Athletes' Commission Update; Sochi 2014 Ticket Prices; Aussie Youth Olympic Festival

Athletes' Commission Case Hits CAS

The Chinese Taipei athlete at the center of the disputed IOC Athletes’ Commission election presented his case at the Court of Arbitration for Sport on Monday.

A CAS spokeswoman told Around the Rings that taekwondo fighter Mu Yen Chu had appeared before the arbitration panel. The hearing began at 8:30 a.m. CET and was still going on at 4:45 p.m.

Of the 21 candidates vying for four places on the commission, Mu and Japanese hammer thrower Koji Murofushi had garnered enough votes in the Aug. 11 election to become IOC members. But the IOC cited both for violating rules of conduct for the election, then withdrew their candidacies.

Mu has strongly denied the accusation he used his iPad to promote his candidacy.

The NOCs of Chinese Taipei and Japan confirmed appeals to the CAS last September. Written submissions were requested by the CAS before hearings were scheduled.

On the penultimate day of the London Olympics, Danka Bartekova, Kirsty Coventry, Tony Estanguet and James Tomkins were declared the winners of the Athletes’ Commission election. But the IOC Session meeting in London did not accept the controversial results.

According to the IOC, the outcome of the election will be resolved via postal vote among its members once the CAS appeals are resolved.

Sochi Ticket Prices

Russian media report that ice hockey finals will be the most expensive tickets for the 2014 Olympics, coming in as high as $1,320 per seat. Women’s team luge tickets start at $33, the cheapest tickets.

Fans can purchase Olympic Park tickets for $6.

"The order and conditions of ticket acquisition will be announced by the organizing committee together with the start of sales" in February, RIA Novosti quoted a Sochi 2014 statement saying prices have not been finalized.

"Most" tickets, the statement added, would be in the following price categories: $33, $50, $82, and $100.

Rising Stars Shine Down Under

The sixth edition of the Australian Youth Olympic Festival ends with the hosts well atop the medals tally.

Despite a week dogged by record temperatures in Sydney, competition wrapped up as planned Sunday – but not before two golfers collapsed from heat exhaustion Thursday.

Media Director Mike Tancred tells Around the Rings the Australian Olympic Committee benefited from "much cooler" weather over the weekend as the AYOF came to a close.

Australia finished with 231 total medals, more than double any of the other 20 competing teams, including a "Combined Oceania" squad of 95 athletes from small island nations.

China placed second in the medals table with 95, and New Zealand (66) edged out Great Britain (65) by a single medal for third.

Also in double digits: Japan (35), Brazil (23), Malaysia (18) and Hungary (12).

"The Japanese kid who won the 100m backstroke, Takeshi Kawamoto, looks like a star of the future," Tancred told ATR, "and the kid who won the individual medley, Ryo Fujimoto, is also going to be an Olympic star."

Not to be outdone, the AOC also has some stars on the horizon.

"Our girl who won the women’s triathlon looks like a new Emma Snowsill," Tancred said, comparing Jaz Hedgeland, 17, to Australia’s gold medalist from Beijing 2008.

Handball Champs Enter Knockout Rounds

Quarterfinals are taking shape at the 2013 IHF World Men’s Handball Championship in Spain.

Denmark, France Germany and Russia are the first teams through after winning their Round of 16 matches Sunday in Zaragoza and Barcelona.

Slovenia v. Egypt, Serbia v. Spain, Hungary v. Poland and Croatia v. Belarus follow Monday night with the final four spots in the quarterfinals at stake.

The elite eight take the court Wednesday in Zaragoza and Barcelona with semifinals to follow Friday in Barcelona.

Sunday’s final will be staged in the Palau Sant Jordi, venue for artistic gymnastics, the volleyball final and – notably – the handball final at the 1992 Olympics, won by a Unified Team of former Soviet republics.

Generations For Peace Training

Generations For Peace kicked off its 2013 program with the first event held in Kumasi, Ghana.

The "Train the Trainer" event brought together 20 youth volunteers in the country from different ethnic and religious backgrounds.

Topics covered in the program included "peace building, advocacy, working with children and youth, sport and peace, and facilitation."

"I will take what I learn at this Generations For Peace Train the Trainer and pass it on to the youth in my community," said Mumuni Moro, a volunteer youth leader attending the training.

"The effects of problems like unemployment and drug abuse can be tackled through Generations For Peace programs," he added.

The youth volunteers will now return home and put together their own programs based on what they learned in the training.

Written by Ed Hula III, Mark Bisson, Aaron Bauer and Matthew Grayson.

20 Years at #1: Your best source of news about the Olympics is AroundTheRings.com, for subscribers only.