Kenya Decision Expected at IOC Exec Board -- Monday Memo

(ATR) The International Olympic Committee Executive Board meets this week in South Korea to talk PyeongChang preparations and issues facing its NOCs.

The IOC Executive Board will gather on March 16 and 17 in the host city of the next Winter Games. The meeting follows a three-day Coordination Commission visit to inspect venue preparations and other progress towards hosting the world’s largest winter sports event next February.

Outside of PyeongChang preparations, a primary focus of discussion will be on the Kenyan National Olympic Committee. Last week, the NOC-K failed to approve an IOC backed roadmap for the NOC to hold new elections.

‘The IOC is extremely disappointed by the outcome of the NOC extraordinary General Assembly which did not address governance issues in the appropriate way," an IOC spokesperson told Around the Rings.

"This goes against the tripartite agreement (IOC-NOC-Government authorities) reached in September 2016 in Lausanne and the roadmap and discussions with the NOC over the last few months."

As a result, the IOC cut off funding to the NOC until a decision is taken at this week’s Executive Board meeting. The decision last Tuesday is the latest in a string of autonomy issues plaguing the NOC. These issues could result in a provisional suspension by the IOC on Thursday.

Winter Special Olympics Begin

Austria is ready to welcome the world’s largest sports and humanitarian event of the year as the Special Olympic World Winter Games return for the 11th edition.

The cities of Graz and Schladming will stage the 2017 edition of the games, marking the second time Austria has hosted the multi-sport event following a successful edition in 1993. The 1993 event was the first time the Special Olympics were hosted outside of the United States.

The games begin on Tuesday, March 14 with more than 3,000 athletes from 110 countries participating in the quadrennial event. Athletes will compete in nine winter sports including alpine skiing, cross country, figure skating, floor hockey, floorball, snowboarding, snowshoeing, speed skating and stick shooting.

Dancing and the Motor Activity Training Program (MATP) are also included on the program as demonstration events.

"Austria was the first country outside the U.S. to host a Special Olympics World Games and helped us show the world the gifts and talents of our Special Olympics athletes," Special Olympics chairman Timothy P. Shriver said in a statement.

"It is fitting that we would return to a country that has demonstrated its commitment to people with intellectual disabilities for decades and will embrace our athletes from around the world."

The 2017 Special Olympics World Winter Games conclude on March 25.

Curling Championships Head to Beijing

Beijing will get some practice hosting winter Olympic sport this week as the Women’s World Curling Championships begin.

The CPT World Women’s Curling Championship begins March 18 and is the last opportunity for competitors to earn qualification points towards the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics. The event is organized by the World Curling Federation.

Twelve teams will compete for the title of world champion from Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Russia, Scotland, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, United States and hosts China. The championships conclude on March 26.

Organizers of the Beijing 2022 Winter Games will undoubtedly use the experience gained from these championships in their preparations for China's first Winter Olympics on home soil.

WADA Symposium Begins in Lausanne

Richard McLaren, head of the investigation that found evidence of state-sponsored doping in Russia, hosts a Q&A session during the annual World Anti-Doping Agency symposium that begins today in Lausanne, Switzerland.

This will be the first time McLaren is expected to speak since the release of the second report into the extent of state-sponsored doping by Russian sport.

Under the theme "Tackling our Challenges and Strengthening the Future of Clean Sport," WADA will explore topics including whistleblowing programs, boosting anti-doping and clean athletes.

"This year is marked by the involvement of government representatives to the Symposium for the very first time, which, as the event continues to expand year on year, is fitting given their significant role in the fight against doping in sport," WADA spokesperson Ben Nichols tells ATR.

WADA's chief operating officerFrédéric Donzé will open the event.

Also speaking at the conference will be Craig Reedie, president of WADA, along with other WADA leaders such as its director general Oliver Niggli, members of anti-doping organizations and more.

The event will be held at the Swiss Tech Convention Center in the Olympic capital.

ATR On the Scene for Sportel America 2017

ATR will be in Miami for the 2017 edition of the Sportel America conference on March 14.

Organizers expect hundreds of business leaders in attendance in a city designed to target the U.S. and Latin America markets.

"Sportel America is essentially the convention that unites a part of the international sports marketing and media industry that is interested in doing business with North, Central and Latin America" CEO of Oceanworx - the marketing agency for all Sportel events – David Jones tells ATR.

The event will be Sportel America’s 20th anniversary and kicks off in celebration with a cocktail party to welcome its delegates.

Under the theme "Meet the Elite" participants will have the opportunity to attend numerous panel discussions on the industry's latest trends and developments as well as network with key decision makers in sport.

Among the conference panels are two centered around technology. The tech panels will concentrate on advancements in social media and more in order to "help the content industry to do better business, generate more revenue and fan interaction and help provide an understanding on how certain markets and territories, particularly the Americas work," according to Jones.

"At any Sportel event you have the opportunity to meet business decision makers you don’t usually have access to."

The conference will conclude on Mar. 16.

Click here to register for the event.

The next Sportel event will be held in its annual location in Monaco from October 23-26.

"For (Sportel Monaco) 2017 we have added more booths, more stands and more possibilities for branding and marketing opportunities to participating companies, essentially it’s going to be a bigger show yet again," says Jones.

Written by Kevin Nutley and Courtney Colquitt.

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