title: Ahom dynasty

text: The king could be appointed only with the concurrence of the (council of ministers—Burhagohain, Borgohain, Borpatrogohain, Borbarua and Borphukan). During three periods in the 14th century, the kingdom had no kings when acceptable candidates were not found. The ministers could remove unacceptable kings, and it used to involve executing the erstwhile king. In the 17th century a power struggle and the increasing number of claimants to the throne resulted in kings being deposed in quick succession, all of whom were executed after the new king was instated. To prevent this bloody end, a new rule was introduced during the reign of Sulikphaa Lora Roja—claimants to the throne had to be physically unblemished—which meant that threats to the throne could be removed by merely slitting the ear of an ambitious prince. Rudra Singha, suspecting his brother Lechai's intention, mutilated and banished him. The problem of succession remained, and on his deathbed, he instructed that all his sons were to become kings. One of his sons, Mohanmala Gohain, was superseded, who went on to lead a rebel group during the Moamoria rebellion. The later kings and officers exploited the unblemished rule, leading to weak kings being instated. Kamaleswar Singha (2-year-old son of Kadam Dighala) and Purandar Singha (10-year-old son of Brajanath and one of the last kings of this dynasty) came into office because their fathers were mutilated.


title: Ahom dynasty

text: The Ahom kings were given divine origin. According to Ahom tradition, Sukaphaa was a descendant of Khunlung, the grandson of the king of the heavens Leungdon, who had come down from the heavens and ruled Mong-Ri-Mong-Ram. During the reign of Suhungmung (1497–1539) which saw the composition of the first Assamese Buranji and increased Hindu influence, the Ahom kings were traced to the union of Indra (identified with Lengdon) and Syama (a low-caste woman), and were declared "Indravamsa kshatriyas", a lineage created exclusively for the Ahoms. Suhungmung adopted the title "Swarganarayan", and the later kings were called Swargadeo's (Lord of the heavens). It was during his reign that the Buranji titled "Sri Sri Swarganarayan Maharajor Jonmokotha" was written wherein the source and lineage of the Ahom kings was connected to the Hindu God, Indra, Lord of the Heaven.


title: Ahom dynasty

text: The Swargadeo's coronation was called Singarigharutha, a ceremony that was performed first by Sudangphaa, ("Bamuni Konwar") (1397–1407). The first coins in the new king's name were minted during the reign of Sutamla. Kamaleswar Singha (1795–1811) and Chandrakanta Singha's (1811–1818) coronations were not performed on the advice of Prime minister Purnananda Burhagohain, due to the financial constraints of State treasury caused by the internal disturbances during Moamoria rebellion. Kings who died in office were buried in vaults called Moidam, at Charaideo. Some of the earlier Moidams were looted by Mir Jumla in the 17th century, and are lost. Some later kings, especially with Rajeswar Singha (1751–1769), who were cremated had their ashes buried instead.


title: Ahom dynasty

text: On ascent, the king would generally assume an Ahom name decided by the Ahom priests. The name generally ended in "Pha" (Tai: Heaven), e.g. Susenghphaa. Later kings also assumed a Hindu name that ended in "Singha" (Assamese: Lion): Susengphaa assumed the name "Pratap Singha". Buranjis occasionally would refer to a past king by a more informal and colorful name that focused on a specific aspect of the king. Pratap Singha was also known as "Burha Roja" (Assamese: Old King) because when Pratap Singha became the king, he was quite advanced in age.


title: Ahom dynasty

text: Subinphaa (1281–1293), the third Ahom king, delineated the "Satghariya Ahom", the Ahom aristocracy of the Seven Houses. Of this, the first lineage was that of the king. The next two were the lineages of the Burhagohain and the Borgohain. The last four were priestly lineages. Sukhramphaa (1332–1364) established the position of Charing Raja which came to be reserved for the heir apparent. The first Charing Raja was Sukhramphaa's half-brother, Chao Pulai, the son of the Kamata princess Rajani, but who did not ultimately become the Swargadeo. Suhungmung "Dihingia Raja" (1497–1539) settled the descendants of past kings in different regions that gave rise to seven royal houses—"Saringiya", "Tipamiya", "Dihingiya", "Samuguriya", "Tungkhungiya", "Parvatiya" and "Namrupiya"—and periods of Ahom rule came to be known after these families. The rule of the last such house, Tungkhungiya, was established by Gadadhar Singha (1681–1696) and his descendants ruled till the end of the Ahom kingdom.


title: Ahom dynasty

text: Ahom queens ("Kunworis") played important roles in the matter of state. They were officially designated in a gradation of positions, called the "Bor Kuwori" (Chief Queen), "Parvatia Kuwori", "Raidangia Kuwori", "Tamuli Kuwori", etc. who were generally daughters of Ahom noblemen and high officials. Lesser wives of the Swargadeo were called "Chamua Kunworis". Some of the queens were given separate estates that were looked after by state officials (Phukans or Baruas). During the reign of Siba Singha (1714–1744), the king gave his royal umbrella and royal insignia to his queens—Phuleshwari Kunwori, Ambika Kunwori and Anadari Kunwori in succession— to rule the kingdom. They were called "Bor-Rojaa". Some queens maintained office even after the death or removal of the kings, as happened with Pakhori Gabhoru and Kuranganayani who were queens to multiple kings.


title: Ahom dynasty

text: One way in which the importance of the queens can be seen is that many of them are named on coins; typically the king's name would be on the obverse of the coin and the queen's on the reverse.


title: Ahom dynasty

text: Sukaphaa's ruling deity was "Chum-Pha" and "Sheng-mung" a pair of non-Hindu, non-Buddhist gods, and he was accompanied by classes of priests called "Deodhai", "Bailung" etc. But the Ahom kings let themselves be influenced by the religion and customs of those they ruled over. Sudangphaa "Bamuni Konwar" (1397–1407) installed a Brahmin of Habung, in whose household he was born and raised, as his adviser, but he himself did not convert to Hinduism. Susenphaa (1439–1488) constructed a temple at Negheriting. Suhungmung "Dihingia Rojaa" (1497–1539) was the first Ahom king to expand the kingdom and the polity, allow Assamese influence in his court and accept a non-Ahom title—"Swarganarayan". Sukhaamphaa "Khora Rojaa" (1552–1603) began consulting Hindu astrologers alongside the traditional "Deodhai-Bailung" priests, and Pratap Singha (1603–1641) installed 13 Brahmin families as diplomats. Assamese language coexisted with Tai language in the court till the reign of Pratap Singha, during whose rule Assamese became dominant. Sutamla (1648–1663) was the first Ahom king to be initiated into the Mahapuruxiya Dharma, and Ahom kings till Sulikphaa "lora roja" (1679–1681) continued to be disciples of one sattra or the other. Mahapuruxiya pontiffs belonging to different sects began playing a greater role in state politics. After the chaos of the late 17th century, Gadadhar Sinha (1681–1696), the first Tungkhungiya king began his rule with a deep distrust of these religious groups. His son and successor Rudra Singha (1696–1714) searched for an alternative state religion, and his son and successor Siba Sinha (1714–1744) formally adopted Saktism, the nemesis of the Mahapuruxiya sects. The persecution of the Mahapuruxiya Sattras under the Tunkhungiya rulers following Siba Singha was a crucial factor leading to the Moamoria rebellion that greatly depleted the Ahom kingdom.


title: Ahom dynasty

text: The king was guarded by a six thousand strong household troop under a "Bhitarual Phukan". A unit of musketeers consisting of the king's relatives was established by Sukhamphaa Khora Raja that protected the capital (under the "Bajua Hilaidari Konwar") and the palace and environs ("Bhitarual Hilaidari Konwar").


title: Ahom dynasty

text: In the nearly 600-years 39-Swargadeo dynastic history, there are three progenitor kings (all subsequent kings are descendants of these kings). They are Sukaphaa, who established the kingdom; Suhungmung, who made the greatest territorial and political expansion of the kingdom; and Supaatphaa, who established the House of Tungkhugia kings that reigned the kingdom during its political and cultural zenith, as well as the period of decay and end (except for Jogeswar Singha, who was a descendant of Supaatphaa's father Gobar, and who was installed as a puppet king by the Burmese).


title: Ahom dynasty

text: The dynastic history and dates that are accepted today are the result of a re-examination of Ahom and other documents by a team of Nora astronomers and experts who were commissioned to do so by Gaurinath Singha (1780–1795).


title: United States at the 2020 Summer Olympics

text: The United States, represented by the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC), competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Originally scheduled to take place in the summer of 2020, the Games were postponed to July 23 to August 8, 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. U.S. athletes have appeared in every Summer Olympics of the modern era, with the exception of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, which the U.S. boycotted. The opening ceremony flag-bearers for the United States were baseball player Eddy Alvarez and basketball player Sue Bird. Javelin thrower Kara Winger was the flag-bearer for the closing ceremony.


text: The country finished the Games with 113 medals, the most amongst all nations: 39 gold, 41 silver, and 33 bronze. These individual totals were each the highest of the Games, after a final-day tally of three gold medals (women's basketball, women's omnium, and women's volleyball) surpassed China's total of 38 golds. This was the third consecutive Summer Olympics that the U.S. was the medal table leader. Overall, the medal total was slightly lower than five years prior in Rio de Janeiro, where the United States won 46 gold and 121 total medals.


text: As Los Angeles will be the host city of the 2028 Summer Olympics, the United States, along with France, which is hosting the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, marched in the opening ceremony just before the host nation Japan.


text: The following U.S. competitors won medals at the games. In the discipline sections below, the medalists' names are bolded.


text: The following is the list of number of competitors in the Games, including game-eligible alternates in team sports.


text: One U.S. archer qualified for the men's individual recurve by reaching the quarterfinal stage and obtaining one of the four available spots at the 2019 World Archery Championships in 's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands. Another U.S. archer secured a spot in the women's individual recurve by winning the mixed team title at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru. The athletes were selected after the Olympic Trials. Four more U.S. archers were named to the roster for Tokyo 2020 after successfully winning their places in the men's and women's team recurve at the 2021 Final Qualification Tournament in Paris, France.


text: The United States fielded a squad of two artistic swimmers to compete in the women's duet event, by finishing fifth at the 2021 FINA Olympic Qualification Tournament in Barcelona, Spain.


text: U.S. athletes achieved the entry standards, either by qualifying time or by world ranking, in the following track and field events (up to a maximum of 3 athletes in each event). The team was selected based on the results of the 2020 United States Olympic Trials (June 18 to 27, 2021) held in Eugene, Oregon.


text: Six marathon runners (three per gender) were the first set of U.S. track and field athletes selected for the Games by virtue of their top three finish at the Olympic Team Trials in Atlanta, Georgia on February 29, 2020.


