World Briefs -- Vancouver Publishes Games Schedule, Public Interest in Summer Olympics Declines

Ski Jump Start

The 2010 Winter Olympics begin at 10 a.m. Pacific Standard Time on Feb. 12, 2010 with ski The first 2010 medals will be won on the normal hill; both are already in operation. (ATR/B.Mackin)jumping qualifying on the normal hill in Whistler Olympic Park. The three-hour opening ceremony at B.C. Place Stadium is eight hours later at 6 p.m., according to the Vancouver 2010 schedule released late Aug. 1 in Vancouver.

The International Olympic Committee Executive Board approved the hour-by-hour schedule when it met in Beijing.

Vancouver 2010 CEO John Furlong made his presentation via teleconference.

The first medals will be won on the men's normal hill during a 9:45 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. session on Feb. 13. Men's 5,000m speedskating at the Richmond Oval will be the first indoor medal event.

Men's hockey preliminaries Feb. 16-21 include three games a day at General Motors Place with noon, 4:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. face-offs.

Victory ceremonies are nightly at 6 p.m. in B.C. Place Stadium and at Whistler Olympic Plaza.

The final day features just two medal events: men's 50 km cross country skiing (9:30 a.m.) and men's hockey final (12:15 p.m.). The closing ceremony begins at 5:30 p.m.

The hourly Paralympic schedule, however, does not show times for the March 12 B.C. Place opening or March 21 Whistler Village closing ceremony.

Tickets are on-sale Oct. 3 through VANOC ticketing contractor Tickets.com.

Furlong also discussed accreditation, workforce uniform designs and the Vancouver 2010 rate card in a teleconference. The meeting was held a day earlier than was previously announced.

Torch Furor to Blame in Part for Decline

Public interest in the Summer Games in Europe, Russia and Japan is waning, according to a new study by German market analysts Sport + Markt. The dip in Olympic enthusiasm may be temporary. (Getty Images)

Interest is lowest in the next Olympic host country; only 36 percent of U.K. residents call themselves "interested" or "very interested" in the 2008 Games, compared to 52 percent of people interested in the Athens Games during a summer 2004 poll.

Spain registered the sharpest drop among the markets surveyed, from 59 to 40 percent. Germany, France and Japan all lost more than ten percentage points of interest in the summer Olympics, according to the Sponsoring 21+ survey.

"The events in Tibet this spring as well as protests regarding the torch relay was a worldwide negative campaign for the Olympics in Beijing," opines Hartmut Zastrow, Sport + Markt executive director. But the apathy in both France and the U.K. is thought to be in part a rejection of the Beijing Games, not the Olympics altogether.

Italy, China, Russia and the U.S. registered only a negligible decline in interest – between two and six points between 2004 and 2008.

Sponsor awareness is on the rise in both the U.K. and France, the survey reveals. Coke and McDonald's lead in both markets, but in France Samsung, Panasonic and Kodak are not far behind, with figures of 56 to 58 percent awareness. Across the board, U.K. figures are lower than France's, but have grown since 2004.

"The negative headlines that have appeared non-stop lately have caused unforeseen publicity for the major IOC sponsors. It remains to be seen if that kind of publicity is desirable," says Zastrow.

The suveys draw on responses from "representative" residents of each market. Number-one ranked Andrea Baldini finished last season in the number one spot as well. (Getty Images)

Fencer Tests Positive

The world's number one ranked man in individual foil, Italian Andrea Baldini, has tested positive for a banned substance.

The positive came at European Championships in Kiev last month. Baldini denies any wrongdoing, but he has been removed from the Italian team.

The 22-year-old had furosemide, a diuretic used as a masking agent, in his system. Baldini's B-sample still has to be analyzed.

News of the fencer's failed test comes only days after seven Russian athletes, five of them qualified for Beijing, were charged with false substitution of urine.

IMG and CCTV Tie up

Sports marketing firm IMG and China Central TV plan a deal that promises to modernize professional sports marketing in China.

IMG will develop new sports events in China, while CCTV will broadcast them, with the profit to come from selling sponsorships. But financial details have not been disclosed.

"The post-Olympic era is coming, and we are looking forward to a more market-oriented sports industry," says Jiang Heping, chairman of the new venture, CCTV-IMG Sports Management Co.

CAS Tribunal Opens

The ad hoc Beijing Court of Arbitration for Sport Tribunal, presided over by Dr. Robert Briner of Switzerland, opened July 31 and is already deciding cases.

The tribunal upheld Christel Simms petition to swim for the Philippines in Beijing because FINA has allowed the dual nationality swimmer to compete for the Philippines since February.

Games-time cases at the ad hoc tribunal are generally decided in 24 hours. The CAS began operating Games-time tribunals in 1996 to settle Olympic disputes in the host city.

The Beijing branch is in the Hotel Park Plaza Wangfujing, 97 Jinbao Street, Dongcheng District.

Briefs…

The International Triathlon Union dropped the Chiapas BG World Cup from the ITU schedule. The

Mexican Triathlon Federation and Asdesporte had everything in order to run the October 12 event, but financial issues derailed its progress. "It's incredibly unfortunate for us to make this announcement. Because of the inability of the state and city to meet agreed financial requirements, we're left with no option. We sincerely regret the inconvenience this cancellation causes for our athletes, coaches and federations," said Sheila O'Kelly, Director of the BG Triathlon World Cup series.

The 2009 World Baseball Classic semifinals and finals will be played at the Los Angeles Dodgers Stadium on March 21 to 23. "I can't tell you how excited we are, and honored. It seems only fitting that we open the gates of Dodger Stadium to fans from all over the world," Dodgers owner Frank McCourt told AP.

Back Softball is holding a photography contest with a $1000 cash prize. The winning photos will be used for the next year in Back Softball's campaign to get the sport on the 2016 Olympic program. "The ISF is looking for photos that tell the story of the smiles, tears, joy, anger, wholesomeness, fair play, universality, and competitive rivalry that are all part of the essence of softball," the International Softball Federation said in a press release.

Two companies send Team Costa Rica some comforts for the Games. Cromogenia will provide 150 packets of dehydrated gallo pinto, a mixture of beans, rice and spices known as the country's national dish. The Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad -- a telecoms group -- will pay for phone calls home from China. Both deals were announced this week.

Mate Parlov, 59, Croatian boxer, died of lung cancer on July 29. He won the light heavyweight gold medal at the 1972 Games in Munich.

Written by Eric Connelly and Maggie Lee

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