Sochi Bids for Skating Champs; FIFA Visiting Unfinished Stadiums

Sochi Bids for Skating Champs

Sochi has bid to host the 2017 World Figure Skating Championships.

The 12,000-seat Iceberg Skating Palace would host the event. The Iceberg arena hosted the men’s and women’s figure skating during the 2014 Winter Olympics.

"We've submitted a bid to the International Skating Union that we want to receive the 2017 world championships in Sochi," Alexander Gorshkov, the president of the Russian Figure Skating Federation, said in a statement.

Russia hosted the 2011 World Figure Skating Championships after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami caused the event to be moved from Nagano, Japan.

"Everything was in accordance with the procedure; now we await the response from the ISU."

Valcke to Visit Unfinished Stadiums

Jerome Valcke will visit Brazil this week to visit the three stadiums that remain unfinished ahead of the 2014 World Cup.

Stadia in Sao Paolo, Curitiba, and Cuiaba remain under construction, despite the landmark soccer tournament beginning in less than two months.

Sao Paolo’s Itaquera Stadium is planned to host the first match of the World Cup. Work has been delayed in the stadium after a crane crash killed two workers last November. 20,000 temporary seats are needed for the opening match, which has caused the delays.

Valcke will visit Arena da Baixada in Curitiba after visiting Sao Paolo. Both stadiums are expected to be completed in mid-May.

After Curitiba, Valcke will travel to Cuiaba, where the stadium is expected to be completed this month.

Valcke will then meet with the World Cup Organizing Committee in Rio de Janeiro to discuss the progress of all host cities for the World Cup. Valcke will return to Brazil one last time in May, where he will stay through the World Cup.

IGF Head Leaving St. Andrews

International Golf Federation president Peter Dawson will retire as chief executive of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews next year.

Dawson is to step down in September 2015 after 16 years leading the body which organizes The Open Championship and governs the sport worldwide in conjunction with the United States Golf Association, a statement Tuesday said.

Influential in securing golf's return to the Olympics at Rio 2016, there is no change to his leadership of the IGF. With the blessing of the IGF board, he will be re-elected in December to serve a two-year term through the Rio Games.

With Rio 2016 well behind schedule in construction of its golf course, Dawson will be spending more time in the coming months working with Games organizers to ensure a successful Olympics for his sport.

Written by Aaron Bauer and Mark Bisson

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