text: Following the completion of the Olympic Trials, 128 athletes (63 men and 65 women) were named to the U.S. track and field team for the Games, with sprinter and multiple medalist Allyson Felix and marathon runner Abdihakem Abdirahman, the oldest US Olympic runner in history (aged 47), competing at their fifth Olympics and another sprinter Erriyon Knighton establishing himself as the youngest (aged 17) in nearly six decades. Apart from Felix and Knighton, the U.S. team also featured three Olympic champions from Rio 2016, namely middle-distance runner Matthew Centrowitz, Jr. (men's 1500 m), hurdler Dalilah Muhammad, and shot put world record holder Ryan Crouser.


text: The fastest American woman in the 100 meters dash Sha'Carri Richardson missed the Olympics due to a positive test for marijuana, two-time pole vault world champion Sam Kendricks was out with COVID-19, 2016 110m hurdles gold medalist Brianna Rollins-McNeal was suspended for missed drug tests, and two-time defending gold medalist and 2019 world champion in triple jump Christian Taylor was out due to injury. The U.S. lost some races where it either had world champions and world record holders competing. Those included 100m specialist Trayvon Bromell, owning the fastest time in 100 meters in 2021, who was eliminated in the semifinals, 2019 world champion Noah Lyles who finished third in the 200 meters, and 2019 world champion and world record holder Grant Holloway who won silver in the 100m hurdles.


text: Overall, the U.S. topped the medal table in track and field events with 7 gold medals, 12 silver medals, 7 bronze medals, and 26 total medals. Sydney McLaughlin and Athing Mu both won two gold medals to lead the U.S. track and field athletes. McLaughlin won the gold medal in the 400 m hurdles with a world record time.


text: The United States entered four badminton players into the Olympic tournament. Beiwen Zhang was selected among the top 40 individual shuttlers to compete in the women's singles based on the BWF World Race to Tokyo Rankings. On the men's side, Timothy Lam and Chew brothers Phillip and Ryan received an invitation from the Badminton World Federation to play in the singles and doubles events, respectively, as the next highest-ranked shuttler or pair outside of direct qualifying position. The team was supported at the Olympic Games by coach Ding Chao and team leader Alistair Casey.


text: The United States men's basketball team won their fourth consecutive Olympic gold medal, the women's basketball team won their seventh consecutive Olympic gold, and the women's 3x3 basketball team won Olympic gold in the first edition of that event.


text: The U.S. men's basketball team qualified for the Olympics by advancing to the quarterfinal stage as one of the two top-ranked squads from the Americas at the 2019 FIBA World Cup in China.


text: The U.S. women's basketball team qualified for the Olympics by winning the gold medal and securing an outright berth at the 2018 FIBA Women's World Cup in Spain.


text: In 3x3 men's basketball, the 2019 world champion U.S. team did not compete after having to field an entirely new team for the qualifiers due to scheduling issues.


text: The United States women's national 3x3 team qualified for the Olympics by securing a top three finish at the 2021 Olympic Qualifying Tournament.


text: Katie Lou Samuelson originally qualified as the fourth team member of the United States, but she tested positive for COVID-19 and was replaced by Jackie Young.


text: The United States entered ten boxers into the Olympic tournament. All of them qualified based on rankings after the 2021 Pan American Boxing Olympic Qualification Tournament, which was due to be held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, was cancelled.


text: U.S. canoeists qualified one boat for each of the following classes through the 2019 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships in La Seu d'Urgell, Spain. With the cancellation of the 2021 Pan American Championships, the U.S. team accepted the invitation from the ICF to send a canoeist in the men's slalom C-1 to the Games, as the highest-ranked eligible nation from the Americas in the federation's international rankings.


text: The United States qualified a single boat in the women's C-1 200 m for the Games by winning the gold medal at the 2019 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships in Szeged, Hungary.


text: Teenager Nevin Harrison won a historic first ever gold medal for the United States in the women's canoe.


text: The Americans won a bronze medal in women's track team pursuit (headlined by Chloé Dygert). Despite having won four world championships in 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2020, 2018 world champion and 2019 world cup winner Kate Courtney, the U.S. did not medal in mountain biking. The U.S. was also shut out of medals in BMX racing. In BMX freestyle, 2021 world champion Hannah Roberts won silver. The only gold medal of the cycling delegation was won by Jennifer Valente, who scored an upset victory in the women's omnium.


text: Six U.S. riders (two men and four women) entered into their respective Olympic road races, by virtue of their top 50 national finish (for men) and top 22 (for women) in the UCI World Ranking.


text: With her golden finish in the women's time trial at the 2019 UCI World Championships, Rio 2016 silver medalist Chloé Dygert Owen was automatically selected to the U.S. road cycling squad for the Games.


text: Following the completion of the 2020 UCI Track Cycling World Championships, U.S. riders accumulated spots for both men and women in the omnium and madison, as well as the women's sprint, keirin, and team pursuit, based on their country's results in the final UCI Olympic rankings.


text: The United States entered three mountain bikers to compete in the women's Olympic cross-country race, by virtue of Kate Courtney's win at the Pan American Games, and a combined national ranking ensuring two other women got to participate.


text: U.S. riders qualified for five quota place (two men and three women) for BMX at the Olympics, as a result in the UCI BMX Olympic Qualification Ranking List of June 1, 2021.


text: U.S. riders received a single quota spot each in the inaugural men's and women's BMX freestyle at the Games. Commanding the top spot in the USA Cycling rankings before the May 12 cutoff, 18-year-old Hannah Roberts was officially selected to Team USA's BMX cycling team for the Games.


text: U.S. divers qualified for the following individual spots and synchronized teams at the Games through the 2019 FINA World Championships. Divers had to finish in the top two of each individual event and accumulate the highest score as a pair in each of the synchronized events at the 2020 U.S. Olympic Trials, held in Indianapolis, Indiana (June 6 to 13), to assure their selection to the Olympic team.


text: U.S. equestrians qualified a full squad each in the team dressage, eventing, and jumping competitions through the 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games in Tryon, North Carolina and the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru.


text: The U.S. Olympic dressage team was announced on June 17, 2021. The team was led by London 2012 Olympian Adrienne Lyle, and rounded up by the two German-born riders, veteran Steffen Peters and rookie Sabine Schut-Kery. Nick Wagman and Don John were named the traveling reserves.


text: The U.S. Olympic eventing team was announced on May 27, 2021. The team was led by two Olympic veterans, Phillip Dutton and Boyd Martin, both Australian-born, and completed by rookie Liz Halliday-Sharp. Doug Payne and Vandiver were named the team alternates. On July 7, 2021, Liz Halliday-Sharp and Deniro Z were withdrawn from the Olympic team. Doug Payne stepped in to be a replacement, while Tamie Smith and Mai Baum became the new traveling alternates.


text: The U.S. Olympic jumping team was named on July 5, 2021. The team consisted of two Olympic veterans, Kent Farrington and Laura Kraut, who were joined by rookie Jessica Springsteen.


text: U.S. fencers qualified a full squad each in the men's and women's team foil and women's team épée at the Games, by finishing among the top four nations in the FIE Olympic Team Rankings, while the sabre and men's épée teams claimed the spot each as the highest-ranked nation from the Americas zone outside the world's top four.


text: On January 11, 2020, Lee Kiefer became the first fencer to guarantee selection to the U.S. team for her third consecutive Games, with a dominant number-one position in the national women's foil rankings. A month later, Kiefer's husband Gerek Meinhardt, the first U.S. male fencer slated to compete in four Olympics since Michael Marx did so in Atlanta 1996, and his childhood friend and teammate Alexander Massialas, the first U.S. male fencer to win two medals in the same edition, secured the men's foil spots on their third consecutive trip together to the Games. Rio 2016 Olympian Eli Dershwitz, with two-time champion Mariel Zagunis (2004 and 2008) going to her fifth straight Olympics, topped the national men's and women's sabre rankings, respectively, to join the U.S. fencing roster in Tokyo. Nine more fencers were officially selected to the roster for the rescheduled Games on March 23, 2021, including épée sisters Courtney and Kelley Hurley and Rio 2016 silver medalist Daryl Homer in the men's sabre. The men's and women's foil teams completed the fencers' selection for the Games on March 28, 2021.


text: The 2019 world champions U.S. men's foil team won a bronze, and 2018 world champions U.S. women's foil team missed the podium. Lee Kiefer scored an upset victory over defending Olympic and world champion Inna Deriglazova of the ROC to win the first ever women's foil gold for the United States.


text: The United States women's soccer team qualified for the Olympics by reaching the finals of the 2020 CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifying Championship in Carson, California.


text: The 2019 world champions USWNT, unbeaten for more than two years, lost its opener to Sweden and then lost to Canada in the semi-finals. They ultimately won the bronze medal.


text: The United States entered a total of four male and four female golfers into the Olympic tournament. Bryson DeChambeau was originally selected for the men's team, but he tested positive for COVID-19 and was replaced by Patrick Reed.


text: Xander Schauffele won gold for the United States in the men's tournament with a winning score of −18, holding off a late charge by Slovakia's Rory Sabbatini to emerge victorious by one stroke. Top-seeded Collin Morikawa finished fourth in the seven-man third-place playoff. In the women's tournament, Nelly Korda won the gold medal with a winning score of −17.


text: The United States fielded a full squad of eight gymnasts (four per gender) into the Olympic competition. At the 2018 World Championships in Doha, Qatar, the women's squad scored a gold-medal victory in the team all-around to book an automatic berth for Tokyo 2020. Meanwhile, the men's squad was added to the U.S. gymnastics roster after finishing fourth out of the nations eligible for qualification in the preliminaries of the team all-around at the 2019 World Championships in Stuttgart, Germany.


text: In gymnastics, health concerns caused four-time gold medalist and 19-time world champion Simone Biles to withdraw from the women's team event, in which the U.S. ultimately won the silver medal. Biles subsequently skipped four individual events before returning for the balance beam event, in which she won a bronze medal. American Sunisa Lee won the gold medal in the women's artistic individual all-around. The four members of the United States women's team, Biles, Jordan Chiles, Sunisa Lee, and Grace McCallum were nicknamed the Fighting Four as a tribute to the adversity they faced.


text: Two U.S rhythmic gymnasts qualified for the individual all-around by finishing in the top 16 at the 2019 World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan. Additionally, the United States qualified for the group all-around after the re-allocation of Japan's host nation spot from the 2019 World Championships. The individuals and group members of the rhythmic gymnastics team were announced on June 27, 2021.


text: Nicole Ahsinger's sixth-place finish was the highest-ever achievement in the trampoline discipline by an American.


text: The United States entered four judoka (one man and three women) into the Olympic tournament based on the International Judo Federation Olympics Individual Ranking, after reallocations.


