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2014 WINTER OLYMPICS

WINTER OLYMPICS

Swedes wilt in Olympic hockey final loss

The Tre Kronor's hopes of signing off the Olympic Games with a gold medal were left in tatters as a rampant Canada ran out 3-0 winners to retain their title.

Swedes wilt in Olympic hockey final loss
Swedish hockey fans watch on in despair at a sports bar in Stockholm as Canada win the Olympic gold medal. Erik Mårtensson / TT

Both sides went into the contest with 100 percent records but it was the holders who looked the more likely. Sweden, who were missing a number of key players, threatened briefly in the first period but trailed 1-0 when Jonathan Toews opened the scoring for the favourites. 

Canada pressed home their advantage in the second period when captain Sidney Crosby made it 2-0. Any hopes of a Swedish comeback were killed in the third period when Chris Kunitz scored a spectacular third to ensure the Olympic hockey gold medal returns to Canada for another four years.

Canada's goals came from Sidney Crosby, Jonathan Toews and Chris Kunitz, with the team's goaltender Carey Price
posting the shutout for Canada who became the first country to win back-to-back Winter Olympic Games titles since the Soviet Union in 1988.
   
It was the second-straight gold medal game where Canadian captain Crosby rose to the occasion.
   
Crosby scored on a backhand deke to give Canada a 2-0 lead with 4:17 left in the second period after stripping the puck off Sweden's Jonathan Ericsson at the Canadian blueline.
   
He raced in alone on net and gave Swedish netminder Henrik Lundqvist a shoulder fake one way, then deked the other way and scored.
 
Lundqvist admitted that Canada had been the better side.
   
"They were just better. I felt like they were a lot smarter with the puck. I felt like we gave them too many chances. We were leaving the puck in the wrong areas and they were quick to strike," he said.
   
"Especially in the second period, we had a really tough time to get going. Overall they were just better today."
   
Sunday's game, in front of a crowd of 11,076 at the Bolshoi Ice Palace, was a matchup of two undefeated teams and the last two Olympic winners as Canada was crowned champions four years ago and Sweden won gold in 2006.
 
Sweden's silver medal means they end the Olympic Games in 14th spot in the overall table with a total of 15 medals; Two golds, seven silvers and six bronzes.  

The Local/pr 

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WINTER OLYMPICS

Italy vs Sweden: Who will host the 2026 Winter Olympics?

International Olympic Committee members will decide on Monday between bids by Stockholm-Are and Milan-Cortina d'Ampezzo in the race to host the 2026 Winter Olympic Games.

Italy vs Sweden: Who will host the 2026 Winter Olympics?
Cortina d'Ampezzo, which hosted the Winter Games in 1956. Photo: Alberto Pizzoli/AFP

The vote to choose a winner from the Swedish and Italian rivals is expected to be closer than the 2015 vote when Beijing beat the Kazakh city Almaty to land the 2022 Winter Games.

READ ALSO: Polls show Italians more enthusiastic about Winter Games bid than Swedes

On the road to the 2026 decision, bids from Calgary, Graz in Austria, Japan's Sapporo and Sion in Switzerland have fallen by the wayside, mainly because of concerns over the cost or a lack of popular support. A bid by the Turkish ski resort of Erzurum was ruled out by the IOC in October 2018.

The bid by Stockholm and the Are ski area — which hosted the World Ski Championships in February — appeared to be running out of steam a few months ago due to a lack of funding commitments, but the government has now swung behind it.

On the eve of the vote, Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven said after meeting IOC president Thomas Bach: “Sweden is ready to host the Winter Olympic Games in 2026 and the Swedish government is very supportive.”


Sweden presents its bid. Photo: Fabrice Coffrini/AFP

“While organising a great Games, we can end the age of extremely costly Olympics that threaten welfare spending and leave a trail of underused structures and public resentment,” the Swedish prime minister said. “You wanted change; we will deliver this change.” 

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte followed the Swedes with his pitch for Milan on Monday.

“Our bid is worthy of the highest consideration,” Conte told delegates. “If Italy is chosen, then work will start from this evening so that our Games leave a mark on history.

“This is the dream of an entire country, and not only the government but also the regions.”

Italy's champion skier Sofia Goggia was in Lausanne to back the Italian bid. Photo: Fabrice Coffrini/AFP

Italian Olympic 500m short track speed skating champion Arianna Fontana highlighted the climate advantages of the bid. “Milan-Cortina will be the sunny part of the Winter Olympics, with an average ten hours of sunlight every day,” she said.

Michela Moioli, Olympic snowboard champion in 2018, added: “The whole country believes in us; it's your turn to believe in us.” 

A total of 82 IOC members are reportedly likely to cast votes in the ballot to decide the host city, meaning a simple majority of 42 will be required to win.

Italy has twice hosted the Winter Olympics — in 1956 in Cortina d'Ampezzo and 2006 in Turin. Sweden has only hosted the Summer Olympics, in 1912 in Stockholm. 

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