FIFA, WADA Discuss Doping; Floating Hotels for Sochi Olympics?

WADA, FIFA Discuss Doping

FIFA and the World Anti-Doping Agency will collaborate on the development of new strategies in the fight against doping.

That’s the outcome from Wednesday’s meeting at FIFA headquarters in Zurich among WADA Director General David Howman, FIFA Medical Committee Chairman Michel D'Hooghe and FIFA Chief Medical Officer Jiri Dvorak.

Among the main items of discussion was the latest draft of the 2015 WADA Code, according to world football’s governing body, especially the issues of sanctions and testing authorities.

"The meeting was very constructive and clearly showed the best intention of both WADA and FIFA to collaborate in the fight against doping," D’Hooghe said in a statement.

The two parties also agreed to jointly organize an anti-doping conference on Nov. 29 and 30 at FIFA headquarters with collaboration from the medical representatives of international team sports federations, the IOC and the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations.

"WADA welcomed the idea of a consensus conference on the topic ‘Time has come to change the strategy of the fight against doping in sport’," said Dvorak.

"WADA was invited and confirmed that it will participate".

UK’s Sported Foundation Seeks Funding

Leaders of London 2012 are reuniting to promote the Sported Foundation, a legacy charity set up by LOCOG deputy chairman Keith Mills.

A campaign launched Thursday at London’s BT Tower asks employees of large organizations and businesses to donate £20.12 ($30.41) or £2.12 ($3.20) through company payrolls in hopes of raising £1 million ($1.51 million) to secure the future of sport for development in the UK.

"Sported is a charity that has fundamentally understood the importance of not only creating opportunities for young people to play sport but also creating the infrastructures around them with people who are experienced mentors," said LOCOG chair and Sported patron Sebastian Coe.

Hugh Robertson, Minister of State for Sport and Tourism, added: "Sport has an incredible power to reach young people and help change their lives for the better. This is exactly what Sported is all about and I applaud the tireless dedication and commitment of Sir Keith Mills in his contribution to the Olympic legacy. I urge as many people as possible to back Sported and help our young people be the best that they can be."

Cruise Liners to Turn Into Floating Hotels for Sochi Winter Olympics

The General Director of Svoi TT Sergei Voitovich announced plans for the conversion of seven cruisers with a one thousand-passenger capacity into floating hotels for the duration of the Sochi Winter Olympics.

Svoy TT is a tour operator that brings foreign tourists to Russia and is a member of the international travel group TUI Travel.

The announcement was given during a news conference at a VGTRK (All-Russia State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company) press center.

"Four of the liners will be docked in the Cruise Harbour of the Bolshoi Sochi Port, and three more at the Sochi Imeretinsky Port. The ships will have three to five star ratings. Some of them, including cruise liners Princess Maria and Princess Anastasia, are currently serving the international St Petersburg – Helsinki – Tallinn – Stockholm route," Voitovich said.

Voitovich remarked that cruise liners have already been used as floaters at the Olympic Games in Sydney, Athens and London. In such cases, companies that charter liners as floating hotels take the responsibility to hire a crew competent enough to provide a high standard of service in order to ensure a comfortable stay for the guests, as Voitovich put it.

The cabin booking service opened on July 1 on the Svoy-SOCHI.ru website and is also available through a network of partner travel agencies.

According to Voitovich, the price of accommodation on board will range from 4300 roubles (110 euros) a day for a three-star rated double cabin (breakfast included) to 12500 roubles (320 euros) for a five-star suite measuring 150–300 square meters.

Additional services will be also available, including insurance cover, transfers, sightseeing tours, as well as a full range of amenities on board: bars and restaurants (three to ten on each liner), children’s playgrounds and entertainment programs.

Furthermore, the project's organizers promise that it should not take their guests more than an hour to get to sports venues from the ships.

Published by exclusive arrangement with ATR’s Sochi 2014 media partner RIA-Novosti.

Written by Mark Bisson and Matthew Grayson.

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