Olympic Newsdesk - USOC on Pittsburgh 2020 Bid Efforts; IAAF Worlds to Honor 1936 Olympics Stars

USOC Acting CEO Stephanie Streeter. (USOC)USOC Disavows Pittsburgh 2020 Bid

The U.S. Olympic Committee has distanced itself from an effort touting Pittsburgh as a possible candidate for the 2020 Olympics.

“The United States has just one Olympic bid – our partnership with Chicago to bring the Olympic and Paralympic Games back to the United States in 2016," USOC Acting CEO Stephanie Streeter said in a statement to Around the Rings.

"While we appreciate the interest from Pittsburgh, the United States Olympic Committee is focused solely on our efforts with Chicago 2016. We are not considering or pursuing any other bids."

James Santelli, a high school senior, created a blog, a Facebook page and a Twitter account over the summer. Daniel Kimicata, a Syracuse University graduate, is helping him launch a Web site.

On the blog, the Pittsburgh 2020 backers wrote: "This is a grassroots effort that does not involve any government officials at this juncture, but we have put plenty of time and effort into what we believe is a sound bid."

"If Chicago gets it, this is pretty much all washed away," Santelli told the Tribune-Review newspaper in Pittsburgh. "There would be absolutely no chance of an American city getting the Olympics again in 2020," he said.

IAAF Worlds to Honor Owens, Long

The bond developed between athletics legends Jesse Owens of the U.S. and Luz Long of Germany at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin will be honored at the 2009 IAAF world championships taking place in the German capital Aug. 15-23.

Jesse Owens and Luz Long will be honored at the IAAF world championships in Berlin. (Getty Images)The IAAF, USA Track and Field and the Berlin organizing committee will honor Owens, who won four gold medals at the 1936 Olympics, and Long, who finished second to Owens in the long jump, in a ceremony on Aug. 22.

The two athletes are remembered for the friendship they developed during the Games.

“These championships provide a rare opportunity to honor the bond of international friendship formed between Mr. Owens and Mr. Long,” said IAAF president Lamine Diack in a statement.

Owens’ granddaughter Marlene Dortch and Long’s son Kai will attend the ceremony and also present the medals in the long jump competition.

Owens died of lung cancer in 1980. Long was killed while fighting in World War II in Sicily in 1943.

Brazilians Banned from IAAF Championships After Failing Doping Tests

Five Brazilian athletes training in Germany for the IAAF world championships have been barred from participating in the Berlin event after failing out-of-competition doping tests.

The Brazilian Athletics Confederation said that sprinters Bruno Lins Tenorio, Jorge Celio Sena, Josiane Tito and Luciana Franca, and heptathlete Lucimara Silvestre tested positive for the banned substance Recombinant EPO. The tests were conducted at a competition in Brazil in June.

Tenorio was part of the men’s 4x100m team which finished fourth at the Beijing Olympics.

The athletes are returning home and are banned from taking part in competitions until the results of B samples are known.

Collectors Gather in Vancouver

The 28th Annual Olympin Collectors Club Show will be held at Vancouver’s Richmond Olympic Oval Friday through Sunday. The Richmond Oval in Vancouver will be the site for the Olympin Collectors Club Show. (Getty Images)

The Oval, site of the speedskating competition during the 2010 Olympics in February, will be in use during the show as collectors and dealers from around the world buy, sell and trade pins, medals, tickets, badges, mascots and other Olympic memorabilia. About 50-60 dealers are expected.

Hosted by the Pacific Pin Club Society, the show is being held for only the second time outside the U.S. Olympin, the largest Olympic memorabilia group in the world, has more than 600 members. Show hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.

Pete Canalichio, who is leading Coca-Cola's pin-related activities in Vancouver, will speak at the show's banquet Saturday at the Richmond Curling Club. David Maiden, the IOC's philatelic coordinator and coordinator for the collectors' commission, will also attend.

For more information, go to http://www.pacificpinclub.org/2009OCCS_Home.html

…Briefs

…Donated Olympic souvenirs will go under the hammer this weekend to mark the one year anniversary of the Beijing Olympics. They are all donated by the public and reportedly include an Olympic torch autographed by Juan Antonio Samaranch. All auctions have no starting price and the minimum amount they could be sold for is 15 cents.

… Glasgow 2014 appoints David Grevemberg as its director of operations. Starting in the autumn, he leaves his post as executive director for sport and international federation relations at the International Paralympic Committee, where he also served as sports director from 1999 to 2007. The American's responsibilities will involve the planning, management and oversight of all services to athletes and officials. The brief includes developing the sports program and venue and athletes' village development.

…The Australian Olympic Committee secured money from the Australian Sports Commission to send athletes to the World Taekwondo Federation’s world championships in Copenhagen in October. The funding will help cover the costs of entry fees, airfare, accommodation, meals and transportation. News of the announcement prompted the AOC to reopen entries to the Aug. 16 Australian national championships for athletes who thought they could not afford to go to the world championships.

…The Cayman Islands Olympic Committee was presented a check for $5,000 by the Cayman National Group at a fundraising event held on Tuesday. The money will cover the committee’s efforts for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver and the 2012 Summer Games in London.

Written by Karen Rosen, Mark Bisson, Greg Oshust, and Ed Hula III.