Baseball Bid Calls for MLB Aid; IPC Taps RIA Novosti for Sochi; More Curling for Canada

Baseball Calls for MLB to Aid Olympic Bid

International Baseball Federation President Riccardo Fraccari says he remains hopeful Major League Baseball will step up to the plate to commit its players to the Olympics.

The joint bid of baseball and softball to rejoin the Olympic program appears to hinge on guarantees from MLB to deliver its stars. Fraccari told The Associated Press on Wednesday that he hopes they would be made available for at least the semifinals and finals of the proposed Olympic tournament.

The merged federations are competing against the sports of karate, roller sports, sport climbing, squash, wakeboarding and wushu for one spot on the 2020 Olympic program. Wrestling is also in the mix, after the IOC Executive Board in February recommended it be dropped from the list of core sports.

Fraccari said baseball/softball were "still negotiating" with MLB chiefs ahead of the EB meeting next month at SportAccord at which the IOC’s ruling body will choose one or more sports to submit for a vote at the Session in September in Buenos Aires.

"We need the utmost support from MLB to get past May," Fraccari said. "If we make it past this step there are a lot more cards to play. There are a lot of IOC members from Latin America who support baseball. The executive committee is one thing, the congress is another."

Fraccari’s idea to suspend the MLB All-Star Game every four years to make way for the Olympics has not so far been welcomed by league chiefs.

Baseball and softball have been out of the Olympics since 2008 following a decision in 2005 to remove them from the Games program.

Fraccari noted that wrestling’s quest to seek reinstatement had made baseball’s joint effort with softball a tougher challenge.

"It's much, much more complicated now," Fraccari was quoted by AP.

IPC Taps RIA Novosti for Sochi

RIA Novosti will serve as the official host national news agency for the Sochi 2014 Paralympics, the International Paralympic Committee confirmed Thursday.

"The co-operation with RIA Novosti will help us at the IPC to build the excitement about the Paralympic Games from now on and increase the awareness of the Paralympic athletes and the Paralympic Movement in Russia," Craig Spence, IPC Communications & Media Director, said in a statement.

"This is key for a successful staging of the Games next year."

RIA Novosti is also the IOC’s official host nation news agency and photo pool for the 2014 Olympics.

As part of its deal with the IPC, the agency will receive all press category accreditations for events directly from the IPC and enjoy priority access to all competition venues, including reserved positions in mixed zones for the press and photojournalists.

"Covering Paralympic events has always been a priority for RIA Novosti, and the IPC’s decision is a great honor for us," said Maxim Filimonov, head of RIA Novosti’s Olympic team.

"The agency plans to use over 50 journalists and photojournalists, who will focus mainly on the Russian athletes."

More Curling for Canada

Canada will host another four curling world championships over the next five years.

Wednesday’s deal between the World Curling Federation and Canadian Curling Association includes the men’s edition in 2015 and 2017 as well as the women’s in 2016 and 2018.

The partnership allows the tournament sites to be determined by the CCA in consultation with the WCF and gives the CCA the presenting sponsor position for all world events held outside Canada.

TSN/RDS, the CCA’s official broadcast partner, will also retain exclusive broadcast rights in Canada for the world championships, regardless of where they’re played.

"The WCF is delighted to extend our agreement with the Canadian Curling Association," WCF President Kate Caithness said in a statement.

"This will ensure that alternating world championships will continue to be held in Canada and will be a joint operation between the WCF and CCA. Our partnership to date has been extremely constructive and beneficial to the development of our sport and we look forward to building on this success over the coming years."

CCA and the WCF’s previous agreement made Canada the host country for the ongoing men’s world championships in Victoria as well as the women’s world championships in both 2012 and 2014.

VERO Takes Up Fight for Peace

Fight for Peace is the latest client of sports marketing and communications agency VERO.

The charity combines martial arts, education and personal development to effect change among young people in communities suffering from crime and violence.

"VERO Communications with their Brazil office alongside the Approach team possess the ideal mix of credentials to support Fight for Peace on a national and global scale," said Luke Dowdney, Founder of Fight for Peace.

"Since we started the project in 2000, we have always been ambitious in our plans to build our work to help young people living in the most difficult circumstances and we are delighted that we now have the right agencies in place to help us raise our international profile, secure new sponsors and strengthen our stakeholder and political connections."

VERO Chairman Mike Lee added: "Fight for Peace has a great story to tell, and we look forward to working with Luke and his team to support their work and the opportunities ahead with the world's two biggest sporting events heading to Brazil."

Written by Mark Bisson and Matthew Grayson

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