World Briefs -- Blatter Affirms Support for South Africa, Swimsuit Top Research Project

Blatter Restates Commitment to South Africa for 2010 World Cup

FIFA President Sepp Blatter reaffirmed the soccer federation’s commitment to holding the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. He spoke at a press briefing in Tokyo where the FIFA Club Championship is taking place.

Earlier in the year Blatter allowed that there were contingency plans in case South Africa would not be ready. There had been concerns that the 10 stadiums to be used in the tournament would not be finished on schedule as well as fears about crime in South Africa.

But in Tokyo Monday, Blatter said that FIFA is confident that South Africa will be able to complete the construction of its facilities on time.

"I am very happy that I can say the 2010 FIFA World Cup will finally be on African soil in multi-cultural South Africa," Blatter said. "If there are still people who doubt it, I say: the 2010 FIFA World Cup will be in South Africa."

FIFA awarded the 2010 World Cup to South Africa in 2004, the first time for the event in Africa.

Swimsuit Top NASA Research Project

NASA says the Speedo LZR Racer swimsuit was one of the agency's top research projects for 2008. The LZR, an ultra high-tech swimsuit, was worn by Michael Phelps and other top swimmers in Beijing, and was largely credited for the extraordinarily high number of world record set at the Olympics.

Aerospace engineer Steve Wilkinson at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va., played a role in developing the swimsuit by testing dozens of fabrics in Langley's 7-by-11-inch low speed wind tunnel.

Langley was approached by a Speedo representative to test fabric samples because the NASA center has researched drag reduction for aircraft and boats for decades. Just as reducing drag helps planes fly more efficiently, reducing drag helps swimmers go faster.

NASA named its top science, exploration and discovery stories of 2008 on Monday, and wants people to vote on which one they think is the biggest story of 2008. To vote, click here.

Hoy Named BBC Sports Personality of the Year

Cyclist Chris Hoy, who won three gold medals at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, was named 2008 BBC Sports Personality of the Year at an awards ceremony in Liverpool on Sunday.

Hoy, 32, garnered 283,860 votes cast by the public, beating out Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton (163,864) and swimmer Rebecca Adlington, who won two gold medals in Beijing (145,924).

"To win this award this year is so special as British sport has enjoyed such a hugely successful year. It’s been incredible," Hoy said.

Hoy, a native of Edinburgh, Scotland, won gold medals in the team sprint with Jamie Staff and Jason Kenny as well as the keirin and the individual sprint at the Beijing Olympics, becoming the first British athlete to win three golds at a single Games since 1908.

He also won two titles at the 2008 World Cycling Championships in Manchester, England.

Jamaican Olympic triple gold medal sprinter Usain Bolt added another honor to his collection as the winner of the Overseas Personality award.

The British cycling team was the winner of the Team award, while its coach, David Brailsford, won the Coach of the Year honor.

Other award winners were Paralympic double gold medalist Eleanor Simmonds (Young Sports Personality of the Year), British soccer legend Sir Bobby Charlton (Lifetime Achievement Award), BBC Radio rugby commentator Alastair Hignall (Helen Rollanson Award) and amateur boxing coach Ben Geyser (Unsung Hero Award).

Glasgow 2014 Chiefs Learn Legacy Lessons from Barcelona Olympics

Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond says the 1992 Barcelona Olympics will be used as a "template for success" in ensuring a lasting legacy from the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games.

"There's probably no better place on earth to look to for inspiration than Barcelona, where the 1992 Olympics transformed the city into the vibrant and successful place it is today," Salmond was quoted by British media Monday.

"We should use Barcelona as a template for success as we drive forward our 2014 legacy planning which will engage and galvanize people and communities across all of Scotland."

Salmond's comments came on a fact-finding mission to Barcelona where he heard of the post-Olympic benefits for the Spanish city.

The Barcelona Olympics were widely acclaimed for aiding the city's regeneration, delivering significant economic and cultural benefits for the Catalan capital. The Olympics led to a huge boost in tourism; it reportedly accounted for less than two per cent of the city's pre-1992 Olympics GDP, but is now worth around 15 per cent.

"The Glasgow Games have the potential to inspire long-term change in Scotland by developing new skills, improving people's health and reaping the full benefit of such a major event," Salmond added.

Glasgow 2014 organizers have formed an alliance with the Catalan government to learn more about Barcelona's Olympic legacies; a Spanish representative is to work with 2014 officials in Scotland to help develop legacy plans for the Commonwealth Games.

The 2014 Games will be the biggest multi-sports event Scotland has ever hosted, bringing over 6,000 athletes and officials from 71 countries to the city to compete in 17 sports over 11 days.

ISU Holds World Cup Event in Nagano

The International Skating Union (ISU) continued its Essent ISU World Cup Speed Skating series last weekend as it held the latest installment at the speed skating venue of the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan.

A total of ten events -- five men's and women's each -- were contested at the Nagano Olympic Memorial Arena, better known as the M-Wave, where the 1998 Olympic speed skating competition took place.

The Nagano meet was the fifth of nine events on the World Cup circuit and the last one to be held in 2008. The next competition will take place in Kolomna, Russia Jan. 24-25, 2009.

The 2008-09 Essent ISU World Cup Speed Skating circuit began in Berlin, Germany in early November and concludes with the final in Salt Lake City, Utah March 6-8.

Bolt Wants 400m Record

Usain Bolt, the world record holder in the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m said he wants to add the 400m record to his name.

"Everyone wants to do it. There are no major championships in 2010 so I could go for the 400m record that year," Bolt told BBC's Inside Sport.

"The training for 400m is so much harder but I'm thinking about it," he said.

Written by Greg Oshust, and Ed Hula III.