Olympic Newsdesk -- Ice Hockey Championships Underway; WADA Meets

Ice Hockey Championship Begins

The 2010 International Ice Hockey Federation World Championship is underway in Germany.

Hosts Germany takes on the United States in the opening match Friday.

Despite many of the top hockey players still playing in the NHL playoffs, the championships are expected to set a new record for most spectators at an ice hockey match.

76,152 fans are expected to fill Veltins-Arena football stadium in Gelsenkirchen. The Guinness Book of Records is sending representatives to the game to verify the record.

In the U.S., the opener will be televised live starting on Universal Sports. As many as 10 games will be shown on the network.

The championships feature 16 teams in four groups. Russia won the most recent championship in 2009.

Games will be played in Gelsenkirchen, Mannheim and Cologne.

The medal games are set for May 23 in Cologne.

WADA Meeting in Montreal

The World Anti Doping Agency will review the controversial whereabouts rule during executive committee meetings this weekend in Montreal.

The Executive Committee and Foundation Board will examine implementation of the whereabouts rule as part of its ongoing review. The meetings could make practical changes to the rule.

The whereabouts rule faces criticism for disrupting the personal lives of athletes. Earlier this week, Austrian marathoner Eva-Maria Gradwohl said she is retiring due to the whereabouts rule.

Gradwohl refused to take a drug test while on vacation last week in Croatia. Under the WADA Code, skipping a test is considered a positive test.

Gradwohl told the Associated Press that she was "tired of indicating every day where I am and what I do, and wait an hour every day whether I'll get a doping test or not."

Gradwohl is in a personal relationship with former Austrian skiing coach Walter Mayer. Mayer was banned for his alleged role 2006 Turin Olympics doping scandal involving the Austrian ski team.

In addition to the whereabouts rule, WADA will review the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games, educational programs and proposals for accredited aboratories.

The executive committee will consider approving non-WADA accredited laboratories to help with for blood analysis to support the Athlete Biological Passport. The Athlete Biological Passport monitors an athlete's variables over time. The Biological Passport went into effect last December.

Green Pucks Against Doping

The IIHF hopes green pucks help young athletes say no to doping.

About 5,000 green hockey pucks with the tagline "Say NO!" will be used during warm-ups of the 2010 IIHF World Championships in Germany. The program is aimed at players aged 20 and younger. The pucks are part of a campaign by the IIHF and WADA that is expected to last for three to four years.

The Green Puck program fulfills a requirement for IHHF to support an anti-doping program under the WADA Code. The total cost of the program is between $92,000 and $100,000, an IIHF spokeswoman told Around the Rings. Costs include the design and production cost of leaflets, pucks, banners, polo-shirts, jerseys and promotional videos. Each puck costs $2.41

"The IIHF was one of the first international federations to be WADA Code compliant," said IIHF President Rene Fasel."

"Although doping is a rarity in international ice hockey, we realize that we are not immune to people who want to cheat by taking banned substances. This is why the IIHF, together with WADA, has launched the Green Puck campaign. Our main goal is to create awareness about the risks of doping."

New Korean Olympic Committee Logo, Slogan

The Korean Olympic Committee unveiled a new logo Friday to show the "consolidated ideas and values" of the KOC, now that it merged with the Korea Sports Council.

KOC president Yong-Sung Park said the logo "emphasizes KOC's vision as the supreme governing body of sports in Korea. It also signifies the advancement of Korean national team and Korean sports as a global brand."

The new logo for the KOC is "To the World, Be the Best".

A new logo and mascot for the Korean Olympic team will be unveiled July 13 at the 90th anniversary of the KOC.

Written by Ed Hula IIIand Sam Steinberg.