#ICYMI: Tokyo 2020 Water Quality; Catalonia Independence; Kenya NOC Elections

(ATR) #ICMYI -- In Case You Missed It ... Sometimes the best stories don't get the attention we think they deserve. Here are our staff picks for articles this week they really want you to know about.

Tokyo 2020 Venue Fails Water Quality Tests

Tokyo 2020 and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government have work to do to bring the Marathon Swimming and Triathlon venue’s water quality to acceptable standards.

Water quality and temperature surveys were conducted this summer at the Odaiba Marine Park over 21 days mirroring the scheduled dates for Tokyo 2020 and on five days mirroring those of the Paralympic Games.

The results showed that the standards for marathon swimming specified by the International Swimming Federation (FINA) were reached on 10 days while the triathlon water quality standards required by the International Triathlon Union (ITU) were attained on six days.

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IOC Closely Monitoring Catalonia Independence Bid

The International Olympic Committee is waiting to see the results of independence efforts in Catalonia before a National Olympic Committee can be recognized.

"The current Olympic Charter states that the IOC can only recognize a National Olympic Committee in each Independent State," NOC relations director of the IOC Pere Miró tells Around the Rings.

"Therefore we must wait to see how the situation in Catalonia evolves as a potential independent state."

Miró’s comments follow a request from the Catalan Olympic Committee to the IOC seeking recognition in case of a successful referendum in Catalonia to secede from Spain. The Spanish government deems the referendum that occurred on Oct. 1 illegal and used government troops to forcibly prevent voters from getting to the polls, injuring hundreds in the process.

The Catalan government says the controversial vote showed support for the separation from Spain, with Catalan President Carles Puigdemont expected to declare independence in a matter of days. Spain’s King Felipe issued a television address to the country on Oct. 3, accusing the pro-independence voters of "unacceptable disloyalty".

While 90 percent of voters voted for secession, the turnout for the vote was only 42 percent, with Catalan authorities blaming the police crackdown and violence as the cause for the lack of participation.

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Haga clic aquí para leer este artículo en español.

IOC Ready to Work With Kenya NOC

A spokesperson for the International Olympic Committee tells Around the Rings "that it is ready to normalize the situation" with the Kenyan Olympic Committee.

NOC-K held a presidential election on Sept. 29 after months of delays and candidate confusion. IOC member Paul Tergat was selected to lead the National Olympic Committee in an unopposed election.

Tergat was challenged by Kenya Swimming Association vice chairman Patrick Muyah, but the NOC-K general assembly voted against his candidacy.

The IOC tells ATR that IOC member Sam Ramsamy attended the election and that the results are approved.

"The IOC has also confirmed to the NOC that it is ready to normalize the situation and to resume progressively its regular activities with the NOC," the IOC said in a statement. "The IOC is now working with the NOC to review all the details and the next steps."

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Homepage photo: Getty Images

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