Indian Olympic Association Update
The IOC says the fate of the Indian Olympic Association will "definitely be addressed" at its Executive Board meeting March 13 and 14.
IOC spokesperson Emmanuelle Moreau made the announcement to Around the Rings in an email.
She added that the IOC did receive a letter from the IOA regarding the organization’s leadership status but the IOC is "still awaiting some further information from the IOA."
VK Malhotra is acting president of the IOA. SureshKalmadi stepped away from his responsibilities in the role following corruption allegations with his leadership of the 2010 Commonwealth Games. However, he never relinquished the title of IOA president.
The IOC asked for clarification of his status with a deadline of March 1 to submit the information.
Anti-Doping Tests for British Athletes
UK Anti-Doping on Thursday announced details of its most comprehensive pre-Games anti-doping education and drug testing program.
Over 100 education sessions are planned alongside an intensive testing program, which will be carried out on British athletes hoping to compete in London at this summer’s Games.
"As the host nation at this year’s Olympic and Paralympic Games, we want to lead the way in promoting clean sport, giving the British public the confidence that the performances they see from our athletes are achieved through four years of hard work, determination and dedication," said UK Anti-Doping chief executive Andy Parkinson.
"Working closely with sports, the BOA and BPA, we are currently delivering a comprehensive education program for all those athletes and support personnel heading to the Games this summer to ensure that the British teams can be proud of their performances as clean athletes."
Most tests will be done through no-advance notice, out-of-competition tests, either at squad training sessions or through Whereabouts information provided by athletes. Additional tests – both urine and blood testing – are to be targeted at key 2012 selection events.
Parkinson confirmed that every single athlete selected for Team GB and Paralympics GB would be tested at least once in the run-up to the Games and "those in more high-risk sports or disciplines, or athletes of interest to us will be tested more often."
Brazil Olympic Committee Appeal
The Brazilian Olympic Committee (COB) is appealing to the Court of Arbitration for Sport following a controversial Olympic taekwondo qualifying event.
Brazilian Marcio Ferreira missed a spot after his fight with Damian Villa of Mexico.
In a statement supplied to Around the Rings, the COB said Wencelau was penalized multiple times with 20 seconds remaining, and most controversially, awarded three points for a kick to the head that the COB and Wencelau both say only landed on his arm, with three seconds left in the fight.
An ATR review of the fight in question, available here, seems to confirm the COB’s complaints.
The WTF did not accept the COB’s request for an appeal, hence the decision to go to CAS.
"The images recorded by WTF itself are very clear" said COB president Carlos Arthur Nuzman. "The kick does not hit Marcio’s head. So, the victory in the fight for an Olympic spot should have been Marcio Wencelau’s. To defend Marcio we will show other mistakes made by the referee. Our appeal with CAS was filed in support of the Brazilian Taekwondo Federation and for the athlete."
Bulgaria, Azerbaijan Weightlifting Row
The Bulgarian Olympic Committee has asked the IOC and International Weightlifting Federation for clarification on whether they can ask for a larger transfer fee for two weightlifters.
Boyanka Kostova and Valentin Hristov naturalized and hope to represent Azerbaijan in the London Olympics. Bulgaria’s weightlifting federation has threatened to stop the transfer, preventing the two from competing entirely if no resolution is achieved.
Azeri weightlifting officials agreed to a fee of more than $500,000 to cover the transfer of allegiance and balked at paying any extra costs.
French Flag Bearer Announcement Ahead
The French National Olympic Committee recently announced that the flag bearer for the French Olympic team will be revealed on June 10.
The ceremony will take place before the men’s final of the French Open.
Flag bearer at the 2008 Olympics for France, Tony Estanguet, will "symbolically deliver" the flag to his successor, the NOC said in a statement.
Media Watch
The Wall Street Journal reports on an overlooked task of Brazil before the Olympics – cleaning up airports of junked airplanes.
National Public Radio aired a 17-minute audio diary of Claressa Shields and her quest to represent the United States in the first women’s Olympic boxing tournament. The story is herewith listener reaction here.
Winning the right to host the 2018 Olympics has given extra motivation to South Korean curlers to qualify for their first Olympic Games.
Idaho governor Mike Leavitt wrote a letter to the editor in The Post Register (available on Romney’s campaign website) saying Mitt Romney’s Olympic experience "matches almost perfectly what United States needs in our next president."
Written by Ed Hula III.
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