text: Four U.S. karateka were entered into the inaugural Olympic tournament. 2012 world bronze medalist and defending Pan American Games champion Sakura Kokumai qualified directly for the women's kata category by finishing among the top four karateka at the end of the combined WKF Olympic Rankings. Thomas Scott earned his ticket to Tokyo after the reallocation of a vacant spot in the Male Kumite −75 kg category of the Olympic competition.


text: U.S. athletes qualified for the following spots to compete in modern pentathlon. Amro El-Geziry, a three-time Olympian from Egypt who immigrated to the United States, and rookie Samantha Achterberg secured a selection each in the men's and women's event respectively by virtue of a top-five finish at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima.


text: The United States qualified the nine boats in the table below out of the fourteen Olympic classes, with the majority of crews confirming Olympic places for their boats at the 2019 FISA World Championships in Ottensheim, Austria. Rowing events were qualified by nation, so rowers had to be selected by the NOCs for each of these crews. The women's lightweight double qualified at the Final Olympic Qualification Regatta on May 16 and 17 in Lucerne.


text: London 2012 Olympian Kara Kohler became the first rower to guarantee her selection on the U.S. team for the rescheduled Games with an outright triumph in the women's single sculls at the first Olympic Trials in Sarasota, Florida, on February 21 to 26, 2021. Meanwhile, Genevra Stone, Rio 2016 silver medalist in the single sculls, teamed up with her rookie partner Kristina Wagner to secure the women's double sculls spot at the second Olympic Trials (April 12 to 15, 2021) in West Windsor, New Jersey. The fours, eights, and women's quad were selected through camps, with the final nomination made by the Olympic Committee on June 18.


text: The Americans finished without a single rowing medal for the first time in history. Three-time defending gold medalists women's coxed eight finished fourth.


text: The United States national rugby sevens team qualified for the Olympics by advancing to the quarterfinals in the 2019 London Sevens, securing a top four spot in the 2018–19 World Rugby Sevens Series.


text: The United States women's national rugby sevens team qualified for the Olympics by winning the bronze medal and securing an outright berth at the penultimate leg of the 2018–19 World Rugby Women's Sevens Series.


text: U.S. sailors qualified one boat in each of the following classes through the 2018 Sailing World Championships, the class-associated Worlds, the 2019 Pan American Games, and the continental regattas. The U.S. Olympic team were determined based on the sailors' finishing positions, along with the cumulative series scores, from their respective boats at major international regattas in three selection phases: early, middle, and late.


text: On February 14, 2020, US Sailing announced the selection for the 49erFX and Nacra 17 crews to represent the country at the Enoshima regatta based on their cumulative results at the 2019 and 2020 World Championships, with windsurfers Pedro Pascual and Farrah Hall and single-handed sailors Charlie Buckingham (Laser) and multiple world medalist Paige Railey (Laser Radial) joining them towards the end of the month.


text: With the 2020 Olympics rescheduled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, US Sailing updated the athlete selection procedures for the country's sailing squad, which included the men's 470 Olympic trials based on the results of the first two selection meets. Hence, Rio 2016 Olympian David Hughes, with his partner and skipper Stuart McNay returning to the Olympic regatta for the fourth straight time, was officially nominated to the U.S. sailing team on June 23, 2020. Finn sailor Luke Muller joined the roster for his maiden Games on July 10, 2020. The women's 470 crew (Barnes & Dallman-Weiss) rounded out the squad selection at the 2021 Worlds in Vilamoura, Portugal.


text: U.S. shooters achieved quota places for the following events by virtue of their best finishes at the 2018 ISSF World Championships, the 2019 ISSF World Cup series, 2019 Pan American Games, and Championships of the Americas, as long as they obtained a minimum qualifying score (MQS) by May 31, 2020. The U.S. shooting squad was determined based on the aggregate scores obtained by the shooters at two stages of the Olympic Trials (fall and spring).


text: On February 9, 2020, Team USA announced the first set of shooters to compete at the Games, including Rio 2016 Olympian Lucas Kozeniesky in the air rifle. The remaining shooters were named to the U.S. team at the second stage of the Olympic Team Trials: pistol (February 24 to March 1) and shotgun (February 25 to March 8).


text: The United States qualified seven skateboarders: six in men's and women's park events, based on the Olympic World Skateboarding Rankings List of June 30, 2021, and one in men's street events.


text: In skateboarding, the United States won two bronze medals. Reigning world champion and favorite Nyjah Huston was shut out of medals after stumbling on his last attempt.


text: The U.S. women's softball team qualified for the Olympics by winning the gold medal and securing a lone outright berth at the 2018 Women's Softball World Championship in Chiba, Japan.


text: In softball, the 2018 world champion U.S. (that coincidentally won gold in Japan beating the hosts twice throughout the tournament), lost to Japan in the gold medal game after defeating them in the round robin.


text: U.S. athletes qualified for the following spots to compete in sport climbing. 18-year-old Brooke Raboutou became the first sport climber to be selected to the U.S. team for the Games by advancing to the final of the women's combined event and securing one of the seven provisional berths at the 2019 IFSC World Championships in Hachioji, Japan. Meanwhile, Nathaniel Coleman and Kyra Condie completed the U.S. sport climbing roster by finishing in the top six of those eligible for qualification at the IFSC World Olympic Qualifying Event in Toulouse, France. The fourth and final slot was awarded to 16-year-old Colin Duffy, after winning the gold medal at the IFSC Pan American Championships in Los Angeles.


text: U.S. surfers qualified for the following spots to compete in surfing. California native Kolohe Andino, two-time men's world champion John John Florence, four-time women's world champion Carissa Moore, and 17-year-old Caroline Marks finished within the top ten (for men) and top eight (for women) of those eligible for qualification in the World Surf League rankings to secure their spots on the U.S. roster for Tokyo 2020.


text: U.S. swimmers achieved qualifying standards in the following events (up to a maximum of 2 swimmers in each event at the Olympic Qualifying Time (OQT), and potentially 1 at the Olympic Selection Time (OST)). To assure their selection to the U.S. team, swimmers had to finish in the top two of each individual pool event under the Olympic qualifying cut at the 2020 United States Olympic Trials (June 13 to 20, 2021) in Omaha, Nebraska.


text: The U.S. topped the medal count in swimming with 11 gold medals and 30 total medals. Caeleb Dressel won three individual golds and two relay golds; he won the most medals of any U.S. athlete at these Games. Katie Ledecky was defending 200m, 400m, and 800m titles, as well trying to win a newly introduced 1500m race where she held a world record. At the 2020 Games, Ledecky won two gold medals in 800m and 1500m and a silver in 400m; she also won a relay silver. Lilly King was defending her 100m breaststroke gold medal, as well as entering as the 2019 world champion in that event, and won the bronze medal; she also won silver in the 200m breastroke and a relay silver. Ryan Murphy was defending his gold medals in 100m and 200m backstroke (where he also held a world record) and ended up winning a silver and a bronze; he also won a relay gold.


text: Six U.S. athletes were entered into the table tennis competition at the Games. The men's and women's teams secured their respective Olympic berths by winning the gold medal each at the ITTF North America Qualification Tournament in Rockford, Illinois, United States, permitting a maximum of two starters to compete each in the men's and women's singles tournament.


text: Ranked as the top American each by gender in the ITTF world rankings before the cutoff, Rio 2016 Olympian Kanak Jha and two-time Olympian Lily Zhang were named to the U.S. Olympic team on February 4, 2020. The remaining table tennis players were selected at the Olympic Team Trials in Santa Monica, California on March 1, 2020.


text: Two U.S. athletes were entered into the taekwondo competition at the Games. With the Grand Slam winner already qualified through the WT Olympic Rankings, London 2012 bronze medalist Paige McPherson secured a spot in the women's welterweight category (67 kg), as the next highest-ranked eligible taekwondo practitioner. Meanwhile, 2018 Youth Olympic silver medalist Anastasija Zolotic scored a semifinal victory in the women's lightweight category (57 kg) to book the remaining spot on the U.S. taekwondo squad at the 2020 Pan American Qualification Tournament in San José, Costa Rica.


text: American teenager Anastasija Zolotic scored an upset victory over the Russian OIympic Committee's Tatiana Minina in the 57 kg to win the first ever gold medal for the United States in women's taekwondo.


text: The United States entered eight tennis players (four men and four women) into the Olympic tournament. Rookies Tommy Paul (world no. 50), Frances Tiafoe (world no. 65), Tennys Sandgren (world no. 68), and Marcos Giron (world no. 75) were selected as four eligible players in the ATP world rankings of June 14, 2021, after top ranked American players Reilly Opelka, John Isner, and Taylor Fritz declined their participation. Four-time gold medalist Serena Williams (world no. 8) and rookie Sofia Kenin (world no. 4) were initially to participate but chose to withdraw from the tournament due to personal reasons. Jennifer Brady (world no. 14), Coco Gauff (world no. 23), Jessica Pegula (world no. 26), and Alison Riske (world no. 31) were selected for the women's singles as four of the top 58 eligible players based on their WTA world rankings of June 14, 2021.


text: Having been entered into the men's singles, Sandgren and Tiafoe opted to play into men's doubles with their respective partners Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram, while Gauff and Pegula, already entered into the women's singles, partnered with Nicole Melichar and Bethanie Mattek-Sands, respectively. Gauff subsequently tested positive for COVID-19 and had to withdraw from the games. The U.S. could not replace her in the singles due to ITF rules. In the doubles, Melichar partnered with Riske instead of Gauff.


text: In tennis, the withdrawals of all top-ranked U.S. players left the Americans under-strength. They won no medals in an Olympic tennis tournament for the first time in history.


text: In volleyball, the U.S. men's team did not advance to the knockout round, and the U.S. women's team won the gold medal. In beach volleyball, the top-ranked U.S. men's team was hit with a positive COVID-19 test from Taylor Crabb. He was replaced by Tri Bourne, forcing Jake Gibb to play with a new partner. The pair lost in the round of 16. In women's beach volleyball, the U.S. pair of Kelly Claes and Sarah Sponcil lost in the round of 16 due to controversial refereeing.


text: United States qualified four beach volleyball pairs at the Games, as the result in the FIVB Beach Volleyball Olympic Ranking List of June 13, 2021.


text: The U.S. men's volleyball team qualified for the Olympics by securing an outright berth as the highest-ranked nation for pool B at the Intercontinental Olympic Qualification Tournament in Rotterdam, Netherlands.


text: The U.S. women's volleyball team qualified for the Olympics by securing an outright berth as the highest-ranked nation for pool C at the Intercontinental Olympic Qualification Tournament in Shreveport, Louisiana.


text: In water polo, the U.S. men's team finished in sixth place, and the U.S. women's team won their third consecutive Olympic gold medal.


text: The United States men's national water polo team qualified for the Olympics by winning the gold medal and securing an outright berth at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru.


