Rio Reveals Golf Course Designer; Ruggiero Heads Lillehammer 2016 Co-Comm

Rio Reveals Golf Course Designer

U.S. architect Gil Hanse beats out a who’s who of golfing greats and course designers for the chance to design the first Olympic links since 1904.

With top inspectors from the IOC in town for a project review, Rio 2016 made the announcement Wednesday, citing the "strong legacy component" and "retention of the natural contours of the land" pitched by Hanse Court Design.

"As it marks the return of golf to the Olympic Games after over a century of absence, this course represents the beginning of a new chapter in the history of the sport," said Rio 2016 president Carlos Nuzman.

"This course will be an excellent facility for the practice and development of golf and will inspire millions of youth across Brazil and the globe. We look forward to welcoming the athletes and spectators to the course in 2016."

Among the other seven finalists for the coveted task were teams that paired Jack Nicklaus with Annika Sorenstam and Greg Norman with Lorena Ochoa.

A mix of more golfing greats – Gary Player, Peter Thomson – and course architects – Robert Trent Jones Jr., Ross Perrett, Tom Doak, Martin Hawtree – rounded out the competition.

In the case of Hanse, he’s teaming with LPGA great and World Golf Hall of Fame member Amy Alcott for the project ahead.

"The International Golf Federation would like to thank all of the architects who worked so hard on their bids and whose presentations demonstrated great vision," said IGF president Peter Dawson. "The selection process adopted by Rio 2016 was extremely thorough and reflected the importance of the project."

Wednesday’s announcement follows presentations heard last month by the jury representing Rio 2016, city government, the IGF and the legacy entity that will oversee the management of the course post-Games.

"As the interest of any course is ultimately felt in the way it plays, we hope to construct something that will prove to be a fascinating study in the many faces it presents: options, recovery shots, and a sense of whimsy are all critical components which we think will make the 2016 Olympic course fun to play," Hanse said in a statement posted to his website.

IOC Unveils Lillehammer 2016 Co-Comm

Angela Ruggiero will lead the IOC Coordination Commission for the Lillehammer 2016 Winter Youth Olympic Games.

That’s the most noteworthy addition to the composition of IOC commissions updated Wednesday for the year ahead.

Ruggiero, a four-time Olympic ice hockey medalist for Team USA, will be joined by IOC colleagues Ottavio Cinquanta, Rene Fasel, Gian-Franco Kasper, Adam Pengilly and Yang Yang as well as Peter Bayer, CEO of the Innsbruck 2012 YOG, and Bernhard Schwank, former CEO of Munich 2018.

Edgar Grospiron, the original CEO of Annecy 2018, is another leader of a failed Winter Olympic bid now getting put to work by the IOC. His addition to the Coordination Commission for PyeongChang 2018 comes ahead of its first visit to South Korea scheduled for March 20 to 23.

Wednesday’s update lists no changes to the chairmanships of any of the IOC’s 26 commissions and no major tweaks to their composition other than Grospiron’s addition.

Lawyer Predicts BOA Loss at CAS

A leading sports lawyer predicts the British Olympic Association’s controversial doping by-law will be overturned Monday by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Howard Jacobs, who helped reigning 400m champion LaShawn Merritt of the U.S. overturn his own Olympic ban, says he expects the BOA to end up on the "losing side" just as the IOC did last October.

"When I heard the BOA's response to the CAS decision, what they were saying sounded a lot like what the International Olympic Committee were saying, trying to characterize the rule as an eligibility rule as opposed to a sanction," Jacobs told BBC Sport on Wednesday.

"It was exactly the same thing as the IOC did in our case, so it strikes me that this type of characterization is not likely to be successful."

If CAS upholds the World Anti-Doping Agency’s ruling that the by-law is not compliant with the WADA Code, the BOA would have to drop its Olympic lifetime ban for athletes sanctioned for drugs violations. This would open the door for athletes such as cyclist David Millar and sprinter Dwain Chambers to make Team Great Britain and compete atLondon 2012.

In the case of Chambers, who tried but failed to challenge the by-law ahead of Beijing 2008, Jacobs said the reigning 60m IAAF Indoors world champ has more than served his time in the nine years since he tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs.

"To me, it doesn't make sense that you're going to keep him out of the biggest competition for his sport and somehow say that's not an additional sanction," he told BBC Sport.

Aussie Athletes Ignore Handshake Warning

A warning from the British Olympic Association’s chief medical officer will not keep Australian athletes from shaking hands in London.

Ian McCurdie warned Monday the Olympic Village could be a breeding ground for infections and discouraged athletes from shaking hands.

According to the Herald Sun, Australian Olympic Committee spokesman Mike Tancred said following McCurdie’s suggestions would be an "embarrassment" to his athletes.

"Members of the Australian Olympic Team always extend the hand of friendship on and off the field of play," he said. "And that will be the case in London."

Team GB is meanwhile softening its stance after McCurdie’s advice was rejected by the British government and criticized by athletes around the world.

"Team GB’s 550 athletes will of course warmly welcome their fellow competitors from around the world this summer – there is no question about that," BOA communications director Darryl Seibel said Tuesday.

"We are not advising our athletes to avoid shaking hands. We are simply reminding them to follow common-sense measures by maintaining good hand hygiene to minimize the risk of becoming ill," he said.

"Thorpedo" Doubts Comeback

Olympic legend Ian Thorpe says he’s avoiding high hopes for his return to competitive swimming.

Thorpe told Australian media Wednesday that he does not expect to make the Australian Olympic team for London 2012.

"The most realistic outcome of this is that I will most likely fail. ... I wish I had another six months to do this," he said.

After winning five Olympic gold medals at the Sydney and Athens Games, Thorpe retired from the sport in 2006, then announced his comeback a year ago.

Media Watch

BBC sports editor David Bond looks into the legacy of Sydney 2000 and asks what Olympic organizers in London can learn from their Aussie predecessors.

Written by Ann Cantrell and Matthew Grayson.

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