Bolt Farewell Headlines London Championships -- Federations Focus

(ATR) The world’s fastest man returns to the London Olympic Stadium this week seeking to end his career with one final 100m World Championship.

Usain Bolt, the most decorated male athlete of all time at the IAAF Championships, is seeking his final two gold medals in the 100m and 4x100m relay before retiring. If successful, Bolt will have earned 13 golds and 15 total world championship medals since bursting onto the athletics scene in 2007.

He is best known for his unprecedented triple-triple, winning three consecutive Olympic 100m, 200m and 4x100m relays. Retroactively, Bolt was stripped of his 2008 4x100m title due to the fail drug test of a teammate.

Bolt will race in the 100m final on Saturday, Aug. 5 at 4:45 pm, seeking his fourth gold medal in that event. Bolt has won each of the 100m finals he has competed in, with the only exception being in 2011 when he was disqualified due to a false start.

Bolt's final race will be with his Jamaican teammates in the 4x100m relay. Since earning silver in the event in 2007, Bolt and his teammates will seek a fifth consecutive title when they toe the line on Aug. 12 at 4:45 pm.

The London 2017 IAAF World Championships conclude on Aug. 13 as the greatest sprinter of all time concludes his racing career.

Tennis Denies Davis Cup Match Change

Delegates at the International Tennis Federation Annual General Meeting narrowly voted down a proposal that would see Davis Cup matches reduced from five sets to three in the singles tournament.

The proposal to reduce the amount of match time was the only in a package of reforms to be negated by the ITF during its three-day AGM in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

While 63 percent of the delegates voted to approve the change, a two-thirds majority was needed to pass the proposal.

"We respect the decision of the AGM but are disappointed that our member nations have not approved the full package of Davis Cup and Fed Cup reforms endorsed by the ITF Board," ITF president David Haggerty said in a statement.

"Change is needed to ensure the long-term future of these iconic and historic competitions, and we remain committed to working with our national associations and other stakeholders on finding ways to enhance Davis Cup and Fed Cup by BNP Paribas."

The AGM did approve changes that would give finalists in both the Davis and Fed Cups the choice of hosting their first-round tie in the following year and lower the number of match and practice courts to reduce costs on organizers.

The AGM also approved with an amendment that would allow the ITF Board of Directors the ability to make unilateral changes to the Davis and Fed Cups on a trial basis without needing approval from its delegates during the yearly meeting.

This resolution could allow the ITF executives to move forward with its proposals to reduce the number of sets in single Davis Cup matches to three, ignoring the vote taken by its delegates. However, it remains unclear whether the ITF Board would act against the interests of its membership.

"The resolution gives the board the latitude and flexibility of trialing changes to Davis Cup and Fed Cup without waiting for approval of the AGM," Haggerty said in a statement. "In a fast-changing world, we need to be agile and nimble to make decisions, and this resolution gives us that ability. We thank our members for their support in the ITF Board."

U.S. Names PyeongChang Hockey Personnel

USA Hockey goes in house to seek players eligible to play at the PyeongChang 2018 Olympics.

Jim Johannson, assistant executive director of hockey operations for USA Hockey, will be tasked with assembling the 2018 U.S. men’s hockey team. Coaching under Johannson will be Olympians Tony Granato as head coach and Chris Chelios as one of four assistants.

Johannson says there is a pool of around 80-90 players USA Hockey is evaluating for the 2018 Olympic team. None of those players will include active National Hockey League stars, given that the league says it will not release players for the 2018 Olympics. Included in the pool are American players abroad, amateur collegiate hockey players, minor league hockey players, and potentially retired NHL players.

"Trust me, we’re going to dig over every stone to see what the options are and what the fit is," Johannson said when announced as general manager.

Written by Kevin Nutley and Aaron Bauer

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