Nike New IOC Supplier; LOCOG's Farewell; $1 Billion for Brazil Sport

IOC Confirms Nike as New Uniform Supplier

IOC Marketing Commission chair Gerhard Heiberg tells Around the Rings that Nike will take over from Mizuno to supply clothing to IOC members and staff during the Olympic Games.

Public announcement of the deal could come within a few days.

The change is the result of Mizuno dropping its long-running hold on the category so the Japanese firm could sponsor the Tokyo bid for the 2020 Olympics. Mizuno chairman Masato Mizuno is also chairman of the Tokyo bid, as well as vice president of the Japan Olympic Committee.

Sources familiar with the sponsorship say that only product is involved, not cash.

Nike was not a sponsor of the London Olympics, but the U.S. firm is a sponsor for teams and NOCs around the world, such as the U.S., Canada, China and Ukraine.

$1 Billion for Brazilian Sport

Brazil is investing an additional $1 billion in the home team’s medal prospects ahead of Rio 2016.

President Dilma Rousseff will announce the initiative, including scholarships of up to $15,000 for athletes ranked among the world’s top 20 in their sports, at a Thursday afternoon ceremony in Brasilia.

According to media reports, the funding will be funneled into the sports ministry over the four years leading to Rio. Podium scholarships begin in 2013 with the construction of training centers, the purchase of sports equipment and the signing of agreements with federations for the development of Olympic disciplines to follow.

It’s all part of Brazil’s plan to jump from 22nd on the Olympic medals table at London 2012 to 10th for Rio 2016 and from seventh to fifth in the Paralympics tally.

Farewell Party for London 2012 Staff

With the Paralympics over, staff of London 2012 will get the chance to party Thursday night. About 2,000 workers were eligible to sign-up for the event at the Copper Box in the Olympic Park. The venue was the site for handball during the Games. Wednesday night, staff at the Main Press Centre had their own farewell event.

Change for UK Athletics

Neil Black is the new performance director for UK Athletics.

One of his first duties will be to find a replacement for Charles van Commenee, who quit as Olympics head coach after failing to deliver on his medals target for London 2012.

Black coordinated the support systems for Team GB athletes in 2012 and "personally managed the support programs for Jessica Ennis and Mo Farah" throughout the Games.

"He has been the 'glue' in the Olympic Task Force system I created," said UKA CEO Niels de Vos, "ensuring the right people, places and performance culture was in place to support the Head Coaches of the Olympic and Paralympic teams."

Annecy 2013 Signs Host Contract

It’s official: Annecy will stage the International Military Sports Council’s 2nd World Winter Games.

Annecy 2013 chief General Jean-René Bachelet and CISM counterpart Colonel Hamad Kalkaba Malboum met Thursday in the host city to sign the organizing contract.

"For this first visit, we’re delighted to see that everything is right on track at just six months from the opening of the Games," said Mallboum.

Bachellett added: "It’s a true corps of champions that we’ll be welcoming to Annecy to compete in events that celebrate sporting excellence and the ideal of peace, as expressed in the CISM motto: Peace through sports."

Almost 1,000 athletes from 40 countries and six major sporting disciplines will compete March 25 to 29 at many of the same venues from France’s failed bid for the 2018 Winter Olympics.

Media Watch

Amotz Asa-El argues Istanbul is the economical pick to host the 2020 Olympics in this Wall Street Journal editorial.

Written by Ed Hula, Matthew Grayson and Hannah Reid

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