LOCOG Funds In Doubt for Oceania NOCs; Training Agreement Between Australia, Italy

Pacific Island Teams Could Miss Out on LOCOG Funds

Olympic leaders from Oceania want changes to the scholarships promised by London 2012.

Currently, LOCOG has a $15 million program offering $40,000 scholarships to every National Olympic Paralympic Committee to send one team to train in the United Kingdom before the Games. However, the team must have qualified in order to earn the scholarship.

Many teams from Oceania earn Olympic berths through late-qualifying wildcard slots and would miss the deadline to apply for the scholarships.

At the meeting of Oceania NOCs at the ANOC meeting on Tuesday, the region called for flexibility from LOCOG.

James MacLeod, LOCOG’s director of NOC services, said the committee "would be more flexible and take it on a case by case basis" with regards to Oceania NOCs.

"Our ambition is to get as many athletes from Oceania into the UK as possible," he said.

"Athletes from our region are very dependent on the money," said Barry Maister, secretary general of the New Zealand Olympic Committee.

At the meeting, LOCOG also announced it would double its staff servicing NOCs in Oceania. Currently, the organizing committee only has one staffer for the region, the Australian-born Joanna Farris. One person will join her in January.

Australia, Italy Ink Training Agreement

Australian Olympic athletes can train in Italy for the next six years.

The Olympic committees of Australia and Italy, AOC and CONI, signed an agreement on Wednesday allowing Australian Olympians to train in Italy and Europe, with the possibility to continue through 2020.

"The Agreement opens the door for our Olympic sports to put in place initiatives they consider will support their pre-London plans and beyond," AOC President John Coates said in a statement.

It is also expected that the Australian Institute of Sport will reach an agreement with the CONI Institute to exchange sports science, medicine, high performance and coaching expertise.

During the Italian winters, Italy will be able to send athletes to Australia to train during the "Southern Summer".

By training in Italy, Australian teams can cut down on travel costs.

"Reducing the ‘tyranny of distance’ will mean our sports’ limited funding can stretch that much further," Coates said.

Portuguese Equestrian Leader, 78

Portuguese Equestrian Federation (FEP) president Luiz Vaz de Almada died Saturday of a heart attack. He was 78.

Almada dedicated 50 years to the sport as a rider, judge, breeder, horse designer, event organizer and leader.

"Mr. Luiz Vaz de Almada will be remembered for his passion and great devotion to equestrian sport both at home and internationally," International Equestrian Federation (FEI) president and IOC member Princess Haya bint Al Hussein said in a statement.

Almada helped organize the European Endurance Open Championships, Portugal as Country Theme at CSIO Aachen and the 2007 FEI General Assembly, a gathering held in Estoril, Portugal to commemorate FEP’s 80th anniversary.

He took up the Portuguese federation’s presidency in 2004 and was elected through 2012.

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Written by Ed Hula III in Acapulco and Matthew Grayson.