Olympic Newsdesk -- Right to Play Gala; USA Swimming Bans 46 Individuals

Right to Play Holds Gala

Two well-known figures in the U.S. Olympic movement are honored by Right to Play for their work through the years.

Olympian and broadcaster Donna DeVarona and sports executive Harvey Schiller were recognized Tuesday at the annual Red Ball Gala of Right to Play in New York City. More than 200 people attended the event, including nearly two dozen Olympians, such as Bonnie Blair, Bill Demong, Julia Mancuso, Summer Sanders and Aksel Lund Svindal.

Sportscaster Bob Costas served as master of ceremonies for this third annual gala.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the founding of Right to Play, which grew out of Olympic Aid, the charitable group formed by Norwegian speed skating champ Johan Olaf Koss after the 1994 Olympics in Lillehammer.

Koss, who is president and CEO of Right to Play International, told the audience that mission of the organization is as urgent as ever, calling access to sport for children "a right, a necessity", especially in the 23 countries where Right to Play programs operate.

Koss says more than 700,000 young people are involved with Right to Play, with hopes to expand the reach to one million in 30 countries within the next few years.

DeVarona’s award was presented by Sanders, who called the 1964 Olympic champion one of her mentors. Schiller’s long career in Olympics sport, including a stint as secretary general of the U.S. Olympic Committee, was recognized by Costas in his remarks.

Olympic Hockey Jerseys Helping Haiti

Team Canada Hockey jerseys worn during the Vancouver Olympics raised $94,000 for Haiti earthquake relief efforts in an online auction.

The NHL Players Associations auctioned 23 Canadian jerseys as part of its "Hockey for Haiti" project. The Team Canadian phase ended May 18, with Sidney Crosby’s jersey fetching $37,000.

A total of 19 Canadian jerseys raised more than $2,000 each. The jerseys were worn during the Canada and Germany hockey match.

"The NHLPA is thrilled with the level of support that hockey fans showed in the Team Canada phase of our Olympic jersey auction," said Devin Smith, chairman of NHLPA Goal & Dreams program. "We look forward to continuing the momentum and raising more funds for Hockey for Haiti in the coming weeks."

The Team USA phase of the auction closed Tuesday. The auction continues into June with jerseys from teams of Belarus, Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Norway, Russia, Slovakia, and Sweden.

For more information and to bid visit www.ebay.ca/nhlpa or www.nhlpa.com/auctions

USA Swimming Bans 46 Individuals

In the aftermath of a sexual abuse scandal, USA Swimming banned more than three dozen individuals, including former national team director Everett Uchiyama.

On Wednesday, USA Swimming released the list of 46 individuals banned for life, most for sexually-related offenses.

Uchiyama was suspended on Jan. 31, four days after resigning his position. He started with USA Swimming in 1999 as national team coordinator and was promoted to national team director in April 2004.

USA Swimming suspended Uchiyama based on its sexual conduct rule. The rule prohibits "any sexual conduct, advance or other inappropriate sexually oriented behavior or action directed towards an athlete by (i) a coach member or other non-athlete member, or (ii) any other adult participating in any capacity whatsoever in the affairs or activities of USA Swimming (whether such adult is a member or not)."

USA Swimming is facing criticism of its handling of sexual abuse cases following a report by ABC’s "2020" in April. The report uncovered widespread sexual abuse by USA Swimming certified coaches.

Handball Extraordinary Congress Pushed Back to 2011

The International Handball Federation pushed its Extraordinary Congress to 2011 in Marrakech, Morocco

The Extraordinary Congress was originally scheduled to take place in Rome last month, but officials postponed the event due to the volcanic ash cloud over Europe. The extraordinary congress will take place before of the 2011 Ordinary Congress.

Written by Ed Hula III andSam Steinberg .