Azeri First Lady to ANOC; Rousseff, Obama Talk Olympics, World Cup

Azeri First Lady for ANOC

The first lady of Azerbaijan will headline Baku’s presentation to the ANOC General Assembly, the first international campaigning for the five 2020 bids.

Mehriban Aliyeva, wife of Azeri president Ilham Aliyev and herself the head of the Azerbaijan Gymnastics Federation, will be the final speaker in Saturday morning’s 10-minute presentation to leaders of the world’s National Olympic Committees convening Thursday through Sunday in Moscow.

"Because of the enormous importance of this coming gathering of the Olympic Family, we have the honor of presenting our bid together with Mehriban Aliyeva," Baku 2020 CEO Konul Nurullayeva said Tuesday in a statement.

"Her presence in our delegation also confirms the total support of our country’s government – and she is also coming to Moscow to represent our country’s population, an amazing 95% of whom have expressed their support of our bid."

Baku 2020 chair Yagub Eyyubov, CEO Konul Nurullayeva, sports and venues director Elkhan Mammadov, communications director Narguiz Birk-Petersen, Azeri sports minister Azad Rahimov and NOC vice president Chingiz Huseynzada round out the seven-strong delegation from Azerbaijan.

Swim Champion Joins Tokyo 2020

Also this week, Tokyo 2020 revealed that its pitch to ANOC will include Olympic champion swimmer Ai Shibata.

The 800m freestyle gold medalist from Athens 2004 is joining Tokyo 2020 president Tsunekazu Takeda, CEO Masato Mizuno and sports director Yuko Arakida in Moscow for Saturday morning’s presentation.

"Although it has been several years since I announced my retirement as anathlete, my involvement with Tokyo 2020 has made me realize that my passion for sports and the Olympic Movement have not diminished a single bit," Shibata said Monday in a statement.

"It will be thrilling to stand up at the ANOC meeting and tell everyone about our plan to inspire people around the world to take up sport and embrace the Olympic Values."

Takeda, also president of the Japanese Olympic Committee, added: The JOC is proud of its strong, well-established standing within ANOC and looks forward to meeting with NOC friends from around the world. We are very eager to share Tokyo 2020’s plan to deliver a lasting legacy both for international sport and the city of Tokyo."

Rousseff, Obama Talk Olympics

Preparations for the 2014 FIFA World Cup and 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro are among the topics discussed Monday by Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff and U.S. counterpart Barack Obama.

"They welcomed the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding to Support State and Local Cooperation, encouraging subnational entities to unite efforts to achieve goals in areas of mutual interest that complement the strengthening of U.S.-Brazil bilateral relations, such as trade and investment, economic opportunity, science, technology and innovation, social inclusion, environmental sustainability, and preparation for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games and other megaevents," reads a joint statement from the heads of state.

"President Rousseff underscored the importance of investment in infrastructure – including in view of the upcoming 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Olympic and Paralympics Games –as well as in the energy sector, in particular the development of technology and productive capacity in Brazil."

Rousseff’s visit to Washington D.C., her first as president, follows a trip by Obama and his family to Brazil last year.

USOC Unveils Website, Mobile App

The U.S. Olympic Committee is launching a mobile application and re-launching its website ahead of London 2012.

By month’s end, the USOC will unveil the app "2012 Team USA Road to London," allowing fans to follow athletes as they prepare for the Games with daily updates and photos.

A revamped website also seeks to better engage audiences with an innovative look and more multimedia content.

"One of the objectives of this re-launch is to give each visitor to TeamUSA.org the feeling that he or she is part of the team - a true member of the Olympic and Paralympic community and the team behind the team," said USOC chief marketing officer Lisa Baird.

"Above all, the site is warm, personable, energetic and focused on the athlete experience, which we hope will encourageusers to revisit often."

The page will continue to serve as a host for the websites of 17 national governing bodies.

Samsung Launches Olympic Genome Project

Sports fans can now connect to Olympians through a new social media project by Samsung.

Through the U.S. Olympic Genome Project launched Tuesday, audiences can discover how they are connected to athletes through a dedicated Facebook page.

By "liking" the page, users can share their connections, learn about athletes and follow news about Team USA.

"We believe everyone has a connection to Team USA," said Ralph Santana, senior vice president and Chief marketing officer for Samsung Electronics North America.

"As we approach London 2012, we hope to fuel a sense of connection and passion for the Olympic Games among consumers, especially as they get to know the Olympians and Paralympians through this innovative social media platform."

The page boasts 758 likes as of midday Tuesday.

Olympic Champion Diver, 43

Mark Lenzi, 43, is remembered by coach Hobie Billingsley for his clutch performances at the 1992 and 1996 Olympics.

"He didn’t show a thing in practice, but when the lights came on, he was unbelievable. The tougher the competition, the better he would dive," Billingsley told Fredericksburg, Virginia’s Free-Lance Star about Lenzi, who died Monday from internal bleeding after complaints of dizziness and fainting spells.

The last U.S. diver to win Olympic gold, he took the 3m springboard title at Barcelona 1992 and returned from retirement to place third on the podium at Atlanta 1996.

Media Watch

Reuters reports that the horses for London 2012’s equestrian events will get "rock star treatment" ahead of the Games.

Written by Matthew Grayson and Ann Cantrell

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