Paddler Dame Lisa Carrington, New Zealand's most decorated Olympian, joins us to talk about kayaking and how the sport varies from solo races to doubles and fours. We also discuss her children's book "Lisa Carrington Chases a Champion" and her new partnership with Zespri kiwifruit. What's Dame Carrington's favorite kiwi? Kiwi vs. feijoa? Where are her silver ferns? We've got answers!

Follow Dame Carrrington on Insta and Facebook: @liscarrington and check out her website!

Milano Cortina 2026 has announced its Olympic Opening Cermony theme and details around the event, which might be more complicated than Paris 2024's spectacle along the Seine. With four locations, a lot could happen, but it means more athletes will be able to take part in the Parade of Nations.

Also, NBC adds to its primetime commentator lineup, Ester Ledecka makes a decision, and the International Ski & Snowboard federation makes a decision about whether Russian and Belarussian skiers can compete as neutrals.

Plus, we thought that all of the construction for Milano Cortina 2026 was under control, but there's one project that is way behind schedule. We have a new novela--and the dramatic details!

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: Obsessed with the Olympics and Paralympics? Just curious about how Olympic and Paralympic sports work? You've found your people! Join your hosts, Olympic aunties Alison Brown and Jill Jaracz for smart, fun, and down-to-earth interviews with athletes coaches, and the unsung heroes behind the Games. Get the stories you don't find anywhere else. Tun in weekly all year-round, and daily during the Olympics and Paralympics. We're your cure for your Olympic Fever! Call us: (208) FLAME-IT.

***

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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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

We are excited to talk with Doug Levy, author of the book Hero Redefined: Profiles of Olympic Athletes Under the Radar. The book contains amazing stories you may not have known – or athletes who for some reason or another, made our collective conscious for a Games and then fell off the radar. We talk with Doug about some of those stories.

Learn more about Doug and the book at his website, and follow him on:

• Insta: @doug.levy.author
• Facebook: Doug Levy Author
• LinkedIn: Douglas Levy

Plus, news from Milano Cortina 2026, LA 2028, the International Olympic Committee and Team Keep the Flame Alive.

Also, Super Fan Sarah joins us to review the new exhibit Game Changer: United by Sport at the George W. Bush Presidential Library.

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

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

Note: Links to products may be affiliate links. We earn commissions through purchases made through them, which helps to fund the show.

***

Keep the Flame Alive: Obsessed with the Olympics and Paralympics? Just curious about how Olympic and Paralympic sports work? You've found your people! Join your hosts, Olympic aunties Alison Brown and Jill Jaracz for smart, fun, and down-to-earth interviews with athletes coaches, and the unsung heroes behind the Games. Get the stories you don't find anywhere else. Tun in weekly all year-round, and daily during the Olympics and Paralympics. We're your cure for your Olympic Fever! Call us: (208) FLAME-IT.

***

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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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

It's the latest installment of our retrospective on the 25th anniversary of the Sydney 2000 Olympics and Paralympics! Jill looks at the Paralympic Football 7-a-Side competition, while Alison explores the Olympic television advertising campaigns in the U.S.

Playlist of ads referenced in this episode:

Nike slasher ad https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXTBrRjb4Zg

McDonald's ad https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4El7e4YwyTA

Coke ad https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXddSktwMcQ&t=1s

Adidas https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q16WeQGTv_E

Buick https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1T35mZ3KO0

Visa https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o894b4gX-es

Also, we announce which Games you, the listeners, have selected for us to cover in 2026!

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: Obsessed with the Olympics and Paralympics? Just curious about how Olympic and Paralympic sports work? You've found your people! Join your hosts, Olympic aunties Alison Brown and Jill Jaracz for smart, fun, and down-to-earth interviews with athletes coaches, and the unsung heroes behind the Games. Get the stories you don't find anywhere else. Tun in weekly all year-round, and daily during the Olympics and Paralympics. We're your cure for your Olympic Fever! Call us: (208) FLAME-IT.

***

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

Olympic figure skater Nicole Bobek has long been on our list of athletes to interview, and we're thrilled she's able to come on the show! In 1995, Nicole dazzled at the US Championships, winning gold and then taking bronze at the Figure Skating World Championships later that year.

Her career on and off the ice has had a lot of highs and lows, from her beautiful performances to dealing with injuries and the sudden death of her coach Carlo Fassi at the 1997 World Championships where she was still competing. Nicole also represented the US at the Nagano 1998 Winter Olympics.

Nicole has a new memoir out called The Wild One, in which she talks candidly about her skating career and her life afterward, which involved an arrest for being part of an alleged drug ring, for which she served five years of probation.

Since then, Nicole has found her way back, and she embraces her role as a mother....and you can still find her free skating!

Find out more about Nicole and her book The Wild One at her website: http://nicolebobek.com

Follow Nicole on Insta! @nicolebobek77

In news from Milano Cortina 2026, we now know who will be the first torchbearers for the torch relay. One is a very inspired choice! Also, construction on the Milano Athletes Village has been completed, and Snoop Dogg is back.

In news from LA 2028, organizers plan to use electric school buses for some shuttles, and the LA Convention Center is embarking on a massive renovation plan--will it be done in time for the Games? Also, Team New Zealand's planning an epic New Zealand House in Culver City.

The International Paralympic Committee had its General Assembly, and we've got the results of some key votes (that not everyone is happy about).

Plus, Team Keep the Flame Alive is busy representing TKFLASTAN at multiple competitions. And Listener Erica shared a great article about what author David Davis' book inspired.

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

Like this episode? Have thoughts on the show? Comment/write us a review, and you may be our review of the week!

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

Photos courtesy of Nicole Bobek.

