Saudi Arabia Won't Send Women to London; ANOC Mourns Somali NOC Chief

Saudi Arabia Won't Send Women to London

Saudi Olympic Committee president Prince Nawaf bin Faisal says he will not support sending female athletes to compete at the London Games and claims the ultraconservative government has no plans to back their participation.

"I do not approve of Saudi female participation in the Olympics at the moment," Nawaf was quoted by Saudi Arabian newspaper Al-Watan.

Bin Faisal said Saudi women may be able to compete on their own at the Olympics, adding that the country's NOC would "only help in ensuring that their participation does not violate the Islamic sharia law".

"We are not endorsing any Saudi female participation at the moment in the Olympics or other international championships," he told a press conference Wednesday, restating the NOC's stance of late last year that Saudi Arabia will only be sending male athletes to London.

That plan is unlikely to meet demands made by the IOC, which has been applying pressure on the Saudi government to send women to the Olympics for the first time.

"We are still in discussion and working to ensure the participation of Saudi women at the Games in London," the IOC told The Associated Press on Thursday.

Saudi reports suggest that 18-year-old equestrian show jumper Dalma Malhas may be the kingdom's only female athlete at London 2012. She also participated at the 2010 Singapore Youth Olympics without receiving the NOC's blessing following an IOC invite, and went on to win a bronze medal.

Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Brunei are the three countries who have never included women in their athlete delegations for an Olympics. Bowing to IOC pressure, Qatar has agreed to send female athletes to London 2012.

The IOC Executive Board meeting in Quebec next month is expected to discuss plans to allow Saudi women to compete at this summer's Games.

ANOC Mourns Death of Somali NOC Chief

Sheikh Ahmad Al Fahad Al Sabah, ANOC's interim president, expresses sadness and sorrow about the death of Somali Olympic Committee chief Aden Yabarow Wiish, who was killed in a suicide bomb attack Wednesday in Mogadishu.

"It is a black day for Somalia sports, I’m still very shocked by what happened in Mogadishu," said Sheikh Ahmad in a letter to the Somali Olympic Committee.

"On behalf of ANOC Executive Council and its 205 members, I would like to extend my profound condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of Mr. Yabarow."

Sheikh Ahmad also condemned the terror attack, adding that the Olympic Movement had lost one of its most committed servants.

"Mr. Yabarow dedicated himself to the Olympism and showed an excellent example to the world that the power of sport could unify a country torn apart by civil war," he said.

"The Olympic Family including ANOC will be surely standingside by side with Somali Olympic Committee and the people of Somalia in this most difficult time and offer any necessary assistance needed to recover from this tragedy as soon as possible."

Somali FA president Said Mohamed Nur was also among the 10 people who died in the bomb blast orchestrated by an al-Qaeda-linked militant group.

The explosion at the national theater, which reopened only a fortnight ago, was seen as a symbol of the city’s re-emergence following two decades of violence across the country perpetrated by Al-Shabaab, the Somalia-based cell of al-Qaeda.

Coe, Chernyshenko Headline Newsmaker Breakfast Moscow

The leaders of the next two Olympics will be the guests of honor at an upcoming Around the Rings Newsmaker Breakfast.

London 2012 chairman Sebastian Coe as well as Sochi 2014 president and CEO Dmitry Chernyshenko will join ATR editor Ed Hula on April 16 in Moscow.

Coe and Chernyshenko will be in the Russian capital to present progress reports on the Games to delegates of the Association of National Olympic Committees General Assembly.

This will be the first joint appearance at a Newsmaker Breakfast by the two organizing committee chiefs.

"We are pleased to have two of the most important people in the Olympic Movement as our guests," Hula said.

"I hope we learn more about the differences and similarities of their management styles as well as an update on their work towards the Games."

The event is sponsored by ISM Ltd., the IOC's worldwide exclusive interactive entertainment software licensee, and The Concerto Group, London's premier events planning organization.

Ryan Seacrest to Cover Olympics

Ryan Seacrest will join NBC for its coverage of the London Olympics.

The television personality and producer made the announcement Wednesday on "Today" in an interview with Matt Lauer.

Seacrest already hosts Fox’s "American Idol" and "E!News" on E!, a sister network of NBC.

Olympic Office Closing

IOC headquarters in Lausanne will close Friday and Monday for Easter.

Media Watch

"Don’t forget to point and laugh at the silliness," Rick Morrissey of The Chicago Sun-Times writes about Augusta National's exclusion of women.

Written by Mark Bisson and Ann Cantrell .

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