2012 Schedule Takes Shape for Triathlon
Triathlon’s world cup series will stick to familiar ground for its 2012 season.
The International Triathlon Union unveiled Thursday next year’s nine stops, eight of which are past host cities.
The circuit begins in Australia on March 24 with Mooloolaba staging a world cup for the eight straight year.
From there, triathletes head to Ishigaki, Japan and then on to Huatulco, Mexico for the final world cup within the Olympic qualification period.
Next up is first-time host Banyoles in Spain, the home country of ITU president Marisol Casado.
"The ITU Triathlon World Cup Series has traveled to more than 30 different countries on all five continents since 1991 and it continues to showcase the world's top triathletes, from the sport's legends and Olympic medalists to the World Champions of tomorrow," she said in a statement.
Guatape, Colombia; Edmonton, Canada; Tiszaujvaros, Hungary; Tongyeong, South Korea and Cancun, Mexico are the final five stops with action wrapping up Oct. 7. The 2012 world champions will be crowned later that month in Auckland, New Zealand at the conclusion of the ITU’s flagship world championship series.
Cologne Conference Issues Corruption Wakeup Call
Play the Game 2011 delegates are calling on the IOC to organize a world conference aimed at creating a global code of governance for sport.
The gathering of around 330 academics, media professionals and other stakeholders last week at the German Sport University Cologne closed with everyone adopting an end statement later mailed to participating IOC members Richard Pound and Arne Ljungqvist as well as IOC vice president Thomas Bach.
"[We] are convinced that the fundamental integrity and credibility of the sports movement is at stake, and that this is weakening the role of sport as a positive force in society," reads the aptly titled Cologne Consensus.
"Existing principles, mechanisms and institutions to enhance good governance and counter corruption have proved inadequate."
According to the document, it’s up to the IOC to take the lead in staging a conference by the end of 2012 with "governments; intergovernmental bodies such as the United Nations, the Council of Europe, OECD, the European Union and Interpol; sports stakeholders such as SportAccord,ANOC and non-Olympic sports organizations as well as with representatives of elected athletes, sponsors, the gambling industry, the media community, academics, NGOs and other relevant experts" all involved.
NOCs, international federations, national governing bodies and, of course, the IOC would then adopt the resulting governance code with Games bidding, hosting and participation contingent upon adherence to its standards.
For the entire Cologne Consensus, visit Play the Game
20 Years for Slovenian NOC
The Slovenian Olympic Committee celebrated its 20th anniversary Wednesday while setting a course for future success.
At a ceremony featuringthe Slovenian president Danilo Turk, NOC president Janez Kocijancic said: "Over the past 20 years we have often seen the Slovenian flag on the top and we are proud with what we achieved. 22 Olympic medals, 19 Paralympic medals.
"Our athletes have been shown to be equally competitive with athletes from around the world. When we look back on these 20 years, we have to think about the future. The results are encouraging, giving us hope that trend will continue."
On behalf of the NOC, Kocijancic received the Golden Order for Merits from President Turk.
2012 CISA Dates
Bamako, Mali will stage the 2012 International African Sport Convention from March 1 to 3.
The convention, known as CISA, brings together African sports leaders from the entire continent.
Organizers expect 350 to 400 delegates at the sixth edition, setting a new record for attendance.
Diamil Faye, JAPPO President and CISA founder, said: "We are happy to announce thatCISA 2012 will be organized alongside with 3 other major international events like 2012 African Judo Championships and two others that will be announced soon. By doing that, we want to grow the networking opportunities offered by CISA and reach out to new sports groups and participants."
LAICO l'Amitié Hotel is the venue for the event.
Written by Matthew Grayson and Ed Hula III.
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