Russian Summer Olympics Possible; Johnson Launches Anti-Doping Initiative

Rogge: Russian Summer Olympics Possible After ‘18

Russia will host the Winter Olympics and the World Cup over the next five years. The stakes could get even higher if those events go off without a hitch, according to IOC President Jacques Rogge.

A story from the Russia & India Report says Rogge indicated that the Summer Olympics could be a possibility once planning and construction for the 2018 World Cup are complete.

Bidding for the 2024 Summer Olympics begins in 2015 with the selection of the host city occurring in 2017. The host of the 2020 Games will be selected at the IOC Session in Buenos Aires in September. The finalists are Istanbul, Madrid, and Tokyo.

Ben Johnson Launches Anti-Doping Initiative

A quarter century after testing positive in Seoul, former sprinter Ben Johnson is helping launch a global anti-doping campaign in London, according to MSN UK.

Johnson is infamous for having tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs in Seoul after a record time in the 100m. Now, he will try to keep others from suffering the same fate.

The campaign is sponsored by sportswear company SKINS and is called "Choose the Right Track." The campaign will advocate for an athlete support council because, according to SKINS chairman Jaimie Fuller, "there remains a complete lack of trust between the athletes and administrators."

Johnson will be participating on a volunteer basis.

Ice Hockey Coach Puts Faith in Russian Security

US men’s ice hockey coach Dan Bylsma says security arrangements for the Sochi Olympics is "possibly the best setup ever".

"I really think the security around the Olympic Village and around the Olympic venues is going to be unlike anything we’ve ever seen," Bylsma was quoted by RIA Novosti at the unveiling of the US 2014 Olympic hockey jersey this week.

"Having seen the Olympic Village and the setup that’s there, I’m looking to seeing possibly the best setup ever for the Winter Olympic Games in terms of the village, in terms of the area the venues will be at."

Bylsma dismissed fears that terrorist groups from Russia’s volatile North Caucasus presented a major threat to the Games.

He claimed the venues and the Olympic Village in the Black Sea resort would be "centralized," making it easier for Russian security forces to ensure athletes’ and spectators’ safety.

The Bolshoi Ice Dome will host the men’s ice hockey final on Feb. 23.

Paralympic Torch Relay to Stoke Mandeville

The International Paralympic Committee announced that all Paralympic Torch Relays will begin in Stoke Mandeville, the birthplace of the Paralympic Games.

The announcement was made on the one-year anniversary of the London 2012 Paralympics.

"By always hosting a leg of the Paralympic Torch Relay ahead of each Games, we are ensuring that the role of Sir Ludwig Guttmann and Stoke Mandeville is never forgotten," said IPC President Sir Philip Craven.

Stoke Mandeville will host the only international leg of the Sochi 2014 Torch Relay, after which it will travel to Russia. While in Russia, the Paralympic Torch will be carried by 1,500 torchbearers as it visits 46 cities in all eight Russian federal districts.

"The opportunity to include Stoke Mandeville in the Paralympic Torch Relay program adds an incredibly exciting start to the Sochi 2014 Relay," said Sochi 2014 President and CEO Dmitry Chernyshenko.

"We can be proud that our Games will be the first one to take the torch from the very birthplace of the global Paralympic Movement."

Reported by Mark Bisson, Aaron Bauer, and Nick Devlin

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