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Frank Kugler won four Olympics medals in freestyle wrestling, weightlifting and tug of war at St Louis in 1904, making him the only competitor to win a medal in three different sports at the same Games. He claimed a silver medal in the heavyweight category in wrestling, bronze in the two hand lift and all-around dumbbell events in weightlifting and another bronze in the tug of war competition as a member of Southwest Turnverein of Saint Louis No. 2 team. He is recognised as an American by the International Olympic Committee although he was a German national at the time of the Games.
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The World Class Swimming Programme, one of the five aquatic disciplines, within British Swimming is seeking a successful leader to strategically manage the Sports Science and Sports Medicine (SSSM) programme.
Canadian Tran considering Japanese citizenship for Sochi
Wednesday, 09 May 2012
May 9 - Canadian figure skater Mervin Tran could become a full Japanese national in time for the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics. Tran (pictured above) recently competed for Japan with Narumi Takahashi (pictured above, right) at the World Championships in Nice, winning a bronze medal, but although the International Skating Union allowed him to take part in that event, he would need full citizenship for an Olympic Games.
On his official Twitter page Tran said he will "think critically about my decision as I would very much like to go" and Japanese Olympic Committee President Tsunekazu Takeda has said they were "willing to make a special request to the Government if necessary".
Five years of residency are required to become a naturalised Japanese citizen, though exceptions have been made in the past, and this could be the case with Tran.
The Japan Times quoted a senior politician, Seiko Hashimoto, also the Japan Skating Federation chief, as saying: "I would like for him to join the Japanese team for the Olympics".
Hashimoto has enjoyed a distinguished sports career, competing at four Winter Olympics in ice speed skating and three Summer Games as a track cycling sprinter.
Tran's hopes will be boosted by his achievements last month, when he helped Japan win its first World Team trophy at the Championships in Tokyo.
Figure skating is the oldest Winter Olympic sport and was a part of the Games as far back as the fourth Olympiad in London in 1908.
However, the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics will be the first time that the team event will be a part of the figure skating competition.
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Last month's Boston Marathon bombings showed just how vulnerable some events can be to terrorist attacks but Helmut Spahn, executive director of the International Centre for Sport Security, claims that sharing information and early planning can help reduce the risk of such incidents in the future
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