Olympic Newsdesk - IAAF Readies for Centenary; Blatter Reveals Role in ISL Report

IAAF Readies for Centenary

Centenary celebrations for the International Association of Athletics Federations take on a new sense of formality next week as the IAAF officially turns 100 years old Tuesday.

According to a Thursday statement, representatives of the 17 member federations who founded the world governing authority for athletics at the close of the 1912 Stockholm Olympics will gather again Monday for a special commemorative dinner in Monte Carlo, home to today’s IAAF headquarters.

The centerpiece of Tuesday’s festivities is a private garden party hosted by honorary International Athletic Foundation president Prince Albert of Monaco as he leads the Principality in a daylong celebration, complete with a special Monegasque postage stamp to be issued in commemoration of the occasion.

Because the birthday falls two days after the end of the ongoing IAAF World Junior Championships in Barcelona, the IAAF is also curating a temporary exhibit at the city’s Olympic and Sports Museum.

Two weeks later, the traditional IAAF Dinner on the eve of the Olympic athletics competition will sport a centenary theme, and all IAAF spaces in London will be branded accordingly.

The year’s celebrations will culminate Nov. 24 and 25 with a meeting of the IAAF Council and special centenary edition of the annual International Athletics Foundation Gala. Barcelona will do the honors instead of usual host Monaco as the IAAF Hall of Fame inducts its inaugural class of 24 members.

Meanwhile, a commemorative book and TV series are being produced to go along with the IAAF’s special website and accompanying PR campaign.

Blatter Explains Role in ISL Report

FIFA president Sepp Blatter says times were different when his predecessor Joao Havelange took millions of dollars in kickbacks as part of the infamous ISL marketing scandal.

"Back then, such payments could even be deducted from tax as a business expense," he said Thursday.

"You can’t judge the past on the basis of today’s standards."

His comments come in a "Five questions for…" feature posted to FIFA’s website a day after Switzerland’s supreme court ordered the release of documents identifying which two senior officials received said "commission" – as Blatter calls the almost $22 million in question – from world football’s now-defunct marketing partner.

Named in the file are Havelange and his former son-in-law, Ricardo Teixeira, who quit his posts as Brazil 2014 president and Brazil football confederation chief over corruption allegations a few months ago.

Though Blatter himself is not named, the FIFA president confirmed Thursday he is indeed the person referred to as "P1" – a significant admission considering the report’s assertion that whether FIFA and "P1" had knowledge of the kickbacks was "not questioned".

For complete coverage, follow World Football INSIDER.

Austria Announces Olympic Team

Swimming silver medalist Markus Rogan will carry the flag for a "small but nice" team of 70 athletes in London, the Austrian Olympic Committee announced Thursday.

"According to statistics, we gain three medals," ÖOC president Karl Stoss said in a statement.

"This would be very satisfying this time, especially since the team is smaller than before."

Four athletes, including Rogan, are Olympic medalists while 30 are making their Games debuts.

The size of the delegation represents no change from Beijing 2008, though only once before has Austria sent fewer than 70 athletes to an Olympics (64 to Montreal 1976).

Opening Ceremony Party

Tower of London is "the place to be" for Games-goers without opening ceremony tickets, according to House of Nations.

The pop-up party venue revealed Thursday that five-time Olympic swimmer Mark Foster and Sky Sports presenter Charlotte Jackson will host a dinner at the iconic landmark during the July 27 curtain raiser.

"Each guest will enjoy a champagne and Pimm’s reception in the Moat, an exclusive private tour of the Crown Jewels, a delicious three-course meal with all inclusive drinks, live footage of the Opening Ceremony and entertainment," according to Thursday’s release.

Tickets are available here for $215 plus VAT.

Lloyd’s Estimates Economic Impact of Games

British insurance company Lloyd’s has released a 41-page report detailing the economic "contribution" of the London 2012 Games.

The report focused on six categories through which the economic contribution can be measured: construction venues, tourism, LOCOG’s influence on suppliers, "happiness factor" of the population, labor market fluctuations, and physical legacy.

The report concluded that the Games would add around $25.6 billion to the British GDP with 57 percent coming from the construction center. After the Games, the economic legacy of London 2012 will create approximately 62,000 new jobs, according to Lloyd’s.

The economic impact is not limited to London, Lloyd’s adds, as many "Olympic" contracts were given out to communities across the United Kingdom, and all regions will "enjoy gains of employment."

In addition to a boost of morale to the population, the report noted an addition of $1.54 billion to the tourism GDP compared to if the London Games had not taken place.

The full report can be downloaded off Lloyd’s website here.

Facebook Chat with Kirsty Coventry

Olympic champion swimmer Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe tells Around the Rings these last two weeks until the Games are about "tweaking those little things that will hopefully make that little bit of difference" in London.

Check out what she had to say about the past, present and future of her Olympic achievements in this Facebook interview.

Written by Mark Bisson and Matthew Grayson

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