Olympic Briefs -- Bid Book Delivery Begins; Phelps Saga Continues

Rio de Janeiro made a point of arriving first at IOC headquarters in Lausanne on Wednesday with its 2016 bid books, and Madrid wasn't far behind.

Chicago and Tokyo are expected to deliver their candidature files on Thursday before the deadline of 11 p.m. GMT [6 p.m. EST].

Traditionally, each city's bid books are made up of hundreds of pages divided into several well-illustrated volumes. They provide a thorough look at plans for sports venues, budgets, accommodations, security, transportation and all other aspects of the Games. Government guarantees are also included in the documentation.

"With the Candidature File being submitted to the IOC in Lausanne today, the race for 2016 has truly begun," Madrid 2016 CEO Mercedes Coghen said in a statement.

Rio is hoping to bring the Olympics to South America for the first time.

Carlos Luiz Martins, chief operations officer for the Rio 2016 Bid Committee, led the delegation. He was joined by Rafael Lima Pires from the bid's legal department and two young Brazilians: Julia Mesquita, a fencer, and Rafael Ribeiro, who plays football.

"The Olympic and Paralympic Games in Rio would inspire more than 65 million young people in Brazil and over 180 million across South America, something both Julia and Rafael were keen to reinforce for audiences worldwide by participating in the submission of the File today," Martins said in Lausanne.

"As seen in the Guarantees submitted today, our bid has the total support of all levels of Government, thereby assuring the feasibility of staging the Games in 2016 and delivering lasting benefits to the country and the continent. This unwavering support from the governments and also from Brazilians has enabled us to go beyond IOC requirements in many areas and we look forward to detailing this to the Olympic Family in the coming months."

Madrid said in a statement that more than 150 people have worked on its bid books since May 2008 and touted its Olympic bid as the "Safest choice for 2016," because of the expected readiness of venues despite the global economic crisis. The bid shows that all infrastructure is complete and 77 percent of the sports venues are either complete or under construction, with finances guaranteed.

Accompanying the bid from Madrid were Antonio Fernández Arimany, managing director of the bid, and Raúl Chapado, the director of sports and projects. They were joined by Madrid 16 Envoys: Spanish Olympic medalist Joan Lino Martínez (long jump) and Paralympic medalist Teresa Perales (swimming) as well as two citizens of Madrid who are featured in chapter headings and help represent the face of the bid.

Bid documents will be released to the public on Friday at press conferences in each city. IOC members will receive their own set of books so they can prepare for the vote on Oct. 2 in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Infamous Phelps Photo Leads to Arrests

Eight guests at the now infamous party where Olympic champion Michael Phelps was seen using a bong have been arrested. While the names of the accused were withheld in the police report, Phelps was not among them.

The arrests were part of an investigation being carried out by the Richmond County (S.C.) Sheriff’s Department.

Seven arrests were for suspicion of drug possession while the remaining arrest was for suspicion of distributing drugs.

Also seized in the investigation was the bong Phelps had used in the photo. The owner was attempting to hawk the pipe on eBay for $100,000.

Despite the party taking place in the city of Columbia, S.C., city authorities have not actively pursued the case. Prosecutors and authorities have said they will not press charges against Phelps.

London Sponsor Atkins Cuts Jobs

The “official engineering design services provider” for the London Olympics, WS Atkins, announced on Wednesday they would cut 930 jobs. Worsening economic conditions in the U.K, and Mideast specifically, were cited as reasons.

All cuts will take effect no later than the end of March.

Despite the cuts, a spokesman said in local media, they do not expect this to hamper Games planning.

"We are not expecting this to affect the projects we're undertaking for the Olympics. We are acting in a position of strength to react to worsening market conditions in certain parts of the group."

Almost 18,600 people worldwide areemployed by WS Atkins.

According to the company, Atkins' work with London organizers includes providing “multidisciplinary engineering design consultancy for the temporary venues and overlay that LOCOG is providing within London and across the country for the Games.”

British Shooting Dismisses Performance Director Following Funding Cuts

British Shooting dismissed performance director John Leighton-Dyson Tuesday in the wake of large funding cuts by UK Sport.

The governing body cut 78 percent of their 2009-13 funding agreement. This leaves British Shooting with around $1.7 million for the next four years.

Leighton-Dyson told the board meeting there weren’t enough funds available to maintain his position.

He will stay on with British Shooting until March 31.

…Briefs

…The Nations Team Event at the FIS World Alpine Skiing Championships was cancelled Wednesday after extreme snowfall and high winds resulted in poor snow conditions on the race course. The competition’s emergency committee decided not to reschedule the event later in the week, stating it would interfere with the remaining four technical programs.

… Newly-crowned women’s super G and downhill champion Lindsey Vonn underwent tendon surgery on her right thumb after cutting herself on a broken champagne bottle during a celebration of her downhill victory on Monday. As a result, Vonn will miss Thursday’s giant slalom event and is doubtful for the slalom on Saturday.

…The Professional Squash Association has promoted Alex Gough from chief operating officer to chief executive officer. Gough, who has been chief operating officer since last June, replaces Richard Graham, who resigned in December. The PSA operates its professional squash circuit from its head office in Cardiff, Wales and is one of the leading forces behind the sport’s campaign for inclusion in the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Media Watch

Philip Hersch of the Chicago Tribune says the Alex Rodriguez controversy could damage baseball’s chances for inclusion into the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Written by Karen Rosen, Ed Hula III, and Greg Oshust .