(ATR) The International Judo Federation tells Around the Rings it is confident that Zagreb, Croatia will be a successful replacement host for the 2017 Youth World Judo Championships originally set for North Korea.
"Concerning Zagreb, the city and the Croatian Judo Federation are totally capable of organizing such an event," an IJF spokesperson tells ATR. "They have been already organizing a grand prix for several years with great success."
The tournament was taken away from North Korea on April 26 as a result of "outstanding issues like air accessibility of Pyongyang, safety and security of participants and their belongings, communications with the outside world, possibility of live streaming," according to an IJF statement.
The IJF says that after several visits to North Korea and meeting with the country’s judo federation these issues are still a cause concern. The IF has also received complaints and questions from its National Federations and parents concerned about the safety of their children participating in an event hosted in a country known for its instability.
"At present, this situation is alarming, and the outcomes are difficult to predict," the IJF said in a statement.
"Since the beginning, it has always been explained that the event was pending on the global situation and on criteria that are described in the press release," an IJF spokesperson tells ATR.
While the 2017 Youth Championships are being moved, the IJF says it is still hopeful an event can be staged in North Korea in the near future.
"In light of all the above and with the uncertainty surrounding the international relations of DPR Korea in the coming months, the Executive Committee of the International Judo Federation decided to postpone this event hopefully to the near future, but only when the political situation is stable at an international level and the outstanding conditions are entirely fulfilled," the IJF statement reads.
The 2017 Youth World Judo Championships are scheduled to take place from Oct. 18-22.
Video Referees Could Make World Cup Debut in Russia
FIFA President Gianni Infantino says he hopes video assistant referee technology will be used at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
He made the announcement at the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) congress in Santiago, Chile on Wednesday.
FIFA introduced video assistance to review goals, penalties, red cards and cases of mistaken identity during the Club World Cup in Japan in December. Now Infantino is suggesting the technology will be used for the first time at a World Cup.
Infantino still needs the approval of the International Football Association Board, the independent guardian of the laws of the sport, to make this happen. The IFAB did agree in March 2016 to begin experimenting with video refereeing systems.
AIBA Initiates Family Based Campaign
The International Boxing Association launched its latest campaign this week celebrating the major successes and unity of its 201 member national federations.
The #AIBAFamily campaign intends to initiate educational programs for the associations athletes, coaches and staff as well as take a look back at the reforms that have shaped AIBA over the past 70 years. Among such reforms are, adopting the ten-points must scoring program in 2010, competing without headgear during the Rio 2016 Games and more.
"After Rio 2016, as we embark on the new Olympic cycle to Tokyo 2020, AIBA committed to reforming aspects of the Technical and Competition Rules, as well as reinforcing the Code of Ethics and behavioral expectations of all those who represent boxing, as we seek to continue spreading the sport’s positive values," AIBA president Dr Ching-Kuo Wu said in a statement.
Click here to watch the promotional video for the #AIBAFamily campaign
Amidst the celebrations AIBA have also sparked a partnership with Taishan Sports.
Taishan, the largest single equipment supplier in the history of the Olympic Games, will act as the official equipment supplier for all five AIBA Continental Championships in 2017.
"Such a deal provides us with the consistency and quality that these tournaments demand, and by making their equipment more accessible for all of our 201 member federations, the agreement brings further benefits to the AIBA Family as a whole,"states AIBA president Wu.
ISA Joins Olympic Channel
The Olympic Channel has reached an agreement with the International Surfing Association that will ensure coverage of its events on into the Tokyo 2020 Games.
The deal with ISA covers news access and live broadcast of several competitions including the upcoming World Surfing Games in Biarritz, France on May 20-28. Top competitors including Miguel Pupo of Brazil and Jeremy Flores of France are expected to participate in the event.
The International Federation for Surfing is the latest addition to a roster of 52 International Sports Federations and IOC Recognized Sports Federations who have signed similar agreements.
"As we look ahead to Tokyo 2020, viewers are sure to be fascinated by the stories of these athletes who push their limits against one of nature’s most powerful elements," Olympic Channel general manager Mark Parkman said in a statement.
Surfing will be making its debut on the Olympic program at the Tokyo Games.
Written by Kevin Nutley,Courtney Colquittand Gerard Farek
Forgeneral comments or questions, click here.
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