ITU Cancels World Cup Stop -- Federations Focus

(ATR) New Orleans, Louisiana will no longer host the fourth stop of the 2018 Triathlon World Cup.

The decision was announced by the International Triathlon Union on Jan. 24 after being told by the local organizing committee and USA Triathlon that the city would not be able to fulfill the hosting requirements.

"Despite our best efforts to try to find a solution to keep the New Orleans World Cup in the calendar for this year, we all agreed that it was best to cancel with enough time for athletes and coaches to plan the season," ITU secretary general Antonio Fernandez Arimany.

"We deeply regret the inconvenience this cancellation causes."

The World Cup stop was originally scheduled for April 14-15 in New Orleans. The Paratriathlon World Cup was also scheduled to take place on the same days.

The cancellation reduces the World Cup schedule to 17 races for 2018 beginning in Cape Town, South Africa on Feb. 10. The season will conclude in Miyazaki, Japan Nov. 3-4.

The only other World Cup stop in the United States will take place in Sarasota, Florida from Oct. 13-14. Sarasota also hosted the 2017 World Rowing Championships last September. The Sarasota stop will also mark the conclusion of the Paratriathlon World Cup season.

The ITU also cleared the name of triathlete Henri Schoeman on Jan. 24. He was accused in some media outlets of violating the anti-doping code at the Rio 2016 Olympics, according to the ITU.

The ITU conducted an investigation in conjunction with the International Olympic Committee and determined Schoeman did not have an Adverse Analytical Finding during the Games. Schoeman was cooperative during the investigation.

"We feel extremely satisfied that this investigation is completely closed and clears the name of an athlete who has been cooperative, supportive and always assisted ITU and the IOC to clarify these circumstances, even under a lot of pressure," said ITU President and IOC member Marisol Casado.

The IOC is now conducting a separate investigation to determine how Schoeman’s confidential information was obtained and shared.

Boxing Executives Meet Before Extraordinary Congress

The Executive Committee of the International Boxing Association will convene once more ahead of the Extraordinary Congress in Dubai that takes place on Jan. 27.

The 23-member EC will meet at the Westin Hotel on Jan. 25 as delegates from AIBA"s National Federations begin to arrive in the United Arab Emirates.

The meeting will review material presented during the Extraordinary EC meeting in Rome last week and pave the way for the governance and statute review that will take place during the congress.

On Friday, AIBA’s five Continental Federations will also convene ahead of the Saturday congress. The African Boxing Confederation, Americas Boxing Confederation, Asian Boxing Confederation, European Boxing Confederation and Oceanic Boxing Confederation are all led by vice presidents of the EC.

The Extraordinary AIBA Congress then begins on Saturday at the Ritz Carlton where changes to AIBA’s statutes are expected to occur. These changes will better outline the governance structure of the federation and prevent situations similar to the lead up to former president CK Wu’s resignation in November.

Currently led by interim president Franco Falcinelli, Around the Rings is told a new interim president is likely to emerge from the congress in Dubai.

The congress will then pave the way for the election of the next president at the ordinary congress scheduled for Nov. 2-3 in Moscow.

Davis Cup Debuts Format Changes

The International Tennis Federation’s reboot of the Davis Cup begins in early February.

A two-day format and best-of-three-set matches are being given a trial run this year, beginning with the Zone Group I and II ties.

Previously, the ties were played over three days with best-of-five set matches.

Under the new format, the doubles match is still played before the two reverse singles matches but all three of those matches will now be played on the second day.

The two-day, best-of-three-sets trial does not apply to the World Group, which will continue to play ties over three days and best-of-five sets in 2018.

Should the trial prove successful, the ITF would look at applying it to the World Group after 2018.

All tiers of the competition will be part of other changes that include an increase in the size of teams from four to five players and changes to the dead rubber policy that will reduce the amount of tennis played should the tie be determined before the fifth rubber.

Written by Kevin Nutley and Gerard Farek

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