Newsdesk-- Kuwait Meets IOC; Softball President Re-Elected

IOC meets with Kuwait officials.

The IOC met with Kuwaiti sports officials on Monday to discuss changing national laws to make them compatible with Olympic Charter. Kuwait was nearly suspended by the IOC earlier this year over the conflict.

The meeting was attended by Faisal Al Jazzaf, chairman of the state sports authority and representatives from the Olympic Council of Asia and the IOC.

The IOC said the meeting was "fruitful and constructive" in a news release.

Kuwait avoided suspension in July after the IOC received government assurances that laws would be change to avoid government interference in national Olympic committee affairs.

The IOC has given Kuwait until the end of this year to finish the process of amending its sports laws.

World Softball Rebranding

After failing to rejoin the Olympics earlier this year, the International Softball Federation is moving forward with a new constitution.

The ISF Congress concluded on Margarita Island, Venezuela, on Sunday with sweeping organizational changes, selection championship sites and a new branding campaign.

The new constitution calls for the formation of a board of directors. In addition, each of the five regions will have two vice presidents and the ISF added the position of non-Spanish speaking Caribbean vice-president.

Despite the changes in structure, the top leadership positions remain relatively unchanged. President Don Porter won reelection in an unopposed election. Low Beng Choo of Malaysia was elected as secretary general, after serving as deputy secretary general. She replaces retiring Andy Loechner who had been secretary general since 1987.

In addition, IOC members Beatrice Allen of Gamia and Meliton Sanchez of Panama will remain members of the ISF Executive Council.

The ISF also decided to take its championships to South America for the first time next decade. Parana, Argentina, won the 2012 ISF Junior Men’s World Championship. In addition, the 2013 Men's Championship was awarded to North Shore City, New Zealand. The ISF will announce the dates of both tournaments later.

The ISF also agreed to redesign its Web site and logo as part of a new branding campaign

The next ISF Congress will take place in October 2011 with site to be announced later.

Youth Olympics Medals

The IOC is inviting sbmissions for medal designs for the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore

Those wishing to send designs must go to www.medaldesigncompetition.com. Design submissions can be sent from Nov. 7 to Dec. 4.

People can vote for the 10 best medal designs starting Dec. 7 to Jan. 22. The 10 best medals will be submitted to an IOC jury who will select the best design.

The 2010 Youth Olympics will take place from Aug 14 to 26.

Rwandan Sports to Vote in NOC Elections

Elections are scheduled for the Rwandan National Olympic and Sport Committee on Dec. 27, now that a controversy is settled over eligible voters among the 25 sport federations that comprise the organization.

At an extraordinary meeting of the RNOSC, the sport federations voted to allow their participation at the December elections, provided they meet certain criteria.

According to the Rwandan daily, The New Times, the sport bodies said all federations must have paid their dues to the RNOSC and participated in all previous general assemblies of the NOC in order to vote.

Earlier in the year it was determined that the sport federations needed to provide legal documents proving they were in good standing with the NOC. At one point, only two federations, chess and karate, could prove they were in good standing with the RNOSC.

Elections were originally scheduled for March.

The incumbent RNOSC president Ignace Beraho is not running for reelection.

Briefly…

The IAAF ratified Russian pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva's world record of 5.06 meters at the Weltklasse meet in Zurich on Aug. 28. The mark beats her previous record-breaking performance of 5.05 meters at 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Written by Ed Hula III and Sam Steinberg.