PARIS (AP) — Russian tennis players Mirra Andreeva and Diana Shnaider reached the women's doubles semifinals at the Paris Olympics with a victory Thursday, giving the athletes from their country — who are competing as Individual Neutral Athletes, known by the French acronym AIN — a chance at their first medal of this Summer Games.
Andreeva, a 17-year-old who is still in high school, and Shnaider, a 20-year-old who played college tennis at North Carolina State after moving to the United States, eliminated the second-seeded Czech duo of Katerina Siniakova and Barbora Krejcikova 6-1, 7-5 in the quarterfinals.
Russia and Belarus were banned by the International Olympic Committee from team sports at the Paris Games because of the war in Ukraine that began in February 2022. Individual athletes with Russian or Belarusian passports were allowed to compete as neutrals if they qualified and then were approved for entry to the Olympics.
Andreeva reached her first Grand Slam singles semifinal at the French Open in June. That tournament is played at the same Roland Garros facility being used for tennis during the 2024 Paris Games.
Siniakova and Krejcikova were the women's doubles gold medalists at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago and have collected seven Grand Slam doubles trophies as a team. Siniakova also teamed with Coco Gauff to win this year's French Open title.
AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games
Mirra Andreeva, right, and her teammate Diana Shnaider of Individual Neutral Athlete compete against Barbora Krejcikov and Katerina Siniakova of Czech Republic during their women's doubles quarter-final match at the Roland Garros stadium, at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Barbora Krejcikov and Katerina Siniakova of Czech Republic talk during their match against Mirra Andreeva and Diana Shnaider of Individual Neutral Athlete compete against during their women's doubles quarter-final match at the Roland Garros stadium, at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Mirra Andreeva, right, and her teammate Diana Shnaider of Individual Neutral Athlete compete against Barbora Krejcikov and Katerina Siniakova of Czech Republic during their women's doubles quarter-final match at the Roland Garros stadium, at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Mirra Andreeva, right, and her teammate Diana Shnaider of Individual Neutral Athlete celebrates a point against Barbora Krejcikov and Katerina Siniakova of Czech Republic during their women's doubles quarter-final match at the Roland Garros stadium, at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
They are no-names no longer.
In a process nearly a year in the making, the Professional Women’s Hockey League on Monday unveiled the nicknames and logos for each of its six franchises entering its second season.
There’s a Fleet sailing into Boston, a Frost settling in Minnesota and Sirens in New York. For the teams north of the border, there will be Victoire in Montreal, a Charge in Ottawa and the wielding of Sceptres — yes, the Canadian spelling — in Toronto.
The long-anticipated names and logos arrive after time constraints — the league was founded in late June 2023 and began play on Jan. 1 — led to the PWHL spending its inaugural season referring to each team with a PWHL prefix, such as PWHL Minnesota, which won the first Walter Cup championship in May.
It was around that time when league executives Amy Scheer and Kanan Bhatt-Shaw officially signed off on the results in meeting a 10-month deadline to have the names and logos delivered to the PWHL’s suppliers to be printed in time for Season 2, set to open in early December.
“Daunting for sure, but an absolute labor of love,” Scheer, the league vice president of business operations, told The Associated Press. “I think anybody who has worked in sports or is a marketer or brand person would look at this as an opportunity of a lifetime.”
Just don’t ask them to pick a favorite.
“I love all my children equally,” Scheer said with a laugh.
“I’m going to echo that,” added Bhatt-Shaw, VP of brand and marketing. “In real life, I only have one child, and it feels really nice to have seven now.”
Calling the process both stressful and rewarding, the two were tasked with filtering through hundreds of possible names — many of which were eliminated because the PWHL was unable to obtain rights holdings on both sides of the border — designing the logos and finding the right fit to capture the spirit of each market.
Another caveat was carrying over each team’s color schemes from Year 1 for continuity so fans who purchased previous merchandise didn’t look out of place.
As for the nicknames, Scheer and Bhatt-Shaw believe they speak for themselves.
__ The Fleet represents Boston's maritime tradition, with a logo featuring a forward-leaning “B” in the shape of an anchor.
