New Governor for Tokyo; New Name for Baseball, Softball

New Name for Baseball, Softball

Leaders of both sports say the World Baseball Softball Confederation is the right name under which to carry out their joint pitch for Olympics reinstatement.

"In addition to the increased visibility, our sports under one banner will provide the footing for clear and consistent messaging," Don Porter of the International Softball Federation said Monday in a statement announcing the name.

Riccardo Fraccari of the International Baseball Federation added: "Our swift agreement on this issue is a good indicator of our ability to work together as a team and of keeping the focus on our primary objective of further developing baseball and softball and of obtaining results that will help us earn a place on the Olympic Program."

Notably, both men were listed as WBSC "co-Presidents" in Monday’s announcement, which comes just ahead of Wednesday’s presentation to the IOC Program Commission, the WBSC’s first official order of business.

Following this week’s trip to Lausanne, the next major milestone for baseball and softball will be late May, when the IOC Executive Board meets on the sidelines of SportAccord to nominate a sport to recommend to the IOC membership as a whole.

EB members will also be deciding in St. Petersburg whether to recommend that the WBSC be recognized.

Cable wakeboard, karate, roller sports, squash, sport climbing and wushu are the other six contenders facing a final decision in September at the 2013 IOC Session in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Brazil Opens 1st World Cup Stadium

Castelao Arena in Fortaleza is Brazil’s first stadium to be opened for the 2014 World Cup.

Speaking at Sunday’s inauguration ceremony, President Dilma Rousseff said the renovated venue should make all Brazilians proud, proving to the world they are ready to welcome football’s biggest event.

"A lot of people said that we weren't capable, but today we have started to show them that we are," she said.

"Castelão stadium shows that Brazil is capable of winning on and off the pitch," she added, referring to the Club World Cup title won earlier in the day by Corinthians of Sao Paulo.

In addition to six matches at the 2014 World Cup, including one group stage fixture featuring Brazil, the 63,903-seat stadium will also stage three matches during the 2013 Confederations Cup.

Notably, the Castelão and the Mineirao in Belo Horizonte, which will open Friday, are the only two stadia to honor FIFA’s original December deadline by which to deliver venues for next year's World Cup dress rehearsal.

For more on Brazil 2014, follow World Football INSIDER.

Tokyo Welcomes New Governor

Leaders of Tokyo 2020 say they welcome the city's new governor.

Naoki Inose was elected governor on Sunday.

A statement from Tokyo 2020 calls him an "absolute supporter" of the bid.

"He has been an active member of the Tokyo Metropolitan for five years, and has followed the development of our city's bid aspirations," Tokyo 2020 and Japanese Olympic Committee president Tsunekazu Takeda said in a statement.

"We look forward to continuing to work closely with the new governor and are confident that he will support Tokyo's Olympic and Paralympic aspirations."

Pope Says Don’t Dope

Pope Benedict XVI told the Italian Olympic team not to use performance-enhancing drugs.

Benedict addressed the Olympians at a ceremony in the Clementine Hall of the Apostolic Palace, congratulating them for their performance in London and celebrating the power of sport.

"Pressure to win good results should never prompt you to take shortcuts as happens with doping," he was quoted as saying by The Associated Press.

"Let the same team spirit be a spur to avoid these blind alleys, and also be a support to those who realize they have made mistakes, so that they feel welcomed and helped."

Glasgow YOG Bid Details

Glasgow 2018 Youth Olympic Games leaders unveiled details of their bid on Monday.

Of particular note, 15 of the 17 proposed venues are already built with the remaining two scheduled for completion in 2013.

Athletics will take place at Scotstoun Stadium, aquatics at Tollcross International Aquatics Centre, venue for swimming at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, and the Youth Olympic Village in Sighthill.

"Warmth and hospitality alongside an excellent reputation for hosting world-class sport events makes Glasgow, and Scotland, the perfect stage for the Youth Olympic Games in 2018," said Scottish sports minister Shona Robertson.

LOCOG and BOA chair Sebastian Coe added: "London 2012 has inspired a generation, and legacy does not happen by itself. Glasgow 2018 could be a crucial next step on that journey for the UK with the Olympic Movement – a way of amplifying and accelerating the impact of a Games that was totally focused on young people."

Rio Staff Additions

Rio 2016 said on Monday it plans to add 224 staff to its roster by the end of July.

The new employees would be in a variety of fields and increase Rio 2016's payroll by 60 percent.

"Preparing the Olympic Games requires work in many different areas," Henrique Gonzalez, Rio 2016 Human Resources Director, said in a statement. "At the moment, there are 72 job openings on the Games website and, at the turn of the year, another 90 will be available once we move to our new headquarters in the central region of the city."

Interested applicants can see all openings here.

2012 Sweep of Awards

Figures associated with the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics swept the BBC Sport Personality of the Year awards.

Cycling gold medalist Bradley Wiggins won the top honor, with Team GB and Paralympics GB earning the team awards.Usain Bolt won the Overseas Personality award, Sebastian Coe the lifetime achievement award, British cycling coach Dave Brailsford the coaching award, Paralympian Martine Wright the Helen Rollason Award given for overcoming adversity, and Paralympic gold medalist Josef Craig the young personality of the year award.

The Korean Olympic team’s performance was voted the top sporting moment by journalists and broadcasters, South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency reports. The annual survey conducted by Yonhap saw Olympians in the fourth and fifth spots as well.

German gold medalist in discus Robert Harting was named the country's athlete of the year, and two-time gold medalist in biathlon Magdalena Neuner earned the top female athlete honors at a ceremony in Baden-Baden on Sunday.

Olympic Ad-Spending Boom

The Olympics generated $1 billion in advertising sales in the United States, a report released Monday shows.

Marketing information firm Kantar Media says most of the money was concentrated on television advertising, and helped lead to a 7.1% quarterly increase in ad spending totalling $34.5 billion.

"Political campaigns and the Summer Olympics delivered their expected bonanza in the third quarter, adding roughly $1.8 billion of incremental spending to the marketplace," said Jon Swallen, Chief Research Officer at Kantar Media North America.

NBC is estimated by Kantar to have raked in $1 billion of that figure.

Written by Ed Hula III and Matthew Grayson.

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