text: The United States women's national water polo team qualified for the Olympics by winning the gold medal and securing an outright berth at the 2019 FINA Women's Water Polo World League in Budapest, Hungary.


text: U.S. weightlifters qualified for eight quota places at the games, based on the Tokyo 2020 Rankings Qualification List of June 11, 2021.


text: The United States qualified fifteen wrestlers for each of the following classes into the Olympic competition. Four of them finished among the top six to book Olympic spots in the men's freestyle (74 and 97 kg) and women's freestyle (68 and 76 kg) at the 2019 World Championships, while eleven more licenses were awarded to U.S. wrestlers, who progressed to the top two finals at the 2020 Pan American Qualification Tournament in Ottawa, Canada.


text: To assure their selection to the U.S. Olympic team, wrestlers had to claim a top spot of each division at the 2020 Olympic Trials (April 2 to 3, 2021) in Dickies Arena, Texas. Among those selected to the team were reigning Olympic champions Kyle Snyder (men's freestyle 97 kg) and Helen Maroulis (women's freestyle 57 kg), five-time world champion Adeline Gray (women's freestyle 76 kg), Ildar Hafizov (men's Greco-Roman 60 kg), a Beijing 2008 Olympian from Uzbekistan who returned to the Games for the second time as an American citizen; and Kyle Dake (men's freestyle 74 kg), who defeated London 2012 champion Jordan Burroughs in the final match to earn the coveted spot in his Olympic debut.


text: In the women's freestyle wrestling, the United States sent its strongest ever team, after three gold medals at the 2019 World Wrestling Championships. Four-time and reigning world champion Adeline Gray lost in the final, getting silver. Another reigning world champion Tamyra Mensah-Stock became the second ever U.S. woman to take gold. The first one, Helen Maroulis, came to Tokyo to defend her gold medal but was narrowly defeated in the semi-final and proceeded to win the bronze medal bout. Another reigning world champion Jacarra Winchester lost in the quarter-finals, battled through the repechage to the bronze medal match but lost there as well.


text: In the men's freestyle wrestling, 2018 world champion David Taylor upset the defending Olympic and world champion Hassan Yazdani to win gold. Kyle Dake, after winning the 2018 and 2019 world championships in the 79 kg, was unable to match that success in the Olympic 74 kg, losing in the quarter-final to Mahamedkhabib Kadzimahamedau, and then proceeded to clinch bronze after battling in the repechage. Gable Steveson, meanwhile, scored an incredible upset, defeating the 2017, 2018, and 2019 world champion Geno Petriashvili for the gold medal. Kyle Snyder faced off against Abdulrashid Sadulaev of the ROC in the gold medal game and lost a close contest on points. Snyder was the defending Olympic champion and 2019 world championship bronze medalist. The U.S. topped the overall medal count with nine medals in wrestling.


title: Specialized Bicycle Components

text: Specialized Bicycle Components, Inc., colloquially known as and stylized as SPECIALIZED, is an American company which designs, manufactures and markets bicycles, bicycle components and related products under the brand name "Specialized", as well as the premium and professional oriented "S-works".


title: Specialized Bicycle Components

text: Volkswagen Bus for $1,500 to fund a cycle tour of Europe, where he bought handlebars and stems made by Cinelli to take back to the US. Sinyard started importing Italian bike components which were difficult to find in the United States, but the company began to produce its own bike parts by 1976, starting with the Specialized Touring Tire. In 1981, the company introduced its first two bikes, the Sequoia, a sport-touring design and the Allez, a road bike. Specialized also introduced the first major production mountain bike in the world, the Stumpjumper, in 1981. Like the Sequoia and Allez, the Stumpjumper was designed by Tim Neenan and based on an early Tom Ritchey design. Specialized continues to produce bikes under the Stumpjumper name, including both hardtail and full-suspension models. An original Stumpjumper is displayed in the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. In 1989, Specialized introduced the Epic, the world's second mass-production carbon fiber mountain bike.


title: Specialized Bicycle Components

text: In the early 1990s, Specialized introduced the Globe range of urban bikes; it had a major relaunch in 2009, which saw Globe become its own distinct brand. The Globe brand has since been discontinued, and Specialized now markets "lifestyle" bikes under its main brand.


title: Specialized Bicycle Components

text: In 1995, Specialized launched the Full Force brand. Full Force was a lower-end mountain bike brand sold through sporting goods stores and discount retailers such as Costco. The move angered some Specialized dealers. In 1996, Specialized withdrew the Full Force line and Mike Sinyard wrote a letter of apology to dealers. By the end of 1996, Specialized had lost 30% of its bike shop sales and, according to Sinyard, "came within a few hundred dollars of declaring bankruptcy".


title: Specialized Bicycle Components

text: In 2001, Merida Bikes of Taiwan bought 49% of Specialized (initially reported as 19%) for a reported US$30 million. Mike Sinyard remained majority owner and CEO of the company. , Specialized is one of the biggest bicycle brands operating in the United States, alongside Trek Bicycle Corporation and Giant Bicycles.


title: Specialized Bicycle Components

text: In 2012, Specialized issued a recall for about 12,000 bicycles sold through retailers from 2007 until July 2012 due to a faulty front fork. Recalled models include the company's "Globe" products.


title: Specialized Bicycle Components

text: A customized version of the Specialized Rockhopper mountain bike is currently used by the London Ambulance Service for their Cycle Response Units which operate in congested areas of the city.


title: Specialized Bicycle Components

text: In 1990, Specialized tried to sue RockShox Inc, claiming the company's name too closely resembled the bicycle model name "Rockhopper" The case was ultimately dismissed with prejudice.


title: Specialized Bicycle Components

text: In 2006, Specialized sent Mountain Cycle a letter concerning its use of the model name "Stumptown" (nickname for Portland), alleging it resembled the Specialized model name Stumpjumper. Mountain Cycle closed shortly thereafter.


title: Specialized Bicycle Components

text: In 2009, Specialized had a trademark dispute with a manufacturer of bicycle bags, Epic Designs, now Revelate Designs.


title: Specialized Bicycle Components

text: In 2010, Specialized took NASCAR driver and team owner Robby Gordon to court over the logo used for his Speed Energy drink brand, claiming it was visually similar to their own 'S' logo.


title: Specialized Bicycle Components

text: Gordon sued Specialized after receiving a cease-and-desist letter in September 2010 and Specialized then counter-sued Gordon. Gordon was ordered by the court to remove the Speed 'S' logo from his cars and later agreed with Specialized he would change the drink's logo.


title: Specialized Bicycle Components

text: In 2011, Portland wheel builder Epic Wheel Works was forced to change its name due to potential trademark conflict with Specialized.


title: Specialized Bicycle Components

text: In 2012, the company sued two former employees after they started the bicycle brand Volagi Cycles, for theft of trade secrets and breach of employment contract, as well as other charges. Of Specialized's nine claims, eight were thrown out of court, and the jury awarded Specialized one dollar in damages on the remaining count (breach of employment contract) that went to trial. It was estimated by (Volagi's founders) Choi and Forsman's attorney, Tyler Paetkau, that Specialized incurred more than $2 million in legal fees to practice "competition by litigation." In September 2016, Volagi announced that it would close after a founding member was injured in a bicycle crash involving an automobile.


title: Specialized Bicycle Components

text: In 2013, Specialized mailed a small bike shop owner in Canada a cease and desist letter over its use of the city name Roubaix in its shop name and wheels, the name of a town in France that rose to prominence as a textile center in the 15th century


title: Specialized Bicycle Components

text: and has hosted a bicycle race since 1896. This follows on from Specialized's trademarking of the word in Canada. The situation and behavior towards the shop owner caused some reactions from cyclists worldwide after an article was published by the Calgary Herald in early December 2013. On 9 December Fuji Bikes owner, Advanced Sports International said that they are the legal owner of worldwide rights to the Roubaix trademark. Fuji has had a "Fuji Roubaix" road bike model in its lineup since 1992, and has licensed the name to Specialized since 2003. The dispute between Specialized, ASI and the Canadian shop owner was resolved in December 2013, and Specialized vowed to be more cautious in its pursuit of trademark violators in the future.


title: Specialized Bicycle Components

text: Many riders in recent years have used Specialized bicycles in the North American and European professional cycling circuits.


title: Specialized Bicycle Components

text: In 2019, the professional road teams sponsored by Specialized are Deceuninck–Quick-Step, Bora–Hansgrohe, Boels–Dolmans and Team TotalEnergies.


title: Specialized Bicycle Components

text: Mountain bike riders sponsored by Specialized include the downhill world champion Loïc Bruni, Finn Iles, Jaroslav Kulhavý, Christoph Sauser, Lea Davison, Martin Soderstrom, Simon Andreassen, Sam Gaze, Hannah Barnes, Annika Langvad, 2:1 Racing, Nicholi Rogatkin, Curtis Robinson, Matt Hunter and Howard Grotts.


title: Specialized Bicycle Components

text: Sponsored triathletes include Brent McMahon, Jenson Button, Rubén Ruzafa, Non Stanford, Conrad Stoltz, Melissa Hauschildt, Tim Don, Lisa Norden, Chris McCormack, Francisco Javier Gómez Noya, Gwen Jorgensen, Lucy Charles and Benjamin Hoffman.


title: Luc Besson filmography

text: Luc Besson is a French film director, writer and producer. He has contributed to many projects as either writer, director, producer, or a combination of the three.


title: Tyler Seguin

text: Tyler Paul Seguin ( ; born January 31, 1992) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre and alternate captain for the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League (NHL). Seguin was selected second overall in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft by the Boston Bruins and went on to win the 2011 Stanley Cup in his rookie season. He finished the 2011–12 season in Boston with a plus-minus of +34, the second highest in the NHL.


title: Tyler Seguin

text: During the 2012–13 NHL lockout, Seguin played for EHC Biel of the Swiss National League A (NLA) and finished the season with 25 goals, the most on the team. In 2013, Seguin played in his second Stanley Cup Finals in three seasons, ultimately losing the series to the Chicago Blackhawks. On July 4, 2013, Seguin was traded by the Bruins to the Dallas Stars for a package of players including Loui Eriksson and Reilly Smith.


title: Tyler Seguin

text: Seguin was born in Brampton, Ontario in 1992, but his family moved to Whitby when he was young to follow his father's career. His father Paul played college ice hockey for the University of Vermont, where he was roommates with future National Hockey League (NHL) star John LeClair, while his mother Jackie was a centre for the Brampton Canadettes Girls Hockey Association as a child. Tyler and his sisters Candace and Cassidy all played hockey growing up. All three played at centre like their mother, while Paul was a defenceman.


