colahan, Harry Blutstein, Rich Perelman, Roy Tomizawa and John Moorhead
• Listeners Ean, David, Mark, Patrick from Chicagoland, Meredith, Sarah and Tommy
• Producer Ben and Book Club Claire

Like all great party conversation, it runs the gamut and includes Milan-Cortina's ever-expanding budget, potential politics at LA 2028, the IOC reexamining the host city bidding process, and some great ideas for where the Winter and Summer Olympics should be.

Grab a snack, a fun drink, and your best party hat and join in the fun!

For a transcript of this episode, please visit http://flamealivepod.com.

Thanks so much for listening, and until next time, keep the flame alive!

***

Keep the Flame Alive: The Olympics and Paralympics Fan Podcast with hosts Jill Jaracz & Alison Brown. New episodes released every week and daily during the Olympics and Paralympics.

Support the show: http://flamealivepod.com/support

Bookshop.org store: https://bookshop.org/shop/flamealivepod

Become a patron and get bonus content: http://www.patreon.com/flamealivepod

Buy merch here: https://flamealivepod.dashery.com

Hang out with us online:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/flamealivepod

Insta: http://www.instagram.com/flamealivepod

Facebook Group: hhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/flamealivepod

Newsletter: Sign up at https://flamealivepod.substack.com/subscribe

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We travel back to 2000 for another look back at the Sydney 2000 Olympics and Paralympics. This month Alison explores what's considered to be the biggest Paralympic scandal of all time, Spain's cheating in the Basketball ID tournament. Then Jill looks at the Olympic Road Cycling events, which feature inspirational legends, amazing comebacks, and Lance Armstrong.

If you want a thoroughly depressing look at doping in cycling during this era, here's a handy infographic: https://www.sportingintelligence.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Cycle-of-suspicion-JPEG.jpg

For a complete list of sources used in this episode, visit https://tinyurl.com/sydney2000sources.

For a transcript of this episode, please visit http://flamealivepod.com.

Thanks so much for listening, and until next time, keep the flame alive!

***

Keep the Flame Alive: The Olympics and Paralympics Fan Podcast with hosts Jill Jaracz & Alison Brown. New episodes released every week and daily during the Olympics and Paralympics.

Support the show: http://flamealivepod.com/support

Bookshop.org store: https://bookshop.org/shop/flamealivepod

Become a patron and get bonus content: http://www.patreon.com/flamealivepod

Buy merch here: https://flamealivepod.dashery.com

Hang out with us online:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/flamealivepod

Insta: http://www.instagram.com/flamealivepod

Facebook Group: hhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/flamealivepod

Newsletter: Sign up at https://flamealivepod.substack.com/subscribe

VM/Text: (208) FLAME-IT / (208) 352-6348