Winter Games for Annecy; PM Invited to London; Rugby World Cup Sales

Early Use for Annecy Bid Venues

Annecy will host at least one Winter Games in the coming years.

The International Military Sports Council awarded the Olympic bid city its second Winter Military World Games during a Wednesday meeting in Seoul.

Member of the armed forces of 133 countries will be eligible to compete from March 24 to 30 of 2013 in six sports: alpine skiing, biathlon, cross-country skiing, ski orienteering, indoor climbing and short track speed skating. Events will be staged at venues included in 2018 bid plans.

"Once again, this testifies to our country’s ability to host major international competitions and be a global platform for winter sports," Annecy 2018 president Charles Beigbeder said in a statement.

"Our magnificent playing field will be ready to provide all these athletes with an opportunity to excel in 2013 and, we hope, in 2018 with authentic Games, in the heart of the mountains, with the athletes and for the future!"

France finished second in the medal tally at the inaugural WMWG, held in March in Aosta Valley, Italy.

Australian PM Invited to London

LOCOG president Sebastian Coe personally invited Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard to next year’s Olympics.

The invite came as Coe was meeting with the PM in the Australian capital of Canberra.

Coe along with Australian Olympic Committee President John Coates, Greg Hartung, Australian Paralympic Committee President and Federal Sports Minister, Senator Mark Arbib, met with Gillard who complimented London on their preparations for the 2012 Games.

London’s opening ceremony is scheduled for July 27.

More than fifty heads of state attendedthe Beijing Opening Ceremony.

Rugby Ticket Sales On Track

Organizers of the Rugby World Cup say ticket sales remain strong despite the February earthquake that forced the relocation of matches from Christchurch.

"Pre-Christchurch, ticket sales were exactly where we expected them to be. The transfer of matches so close to kick-off is unprecedented for any major event and has created significant additional challenges, but we remain confident that we should be able to recoup the bulk of the refunded sales within the next two months or so," Rugby New Zealand2011CEO Martin Snedden said Thursday in a statement.

"In addition, RNZ 2011 has the appropriate insurance arrangements in place for this type of incident."

Organizers also unveiled the ticket design for the October showcase and announced that a Wellington family received theirs Thursday. The rest will be delivered over the next three weeks, with the final phase of sales kicking off July 4.

Croatia Selects Hotel

The Croatian Olympic Committee will bunk up in London’s posh Pelham Hotel for the 2012 Olympics.

Proprietors of the establishment reportedly have the newly-crowned Kate Middleton to thank for the booking.

"Kate Middleton was considering our hotel with her family, before the Royal Wedding and before she decided on Goring" Luca Perletti, the hotel’s general manager told Croatian media. "She was seriously interested in our hotel, but the lower price offered by Goring was the decisive moment."

Perletti said the committee booked the entire hotel.

Written by Ed Hula III and Matthew Grayson.