Rogge on Brazil's Medal Needs; Early Praise for London Velodrome

Rogge: Brazil Needs Strong Showing In 2012

IOC president Jacques Rogge says a strong performance by Brazilian athletes at London 2012 would help stoke the host country’s sporting interest ahead of Rio 2016.

"The success of the Olympics is very much determined by the success of local athletes," he was quoted Monday by O Globo. "We need medals in Brazil, as many as possible, and as before."

Rogge is coming off his first trip to Rio since the IOC awarded hosting rights in October 2009. During the weeklong visit, he visited a favela, toured transportation works, witnessed the New Year’s Eve logo launch and attended the inauguration of newly elected Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff.

Rogge noted Monday that Rio 2016 president Carlos Nuzman, also Brazilian NOC chief, has had 14 months since the victory in Copenhagen to begin preparing his country’s athletes for the 2016 Games.

"I definitely think that Brazil will perform better in London than it had in other editions of the Olympics," he told the Brazilian paper. "I hope, when in Rio, Brazil has an even better performance."

2012 Velodrome Is World’s Fastest, Test Riders Say

Cyclists are already calling London’s velodrome the world’s fastest track.

British media reported over the weekend that a dozen club riders tested the venue Friday during an inspection by the International Cycling Union (UCI), then hailed the 250m loop’s lightning-fast speeds.

"It was great to see cyclists in the velodrome for the first time," Olympic Delivery Authority project manager Richard Arnold told The London Evening Standard.

"Achieving the cycling federation's sign-off for the delivery of the track is an important milestone and gives everyone on site a huge boost as we approach the final stages of construction."

The 6,000-seat arena will be the Olympic Park’s first venue to open next month ahead of a World Cup test event next February.

'Thorpedo' Mulls London 2012 Return

Five-time Olympic champion Ian Thorpe is considering a comeback for London 2012.

Australian media reported Sunday that the 28-year-old resumed a regular training regimen at the start of last summer and appears more than 20 pounds lighter.

"I never really stopped swimming," Thorpe told The Herald Sun. "I'm just doing more now and I'm really enjoying getting into shape."

The nine-time Olympic medalist and 11-time world champion formally retired in November 2006 but was reportedly inspired by the recent comeback of countryman Geoff Huegill, who won double-gold at Delhi 2010 after years away from the sport.

Thorpe’s manager told the Melbourne daily the swimmer has yet to formally consider a return to competition but has not ruled out London 2012 either.

During an October tour of London 2012’s AquaticsCenter, the Australian legend mused that the venue might even surpass that of Sydney 2000, one from which he left with three gold medals.

Doping Violation Confirmed for Team USA’s Taurasi

A failed drug test has U.S. basketball star Diana Taurasi in doubt for London 2012.

The Turkish basketball federation announced late last week that the two-time WNBA champion’s B sample confirms the results of last month’s tests on her A sample.

Both showed traces of modafinil, a drug most often used by shift workers to enhance vigilance and combat sleep disorders.

Taurasi, 28, led Team USA to gold at the past two Summer Olympics as well as the 2010 FIBA world championship. She plays for the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury and moonlighted in FIBA’s EuroLeague until Fenerbahce of Istanbul cut her after Thursday’s announcement.

According to the World Anti-Doping Agency, athletes who take modafinil as a performance-enhancing drug face competitions bans of up to two years.

And according to an IOC rule adopted in 2008, athletes slapped with doping bans longer than six months must sit out the next Olympics, meaning women’sbasketball’s most decorated star could be sidelined for London 2012.

U.K., Australia Stand Against Sporting Corruption

Australian sports minister Mark Arbib and British Olympics minister Hugh Robertson want the IOC to know they support its efforts to stamp out illegal sports betting.

The pair attended a gathering of Commonwealth sport ministers in October on the sidelines of Delhi 2010, continued their discussion of corruption in sport at a December meeting and jointly penned a letter Monday to the IOC in support of its approaching seminar on sporting integrity.

"Sport is international and corruption in sport is international. The best way to fight corruption is to have an international approach that all governments and sporting bodies sign up to," Arbib wrote.

"The Australian and United Kingdom governments are committed to countering corruption in sport and have agreed to a continued dialogue on protecting integrity in sport."

The IOC will tackle the issue March 1 in a seminar at its headquarters in Lausanne.

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Written by Matthew Grayson.