***

Keep the Flame Alive: Obsessed with the Olympics and Paralympics? Just curious about how Olympic and Paralympic sports work? You've found your people! Join your hosts, Olympic aunties Alison Brown and Jill Jaracz for smart, fun, and down-to-earth interviews with athletes coaches, and the unsung heroes behind the Games. Get the stories you don't find anywhere else. Tun in weekly all year-round, and daily during the Olympics and Paralympics. We're your cure for your Olympic Fever! Call us: (208) FLAME-IT.

***

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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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

Wheelchair rugby is a mixed-gender sport, but not many females play. One way to increase their numbers and playing time is to see if they're classified fairly. We talk to Dr. Thomas Rietveld, research associate in wheeled sports and technology at the Peter Harrison Centre for Disability Sport at the University of Loughborough, who worked with Dr. Vicky Tolfrey on a project for World Wheelchair Rugby to reassess the classification system for female players.

We also talked to Dr. Rietveld about his research on wheelchair tennis, which was part of our episode featuring wheelchair tennis player Charlie Cooper.

Learn more about the Peter Harrison Centre for Disability Sport at https://www.lboro.ac.uk/research/phc/

Also on this episode, Milan-Cortina 2026 stores have opened (but not the mega store), NBC announced its Opening Ceremonies team, and the neutral athlete program will be back in place.

Team Keep the Flame Alive has had another busy week, so we take a trip to TKFLASTAN to see what's going on (and in Alison's case, have fun with pronunciation).

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

Like this episode? Have thoughts on the show? Comment/write us a review, and you may be our review of the week!

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

Photo courtesy of Dr. Thomas Rietveld.

***

***

Keep the Flame Alive: Obsessed with the Olympics and Paralympics? Just curious about how Olympic and Paralympic sports work? You've found your people! Join your hosts, Olympic aunties Alison Brown and Jill Jaracz for smart, fun, and down-to-earth interviews with athletes coaches, and the unsung heroes behind the Games. Get the stories you don't find anywhere else. Tun in weekly all year-round, and daily during the Olympics and Paralympics. We're your cure for your Olympic Fever! Call us: (208) FLAME-IT.

***

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

You know how Olympic and Paralympic athletes go around and speak at schools and do other types of education-related events? How do they get those gigs?

Well, there are organizations who help with that. Athletes for Hope is one of those connecting organizations who work with athletes on causes that are near and dear to them and connect them to schools and non-profits so they can do speaking and other types of advocacy work.

Today we're talking with Jason Belinkie, chief executive officer of Athletes for Hope and Jenny Sichel, a Rio 2016 silver medalist in para mixed fours rowing to learn how Athletes for Hope came about, how athletes participate, and the positive impacts they can have on youth.

Athletes for Hope is having its annual Play for Good Gala on Saturday, December 6, 2025 in Washington D.C. Find out more here.

Follow Ahtletes for Hope on Facebook, Instagram, X and YouTube.

In other Olympics and Paralympics news:

Milano-Cortina 2026 has released more tickets for the Opening Ceremonies, and the Ice House is coming!

LA 2028 announced ticket sales information and some new sponsors.

Salt Lake City 2034 announced an innovative Games funding drive.

New International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry announced some interesting working groups that could bring some changes to the IOC and the Olympics themselves.

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

Like this episode? Have thoughts on the show? Comment/write us a review, and you may be our review of the week!

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

Photos courtesy of Athletes for Hope.

***

Keep the Flame Alive: Obsessed with the Olympics and Paralympics? Just curious about how Olympic and Paralympic sports work? You've found your people! Join your hosts, Olympic aunties Alison Brown and Jill Jaracz, for smart, fun, and down-to-earth interviews with athletes, coaches, and the unsung heroes behind the Games. Get the stories you don't find anywhere else. Tune in weekly all year-round, and daily during the Olympics and Paralympics. We're your cure for your Olympic Fever! Call us: (208) FLAME-IT. ***

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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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

All year long we're celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Sydney 2000 Games, and this month is the actual month of the Games' anniversary! The Sydney 2000 Olympics opened on September 15, 2000, and over the next 17 days, won over the world with its competitions and amazing hospitality.

On this episode, we look at new sports and events on the Olympic program: Triathlon (new sport), women's pole vault (new event) and women's modern pentathlon (new event). All three had amazing debuts--what made them worth adding to the program? And did anyone's uterus fall out?

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.

Like this episode? Have thoughts on the show? Comment/write us a review, and you may be our review of the week!

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

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

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It's back-to-school time, so we wanted to hear what it's like for an elite athlete to go back to college. Olympic luger Ashley Farquharson explains how she's taking advantage of the Guild/Team USA partnership and getting her bachelor's degree at Purdue Global.

Follow Ashley on Instagram and TikTok. She's @far.quhar.son. On Facebook go to: facebook.com/farquadstarsquad.

Plus, Will Whiston, EVP at On Location, talks about the company's hospitality packages for Milano-Cortina 2026. Learn about all the offerings and book your experiences at: https://onlocationexp.com/olympics

In other news, LA 2028 has some venue updates, Team Keep the Flame Alive is everywhere, we have an eyewitness report on that Paris 2024 France v. Argentina football match that ended in a fight, and we speculate about luge hooligans.

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

Like this episode? Have thoughts on the show? Comment/write us a review, and you may be our review of the week!

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

(Photo courtesy of Team USA)

***

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

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

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History is in the making this week with the first-ever women's para ice hockey world championships. This is a big step forward toward inclusion in the Paralympics. To talk about the women's game, we are talking with para ice hockey officials Brooke Nunemaker and Brad Roethlisberger, who have some great insight on the game. (c) 2025 Kiss & Cry Productions LLC

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!

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