Olympic Newsdesk -- Delhi Wins Go-Ahead; FIBA Women's WC; Rio Biz Confab

Commonwealth Games Get Go-Ahead After Week of Woes

The beleaguered Delhi Commonwealth Games are set to open as planned next week after a vote of confidence from the federation in charge.

"There has been progress and there is more to do," CWGF CEO Mike Hooper told AFP after meeting Thursday morning with Games organizers and city officials in Delhi.

"We're concentrating on fixing the problems. My attitude is that the Games are on. We are working at the highest levels of government."

Hooper’s statements came less than 24 hours after a second collapse in as many days prompted a spate of high-profile athlete withdrawals and further balking from participating nations.

A who’s who of Commonwealth members have expressed disapproval this week at living conditions in the Games Village.

New Zealand followed Thursday in the footsteps of Canada and Scotland by delaying athletes’ departures to the subcontinent.

CWGF president Mike Fennell arrived in Delhi later Thursday for an emergency meeting to decide the fate of the Games. Indian PM Manmohan Singh is rumored to be in attendance.

A Times of India poll conducted Wednesday found that 97% of respondents felt the Games had tarnished the country’s image and 59% felt the country should never have bid in the first place.

Many had viewed the competition as a stepping stone to India’s first Olympic Games. Whether the subcontinent will stage its first Commonwealth Games will most likely be decided at Thursday evening’s meeting.

FIBA Opens Women’s Championship in Czech Republic

A record 23 WNBA players are in action as the FIBA Women’s World Championship tips off in the Czech Republic.

A week after leading the Seattle Storm to a second league title, three-time MVP Lauren Jackson heads defending champs Australia, ranked third by FIBA earlier this week.

Storm teammate Svetlana Abrosimova and Becky Hammon of the San Antonio Silver Stars already have a victory under their belt for second-ranked Russia. Hammon led the team with four assists en route to an 86-63 win over Japan.

All but one of top-ranked Team USA’s 12 members play in the WNBA, including two-time Olympic gold medalists Tamika Catchings and Diana Taurasi. University of Connecticut star Maya Moore rounds out the squad, which kicks off its title defense against Greece later Thursday.

The 16-team field is divided into four groups of four for three days of prelimssplit between Ostrava and Brno. After a day of rest, the remaining 12 teams will move to Karlovy Vary for elimination rounds. The final game is slated for Oct. 3.

The Beijing Olympics featured 16 WNBA players, and 19 suited up for the 2006 FIBA World Championship in Brazil.

Conference Helps Providers Gear Up for Rio 2014, 2016

More than 80 companies hoping to cash in on Rio de Janeiro’s 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics are in the host city this week seeking the blessing of Games organizers.

The strategic business conference for those wishing to conduct business involving the pair of mega-events kicked off Wednesday at Riocentro, the Olympic venue for boxing, table tennis, badminton and weightlifting.

"Events like this are important so that future providers are aware of our schedule," Rio2016 president Carlos Nuzman said in a statement.

"There are functional areas that will only begin in four years, but there are some who have already started."

Among the speakers at the three-day gathering were 2014 World Cup operations director Ricardo Trade, Brazilian Paralympic Committee president Andrew Parsons and Marcia Lins, Brazil’s secretary of state for tourism, sport and recreation.

"We are bringing together companies with experience in other sporting events and that, surely, will help us in our process," Lins said.

SportsEvents runs through Friday. On-site registration remains open.

Generations for Peace Celebrates International Day of Peace

Generations for Peace marked the UN International Day of Peace with a series of peace-through-sport events staged Tuesday in Africa and the Middle East.

Troubled youth in Nigeria, Sudan, Lebanon, Somalia and Palestine played soccer, football and other respect-building games to commemorate the occasion.

"We are very proud to be doing our part to celebrate this global call for ceasefire and non-violence," founder and IOC member from Jordan Prince Feisal Al-Hussein said in a statement.

"We can show the world that we are making real, concrete progress in our mission to use the power of sport to plant the seeds of peace throughout the divided world."

Sochi will host the first-ever European Generations For Peace camp next month. The 10-day camp, which kicks off Oct. 1, had previously only taken place in the Middle East.

Written by Matthew Grayson.