Olympic Newsdesk - Russian Parliament on Vancouver, British Athletes, SportAccord

Britain Sending 500 to London

At least 500 British athletes will compete at the 2012 Olympics in London.

The British Olympic Association said the team would be the largest British Olympic team since the 1908 Games and would be almost twice the size of the Beijing team.

"There is no greater sporting event in the world than the Olympic Games and, as the host nation, we know that the selection of the athletes who will have the honor of representing Team GB will be of great interest to the British public," said BOA chairman Colin Moynihan.

"We won't be taking any passengers with us and we will set exacting standards that ensure the athletes who represent Team GB are truly the best of British."

Russian Parliament Calls Vancouver Performance "Unsatisfactory"

The Russian Parliament said Russia’s performance at the Vancouver Olympics was "unsatisfactory".

Russian news agency RIA-Novosti reports that the country’s sports minister Vitaly Mutko addressed the upper chamber of Duma Wednesday to discuss Russia’s performance at the Olympics and Paralympics.

At the Olympics, Russia finished 11th in the medal tally with 15 medals. Russia’s Paralympians fared much better, finishing first in the medal count with 38 medals.

In honor of the Paralympic team’s success, the Federation Council issued a statement saying "the success of its performance was determined by high-quality preparation of athletes and a balanced approach to the selection of coaches."

Following the Games, several top Olympic officials, including the Russian Olympic Committee president were fired.

British Athlete Commission

British Olympians will get the chance to advise the BOA as part of a new athletes’ commission.

On Wednesday the BOA announced that it was forming a 12-member Athletes’ Commission composed of past and present Olympians. The formation of the commission follows IOC recommendations that were made during the 2009 IOC Congress in Copenhagen..

"The new commission will bring the lens of the athlete to our work every day," BOA chief executive Andy Hunt said. "The members will be asked to analyze, scrutinize and provide essential feedback and recommendations. The 2012 Olympic Games offer this country an unparalleled opportunity, so seeking more input from our athletes is absolutely the right innovation at the right time."

The new commission will serve an advisory role to the BOA. It will work with the existing British Athletes’ Commission (BAC) to advocate the view of athletes.

The BOA will be inviting nominations soon with elections expected in June. Retired athletes that are four years removed from competition will fill four seats while current Olympians (Summer and Winter) will fill eight seats.

Sponsors at SportAccord Convention

Key issues and market trends in sports sponsorship will be the topics at one session during the SportAccord in Dubai April 25-30.

Top executives from adidas, Swiss Timing, Audi and Emirates Airlines and the International Rugby Board’s chairman Bernard Lapasset will join a panel moderated by Michael R. Payne, an international sports consultant and former IOC Marketing and Broadcast Rights Director.

The panel takes place on April 28, the first full day of SportAccord.

"These industry leaders will be able to give top-level insights on how sponsors and sport can work together to achieve effective partnerships that last for many years," Anna Hellman, executive director of SportAccord Convention said.

The annual SportAccord Convention is being held for the first time in a Mideast city.

ITU and Laureus Launch in Sydney

International Triathlon Union signed Laureus Sport for Good Foundation as the official charity partner of the federation. The Laureus Foundation is the charitable arm of the Laureus World Sports Academy and works with dozens of noted athletes including Edwin Moses, Boris Becker, Dawn Fraser, Cathy Freeman and Steve Waugh.

The official launch of the partnership will take place April 9 in Sydney ahead of the start of the 2010 Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship Series on April 11th. The agreement is for the next two seasons.

Written by Ed Hula III,Isia Reavesand Sam Steinberg.

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