title: Tyler Seguin

text: Seguin began playing hockey in a house league at the age of five or six, and developed a love for the sport from a young age. His minor ice hockey career began with the Wildcats of the Ontario Minor Hockey Association, and after moving back to Brampton at the age of 10, Seguin played three seasons with the Toronto Nationals of the Greater Toronto Hockey League (GTHL) alongside future Calder Trophy winner Jeff Skinner. Seguin also spent four years at St. Michael's College School in Toronto. He had his sights set on playing hockey at the University of Michigan, and believed that St. Michael's would be a good stepping stone towards that goal.


title: Tyler Seguin

text: The Plymouth Whalers of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) drafted Seguin in the first round, ninth overall, of the 2008 OHL Priority Selection Draft. He chose to join the Whalers rather than attend college as he had originally planned, and began skating on the fourth line in the 2008–09 season. He struggled in his rookie junior ice hockey year, scoring only one goal in the first 17 games of the season. After Mike Vellucci returned to coach the Whalers and moved Seguin to the top two lines, his performance improved, and Seguin finished the season with 67 points in 61 games.


title: Tyler Seguin

text: 2009–10 proved to be a breakout year for Seguin, who led the league with 14 goals and 25 points in the first 10 games of the season. Eleven of those points came from the first four games of the season, including a hat trick against the London Knights. He finished the season with 106 points (48 goals and 58 assists) in 63 games, and, although the Whalers were swept in the second round of the 2010 playoffs, Seguin became the first member of the team to win the Red Tilson Trophy for most outstanding player in the OHL since David Legwand in 1998. He also tied with Taylor Hall of the Windsor Spitfires for that year's Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy, given to the top scorer in the OHL. At the 2010 CHL Top Prospects Game, Seguin was named the captain for Team Orr, which lost 4–2 to Team Cherry.


title: Tyler Seguin

text: Going into the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, Seguin and Hall were considered the top two available players, with no consensus which one would become the first overall draft pick. Both players were tied for points scoring in the OHL for the previous season, while draft reports tended to emphasize Seguin's speed and Hall's strength. Danny Flynn of "Bleacher Report" referred to Seguin as an "elite playmaker" who lacked "skill on the defensive end", whereas Hall had proven his "greatness on the big stage", but had "shown a tendency to be selfish at times". Preliminary rankings from the NHL Central Scouting Bureau ranked Seguin the top OHL prospect, and Hall second. Although their positions switched during the midterm rankings, Seguin was named the No. 1 prospect in the bureau's final April rankings. Seguin ended up being selected second overall by the Boston Bruins, while Hall was taken first by the Edmonton Oilers.


title: Tyler Seguin

text: Shortly after being drafted, Seguin signed a three-year, $3.75 million entry-level contract with the Bruins, the maximum allowed for a contract of that nature. He made his NHL debut on October 9, 2010, with four shots on goal in a 5–2 loss to the Phoenix Coyotes. He scored his first professional goal the next day, receiving the puck on a pass from teammate Michael Ryder in the third period and scoring on a breakaway backhanded goal against goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov in a 3–0 shutout of the Coyotes.


title: Tyler Seguin

text: Seguin participated in the 2011 All-Star festivities during the Rookie Skills Competition. Late in the 2010–11 season, Seguin was quoted as having a desire to model his NHL playing style on that of teammate Patrice Bergeron.


title: Tyler Seguin

text: After being a healthy scratch for the first two rounds of the 2011 Stanley Cup playoffs, Seguin was included in the Boston lineup to start Round 3, the Eastern Conference Finals, against the Tampa Bay Lightning after centreman Patrice Bergeron sustained a mild concussion. Seguin scored a goal and added an assist in his first game played, then followed that up with two goals and two assists in his second game. He became the first teenager to score four points in a Stanley Cup playoff game since Trevor Linden did so for the Vancouver Canucks in 1989. On June 15, 2011, Boston won the Stanley Cup in the Finals, prevailing over Vancouver in a 4–3 series victory.


title: Tyler Seguin

text: On November 5, 2011, Seguin scored his first career NHL hat trick against the team that traded the draft pick to the Bruins, the Toronto Maple Leafs. On November 14, Seguin was named NHL's First Star of the Week for his four goals and two assists that helped the Bruins to three wins in the week. On December 8, he played in his 100th career NHL game against the Florida Panthers. On April 22, 2012, Seguin scored in overtime of Game 6 of the Bruins' Eastern Conference Quarterfinals series against the Washington Capitals that sent the series to a Game 7. However, despite another goal from Seguin in Game 7, the Bruins would go on to lose the game in overtime and were thus eliminated from the playoffs. He finished the 2011–12 season as the Bruins' leading scorer.


title: Tyler Seguin

text: During the 2012–13 NHL lockout, Seguin was one of many Bruins who signed European hockey contracts, striking a deal with the EHC Biel hockey club of the Swiss National League A on September 21, 2012. He made his Swiss League debut on September 30, centreing Ahren Spylo and Eric Beaudoin on the second line and scoring an assist in a 6–3 loss to the Rapperswil-Jona Lakers. Seguin's first goal with the team came three days later, in the first period of his second appearance, a 2–1 win over EV Zug. Less than one month later, on October 24, Seguin recorded his second professional hat trick, and his first NLA hat trick, in a 5–4 shootout win over HC Ambri-Piotta. By November 27, he had accumulated 20 goals in 20 games, the most of any NHL lockout export to the NLA.


title: Tyler Seguin

text: On December 28, 2012, Seguin told NBC Sports Boston that, after representing Team Canada at the 2012 Spengler Cup, he would leave EHC Biel and return to the Bruins. In 29 NLA games that season, Seguin scored 25 goals and 15 assists. He also befriended his teammate Patrick Kane, who returned to the Chicago Blackhawks upon the conclusion of the lockout.


title: Tyler Seguin

text: After the lockout ended, the 2012–13 NHL season began, with 48 intra-conference games played beginning January 19, 2013. Seguin played all 48 regular-season games with the Bruins, scoring 16 goals and 16 assists while playing on a line with Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand. His performance began to waver during the 2013 Stanley Cup playoffs, however, scoring only one goal and three assists in his first 12 postseason games, and he was moved from the second to the third line with Rich Peverley and Chris Kelly, with Jaromir Jagr taking his place on the second. The Bruins advanced to the 2013 Stanley Cup finals, but ultimately fell to the Blackhawks in six games.


title: Tyler Seguin

text: On July 4, 2013, shortly after the Stanley Cup finals, Seguin was part of a massive seven-player trade that sent him, Peverley, and defenceman Ryan Button to the Dallas Stars in exchange for forward Loui Eriksson and prospects Joe Morrow, Reilly Smith, and Matt Fraser. Prior to the trade, rumors had begun to circulate that the Bruins were displeased with Seguin's supposed hard-partying lifestyle, particularly when his on-ice performance began to suffer during the playoffs. General manager Peter Chiarelli spoke in a press conference on July 4 to assert that, although the trade was "not a strict on-ice decision", but that concerns of Seguin's behavior were more related to "focus, just about little things, about preparing to play, it was nothing about extracurricular activities".


title: Tyler Seguin

text: The 2013–14 NHL season proved a breakout for Seguin, who became fast friends with captain Jamie Benn. On November 14, 2013, Seguin had his first career four-point game, scoring two goals and two assists in a 7–3 rout of the Calgary Flames. After reaching 30 goals for the third straight season, Seguin sustained a cut to his Achilles tendon on March 17, 2016, and was expected to miss 3–4 weeks at the end of the season. He set career highs in goals, with 34, and assists, with 47, and his 84 season points were the fourth-highest in the NHL. At the conclusion of the season, Seguin came in sixth overall in voting for the Hart Memorial Trophy, given to the "player judged most valuable to his team". He was also nominated for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy, given for leadership and humanitarianism; the award ultimately went to Andrew Ference of the Edmonton Oilers.


title: Tyler Seguin

text: Seguin was named to the NHL All-Star Game for the fifth time on January 10, 2018. He was previously selected for the 2012, 2015, 2016, and 2017 NHL All-Star games. At the end of the 2017–18 season, Seguin was nominated for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy for the second time.


title: Tyler Seguin

text: After blocking a shot on March 12, 2020, one of the final games before the suspension of the regular NHL season, Seguin suffered two tears in his right vastus lateralis muscle. He chose to refrain from lower body workouts during the league pause in the hopes that the injury would resolve itself. On July 29, during a practice before the Stars' exhibition game against the Nashville Predators, Seguin felt a "pop" in his hip that also caused pain in his knee. After playing through the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs, scoring only two goals in 26 games, Seguin was told that he had completely torn his acetabular labrum. Due to restrictions surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, Seguin's surgery was repeatedly delayed. Seguin received a right hip arthroscopy and labral repair on November 2, 2020. The expected timeline for his rehabilitation and recovery was subsequently adjusted from four to five months, due to the severity of the injury.


title: Tyler Seguin

text: Seguin returned to play on May 3, 2021, scoring a goal in the Stars' 5–4 overtime loss against the Florida Panthers.


title: Tyler Seguin

text: Seguin's first international ice hockey tournament appearance was at the 2009 World U-17 Hockey Challenge, representing Canada Ontario. Seguin led the tournament with eight assists, and scored the first goal in Canada Ontario's 5–1 gold medal victory over Canada Pacific. That May, he received an invitation to the Canada U18 selection camp.


title: Tyler Seguin

text: Seguin competed for Canada at the 2009 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament in the Czech Republic, where he led the team in scoring with ten points in four games as Canada won the gold medal. He then attended Hockey Canada's selection camp for the 2010 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships in December 2009, but did not make the team. Previously, he won gold with Team Ontario in the 2009 World U-17 Hockey Challenge in Port Alberni, British Columbia, and finished second in tournament scoring with 11 points in six games. Seguin attended Canada's World Junior selection camp in Regina, Saskatchewan, for the World Junior Championships, the under-20 level, but again failed to make the team. In 2015, he was a member of Canada's gold medal-winning team at the World Hockey Championships.


title: Tyler Seguin

text: After wearing a No. 9 jersey in his childhood, Seguin chose to wear No. 19 when he reached the NHL, as a tribute to his favorite player, Steve Yzerman. When he was traded to Dallas, where No. 19 was retired in honor of Bill Masterton, he flipped the numbers, and wears No. 91. He is the second player to wear No. 91 in franchise history, following Brad Richards.


title: Tyler Seguin

text: Seguin is sponsored by Dunkin Donuts, Adidas, Bauer Hockey and BioSteel Sports Supplements. In 2014, Seguin bought Mike Modano's Dallas home.


title: Tyler Seguin

text: As the result of one of his best friends suffering a severe spinal cord injury in December 2012, Seguin founded Seguin's Stars upon arriving in Dallas. At every Stars home game during the season, Seguin donated a luxury suite, along with food and beverage, for individuals with spinal cord injuries. Seguin's Stars, along with Dallas Stars Foundation also donated a luxury suite to the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization in 2015 and 2017. At the conclusion of every game, Seguin meets his special guests outside of the Stars' locker room for autographs and pictures, often with other members of the team.


