Olympic Briefs -- Scandal Forces Jungwirth Resignation, Winter EYOF Concludes

Heinz Jungwirth quit his post as secretary general of the Austrian Olympic Committee amidst a scandal of missing money. (ATR)A scandal over missing money for the failed bid from Salzburg for the 2014 Olympics forces the resignation of Austrian Olympic Committee secretary general Heinz Jungwirth.

The AOC issued a press release Feb. 22 announcing the change which came after weeks of controversy over allegations of mismanaged monies from the Salzburg bid.

Auditors cannot find about $200,000 in payments made by the Austrian NOC to a firm that was to assist in finding bid sponsors.

Jungwirth has been under fire from both politicians and athletes over the missing money, though no evidence of wrongdoing has surfaced.

Jungwirth, 57, has been secretary general since 1982, a tenure unrivaled among current NOC secretary generals. He also served as Austrian chef de mission during the period, including the 2002 and 2006 Winter Games. Both of these ended in blood doping scandals for the Austrian team.

Jungwirth will officially leave office Feb. 28. He will be succeeded on an interim basis by sports director Matthias Bogner.

European Youth Olympic Winter Festival Concludes

The ninth Winter European Youth Olympic Festival ended its week-long run with its closing ceremonies in Wislan Hoff square on Friday in Slask-Beskidy, Poland.

European Olympic Committees President Patrick Hickey hailed the success of the Festival, which began Feb. 14.

“It was a great success,” he tells Around the Rings.

“They were a little bit unfortunate where they had too much snow. Two years ago we had too little snow [in Jaca, Spain], so it’s either a feast or a famine. But the Polish people had the most welcoming spirit and they put everything into it.”

There was a lack of snow the The Winter European Youth Olympic Festival concluded in Slask-Beskidy, Poland on Friday. (Polish Olympic Committee)week before the EYOF, but a snowfall two days before the festival and throughout the five-day event put organizers under pressure to prepare event areas, he reported. “They were clearing the place day and night,” he said.

Super G and one day of the biathlon were cancelled due to the heavy snow making conditions too treacherous for athletes to compete in the events, Hickey said. “All the others went ahead but with this age group safety is our number one priority. It didn’t take away from the atmosphere of the whole event,” he said.

EYOF organizational committee chairman Tadeusz Pilasz, EYOF/EOC chief of commission Guido de Bondt and Polish Olympian Federation chairman Piotr Nurkowski spoke at the closing ceremonies. Medals from the final day of competition at the Festival were also awarded.

At the end of the ceremony, the Olympic flag was transferred to representatives from the 2011 EYOF host Liberac, Czech Republic and the flame was put out.

Russia led the team medal count with 11 – including five gold, two silver and four bronze. Germany was second in the standings and Austria third.

South African NOC Chief Tells Athletes Win Medals or Stay Home

South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee chief Gideon Sam set a goal of 12 medals in London for the country, saying its one medal haul in Beijing was unacceptable.

“One medal at the Games is nothing to become excited about and it‘s unacceptable to win 19 in five Games,” Sam was quoted as saying in local media. He made the comments at a sports award ceremony during the weekend.

Sam said the aspirations of sending a hockey team to London were contingent upon a top-five finish at the Commonwealth Games.

“If they can‘t achieve that,” Sam said, “they should stay away from the Games in London and prepare for 2016.”

He added, “From now on, all athletes who achieve good results will be praised, but serious questions will be asked of those who fail.”

The South African lottery allocated just under $40 million for 2012 preparations, but each federation has to submit a proposal on how they would use the money to receive any amount of the kitty.

Turin Selects Organizing Team, Logo for 2010 Figure Skating Worlds

The Italian Ice Sports Federation (FISG) Lavinia Borromeo Elkinn, the new president of the organizing committee for the 2010 ISU World Figure Skating Championships in Turin, Italy, displays the event’s logo. (Torino Olympic Park)and Torino Olympic Park presented its organizing committee and logo for the 2010 World Figure Skating Championships in Turin, Italy on Friday.

Lavinia Borromeo Elkann was chosen as president of the committee for the 2010 Worlds, which will be held March 23-28 at the Palavela arena in Turin. The arena hosted the figure skating competition at the 2006 Winter Olympics.

It will be the 100th edition of the event.

Marco Bellien will be the vice president, while Pier Paolo Maza is the deputy vice president and Paolo Bellino the general manager.

Other members of the committee are TOP President Tiziana Nasi, marketing and communication expert Anna Casale Ghigo and FISG officials Raffaella Locatelli and Walter Cecconi.

Briefs…

….Todd Lodwick of the U.S. claimed his second gold medal with a win in the nordic combined event at the FIS World Nordic Skiing Championship in Liberac, Czech Republic on Sunday. The 32-year-old, who hadn’t medaled in the last six worlds and four Winter Olympics, also won gold in the men’s mass-start race on Friday.

…Gold medalist hammer thrower Kamila Skolimowska died from a pulmonary embolism, according to preliminary autopsy results. She died while in training in Portugal last Wednesday.

Skolimowska, 26, won a gold medal in the 2000 Sydney Olympics in women’s hammer throw at the age of 17.

Written by Ed Hula III.