On-The-Scene: Madrid in Moscow, Fencing Backs Tokyo

Madrid 2020 in Moscow

Members of the Madrid 2020 team will travel with the Spanish Athletic Team to Moscow for the IAAF World Championship.

President Alejandro Blanco, International CEO Theresa Zabell, and General-Director of Sport Raul Chapado, will be travelling to Moscow on behalf of Madrid 2020.

The team is heading to the IAAF World Championships "full of excitement."

"It [will be] a great opportunity to see and talk with the IOC members [while] we enjoy watching the best athletes," said Theresa Zabell.

"Athletics is the heart and soul of the Olympic and Paralympic Games and I can’t imagine a more appropriate environment to transmit our excellent Madrid 2020 project."

Radcliffe Likes Tokyo 2020 By Default

With the announcement Monday that Turkey has suspended 31 athletes for doping violations, English long distance runner Paula Radcliffe says she is not a fan of that country’s bid for the 2020 Olympics.

"No, I don’t think I would be voting for Turkey," she says, "And I’m not sure Madrid, either. In my opinion, they should be cleaning up house before being awarded the Olympic Games, because I think it’s a huge honor to stage the Olympic Games."

Radcliffe hastened to add that she doesn’t have a vote, but she believes the Turkish violations go as far as abuse.

"Some of those athletes are 16, 17 years old," she said. "This is not something taken by accident. This is steroids. There should be sanctions imposed on that country and something done protecting athletes in that country."

Fencing Team supports Tokyo 2020

After competing at the 2013 World Fencing Championships in Budapest, Hungry, the Japanese fencing team took time out to support Tokyo’s bid for the 2020 Olympics.

All 26 members of the team showed their support, including London 2012 men’s team foil silver medallists Suguru Awaji, Ryo Miyake and Kenta Chida.

"The 2013 World Fencing Championships are proving to be a highly memorable event featuring strong performances by the world’s best fencers," said Tokyo 2020 CEO Masato Mizuno.

"The silver medal won by Japan in men’s team foil at the London 2012 Games is still fresh in our memories. I am thrilled to see Japan once again contend for medals on the world stage."

Diack Says Don't Punish Istanbul

The suspension this week of 31 Turkish track and field athletes for doping violations should not count against the 2020 Istanbul Olympic bid, said IAAF President Lamine Diack.

"This would not be a sufficient reason to judge Istanbul," Diack said at the close of the 49th IAAF Congress in Moscow.

"I think Turkey is now cleaning up and they are starting to control people, to test people and they see that a lot of doping takes place," he said. "They’re going to apply a system, have tests, allow them to educate (athletes)."

Diack compared the situation to the doping issues the United States had in the 1990s.

"Every month there was a problem until the U.S. said, ‘We are going to create USADA, and since then we have no problem at all with the U.S.," Diack said. "They take care of their problems, they educate, they impose penalties sand everybody has to do his work. Jamaica has done it and Turkey is doing it."

Written by Mark Bisson, Aaron Bauer, and Karen Rosen in Moscow

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