title: What Do You Mean?

text: "What Do You Mean?" is a song recorded by Canadian singer Justin Bieber for his fourth studio album "Purpose" (2015). The song was released on August 28, 2015, as the album's lead single by Def Jam. The song was produced by MdL and co-produced by Bieber.


title: What Do You Mean?

text: It was featured in several year-end lists of best songs of 2015. Commercially, the song topped the charts in several countries, including Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, and Norway. In Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom, "What Do You Mean?" was Bieber's first number-one single. The song's music video features Bieber in bed with a young woman and getting kidnapped by masked men, as well as an appearance from actor John Leguizamo. Since its release Bieber has mentioned that the song is about his relationship with Selena Gomez.


title: What Do You Mean?

text: After releasing "Where Are Ü Now" with Skrillex and Diplo for their project Jack Ü and achieving worldwide success and acclaim with it, Bieber announced "What Do You Mean?" as the first single from his then-upcoming album on July 28, 2015, on "On Air With Ryan Seacrest". While he was there, his manager, Scooter Braun, made Seacrest a promotional sign for the single to hold and suggested he should put the photo on his Instagram account. To further promote the song's release, Braun contacted several celebrities who started counting down the days until the release, among them Mariah Carey, Ed Sheeran, Ariana Grande, Big Sean, Alanis Morissette, Meghan Trainor, Britney Spears, Hilary Duff, Little Mix, Chris Martin, Carly Rae Jepsen, and many others. During an interview with Ryan Seacrest, he described it as fun, summery, and amazing. Regarding its lyrics he commented, "Well, girls are often just flip-floppy. They say something and they mean something else. So what do you mean? I don't really know, that's why I'm asking." Later, on August 19, 2015, Bieber direct-messaged different lyrics from the song to 49 randomly selected Twitter followers. As explained by "Billboard" Jason Lipshutz, Each message included a clock animation with a different time that corresponded to the lyric's placement in the song, and Beliebers spent Wednesday collectively piecing together the upcoming single's lyrics in order. On August 5, 2015, Bieber presented the song to radio professionals at an iHeartMedia event.


title: What Do You Mean?

text: The song was released on August 28, 2015, and was serviced to contemporary hit radio on September 1, 2015. On October 16, 2015, it was revealed that a remix of the song with Ariana Grande would be made available if fans pre-ordered the album on iTunes.


title: What Do You Mean?

text: "What Do You Mean?" was written by Justin Bieber, Jason "Poo Bear" Boyd and Mason Levy. It was produced by MdL and co-produced by Bieber. It was initially speculated by the media that Skrillex produced "What Do You Mean?". However, a spokesperson for Bieber confirmed in an interview for "Rolling Stone" that the song was produced by Bieber, and MdL who had previously collaborated with the singer on his single "Boyfriend" (2012). Written in the key of A major, it has an upbeat tempo of 125 beats per minute. Bieber's vocal range spans from the low-note of F3 to the high note of G5. It is a pop and tropical house song.Downtempo with hints of dark electropop.


title: What Do You Mean?

text: During the song, Bieber uses a breathy vocal, which was considered smooth and soulful. The production contains flute instrumentation, looped vocal samples, piano chords, tropical synths, bass and slick beat elements with the sound of a clock ticking. Gil Kaufman of MTV News wrote that the track contains a slippery flute-like trill over a spare tick-tock island groove and a super chill vibe, and is a kind of sequel to Skrillex and Diplo's "Where Are Ü Now", which featured Bieber.


title: What Do You Mean?

text: Lyrically, "What Do You Mean?" talks about looking for romantic clarity and not being able to figure out the opposite sex, with Bieber singing in the chorus What do you mean/When you nod your head yes, but you wanna say no?/What do you mean/When you don't want me to move, but you tell me to go?.


title: What Do You Mean?

text: A remix with American singer Ariana Grande was released on October 16, 2015, and would be available to listen to if fans had already pre-ordered the album on iTunes before November 13, 2015 (the album's release date). The fans who did not pre-order the album before the 13th would not be able to listen to it fully on iTunes and Apple Music, but could listen to a short sample of the song via iTunes and through a third-party source online.


title: What Do You Mean?

text: "What Do You Mean?" received widespread acclaim. "USA Today" Carly Mallenbaum, who heard the song in early August, described it as a "catchy dance track for the club". Similarly, a writer for "The Daily Beast" said, "['What Do You Mean?' is] pretty damn catchy; a slow-burner that, like that collab, swells into a Bieber banger". Gil Kaufman of MTV News also called it a "banger", explaining, "the track is classic JB: seductive, earnest, pleading and just the right amount of sexy". Idolator's Mike Wass praised the song's "instantly memorable chorus", and added, "Vocally, [Bieber] has never sounded better". Digital Spy's Amy Davidson named it "the perfect pop track as well as a skewed love song for millennials." Andrew Unterberger of "Spin" opined the song was "really quite delightful". Sean Fitz-Gerald of "New York" magazine was also positive, noting that it "sounds like what would happen if you took Steve Aoki's alarm clock to a tropical beach resort. (In other words, electro-catchy as hell.)" Jason Lipshutz of "Billboard" gave the song a four-out-of-five-stars rating and commented that it was "positioned as [Bieber's] huge comeback bid", adding: "The song synthesizes the positive components of 'Where Are U Now' and presents something warmer and friendlier, but no less nuanced or impressive". NME's reviewer named it "the perfect pop confection: light as air and catchy as hell, allowing us to glimpse the vulnerability behind the megastar façade as Biebs grappled endearingly with the mysteries of womankind."


title: What Do You Mean?

text: Andy Kellman of AllMusic selected the song as one of the album's highlights, citing the song and "Sorry" as tracks that "showed him making a deeper connection with his material and that, yes, he was progressing from performer to artist." In a similar mode, Leah Greenblatt of "Entertainment Weekly" cited both songs and "Where Are Ü Now" for being "stripped down for maximum aerodynamics, the vocals mentholated and sweetened with a brushstroke of bass here, a snake-charmer synth line there." Brad Nelson of "Pitchfork" praised the song and "Sorry" for being "vivid tropical house tracks that sound like sunlight drifting down through palm fronds. Bieber's voice often resembles a breath contorted inexpressively through notes; here, he lets it weightlessly fall through textures. They are his best performances to date, allowing him to flex a rhythmic playfulness without communicating an iota of legible emotion." Sheldon Pearce of "Complex" called it "the album's spiritual centerpiece," while Janine Schaults of Consequence of Sound selected it as one of the album's essential tracks. Josh Duboff of "Vanity Fair" considered it "breezy and low-key, like "Where Are Ü Now?" with 35 percent less propulsion." He also found it to be "vaguely reminiscent of OMI's omnipresent 'Cheerleader'," and that "Bieber sounds more relaxed and confident than perhaps ever before on the track." Nick Messitte of Forbes agreed with the "Cheerleader" comparison, noting that it has "the intersection of the mellow and the danceable, the four-on-the-floor with the smooth."


title: What Do You Mean?

text: Consequence of Sound wrote in a positive review "Skrillex serves as producer of this slow burner, providing loops of tropical-flavored house beats to complement Bieber's delicate croons."


title: What Do You Mean?

text: In the United States, "What Do You Mean?" debuted at number 28 on the Mainstream Top 40 chart dated September 12, after three days of release, with a radio audience of 20 million. On the chart dated October 24, after earning "Greatest Gainer" honors for two consecutive weeks, it rose from 3 to 1 on the Mainstream Top 40 chart, becoming Bieber's first number-one song on the Pop Songs chart. The song debuted at number one on the "Billboard" Hot 100 issued for September 17, 2015, replacing The Weeknd's "Can't Feel My Face" at the top of the chart for one week. It marked Bieber's first number-one single and seventh top 10 hit in the United States, and was also the 23rd song to begin at number one in the Hot 100's 57-year history. Additionally, the single's debut made Bieber the youngest male artist to enter atop of the chart, and the youngest artist since Fantasia's "I Believe" (2004). The track also debuted at number one on the "Billboard" Hot Digital Songs chart, selling 337,000 copies in the week ending September 3, 2015 marking Bieber's second number one single on the chart, following "Boyfriend" which sold 521,000 in its debut week. In its second week, "What Do You Mean?" stayed at the top of the Hot Digital Songs chart with sales of 159,000 copies, however, it descended to number three on the Hot 100, with a decrease of 30% in overall activity, but rebounded to the runner-up spot the following week and stayed as the best-selling song with 128,000 downloads.


title: What Do You Mean?

text: On the chart dated December 5, 2015, after the release of "Purpose", the song ascended from 6 to 5 on the "Hot 100". That week, Bieber's "Sorry" and "Love Yourself" (a track from "Purpose", which debuted on the chart, after selling 140,000 downloads) were at number two and four, respectively, which made the singer be only the third artist to have three singles inside the chart's top five (the others being The Beatles in 1964 and 50 Cent in 2005). Additionally, the same week, Bieber had 17 songs on the "Hot 100" simultaneously, breaking the record previously held by The Beatles and Drake. On the chart dated 6 February 2016, the song spent a 21st consecutive week inside the Hot 100's top ten, tying with Nicki Minaj's "Starships" and Maroon 5's "Sugar" for the most weeks a song has logged in the Hot 100's top 10 from its debut. The record was surpassed later by Bieber's "Love Yourself", which spent 23 consecutive weeks in the top ten since its debut. As of February 2016, "What Do You Mean?" has sold over 1,600,000 copies in the United States.


title: What Do You Mean?

text: In Bieber's native Canada, "What Do You Mean?" debuted at number one on the Canadian Hot 100, with sales of 48,000 copies, becoming the biggest first-week sales total of 2015 at the time and the highest since Eminem released "The Monster" (2013). It also broke the streaming record in Canada, with 3.1 million streams in its first week. Both records were later surpassed by Adele's "Hello", which sold 140,000 copies and was streamed 4.79 million times in its first week. "What Do You Mean?" marked Bieber's second number-one single in the country, following 2012's "Boyfriend". After six consecutive weeks at number one in Canada, it was briefly knocked off the top spot by another Canadian singer, The Weeknd, with his single "The Hills", but returned for a seventh week at number one, being replaced by Adele's "Hello" the following week.


title: What Do You Mean?

