Happiness Over Kalmadi Retirement; Putin Says Make Olympics, World Cup Safe

Putin: Make Olympics, World Cup Safe

Russian president Vladimir Putin says the 2014 Sochi Olympics and 2018 FIFA World Cup must be free from terrorist attacks.

Putin spoke to Russian security forces Tuesday, stressing the importance of the two mega-events coming to Russian soil as well as the associated dangers of terrorism.

"In the coming years, a whole series of very large political and sport events are going to be held in Russia, and it should be a matter of honor for law enforcement officials and special forces to do everything so that these events take place in a normal, businesslike, festive atmosphere," Putin was quoted by the Interfax news agency.

"We have lots of tension and conflict hot spots here, but we also have enough strength, skills and means to deter possible threats," Putin added.

Happiness Over Kalmadi Retirement

An independent group of Indian athletes says it's "justified" in its work against retiring Indian Olympic Association president Suresh Kalmadi.

Clean Sports India vice-president Ashwini Nachappa told the Associated Press: "He has stated that he will not contest the IOA elections but there are still others who have been around for a long time," Nachappa said. "We've not been against Kalmadi but rather want a proper system in place. Sports administration is not a family business that one runs. You have to follow norms, get sportsmen into the system."

A banner on the group’s website says "Stop Kalmadi, Save Indian Sports."

Nachappa said other former athletes should take over leadership roles within the IOA and other Indian sport organizations.

Non-Rights Holding Accreditation for Sochi

Non-rights holding broadcasters can now apply for credentials to cover the 2014 Olympics.

Interested organizations must apply directly to the IOC by clicking here.

The deadline is Nov. 16.

UK Sport Taps Cricket Chief for Olympics Role

Simon Timson will lead UK Sport’s high-performance division ahead of the 2014 and 2016 Olympic Games.

Timson is the current head of England development at the England Cricket Board.

"I feel confident the system possesses the knowledge, expertise and tools required to sustain success into the future and will be looking to the lessons learned from the London cycle to see where there is room for improvement," he said in a statement.

"London 2012 certainly inspired a generation, and I'm looking forward to working with UK Sport's key partners, particularly the Olympic and Paralympic sports, to further develop the high performance system and enable more athletes to achieve the ambitions London has inspired within them in Sochi, Rio and beyond."

Timson replaces Peter Keen and will begin his new role in January 2013.

Media Watch

U.S. media company Media General says the Olympics helped earn record profits.

"Our eight NBC stations generated a record $15.5 million of revenues from the Summer Olympics, capitalizing on record viewership for the London games," Marshall N. Morton, president and chief executive officer of Media General, said in a statement regarding the company’s quarterly earnings. "Gross time sales, excluding Political revenues, increased 16.8% in the third quarter, reflecting growth in several major advertising categories and the strength of the Olympics advertising."

Broadcast cashflow for Media General more than doubled to $40.8 million for the quarter compared to the same time in 2011, while operating income was $22.5 million for the quarter compared to last year’s $4.8 million.

Written by Ed Hula III.

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