Media Watch -- IOC in Buenos Aires; 2020 Bids; US Open

The IOC and the 2020 Bid Cities

The Australian Associated Press (AAP) reports that despite a "slow start," Rio 2016 organizers assure IOC inspectors that plans are "on course." The IOC Coordination Commission finished its meeting in Rio de Janeiro on Monday.

The AAP writes, "This is a challenging moment for South America's largest country, which is trying to organize two mega-events." The "pushback from citizens" in Rio draws questions regarding the city’s sporting event expenditures in light of the country’s "vast inequality, high prices and slowing economy."

According to the AAP, coordination commission members were "outspoken about forcing Rio organizers to speed up games preparations." The AAP explores documents on Rio’s progress in construction, infrastructure projects, and hotel accommodation.The 17-member group will now head south for the IOC Session taking place in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The panel is chaired by IOC vice president Nawal El Moutawakel.

Buenos Aires will host the 125th IOC Session and the 2018 Youth Olympic Games. Reuters explores whether Buenos Aires also has what it takes to host an Olympic Games. "Argentina has, nonetheless, fallen short in its four attempts to land the Olympic Games proper, the first in 1936 when they were awarded to Berlin," Reuters reports.

But the city’s infrastructure and resources could prove Buenos Aires more than capable of "holding Olympic disciplines."

Fox Sports posts an Associated Press article detailing "three decisions that will shape the Olympics."

"Prime ministers, royalty, sports stars and celebrities" will take part in the "election extravaganza" at the upcoming IOC Session in Buenos Aires. On the docket for the IOC: a host city for the 2020 Olympics, electing a new IOC president, and "selecting one sport to add to the 2020 program."

The Observer’s Owen Gibson looks back on the London 2012 Olympics, and forward to the three cities "anxiously waiting to see if their 2020 visions will be rewarded."

Gibson breaks down the 2020 bids for Istanbul, Madrid, and Tokyo. Through "economic woes and political upheaval," Gibson writes that the "world's great cities and their leaders, lining up in a beauty pageant to secure the event that has become all things to all people – a panacea that can distract from a country's woes or underline their ambition on a global scale."

He also digs deep into the IOC presidential race. The six candidates campaigning to succeed current IOC President Jacques Rogge are Thomas Bach of Germany, Denis Oswald of Switzerland, Sergey Bubka of Ukraine, Richard Carrion of Puerto Rico, Ser Miang Ng of Singapore, and C.K. Wu of Chinese Taipei.

The New York Timescovers an important competition taking place September 8 in a "Hilton hotel conference room in Buenos Aires." Participants will not sweat, unless some get a "case of the jitters," and you will not see "many athletes, either, or any courts, nets, uniforms or scoreboards."The New York Timesis referring to the decision finalizing thesports program for the Summer 2020 Olympic Games. Leaders from squash, wrestling, and baseball/softball will all lobby for inclusion.

The Miami Herald posts an AP article that reports the Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will travel to Argentina to make a "final pitch on behalf of Istanbul's bid to host the 2020 Olympics."

This is Istanbul’s fifth attempt to host an Olympic Games.

NBC Sport’s Olympic Talk covers Madrid 2020’s star-studded bid for the Summer Olympics:

"Madrid brought together some of Spain’s sports stars to help its bid to host the 2020 Olympics, but it struck out with the biggest name of all — Lionel Messi."

The AP covers Tokyo 2020 bid leader Tsunekazu Takeda’s letter to the IOC which strengthens Tokyo’s "commitment" to the Olympic Games. Reports surrounding Japan’s Fukushima nuclear power plant leak led Takeda to step in and reassure the IOC that Tokyo is "completely normal and safe."

According to the AP, Takeda’s letter reassured IOC members that the city’s air and water "are not affected by the leak from the tsunami-damaged facility."

Tokyo is apparently not the only 2020 bid city "saddled by serious issues:"

"Istanbul is seeking to overcome June’s anti-government protests and police crackdown, a series of recent doping scandals and the escalating war in neighboring Syria.Madrid has to deal with Spain’s economic crisis and 27 percent unemployment rate."

The IOC will select a host city for the 2020 Olympics on September 7.

Despite the Fukushima plant leaking 300 tons of radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean, the Japan Daily Press reports that "bookmakers have marked Tokyo as the odds-on favorite to win the vote, with Istanbul a far second in the race for the 2020 Games."

US Open

According to The New York Times, the US Open poses a number of challenges for the "tennis elite." From braving 140-mile-per-hour serves to "withstanding New York City’s snark," The New York Times suggests that the most important challenge is "getting there."

David Waldstein reports for The New York Times on a youngster’s road to a US Open Juniors event. Francis Tiafoe, a 15-year-old American, grew up at the Junior Tennis Champions Center in Maryland where his father, an immigrant from Sierra Leone, was a "live-in custodial worker from 1999 to 2010."

Fight Against Doping

The Guardian’s Sean Ingle covers a "shocking" new face for an anti-doping campaign. 25 years after the 100m final known as "The Dirtiest Race in History," Ben Johnson lends his support for the "Choose the Right Track" campaign. Ingle writes that Johnson’s support brings up a broader question: "should drug cheats ever be used to warn other athletes about the needle and the damage done?"

Compiled byNicole Bennett.

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