text: In the United Kingdom, "What Do You Mean?" debuted at the top of the UK Singles Chart for the week ending September 10, 2015, with a combined sales total of 84,000 units. It surpassed his previous best sales week of 55,000, which "Boyfriend" had sold in April 2012, and marked Bieber's first chart-topping song in Britain. The track broke the highest first-week streams record in the country with 3.2 million streams, surpassing the stream tally of 2.03 million set by One Direction's "Drag Me Down". In its second week, the song descended to number two, however, it broke the country's all-time streaming record, with 3.87 million streams in seven days, later surpassed by Adele's "Hello" (which streamed 7.32 million times in November 2015, almost doubling the record). After three weeks since its release, the song remained as the most streamed track in the country and returned to the number one spot for another two weeks. On October 2, the song was knocked off the top spot by Sam Smith's "Writing's on the Wall", but a week later, it returned to the number one spot for another two weeks. This means that it has spent five non-consecutive weeks at number one in the UK Singles Chart. Bieber became only the fourth person to have the same single reach number one on the UK Singles Chart on three separate occasions. The other songs to top the chart three separate times are Frankie Laine's "I Believe", Guy Mitchell's "Singing the Blues" and Pharrell Williams' "Happy". "What Do You Mean?" was the ninth best-selling single of 2015 in the UK with combined sales of 988,000 copies.


title: What Do You Mean?

text: In Australia, "What Do You Mean" debuted atop the ARIA Singles Chart on September 5, becoming Bieber's first number-one single on the chart. The song spent four consecutive weeks on top of the chart, becoming the second-longest running chart-topping track for 2015 and gaining a platinum certification from the Australian Recording Industry Association. On October 3, Bieber was knocked off the top by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis's "Downtown". "What Do You Mean" also debuted at the top of the charts in both New Zealand and Ireland, becoming his first number-one single in both countries. It spent seven consecutive weeks at number one in Ireland, and eight consecutive weeks at number one in New Zealand.


title: What Do You Mean?

text: A lyric video for "What Do You Mean?", directed by Laban and featuring skateboarders Ryan Sheckler and Chelsea Castro, was released on August 28, 2015. The music video, directed by Brad Furman and starring John Leguizamo and Xenia Deli, premiered on August 30, 2015, following the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards. As of May 2021, the video has amassed over 2.1 billion views on YouTube, making it one of the 50 most viewed videos on the site.


title: What Do You Mean?

text: The video starts off with a man (played by Leguizamo) waiting at a stop sign in front of a motel in the rain. A dark hooded figure (revealed to be Bieber) walks to the man. It is realized that Bieber is in debt to him, and then gives him money and is promised to do one job: protect a girl, who is his love interest, as Bieber then walks away. As the song begins, it cuts to a neon-lighted hotel room, where the girl that was mentioned earlier is. Bieber knocks on the door, is let in, and they end up making love. As Bieber sings the second verse of the song, a group of masked men burst in. They tie, then kidnap the two. It then cuts to the pair tied up in an abandoned warehouse. They eventually use a lighter to burn the rope and escape. When the masked men discover they've escaped they chase after them. They open a door, only to find themselves peering at the road below. With the men nearing, Bieber jumps out, then the girl. They land safely on an inflatable mat. Leguizamo reveals himself to be the leader of the masked men, as he's greeted by Bieber. They're now in an underground skating party, as Bieber sings the rest of the song. The video ends with Bieber standing alone in the dark, in the skatepark.


title: What Do You Mean?

text: A second music video was released on November 14, 2015, part of a series of short films commemorating the release of the album, entitled "". The short music video, like the video for "Sorry", features the dancers from ReQuest Dance Crew and The Royal Family dance crew, and was also directed and choreographed by Parris Goebel.


title: What Do You Mean?

text: Bieber performed "What Do You Mean?" live for the first time at the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards on August 30, 2015. He performed the track on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon", accompanied by The Roots and featuring a guest verse from Black Thought. Bieber also performed "What Do You Mean?" on "The Today Show" along with 5 other songs from his album "Purpose": "Sorry", "Love Yourself", "The Feeling", "No Pressure" and "Company" (which was performed for the first time). The song was performed on the telecast "Think It Up!" which was broadcast on September 11. On September 29, Bieber performed the song on season 7 of X Factor Australia. "What Do You Mean?" was performed at the 2015 MTV Europe Music Awards on October 25. And he performed the song at the NRJ Music Awards 2015 in Cannes, France on 7 November 2015. Moreover, the song was also included on the set list for the Purpose World Tour.


title: The Library of Babel (website)

text: The Library of Babel is a website created by Brooklyn author and coder Jonathan Basile, based on Jorge Luis Borges' short story "The Library of Babel" (1941). The site was launched in 2015.


title: The Library of Babel (website)

text: According to Basile, he "was lying in bed one night and the idea of an online Library of Babel popped into my head." Basile quickly realized that an actual digitalized Babel Library would require more digital storage space than one can imagine. To get around this limitation, he designed an algorithm to simulate the library instead.


title: The Library of Babel (website)

text: The Library's main page contains background information, forums and three ways to navigate the library. These ways are to have the website randomly pick one of the thousands of "volumes", to manually browse through the library, or to search for specific text. Due to the library's Infinite monkey theorem-gibberish-like contents,


title: The Library of Babel (website)

text: The library's content is divided into numbered digital hexagons, each with 4 walls, 20 shelves and 640 volumes. The number of total hexagons is effectively uncountable.


title: The Library of Babel (website)

text: The algorithm Basile created generates a 'book' by iterating every permutation of 29 characters: the 26 English letters, space, comma, and period. Each book is marked by a coordinate, corresponding to its place on the hexagonal library (hexagon name, wall number, shelf number, and book name) so that every book can be found at the same place every time. The website can generate all possible pages of 3200 characters and allows users to choose among about 10 potential pages of books.


title: The Library of Babel (website)

text: The Library of Babel website attracted the attention of scholars, particularly those working at the juncture of humanities and digital media.


title: The Library of Babel (website)

text: Zac Zimmer wrote in "Do Borges's librarians have bodies": "Basile's is perhaps the most absolutely dehumanizing of all Library visualizations, in that beyond being driven to suicidal madness or philosophical resignation, his Librarians have become as devoid of meaning as the gibberish-filled books themselves." Journalist Jerry Adler said "It just may be the most fascinatingly useless invention in history."


title: The Library of Babel (website)

text: "My first thought was — it must exist already. It seems like such a natural extension of the capabilities of a computer that I was sure someone would have made it. The next day I looked for it, a bit excitedly, and was disappointed. From then on, it’s kind of been a reluctant destiny for me." Basile says.


title: The Library of Babel (website)

text: Jonathan Basile is a Brooklyn author and programmer. Basile has authored two books, one of which has been published by Punctum Books.


title: Australia's Got Talent

text: Australia's Got Talent is an Australian reality television talent show. The show is based on the "Got Talent" series format that originated in the United Kingdom with Simon Cowell.


title: Australia's Got Talent

text: The first six seasons aired on the Seven Network, from 2007 to 2012. In the first season the judges were Tom Burlinson, Red Symons and Dannii Minogue. The first season aired at 6:30pm on Sunday nights. After a successful run, the series was given a vote of confidence as Seven moved the show to a more competitive Tuesday night timeslot. The second season aired from 29 April 2008. Burlinson and Symons did not return for season four and were replaced by Kyle Sandilands and Brian McFadden.


title: Australia's Got Talent

text: For season seven in 2013 the show moved to the Nine Network. Dawn French, Geri Halliwell and Timomatic who is the additional fourth judge joined the panel as replacements for McFadden and Minogue. On 4 April 2014, it was announced that Nine had axed "Australia's Got Talent" due to low ratings. On 8 July 2015, Nine announced that the show would be returning in 2016 for an eighth season. The Nine Network aired season eight in 2016, with four new judges: Kelly Osbourne, Ian "Dicko" Dickson, Sophie Monk and Eddie Perfect.


title: Australia's Got Talent

text: In December 2018, Seven announced the series would be returning to their network in 2019 for a ninth season. The ninth season, with Ricki-Lee Coulter as host, returned on 28 July 2019.


title: Australia's Got Talent

text: In June 2021, Seven announced a new season and judging panel; however due to COVID-19 restrictions in Sydney, the production of the season was postponed to 2022, with Shane Jacobson returning, alongside Kate Ritchie, and "Britain’s Got Talent" judges David Walliams and Alesha Dixon. The tenth season premiered on 9 October 2022.


title: Australia's Got Talent

text: "Australia's Got Talent" is a talent show that features performers of all ages competing for a top prize of between A$100,000 and A$250,000.


title: Australia's Got Talent

text: The season consists of three stages: auditions, semi-finals, and a final. Only highlights are screened from the auditions. Some seasons included auditions in different cities. The judges cull down the approved audition acts to about 40 acts for the semi-finals.


title: Australia's Got Talent

text: In most seasons, the semi-finals included a public vote, with a combination of public and judges' choices making the final. Also in the first series, during the semi-finals stage, each judge buzzed either a cross, or a tick. In Season 9, there is no public voting in the semi-finals.


title: Australia's Got Talent

text: The logo used for the first, seventh and ninth seasons of "Australia's Got Talent" is similar to the logo used by "America's Got Talent". The logo during the second to sixth seasons and season eight is similar to that used by "Britain's Got Talent".


title: Australia's Got Talent

text: The original three judges were Dannii Minogue, Red Symons and Tom Burlinson. For the second series, all judges returned, though Minogue was absent for numerous episodes as she was busy filming "The X Factor" in the United Kingdom. The judges later returned for series 3.


title: Australia's Got Talent

text: In January 2010, it was made known that the judging panel would undergo a new line-up to accommodate Minogue's pregnancy. Judge Red Symons was strongly tipped to return to the Nine Network to be part of the revived "Hey Hey It's Saturday", while Tom Burlinson was rumoured to be dumped from the judging panel. Rumours then began to circulate that Kyle Sandilands and Brian McFadden would be the new judges. On 4 February 2010, Sandilands confirmed on his 2Day FM breakfast radio show that he would be a judge. A press release from the Seven Network on 17 February, confirmed McFadden would also join the new judging panel. All judges returned for the fifth and sixth series of the programme.


title: Australia's Got Talent

text: Due to the programme's move to Nine Network in 2013, Sandilands returned as a judge, whilst Minogue and McFadden were axed. Timomatic, Geri Halliwell and Dawn French were announced as the new judges.


title: Australia's Got Talent

text: After it was announced that "Australia's Got Talent" would be returning to screens in 2016, it was announced that there would be a complete new judging panel, with Sandilands, Halliwell, French and Timomatic being axed. It was later confirmed that Ian Dickson, Sophie Monk, Kelly Osbourne and Eddie Perfect would become the new judges.


title: Australia's Got Talent

text: In May 2019, Manu Feildel, Nicole Scherzinger, Lucy Durack and Shane Jacobson were announced as the judging panel for season 9.


title: Australia's Got Talent

text: In June 2022, it was announced that the season 10 judging panel would consist of Jacobson, Kate Ritchie, and "Britain’s Got Talent" judges David Walliams and Alesha Dixon.


