Israeli First At Judo World Champs -- Federation Focus

(ATR) Judoka Sagi Muki becomes the first men’s world champion from Israel.

Competing in the under 81kg weight class, Muki defeated Belgium’s Matthias Casse during Wednesday’s competition at the IJF World Championships in Tokyo.

Muki reached the final round after defeating Egyptian opponent Mohamed Abdelaal in a semifinal match.

Abdelaal refused to shake Muki’s hand, rejecting the gesture of fair play and friendship that is customary in judo.

No word from the International Judo Federation as to whether Abdelaal will face any consequence for disrespecting a competitor.

In his semi-final round, Casse defeated Iran’s Saeid Mollaei. Mollaei’s defeat avoided what would have been the first test of a recent pledge from Iran not to engage in protests when competing against Israel athletes in judo.

A report from Tokyo says there was speculation that Mollaei would refuse to fight Muki. Such a refusal on the part of Iran as well as from some Arab nations has marred a number of judo competitions through the years, including the Olympics.

Muki, 27, is a two-time European champion. Injury prevented him competing in Rio in 2016, but he is a medal prospect for Tokyo next year.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tweeted congratulations to Muki.

"You’ve brought us all great honor and pride," wrote the Israeli leader.

The IJF World Championships are a test event for Tokyo 2020, taking place at the Budokan, the venue that will host the sport next year. The tournament concludes Sept. 1.

FIBA Presidential Election in Beijing

The election of a new president will highlight the 21st FIBA World Congress which begins on Thursday in Beijing.

Hamane Niang of Mali is the only candidate to replace outgoing FIBA president Horacio Muratore, who was elected to the post in 2014. FIBA operates a rotation system for the presidency, meaning an African president will serve from 2019-2023.

The 67-year-old Niang was head of FIBA Africa from 2014 to 2019 and a member of the international federation’s Board during the same period.

More than 170 National Federations are attending the Congress and there will also be an election of the Treasurer and of the Central Board for a new 4-year mandate.

The FIBA Congress plenary session will be streamed live on FIBA's YouTube channel on Thursday from 9am to 5pm Beijing time. On Friday, FIBA's Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony for 2019 will also be live on YouTube from 1pm to 3pn Beijing time.

The Congress concludes on Friday evening with the delegates attending the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Opening Ceremony, being held at The Water Cube, the former Beijing 2008 Olympic Games venue.

The World Cup begins on Saturday and runs through Sept. 15.

First European Host for IAAF World Relays

The Polish region of Silesia will become the first European host of the IAAF World Relays in 2021.

The first three editions of the biennial event were held in the Bahamas before Yokohama, Japan hosted it earlier this year.

The world relays are the newest addition to the IAAF’s World Athletics Series.

"The World Relays is our youngest global event but in just six years it has developed a vibrancy that gives it a unique character,’’ IAAF President Sebastian Coe said in a statement on Wednesday. "Its focus on team races allows our athletes to show a different side to their sport, and their joy in competing with teammates shines through."

Chorzow's Silesian Stadium will hold the World Relays on May 1-2, 2021.

The event will be used as a qualifying competition for relay teams aiming to compete at the IAAF World Athletics Championships Oregon 2021.

On Tuesday, the medals for the IAAF World Athletics Championships in Doha were revealed 30 days before the competition begins in the Qatari capital.

The gold, silver and bronze medals showcase the Doha skyline and illustrations of the iconic Khalifa International Stadium, which will host the 10-day competition as it comes to the Middle East for the first time.

More than 2,000 of the world’s top athletes will be competing for 192 medals set to be awarded across 49 finals beginning Sept. 27.

Longtime USA Curling CEO Departs

The United States Curling Association (USCA) is looking for a new chief executive officer after Rick Patzke announced this week he will be leaving next month after four years in the position.

Patzke, who has spent 23 years at USA Curling, played key roles in the growth of the sport in the United States and helped establish the curling’s ever-growing presence on TV. In addition, he was a moving force in the establishment in of a High Performance Program (HPP) in partnership with the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC), which has helped USA elite curlers to consistently rank among the best in the world and included Olympic gold in 2018.

Rich Lepping, immediate past chairman of the USCA Board of Directors, has been named interim CEO while a search committee is set up to find a permanent replacement for Patzke.

Lepping has served as president of the Wisconsin State Curling Association and the Madison Curling Club and is one of four USCA representatives to the World Curling Federation.

The federation’s 8th World Curling Congress begins on Tuesday and will run until Sept. 6 in Cancun, Mexico.

Written by Ed Hula and Gerard Farek

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