IOC Warns India; BOA Taps Training Camp; USOC Board Makes Changes

More Problems for IOA

Leaders of the Indian Olympic Association could face legal action, says a letter from the IOC.

According to a Reuters report, new IOA secretary general Lalit Bhanot has used official IOA letterhead for communications, angering the IOC, which suspended the IOA at the beginning of December.

Bhanot spent time in jail for corruption related to the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, for which he was one of the chief organizers. The IOC said the IOA elections – in which Bhanot ran unopposed for secretary general – would be "null and void" and not recognized.

IOC director general Christophe de Kepper wrote to Indian IOC member Randhir Singh, urging him to take "all necessary measures" to "protect" IOA assets.

"These illegal actions which obviously violate all IOC directives and decisions are aggravating the situation of the suspended Indian Olympic Association," de Kepper was quoted by Reuters in his letter to Singh.

"All individuals involved (directly or by complicity) will be held responsible, and the IOC will reserve the right to take any action against them.

"We request that you take all necessary measures and, if appropriate, any legal action at national level against these individuals in order to protect all assets and properties of the suspended Indian Olympic Association."

Team GB Taps Training Camp

Minas Tênis Clube in Belo Horizonte will serve as the pre-Games training camp for Team GB ahead of the 2016 Olympics.

The club is a 45-minute flight from Rio de Janeiro and includes a full range of sport facilities.

"Getting your pre-Games training and preparation environment right is absolutely essential to the success of an Olympic team on foreign soil," Team GB CEO Andy Hunt was quoted by Press Association.

"This announcement represents another major step forward in our operational planning and preparation for Team GB ahead of the Rio 2016 Olympics and a key part of our ambition to be the 'most local non-local team' at the 2016 Games."

A statement on the tennis club’s website says BOA chairman Sebastian Coe is due in April to finalize terms of the agreement.

British sport authorities said earlier in the week they hoped to earn more medals in Rio than they did in London, where they earned a record haul of 65 medals.

Perhaps a promising sign for Team GB, the club is located on "Englishman’s Lake".

USOC Board Changes

The USOC Board of Directors will have two new members.

Athletes Advisory Committee representative Jair Lynch and Mike Plant, national governing body representative, are stepping down.

University of Notre Dame Athletic Director Jack Swarbrick and Bill Marolt, CEO of the skiing and snowboarding association, are the candidates to replace Plant, and Paralympian Bob Balch and table tennis athlete Whitney Ping are competing for Lynch’s spot.

Brazilian Honors for London

The Brazilian Olympic Committee paid tribute to its 17 medalists from the London Olympics on Tuesday, announcing its best athletes of the year.

In a ceremony at Rio de Janeiro’s Municipal Theater, Sheilla Castro, a two-time Olympic champion on the women’s volleyball team, and Arthur Zanetti, the men’s rings gold medalist, were named Brazil’s best athletes of the year.

Voting was conducted by an electoral college as well as a public internet vote.

The theme of the ceremony was "Rio – Everyone’s turn."

...Briefs

...Mohammad Zahir Aghbar was reelected president of the Afghanistan National Olympic Committee. The election took place at Sunday’s General Assembly in Kabul. A post on the Olympic Council of Asia website says Jan Halam Hussaini was reelected secretary general, and delegates approved 27 new sport federations, bringing the number of recognized federations to 55.

...The heads of the Albanian and Saudi NOCs met in Albania recently. Albanian NOC President Ela Tase received Prince Nawaf Faisal Fahd Abdulaziz, Saudi Arabian NOC President, to discuss "strengthening and enhancing the collaboration between the two NOCs through common qualification and training projects for coaches and athletes," a post on the IOC website says.

...Malaysia’s two medalists were named its male and female athletes of the year at a ceremony on Dec. 14. Badminton silver medalist Lee Chong Wei and diving bronze medalist Pandelela Rinong won the male and female honors. Olympic Council of Malaysia President Prince Tunku Imran also announced 11 inductees into the OCM Hall of Fame.

...Charles Lo Keng Chio, president of the Macau NOC, was honored for his work promoting sport by the Macanese government, receiving a Medal of Merit on Dec. 14.

Written by Ed Hula III.

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