title: Australia's Got Talent

text: The first season of "Australia's Got Talent" premiered on Seven Network on 18 February 2007. The original judges were Dannii Minogue, Tom Burlinson and Red Symons. Singer Bonnie Anderson was crowned the winner of the first season on 28 April 2007, followed by Herb Patten finishing as runner-up.


title: Australia's Got Talent

text: The second season of "Australia's Got Talent" began broadcasting on 29 April 2008 and finished airing on 1 July. Minogue, Burlinson and Symons all returned as judges. The winner was announced as guitarist Joe Robinson, with Jourdain as runner-up.


title: Australia's Got Talent

text: Auditions for the third season started in late 2008 and successful contestants were notified in December 2008. Filming began on 15 January 2009.


title: Australia's Got Talent

text: The winner was declared on 22 April 2009. This grand finale followed the same format as the 2008 one: acts were eliminated in pairs, as well as each judge picking their favorite act to reappear on the show once more. Mark Vincent won the season, while Jal Joshua became the runner-up. On the grand finale, international opera singer and winner of "Britain's Got Talent" series one, Paul Potts performed live in the studio.


title: Australia's Got Talent

text: The fourth season of "Australia's Got Talent" returned on 13 April 2010. Grant Denyer continued as host, while radio DJ Kyle Sandilands and Irish singer Brian McFadden joined Dannii Minogue on the judging panel as replacements for Red Symons and Tom Burlinson. Auditions for the season took place throughout February 2010 in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide.


title: Australia's Got Talent

text: The show was revamped to look more like "Britain's Got Talent", in terms of the stage and the shape of the X's used. The opening was also changed to look similar to "Britain's Got Talent"s opening, with Australian landmarks instead of British landmarks. Previously, the "Australia's Got Talent" opening was simply a display of the title. The live shows began on 11 May 2010 and ended on 15 June 2010, where dance troupe Justice Crew were crowned the winners. They were awarded a prize of $250,000, while runner-up Cam Henderson was awarded a runner-up prize of performing at the 2010 AFL Grand Final.


title: Australia's Got Talent

text: The fifth season of "Australia's Got Talent" returned on 3 May 2011. All judges (Dannii Minogue, Kyle Sandilands and Brian McFadden) returned for the season, including host Grant Denyer. The producer auditions took place in 16 cities, throughout New South Wales, Queensland, Tasmania, Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia and the Northern Territory. The successful acts from the auditions were then invited to a second audition in front of the judges and a live audience. These auditions began in Gold Coast on 19 February 2011, followed by three days in Melbourne from 25 February 2011. They also took place in Sydney on 12–13 March 2011, and ended in Perth on 20 March 2011.


title: Australia's Got Talent

text: Auditions began in October 2011 and concluded in December 2011. The sixth season aired on the Seven Network from 16 April 2012 to 25 July 2012. Once again, Dannii Minogue, Kyle Sandilands and Brian McFadden returned as judges and Grant Denyer returned as host. Sandilands was sick during the Melbourne auditions, so Todd McKenney replaced him. McKenney took the place of McFadden during the finals showdown 2. The winner was singer Andrew de Silva with country rock band, The Wolfe Brothers becoming the runner-up.


title: Australia's Got Talent

text: Auditions began in March 2013 and concluded in June 2013. The seventh season aired on the Nine Network in 2013. Kyle Sandilands returned to the judging panel, while Dannii Minogue and Brian McFadden were replaced by three new judges Geri Halliwell, Dawn French and Timomatic who is the additional fourth judge. Julia Morris replaced Grant Denyer as the host. Mel B was originally due to join the judging panel, however an injunction sought by the Seven Network in the Supreme Court of New South Wales in March 2013 blocked her from appearing. The winner was "Funk/Soul/Jazz/Reggae" band, Uncle Jed, with band Greg Gould and The Chase becoming the runner-up.


title: Australia's Got Talent

text: On 8 July 2015, Nine announced that the show would be returning in 2016 for an eighth season. On Monday 4 January, it was announced that Season eight will be on Monday 1 February. It is the second season to air on Nine after it was axed in 2013. Auditions are open for September and October 2015. On 28 October 2015, it was announced that Sandilands, Halliwell, French and Timomatic have been replaced with a new panel of judges, they are Ian "Dicko" Dickson, Sophie Monk, Kelly Osbourne and Eddie Perfect. Morris will not return as host as she is committed to another show and will be replaced by Dave Hughes as the host. For the first time, it will now include the Golden Buzzer. It premiered on 1 February 2016, and ended on 14 March 2016. The winner was Fletcher Pilon


title: Australia's Got Talent

text: In December 2018, Seven Network announced that the series would return in 2019 to their network for a ninth season, after a three-year hiatus. In May 2019, Seven announced Nicole Scherzinger, Shane Jacobson, Manu Feildel and Lucy Durack as the series judges, and Ricki-Lee Coulter as the host. The season ran from 28 July to 22 September 2019.


title: Australia's Got Talent

text: Unlike previous seasons, there was no public voting at the semi-final stage. In the final, the judges chose a top four, which was then chosen by SMS votes from viewers in the eastern states. The final was pre-recorded, with four different endings filmed, one for each of the four possible winners. The winner of the season was pole dancer Kristy Sellars.


title: Australia's Got Talent

text: Season 10 was originally scheduled to air in 2020, with filming set to commence in March 2020. The Seven Network announced a judging panel of Shane Jacobson, Manu Feildel and new judges Sonia Kruger and Olympia Valance with returning host Ricki-Lee Coulter. Production was however halted due to Covid-19 restrictions.


title: Australia's Got Talent

text: It was then confirmed that season 10 would air in 2021. In June 2021, Seven announced a new judging panel featuring Shane Jacobson with new judges Neil Patrick Harris, Alesha Dixon and Kate Ritchie. However, due to COVID-19 restrictions in Sydney the season was postponed once again. During Seven’s annual upfronts, it was confirmed the series will air in 2022.


title: Australia's Got Talent

text: Season 10 began airing on 9 October 2022. The judging panel consists of Jacobson, Kate Ritchie, and "Britain’s Got Talent" judges David Walliams and Alesha Dixon. Ricki-Lee Coulter returned as host.


title: Australia's Got Talent

text: The season was filmed during June and July 2022. Auditions took place at the Sydney Coliseum Theatre, while the finals were filmed at the Riverside Theatre.


title: Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant

text: The is a large, modern (housing the world's first advanced boiling water reactor or ABWR) nuclear power plant on a site. The campus spans the towns of Kashiwazaki and Kariwa in Niigata Prefecture, Japan, on the coast of the Sea of Japan, where it gets cooling water. The plant is owned and operated by Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), and it is the largest nuclear generating station in the world by net electrical power rating.


title: Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant

text: On July 16, 2007, the Chūetsu offshore earthquake took place, with its epicenter located only from the plant. The earthquake registered M 6.6, ranking it among the strongest earthquakes to occur in immediate range of a nuclear power plant. This shook the plant beyond design basis and initiated an extended shutdown for inspection, which indicated that greater earthquake-proofing was needed before operation could be resumed. The plant was completely shut down for 21 months following the earthquake. Unit 7 was restarted after seismic upgrades on May 19, 2009, followed later by units 1, 5, and 6. (Units 2, 3, and 4 were not restarted by the time of the March 2011 earthquake).


title: Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant

text: The four restarted and operating units at the plant were not affected by the March 11, 2011 earthquake, but later all restarted units were shut down while safety improvements were being carried out. As of May 2022, all units remain idle; however, TEPCO has struggled to get recertified by the Japanese Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA).


title: Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant

text: There are seven reactor units spread across the campus coast line. Numbering starts at Unit 1 with the south-most unit through Unit 4, then there is a large green space in between Unit 4 and 7, then it continues with Units 6 and 5.


title: Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant

text: The power installation costs for units at this site well reflect the general trend in costs of nuclear plants. Capital costs increased through the 1980s but have become cheaper in modern times. The last two units were the first Advanced Boiling Water Reactors (ABWRs) ever built.


title: Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant

text: Operating a single large plant comprising this many reactors has several economic advantages. One such benefit is the limited impact of single-reactor refueling outages during the replacement cycle; one dormant reactor makes minimal impact on the plant's net power production. A smooth transition was seen in the power production history of the plant up through the time the last two units were built. Currently, however, there are no active reactors at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant. TEPCO has outlined plans to restart Reactor 6 and Reactor 7 and is awaiting approval from the government and citizens before the reactors are permitted to restart.


title: Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant

text: In February 1991, Unit 2 was automatically shut down following a sudden drop in oil pressure inside the steam turbine.


title: Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant

text: On July 18, 1997, radioactive steam leaked from a gauge within Unit 7 of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant. In May, a burst tube had delayed trial runs at the plant, and earlier in July smoke had been found coming from plant machinery.


title: Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant

text: In January 1998, Unit 1 was shut down after increasing radiation levels in the steam driving the turbine triggered alarms. The levels were reportedly 270 times the expected operating level.


title: Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant

text: Reactors at the plant were shut down one by one following the 2002 discovery that TEPCO had deliberately falsified data surrounding safety inspections. The first reactor was taken offline September 9, 2002, and the final reactor was taken offline January 27, 2003. The newest units, the more inherently safe ABWRs, were taken back online the quickest and suffered the smallest effect. Units 1, 2, and 3, on the other hand, generated no electricity during the fiscal year of 2003.


title: Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant

text: Units 1-4 were completely shut down in 2008. Only Unit 1 was temporarily restarted in 2010–2011. Unit 5 was temporarily restarted between 2010 and 2012 after a shut down in 2007.


title: Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant

text: Following the Fukushima disaster in 2011, Unit 1 was shut down again in 2012 along with units 5–7. As of May 2022, the plant remains idle.


title: Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant

text: All reactors continue to use low-enriched uranium as the nuclear fuel; however, there have been plans drafted by TEPCO to use MOX fuel in some of the reactors by the permission of the Japanese Atomic Energy Commission (JAEC). A public referendum in the Kariwa village in 2001 voted 53% against use of the new fuel. After the 2002 TEPCO data fabrication scandals, the president at the time, , announced that plans to use the MOX fuel at the KK plant would be suspended indefinitely.


title: Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant

text: Sand at the sites was removed and the reactor was built on firm ground. Adjacent soil was backfilled. Basements of the reactor buildings extend several levels down (maximum of 42 m below grade). These underground elements stabilize the reactor buildings, making them less likely to suffer sway due to resonance vibrations during an earthquake. As with other Japanese power plants, reactors at the plant were built according to earthquake-resistance standards, which are regulated by law and the JAEC.


title: Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant

text: In 2006 safety standards for earthquake resistance in Japan's nuclear plants were modified and tightened. After the 2007 earthquake suspicions arose that another fault line may be closer to the plant than originally thought, possibly running straight through the site.