Olympic Organizer for President; 100 Days to RWC; South Africa Bid

Olympic Chief Announces Presidential Run

Former president of the Salt Lake Olympic Committee Mitt Romney wants to serve as president again, this time of the United States.

On Thursday, Romney, who served as governor of Massachusetts following his Olympic career, formally declared he is running for president in 2012.

The Olympics were a key theme in his announcement speech. He mentioned his experience running the 2002 Olympics, which he "put back on track" following a number of scandals.

"Turning around a crisis takes experience" he said, an allusion to the current economy and the 2002 Games.

He added that, if he were to become U.S. president, he would run the country like he ran the Olympics — not being afraid to "ask the tough questions".

Romney is considered by many to be a frontrunner for the Republican nomination in this early stage of the campaign. The general election is November 6. However, Romney must first win the Republican primary, and the first vote in that race is in February.

Barack Obama is the incumbent and is unlikely to face serious opposition in the Democratic primary.

Romney had an unsuccessful campaign for president in 2008.

Rugby Marks 100 Days Until World Cup

International Rugby Board chairman Bernard Lapasset tells Around the Rings organizers in New Zealand are right on track with 100 days to go until the Rugby World Cup.

"In Christchurch after the earthquakes, it was a very difficult situation and we had to move the matches," he told ATR.

"Unfortunately, we can’t play in Christchurch, but the World Cup will be fantastic because this is not just Rugby World Cup for the New Zealand people. It will be the Rugby World Cup for all countries."

According to Lapasset, TV coverage has the potential to reach four billion viewers worldwide, and organizers are expecting upwards of 85,000 traveling fans from more than 100 countries.

The two-month tournament kicks off Sept. 9 and will be the largest international event ever staged in New Zealand.

South Africa for Commonwealth Games

South Africa's national Olympic committee wants to launch a bid for the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Gideon Sam, president of the South African Olympic Committee, SASCOC, made the announcement Thursday.

Originally intending to bid for the Olympics, South Africa’s government passed on a 2020 bid. However, Sam said he is not concerned about that.

"The scale of the Commonwealth Games is a lot smaller than the Olympics" Sam was quoted by Reuters. "We will have to have buy-in from a host city and from government, because of security issues, but we are not talking about the expense of an Olympics.

"In the past we stood back for Nigeria but they lost out to Glasgow [for the 2014 Games]. This time we have said there will be no horse-trading. We will put up our hand and see how we go."

Trinidad & Tobago and Wales have both expressed interest in bidding for the 2022 Games.

Shaq Retires

Olympic gold medalist in basketball Shaquille O’Neal is hanging up his giant-sizedjersey.

The 39-year-old center announced his retirement Wednesday after playing only limited minutes for the Boston Celtics this season due to an Achilles injury.

"We did it. Nineteen years baby," he says in a brief but smile-filled video."I want to thank you very much, that's why I'm telling you first, I'm about to retire. Love you, talk to you soon."

O’Neal was part of the Dream Team III that won gold at the Atlanta 1996 Olympics. He was also voted MVP of the 1994 FIBA world championship, won by Team USA.

After 1996, he gave up international competition, once saying "two gold medals were enough".

Olympic Equestrian Champion, 92

Five-time Olympian Henri Chammartin is being remembered as a "legend in the dressage world," according to a statement from the International Equestrian Federation.

Chammartin competed for Switzerlandin five straight Summer Games from 1952 to 1968, always in the dressage discipline.He won individual gold in 1964, team silver in 1952 and 1964, and team bronze in 1956 and 1968.

Chammartin died Monday at age 92.

Munir Ahmad Dar, Hockey Champion, 76

Munir Ahmad Dar, an icon in Pakistani Olympic history, died Wednesday at age 76.

He was a member of Pakistan’s first Olympic team at the 1956 Summer Games in Melbourne. He won his first gold in 1960 and silvers at the Melbourne and Tokyo Games.

Reports say he had suffered from lung cancer.

"Dar was a genius, intellectual and mastermind of hockey, who always guided PHF with his valuable suggestions," the Pakistan Hockey Federation said in a statement.

"When I played with him in the 1960 Olympics, I saw the opponents panic," said Shahnaz Sheikh. "His covering was something to learn from. It was extremely difficult to dodge him."

Media Watch

Cristovam Buarque, a senator in Brazil, pens an editorial saying the federal government is too concerned about the World Cup and Olympics at the cost of many of Brazil’s marginalized people.

The Associated Press reports on Brazil’s latest target in its effort to clean up for the Olympics: prostitution in Rio de Janeiro.

American Public Media’s "Marketplace" ran a story on Asian organized crime rings fixing European club football matches.

Writing for Reuters, Karolos Grohmann discusses whether FIFA will follow the IOC’s path to reform.

Written by Ed Hula III and Matthew Grayson.