Multi-sport

In this issue we cover the following: WINTER OLYMPICS – a commercial preview of Pyeongchang 2018 RULE 40 – how the IOC's control over athlete sponsorships is weakening GIANN

The World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) has recommended that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) use an earlier 2016 model BEREG-KIT security bottle during this month’s winter Olympics in Pyeongchang amid a potential integrity issue surrounding new-generation bottles.

South Korea has maintained that future winter Olympics projects with North Korea will go ahead as planned despite Pyongyang pulling the plug on a joint cultural performance scheduled for next week.

The Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) has announced a 169-strong team for the 2018 winter Olympic Games, but has admitted the list could be reduced amid the possibility of further sanctions due to the country’s doping scandal and athletes potentially choosing to boycott the Games as a gesture of “solidarity”.

International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach has admitted the process to establish a Russian team for the 2018 winter Olympic Games has been a balancing act, adding that those athletes excluded have been left out following “serious indications” concerning their potential involvement in the country's doping scandal.

The Austrian cities of Graz and Schladming have put forward a proposal to bid for the 2026 winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, three months after Innsbruck was forced to shelve its plans due to lack of local support.

The Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) is seeking clarification from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) after confirming that a number of its leading stars, including six-time speedskating gold medallist Viktor Ahn, have been excluded from the 2018 winter Olympic Games amid the country’s ongoing doping scandal.

The Faroese Confederation of Sports and Olympic Committee (FCSOC) has appointed London-based sports communications consultancy Vero as advisors to its campaign to gain recognition by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

North Korea will compete at the 2018 winter Olympic Games in three sports, including a historic joint women’s ice hockey team with South Korea, following an agreement reached with the International Olympic Committee (IOC). 

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has said it has created a group of 389 Russian athletes who will be eligible to compete under a neutral flag at the 2018 winter Olympic Games, amid the doping scandal enveloping sport in the country.

Paris 2024 has today (Thursday) wound up its bid committee for the summer Olympic and Paralympic Games, reporting a budget surplus exceeding €5m ($6m) which it claims represents a “remarkable feat” in bidding history for major sporting events.

South and North Korea have today (Wednesday) reached an agreement to field a joint women’s ice hockey team at the 2018 winter Olympic Games along with marching together under a “unified Korea” flag at the opening ceremony, while the North has also committed to its first winter Paralympic Games.

North Korea has requested that working talks on taking its athletes to the 2018 winter Olympic Games be held on Wednesday at the truce village of Panmunjom, as South Korean officials maintained women’s ice hockey is the only sport being considered for a possible joint team at next month’s event.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has said it will stage a meeting on January 20 to determine the exact nature of North Korea’s participation at the 2018 winter Olympic Games.

Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), owner of the Lord’s Ground in London and recognised as the sole authority on the Laws of Cricket, has called on the Board of Control for Cricket in India to back the sport’s ongoing bid to become part of the Olympic Games, adding that the BCCI’s reluctance is the only remaining barrier facing the efforts.

A total of 42 Russian athletes have now lodged appeals with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in an effort to compete at the upcoming Pyeongchang winter Olympics, while Russian Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Mutko has also lodged an appeal to the court against a lifetime ban from the Games.