London Torch Relay Spending; Immigration Questions for Competitions; Maghreb Games Discussion

(ATR) Boroughs spent $3 million on torch relay, indicates report ... Iran denies deportation charge, Germany rejects Nigerian visa request ... Plans for Maghreb Games discussed ...

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London Borough Torch Relay Spending

On the one year anniversary of the London Torch Relay, reports show that the city’s boroughs spent more than $3 million on the event.

The U.K.’s Press Association conducted an open records request of the boroughs, finding Bexley spent just under 280,000 British Pounds, roughly $424,000. Wandsworth spent the least: 710 GBP, or $1,076.11.

Immigration Complications for Competitions

Iran’s Foreign Ministry denied reports the country’s wrestling team was deported from the United States following a match at Grand Central Station in New York City last week.

The match, featuring the two countries and Russia, was supposed to have a follow up in Los Angeles, as part of a publicity campaign for wrestling’s Olympic pitch.

However, a spokesman for the ministry says the team declined to make the trip, "preventing any politicization" of the match, according to Iranian news outlets.

Also this week, the German Embassy in Nigeria rejected visas for Nigerian taekwondo hopefuls to train in Germany.

Chika Chukwumerije, Nigeria’s gold medalist in taekwondo at the Beijing Olympics was hoping to organize the trip.

He said Nigerians posing as fraudulent athletes to gain visas were to blame for the embassy’s decision.

"All these criminals have succeeded in doing is making the careers of upcoming athletes more difficult," he said. He added that as an executive of the national taekwondo federation, he will work to make sure the federation "takes strong measures to restore our credibility before embassies in Nigeria."

"We must expose our athletes after we have discovered them. If they cannot get visas for further training abroad, how can they grow in the sport?"

Maghreb Olympic Festival Planned

The presidents of the Algerian and Tunisian Olympic committees met on Monday to start planning a Maghreb Olympic Festival.

Reports in Tunisian media say the working group agreed to contact other Maghreb countries, Libya, Mauritania and Morocco, to put the idea "into practice very soon."

ANOC Publication

Around the Rings will produce another special edition magazine for the ANOC Extraordinary General Assembly in Lausanne on June 15. Don't miss this opportunity to reach the world's 200+ National Olympic Committees. Contact ATR Partnership Development Director Brian Baker for details. brian@aroundtherings.com

Written by Ed Hula III.

20 Years at #1: Your best source of news about the Olympics is AroundTheRings.com, for subscribers only.

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