Milan Thunder Win WSB; Australia Uniforms; Gold Coast 2018 Comms Chief Named

Milano Thunder Win WSB Trophy

The Dolce Gabana Milano Thunder take the World Series of Boxing team championship, defeating Moscow Dynamo at the Excel Arena in London Wednesday night.

The event, culmination of the second season of the WSB, a property of international boxing federation AIBA, drew almost 2,000 spectators, with tickets available free through the WSB website.

The card with five bouts featured boxers who may be on the podium for London, including heavyweight winner Clemente Russo of Italy.

The Milano team wins a $200,000 prize for the championship. The individual final for the WSB takes place June 9, also at Excel. Boxing is one of several sports which will be held at cavernous exhibition center in East London.

The WSB was created by AIBA President C.K.Wu as a way to allow boxers to turn professional and still be eligible for the Olympics, as the WSB remains under the rules of the boxing federation. This season 14 teams took part in the WSB; Wu says 16 teams are planned for season three.

Argentina and Bulgaria are new additions expected – and those teams, as well as the rest of the WSB franchises, will switch from city to country affiliation, Russia Dynamo, for example.

Wu played host to IOC colleagues Craig Reedie of Great Britain and Francesco Ricci Bitti, president of the International Tennis Federation. Both Reedie and Ricci Bitti tool public transit to get to Excel, by the way. Also on hand were staff from U.K. Sport which has hopes for British medals in London, as well as London 2012 Sports Director Deb Jevans.

Australian Olympic Uniforms

Australian Olympians have their uniforms for London.

On Thursday, the Australian Olympic Committee showcased the uniforms at an event in Sydney.

"We are announcing the uniforms to you before the opening ceremony for the first time," said Nick Green, Australian chef de mission for London. "It is historic, we know London will be historic. Today, I believe, is a great historic event."

The uniforms, he added, will look good on all Aussies in London.

"Five foot gymnasts to seven-foot tall basketballers and all the sports in between will look sensational."

Baku Photo Competition

Baku 2020 unveiled the winners of a photography competition called "My Home Azerbaijan: Baku 2020".

The program is designed for young Azeris to photograph "what they loved most about their country and why they supported the 2020 Bid," Baku said in a statement.

Subjects for many of the photos were athletes and sport, Azerbaijan’s natural scenery and the modernization of Baku and other parts of the country, the bid said.

"It is also easy to see from the photos that Azerbaijan is a country of infinite natural beauty," Baku 2020 CEO Konul Nurullayeva said at a ceremony for the winners. "And the pride that these youngsters feel for their country is amazing.

"I am so touched by the levels of support for our Bid from everyone in Azerbaijan, both young and old. People here believe that our Olympic Bid is part of a wider process of transforming Baku into a world-class destination."

Birthday Greeting For Rogge

Alexander Lukashenko, president of the National Olympic Committee of the Republic of Belarus offered his birthday greetings to IOC President Jacques Rogge.

Rogge turned 70 on May 2.

Lukashenko, also president of Belarus, posted a statement on his official webpage saying: "You make a profound contribution to the development of the international Olympic movement. We appreciate your efforts to promote Olympic ideals among young people which gave a strong impetus to the organization of the Youth Olympic Games."

In the statement Lukashenko added the NOCRB "is ready to continue fruitful cooperation in every area implemented by the International Olympic Committee."

Gold Coast 2018 Hire

Andrew Woodward is the new General Manager of Marketing and Communication for the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games.

Woodward got his start 20 years ago with the Sydney 2000 bid.He was most recently with Visa International.

"Twenty years on, I am still going!" he writes in a Facebook post.

"I am employee number nine. By Games time, we will have well over one thousand staff."

Bahrain Flag Bearer

Azza Al Qasmi will serve as Bahrain’s flag bearer at the opening ceremony for the London Olympics.

Al Qasmi is Bahrain’s first female Olympian in shooting.

Swaziland Training Camp

Swaziland’s Olympic delegation of two will train in Tavistock before the London Olympics.

"We're very pleased – even with two people from Swaziland, it's the fact that they're coming that is important," said Alan Roberton vice chair of the committee securing pre-Games Training Camps for the area.

Tavistock is about 230 miles southwest of London.

Written by Ed Hula III.

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