What's Next for Pistorius; Potential Showdown Over Kiss

Pistorius Trial Set

South African Paralympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius is free on bail until March 2014.

South African prosecutors formally charged Pistorius with the murder of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, on Monday. Trial proceedings begin March 3, 2013. The indictment sheet contains a full list of charges includes illegal possession of ammunition found when police investigated Pistorius’ home. He will face a life sentence if found guilty of murder.

The court will now hold Pistorius’s passport while he is in South Africa. He can only leave the country if he provides a detailed agenda of his travel plans at least a week before he is due to leave. The court will also require Pistorius to hand back his travel documents within 24 hours of returning home.

The ruling paves the way for the Paralympic champion, nicknamed Blade Runner for his prosthetic legs, to run in international competition again. Pistorius’s agent Peet Van Zyl previously reported to ABC News that he is confident he will run again one day.

Pistorius's family says the athlete still mourns for Steenkamp, but has restarted a light training schedule. His uncle, Arnold Pistorius, confirms that the athlete has no plans to compete in the near term. Pistorius moved in with his uncle shortly after the investigation began in February.

First Test for Russian ‘Gay Propaganda’ Ban

The Russian government faces its first test in enforcing its recent gay propaganda ban following a display at the IAAF Athletics World Championships in Moscow.

The Russian women's 4x400m relay team took gold on Saturday. Two team members, Kseniya Ryzhova and Tatyana Firova, exchanged a kiss while on the medal podium.

The media is buzzing today with questions regarding the purpose behind the kiss. Neither athlete has come forward with a statement. Social media drew comparisons between the kiss and United States Olympians Tommie Smith and John Carlos’ black power salute during the 1968 Summer Olympics.

While the motive behind the kiss remains unknown, the story draws attention to potential consequences for LGBT athletes at the upcoming Sochi Olympics. The government’s next move may shed light on how Russia will treat possible occurrences like this during the Winter Olympics.

Under the law, outlawed acts could see foreigners jailed or deported.

Indians Kicked Out of AYG

Indian athletes and shuttlers were kicked out of the Asian Youth Games in Nanjing over the weekend.

Reports say that 17 of the 27 selected athletes were sent home from Nanjing because they were over the 18-year-old age limit to compete. Additionally, four members of the badminton team were dismissed because Indian officials failed to submit the proper documents in time for the Games.

Due to the suspension of the Indian Olympic Association, Indian competitors are competing as "Independent Olympic Athletes."

In-House Broadcasting for Olympic Council of Asia

The Olympic Council of Asia and media rights company MP & Silva are bringing production of all Asian Games competitions and other OCA events in-house.

A new OCA Broadcasting Services company will be established in the mould of Olympic Broadcasting Services. The aim is to attain the highest standards of production technology for Asian multi-sporting event coverage and to give more visibility to other OCA competitions apart from the Asian Games.

MP & Silva has been appointed by the OCA to manage the entity, as well as supervising and executing all media production of the Asian multi-sporting competitions.

A production tender will be released later this week to identify the best production companies with the right set of technical expertise.

Andrea Radrizzani, group CEO of MP & Silva, said, "This is a historic moment for the Olympic Asian sports movement because the top quality of production that we will bring to the final TV product will make the Asian Games and other OCA events much more appealing to different audiences worldwide."

Atos wins ASOIF Contract

TOP Sponsor Atos will develop a "common data platform" for all Summer Olympic Sports.

The deal will help create the International Sports Information System, which will collate results and athlete’s biographic data in one integrated platform as developed by ASOIF, the umbrella body for Summer Olympic sports.

It is the first common data platform of its kind for International Federations.

"This project is very significant to the IFs as data becomes increasingly important," said Andrew Ryan Executive Director at ASOIF.

"Through ISIS we will simultaneously improve the quality and increase the quantity of data available from all 28 summer sports giving access on a single platform to business end users thus increasing potential exposure for all our members."

Written by Ed Hula III,Mark Bisson, Nicole Bennett , and Aaron Bauer.

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