U.S. Names Men's Football Squad; Saudi Arabia to Send Women to London?

Saudi Arabia to Send Women to London?

Saudi Arabia appears to be on track to send women to the London Olympics.

London-based Saudi-owned Al-Hayat newspaper reports that Saudi Crown Prince Nayef approved plans to have its female athletes compete at the Games for the first time.

He was quoted as saying sport participation "meets the standards of women's decency and doesn't contradict Islamic laws."

Attempts to reach the Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee for comment were unsuccessful.

U.S. Names Men’s Football Squad

The U.S. has its official 20-player roster for the men’s football Olympic qualifying tournament.

Head coach Caleb Porter announced Tuesday that midfielder Freddy Adu will captain the under-23 squad. Defender Perry Kitchen is the vice-captain.

The team also includes Brek Shea, Jared Jeffrey, Sheanon Williams and Juan Agudelo.

"We feel very confident about the team we have put together to help us achieve our goal of qualifying for the Olympic Games," said Porter.

The U.S. will take on Cuba on March 22 and will face Canada on March 24.

Glasgow Looks Good, Says Spending Watching

The Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games are on track and on budget, according to an independent public spending watchdog.

Audit Scotland says in its aptly titled "Glasgow 2014 Progress Report 2" that planning is on time, infrastructure projects are on schedule and stakeholders are striving to stage a cost-effective Commonwealth Games.

"Together with our partners Scottish Government, Glasgow City Council and Commonwealth Games Scotland, we are committed to delivering the Games to the required standard within the $830 million budget," said an organizing committee spokesperson.

"In challenging economic times, it is essential we make every effort to ensure best value in delivering a dynamic and exciting Games experience for athletes, spectators and for Scotland."

Both the progress report and Wednesday’s release from Glasgow 2014 also noted that 70 percent of necessary infrastructure is already in place, lowering the risk inherent in these Games.

Legacy for Hockey Venue, Men’s Olympic Groups Set

Lee Valley Hockey Centre, legacy venue for the 2012 Olympic hockey tournament,will stage the 2015 European Championships.

The England Hockey Board made the announcement Wednesday.

"It was William Shakespeare who said that ‘no legacy is so rich as honesty,’" European Hockey Federation president Marijke Fleure said.

"The England Hockey Board has been honest in its promise of a legacy to hockey, not only today with this announcement, but also when they hosted the EuroHockey Championships in 2007 in Manchester at hockey’s legacy venue from the 2002 Commonwealth Games. We in the EHF are delighted to be going back once again to another wonderful hockey legacy venue, this time the Lee Valley Hockey Centre."

Also this week, South Korea qualified for the men's Olympic tournament at London 2012. The final spot in the 12-team field will be determined May 6 following the Road to London Tournament in Japan. The winner there will join Australia, Great Britain, Spain, Pakistan and Argentina in Group A at the Games with Germany, Netherlands, Korea, New Zealand, India and Belgium in Group B.

Antigua and Barbuda Form National Paralympic Committee

Antigua and Barbuda has the latest National Paralympic Committee.

On March 15, the Caribbean country unveiled the organization, which has been formally recognized by the International Paralympic Committee.

Special attention at the ceremony was paid to Jamol Pilgrim, Antigua and Barbuda’s only Paralympian.

Cricket legend Vivian Richards was named patron of the organization.

Qatar Schools Olympic Program

Competition in the Qatar Olympic Committee Schools Olympic Program heads to the knockout stage.

More than 19,000 students are taking part in the program, which features competition in nine Olympic sports: athletics, volleyball, basketball, handball, table tennis, fencing, gymnastics, swimming and football.

Finals are scheduled for April 6.

"Sport lies at the heart of Qatar’s national vision and the Schools Olympic Program is one of the exciting and engaging initiatives that we offer young people," QOC general secretary Sheikh Saoud bin Abdelrahman Al-Thani said.

Written by Ann Cantrell .

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