Thanou, Kenteris Perjury Charges Dropped; IOC Member in Sochi

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Kenteris, Thanou Cleared of Perjury

A seven-year Greek drama has come to an end with an Athens court clearing Katerina Thanou and Kostas Kenteris of perjury charges.

The two were alleged to have faked a motorcycle crash ahead of doping tests at the 2004 Olympics. After missing the test, they were barred from the Olympic Village.

According to an Associated Press report, prosecutors recommended the sprinters be cleared of the allegations on grounds of reasonable doubt. A three-judge panel unanimously agreed.

In May, the pair were found guilty of perjury and given a 31-month jail sentence.

Christos Tzekos, the pair’s coach, was also cleared of perjury charges.

"We demonstrated in court that there was no evidence to support that the accident was staged," Michalis Dimitrakopoulos, Kenteris' lawyer, told AP. "I am proud as a Greek, because the decision demonstrates that the (athletes) were totally clean."

Both were top medal contenders at the Athens Olympics, having won medals four years earlier.

IOC Member Visits Sochi

Prince Frederick, IOC member from Denmark, paid a visit to Sochi on Tuesday and inspected the work currently underway.

Dmitry Chernyshenko, president of Sochi 2014, said in a statement: "I’m grateful to HRH Crown Prince Frederick for taking the time to visit the Organizing Committee and to further familiarize himself with the Sochi 2014 Games project, particularly our Sustainable Development Program and the Sochi Games Legacy that we are already delivering today."

The Prince was in Russia as part of the state visit from Margarethe, Queen of Denmark.

"Preparing to host a Winter Games is a challenging task that demands the utmost dedication and togetherness from all parties involved," said Prince Frederick. "I am impressed with the Organizing Committee's achievements, under the leadership of Dmitry Chernyshenko."

3D Images for London Olympics

Getty Images will shoot the London Olympics in 3D for the first time.

The official photographic agency for the IOC announced Tuesday it will deploy "a handful" of 3D-dedicated photographers at the Games.

"Getty Images photographers will capture the very heart and soul of every emotion and action, enabling us to supply customers with the widest possible range of images to meet their needs - and thefact that we now have an additional 3D stills offering is testament to our mission to offer innovative, ground breaking content," said Jonathan Klein, CEO of Getty.

This technology was first used by Getty at the royal wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton in April.

The London Olympics will be Getty’s 13th consecutive event as the IOC’s photographic agency.

At the Games, Getty will have a team of about 60 photographers to capture a record 30,000 images.

Economic Impact of Rugby World Cup

MasterCard will analyze the economic impact of the 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand.

This study is the fourth in a series commissioned by MasterCard and conducted by the Centre for International Business of Sport. Details of the study will be unveiled Sept. 13, when CIBS will hold a briefingabout the work.

In a statement, RWC 2011 said the report, "Global Rugby Part IV: Rugby World Cup 2011", analyzes the economic impact of spending by international fans and partners’ marketing expenditures.

It also looks into the long-term economic impact on New Zealand and the legacy of the event.

Dave Arthur, CIBS researcher and senior lecturer at Southern Cross University, will present the results in Auckland. The briefing will be followed by a panel discussion featuring Arthur, Mike Miller, CEO of the International Rugby Board; Martin Snedden, CEO of Rugby New Zealand 2011 and Stuart Cameron, vice president of regional marketing of Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa for MasterCard.

Media Watch

General Electric’s CEO Jeffrey Immelt has been at the helm for 10 years now. The Wall Street Journal examines his decade-long tenure.

Bloomberg News Agency interviews Immelt. When asked for his assessment as CEO, he said: "Through all the volatility, we still focused on some big things and, I think, got them right."

Time magazine reports on the work done in one of Rio de Janeiro’s favelas to clean it up before the 2016 Olympics.

Written by Ed Hula III and Ann Cantrell.