IOC Member Meets Queen; Table Tennis Tops Chinese TV; Daegu 2011

(ATR) Irish NOC president visits with Queen Elizabeth ... Men's singles final sets 2011 high for TV audience in China ... Daegu marks 100 days until athletics world championships ...

Guardar
DUBLIN, IRELAND - MAY 18:  Queen Elizabeth II attends a wreath laying ceremony at the Irish War Memorial Garden in Islandbridge on May 18, 2011 in Dublin, Ireland. The Duke and Queen's visit to Ireland is the first by a British monarch since 1911. An unprecedented security operation is taking place with much of the centre of Dublin turning into a car-free zone. Republican dissident groups have made it clear they are intent on disrupting proceedings.  (Photo by Irish Government - pool/Getty Images)
DUBLIN, IRELAND - MAY 18: Queen Elizabeth II attends a wreath laying ceremony at the Irish War Memorial Garden in Islandbridge on May 18, 2011 in Dublin, Ireland. The Duke and Queen's visit to Ireland is the first by a British monarch since 1911. An unprecedented security operation is taking place with much of the centre of Dublin turning into a car-free zone. Republican dissident groups have made it clear they are intent on disrupting proceedings. (Photo by Irish Government - pool/Getty Images)

Queen Visits Irish Olympic Leader

IOC member Pat Hickey on Thursday met Queen Elizabeth on the third day of her historic visit to the Republic of Ireland.

Hickey, president of the Olympic Council of Ireland and the European Olympic Committees, presented some of the Irish athletes who will be competing at the London 2012 Olympics at a Dublin ceremony.

The Queen is making her first trip to the country by a reigning UK monarch for 100 years.

Table Tennis Final Tops TV Ratings

Sunday’s men’s singles final from the table tennis world championships is 2011’s most-watched sporting event in China.

The International Table Tennis Federation announced Thursday that almost 100 million Chinese watched Zhang Jike beat defending champion Wang Hao, both from China. Average audience was a bit less at 27 million.

"With a new sponsor from China, the GAC GROUP, we are delighted to continue to be one of the leading sports on the Chinese Television and ensuring high value for all of sponsorship partners," ITTF marketing director Steve Dainton.

"With such a wonderfully staged event in Rotterdam, fantastic TV images and production and most importantly table tennis at the absolute highest level these results have been possible."

The year’s previous high came in women’s tennis when Li Na lost to Kim Clijsters in the finals of the Australian Open back in January.

100 Days to Go for Daegu

A countdown concert at Daegu Stadium will celebrate 100 days until the athletics world championships.

"As we move ever closer to the championships, the eyes of the sporting world are turning towards your host city and Korea," IAAF president Lamine Diack told the people of Korea on Thursday in a statement to mark the milestone.

"While we must never forget that this part of the race is always the most challenging, I am certain that with energy, hard work and dedication we will successfully reach the finish line together in a victory for Daegu, Korea, and the sport of athletics."

Diack also took the opportunity to hype the host city’s state-of-the-art blue track installed back in December and put through a trial run during last week’s official test meet.

Roughly 2,000 athletes from 200 countries and territories are expected to enter what will be the largest single-sport competition of the year.

Events run from Aug. 27 through Sept. 4.

Written by Matthew Grayson and Mark Bisson.

Guardar

Últimas Noticias

Utah’s Olympic venues an integral part of the equation as Salt Lake City seeks a Winter Games encore

Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation chief of sport development Luke Bodensteiner says there is a “real urgency to make this happen in 2030”. He discusses the mission of the non-profit organization, the legacy from the 2002 Winter Games and future ambitions.
Utah’s Olympic venues an integral part of the equation as Salt Lake City seeks a Winter Games encore

IOC president tells Olympic Movement “we will again have safe and secure Olympic Games” in Beijing

Thomas Bach, in an open letter on Friday, also thanked stakeholders for their “unprecedented” efforts to make Tokyo 2020 a success despite the pandemic.
IOC president tells Olympic Movement “we will again have safe and secure Olympic Games” in Beijing

Boxing’s place in the Olympics remains in peril as IOC still unhappy with the state of AIBA’s reform efforts

The IOC says issues concerning governance, finance, and refereeing and judging must be sorted out to its satisfaction. AIBA says it’s confident that will happen and the federation will be reinstated.
Boxing’s place in the Olympics remains in peril as IOC still unhappy with the state of AIBA’s reform efforts

IOC president details Olympic community efforts to get Afghans out of danger after Taliban return to power

Thomas Bach says the Afghanistan NOC remains under IOC recognition, noting that the current leadership was democratically elected in 2019. But he says the IOC will be monitoring what happens in the future. The story had been revealed on August 31 in an article by Miguel Hernandez in Around the Rings
IOC president details Olympic community efforts to get Afghans out of danger after Taliban return to power

North Korea suspended by IOC for failing to participate in Tokyo though its athletes could still take part in Beijing 2022

Playbooks for Beijing 2022 will ”most likely” be released in October, according to IOC President Thomas Bach.
North Korea suspended by IOC for failing to participate in Tokyo though its athletes could still take part in Beijing 2022