__ The Minnesota Frost, the PWHL said, “embodies the State of Hockey’s deep-rooted love for the ice,” with the “F” logo featuring sharp icicle-like points.
__ The Victoire name pays tribute to the team’s French-Canadian home, with the logo featuring a blue “M” for Montreal and a fleur-de-lis, a national symbol of Quebec.
__ The Sirens are an ode to the New York's vibrant sights and sounds, and alluding to the goal horn, while the logo features the angular design of the letters “NY” to portray the Big Apple’s skyline.
__ The Ottawa Charge reflects the Canadian capital’s motto, “Advance — Ottawa — En Avant,” with a logo featuring a large unfinished letter “O,” that also resembles the letter “C.”
__ The Sceptres, the PWHL said, “embody Toronto’s regal history and commanding presence,” and reflect the Ontario capital also being known as the Queen City. The logo features a large scepter with the letters “T” and “S” incorporated into the handle.
“To now have an identity and have that much more purposefulness, being in Boston and the thoughtfulness that went behind the design and names, we can really attach to as well as fans,” Boston captain Hilary Knight said during a Zoom call. "Whenever you go into a huddle and you're cheering for something, it's nice to be able to name it.”
Montreal captain Marie-Philip Poulin said Victoire has always been the mindset, and now it's something she and her teammates and fans can rally around. Poulin was particularly impressed by the attention to detail included in the logo, and how the PWHL went with a French name that is easily recognizable in English.
“It's a super-exciting day not only for the players to finally be able to say that we play on the Sceptres. It’s a lot easier to say than `PWHL Toronto,′” Toronto captain Blayre Turnbull said. "But I think in terms of where the league's at, and how successful it was last year without any names or logos to thinking what the future holds now."
The PWHL worked with New York City-based creative agency Flower Shop to assist in the process. Scheer and Bhatt-Shaw also bounced ideas off a group of PWHL employees, who would vote on potential names, and the two spent last season consulting with fans to get a feel for each market.
Proud and connected as they are of each name and logo, both are aware their choices will spur debate — and criticism — among fans.
“Everybody’s going to sit behind their computers and they’re going to type good, bad and ugly. And that’s OK,” Scheer said. “I feel the process we went through was very thorough. We feel very confident that we’ve got six great names that are bold, they’re confident, they’re strong, competitive and, I think, they resonate with the markets that they’re in.”
She took exception when informed the Fleet “B” logo could also resemble a “W” when turned on its side in what some might perceive as an homage to the NHL's former Hartford Whalers.
“That `B’ is a sideways anchor and only a sideways anchor,” Scheer said.
NOTES: Jersey designs are scheduled to be unveiled by early November. ... Because of limited supply, Scheer doesn't expect authentic jerseys to be available to the public until Season 3. ... To prevent potential leaks of the names and logos, the PWHL had every person involved in the process sign non-disclosure agreements, Scheer said.
AP women’s hockey: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-hockey
This image released by the PWHL shows the new logo for the Toronto Sceptres hockey team on Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (PWHL via AP)
This image released by the PWHL shows the new logo for the Toronto Sceptres hockey team on Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (PWHL via AP)
This image released by the PWHL shows the new logo for the Ottawa Charge hockey team on Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (PWHL via AP)
This image released by the PWHL shows the new logo for the Ottawa Charge hockey team on Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (PWHL via AP)
This image released by the PWHL shows the new logo for the New York Sirens hockey team on Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (PWHL via AP)
This image released by the PWHL shows the new logo for the New York Sirens hockey team on Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (PWHL via AP)
This image released by the PWHL shows the new logo for the Montréal Victoire hockey team on Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (PWHL via AP)
This image released by the PWHL shows the new logo for the Montréal Victoire hockey team on Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (PWHL via AP)
This image released by the PWHL shows the new logo for the Minnesota Frost hockey team on Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (PWHL via AP)
This image released by the PWHL shows the new logo for the Minnesota Frost hockey team on Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (PWHL via AP)
This image released by the PWHL shows the new logo for the Boston Fleet hockey team on Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (PWHL via AP)
This image released by the PWHL shows the new logo for the Boston Fleet hockey team on Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (PWHL via AP)
This image released by the PWHL shows the new logos for the six hockey teams on Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (PWHL via AP)
