Olympic Briefs -- Jordan Joins Hall of Fame; Israeli Tumbles to Podium

Michael Jordan was elected into the NBA Hall of Fame today, with three other Olympians joining him. (Getty Images) Michael Jordan was one of four Olympians elected into the NBA’s Naismith Hall of Fame. Jordan, a two-time gold medalist, was elected alongside three-time Olympian and dual gold medalist David Robinson, two-time gold medalist John Stockton and coach of the 2004 gold medal winning women’s team, C. Vivian Stringer.

Jordon, Stockton, and Robinson were members of the famous 1992 “Dream Team” considered by many to be the finest basketball team ever assembled. They won their games by an average of nearly 44 points during the '92 tournament.

The four were not elected solely for their Olympic prowess, however. Jordan is widely considered the greatest player of all time, while Robinson and Stockton are considered among the most elite. Jordan won six NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls, while Stockton lost to Jordan twice as a member of the Utah Jazz. Robinson won two with his San Antonio Spurs.

Stringer was one of the supreme women’s collegiate coaches, and the first to take four universities to the NCAA’s Final Four.

Also elected was Stockton’s former coach, Jerry Sloan.

They will be inducted into the hall during ceremonies to be held Sept. 10-12 in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Olympic Skiers Named to Hall of Fame

Olympic skiers Liz McIntyre, Nelson Carmichael and Cary Adgate and ski mountaineering pioneer Bill Briggs were inducted into the U.S. National Ski and Snowboard Freestyle skier Liz McIntyre, a silver-medal winner at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway, is among the latest inductees into the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame. (Getty Images)Hall of Fame at a ceremony in Park City, Utah on Saturday.

McIntyre was a silver medalist in women’s freestyle moguls at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway and also competed in the ’92 and ’98 Games during her 20-year career with the U.S. ski team.

Carmichael won the bronze medal in men’s freestyle moguls at the 1992 Winter Games in Albertville, France. He also won six U.S. championships and two World Cup titles during his career.

Adgate was a six-time slalom winner at the U.S. alpine championships and was a member of the U.S. Olympic ski team at the 1976 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria and the ’80 Games in Lake Placid, N.Y.

Daegu Gets Big Response for 2011 World Athletics Volunteers

The local organizing committee for the 2011 IAAF world athletics championships in Daegu, South Korea received a better-than-expected response in the first phase of its volunteer recruitment drive, doubling its original target figure.

A total of 4,006 people applied for volunteer spots for the athletics worlds, far surpassing the Daegu LOC’s goal of 2,000.

“The response we received is extremely encouraging and it shows the passion that Koreans have for the IAAF World Championships in Athletics,” Daegu LOC Vice President and secretary general Dong-Hoo Moon said. “We have confidence that such enthusiasm will be The organizing committee for the 2011 IAAF World Athletics Championships in Daegu, South Korea reports a better-than-expected response in its effort to recruit volunteers. (Daegu 2011 LOC)the cornerstones of a successful championships.”

The Daegu LOC is recruiting volunteers to serve as translators and information guides and provide medical assistance as well as help out with the competition, the media, administrative support and security.

Briefs…

…Alex Shatilov became the first Israeli to win a medal in a major gymnastics competition after clinching the bronze in the men’s floor exercise at the European Artistic Gymnastics Championship in Milan on Sunday.

…Spain’s campaign to host the 2014 FIBA World Basketball Championship is looking at the possibility of adding to the list of cities that would host games if its bid was successful. Spanish Basketball Federation President Jose Luis Saez said he open to expanding the list of cities beyond the official list of venues, which includes Madrid, Granada, Seville, Las Palmas and Bilbao.

…Olympic Council of Asia President Sheikh Ahmad wrapped up a two day visit of the Kyrgyz National Olympic Committee today. According to local media, Ahmad was in Bishkek, Kyrgyztan to discuss cooperation between the OCA and NOC. He arrived on April 4.

Media Watch

A case for a unified Great Britain football team at the Olympics.

Women ski jumpers are fighting back against the IOC.

Marcel Aubut, the recently elected president-in-waiting of the Canadian Olympic Committee could bring the Olympics to his native Quebec City. A Montreal Gazette story explores that possibility.

Columnist Alvin Capino calls the Philippine Olympic Committee a “dictatorship.”

Crain’s Chicago Business says insurance is the biggest issue in Chicago’s Olympic bid.

Written by Ed Hula III and Greg Oshust.