IOC Readies Gender Guidelines; Sochi Protests; Sponsorship Suit

Gender Guidelines Ahead for IOC, IAAF

The IOC is readying rules on gender determination in the wake of the Caster Semenya affair.

The 19-year-old South African was held out for 11 months while the IAAF conducted tests to determine if she could compete against female runners. She was cleared in July but not before significant embarrassment to the federation, embarrassment the IOC is hoping to avoid in future cases.

The Associate Press reported Friday that the IOC’s medical commission will likely submit recommendations ahead of the Executive Board’s next meeting in January. Should they be approved, the rules would apply for London 2012 and serve as guidelines around which International Federations could build their own policy.

"What we are aiming at is finding ways to establish rules and regulations for participation ... in female competition," IOC medical chair Arne Ljungqvist told the AP. "I am hopeful we will arrive at that."

The IAAF, meanwhile, is working in conjunction with the IOC to develop its own process going forward.

A review of the gender issue that sidelined Semenya was among the agenda items at last weekend’s IAAF Council in Monaco.

"This work is now at an advanced stage and will be finalized in the coming months," the federation said in a statement. "The IAAF will also complete in the coming months all necessary technical and logistical arrangements required to set up a global system for the management of future cases on a worldwide basis."

The IAAF expects to approve the process at its April meeting in Daegu, South Korea.

Triathlete Donates Uniform to Olympic Museum

Japanese teenager Yuka Sato picked the right triathlon to win.

Three months after capturing the first Youth Olympic Games gold medal in any sport, the suit she wore in Singapore has a new home in Lausanne.

"It is my great pleasure that my uniform becomes part of the distinguished collections in the Olympic Museum," Sato said Tuesday in a statement.

"The Youth Olympics was such a precious experience as it gave me a lot of confidence in my career as an athlete."

That confidence comes well-earned. Sato dominated the field, finishing almost 15 seconds ahead of the silver medalist.

"The Youth Games marked a milestone in the Olympic Movement," International Triathlon Union president Marisol Casado said, "and the entire triathlon family is pleased to see that Yuka's collection will tell the history as a part of the museum."

Olympic Twist for Georgia-Russia Hostilities

Georgia won’t boycott Sochi 2014 but won’t let its concerns go unvoiced either.

Russian media reported Tuesday that the former Soviet state plans to disrupt the Winter Olympics with an address from refugees in Abkhazia to the IOC. Games preparations involve the embattled region, and Georgia’s government insists the construction may damage its ecology.

Parliament deputy David Darchiashvili stated Monday his concern that the organizing committee is meddling dangerously close to the "occupied" territory. Abkhazia considers itself independent of Georgia, a status recognized by Russia but disputed by Georgia and most of the rest of the world.

Shota Malashkhiya, chairman of the interim committee to retrieve the territorial integrity of Georgia, told Russian media the refugees would also stage meetings throughout the world in hopes of disrupting the Games. The protest would, however, stop short of a boycott, he suggested.

"In spite of the fact that there were many examples in history, when the Olympic Games were boycotted, in this particular case it seems very doubtful that they will succeed in boycotting the Winter Olympics in Sochi," Malashkhiya was quoted by Pravda.

"But I count on the support of the EU states, which always support Georgia and criticize Russia for its policies against our country."

Olympus-USTA Sponsorship Turns Ugly

A messy breakup seems likely for the United States Tennis Association and one of its biggest sponsors.

The USTA filed a lawsuit last week in New York, demanding Olympus pay $11.65 million for breach of contract.

Their sponsorship agreement provides for that amount to exchange hands next year, but the camera giant wants out early.

The deal runs through 2013 and allows the sponsor to opt out after next year. Olympus, however, contends that the USTA’s partnership with rival Panasonic in late August compromised its exclusivity rights and, in turn, violated its sponsorship agreement.

"The USTA categorically rejects any allegation of breach by Olympus, and while we find having to seek judicial intervention regrettable, we also find it unavoidable," USTA spokesman Chris Widmaier told the Associated Press in an e-mail Monday.

Olympus is a leading sponsor of the US Open – one of the sport’s four grand slam tournaments – as well as the title sponsor of the USTA’s US Open Series of summer tournaments sprinkled across the country.

Panasonic, meanwhile, sponsors 3D coverage of the US Open, first broadcast by CBS at this year’s event in September.

Former Equestrian Presidential Candidate Resigns Committee Seat

Henk Rottinghuis, the former challenger to International Equestrian Federation president Princess Haya, resigned as a member of the federation’s Audit & Compliance Committee.

The Dutchman said "the overwhelming victory of the incumbent President and her reelection at the General Assembly leaves me no other room than to withdraw from my function in the FEI."

Explaining his decision, Rottinghuis added: "I don’t think it is appropriate for me to remain as a member of this Committee following my recent campaign for the Presidency. I hope the Committee, which by nature has to be critical, succeeds in finding an independent candidate who can replace me in fulfilling this important function overseeing the governance of the FEI."

Written by Matthew Grayson.