SportAccord Convention Magazine 2013

www.insidethegames.biz SportAccord 2013 The world’s leading source of independent news and information about the Olympic and Paralympic Movement.

Inside: Place your bets Picking up the pace SportAccord influence set to grow after election Sports eyeing 2020 vision Every morning I had to pinch myself Young pretenders Sochi’s Field of Dreams Kazan hopes for top marks

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Contents Published: May 2013 by Dunsar Media Company Limited Editor: Duncan Mackay Managing Director: Sarah Bowron Commercial Director: Dominique Gill Project Coordinator: Lauren Mattera Design: Elliot Willis Willis Design Associates Pictures: Getty Images Print: www.csfprint.com

Introduction Duncan Mackay

IOC Presidency race: Place your bets 10

David Owen

2020 Summer Olympics: Picking up the pace 12 Duncan Mackay

SportAccord: Influence set to grow after election Duncan Mackay Tom Degun

No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in any retrieval system of any nature without prior written permission of the publisher.

2018 Youth Olympic Games: Young Pretenders

Bid sports: Sports eyeing 2020 vision 21 Duncan Mackay and Tom Degun

London 2012: Every morning I had to pinch myself, says Sebastian Coe 29 Duncan Mackay

Tom Degun

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Sochi 2014: Sochi’s Field of Dreams 40 Mike Rowbottom

Kazan 2013: Kazan hopes for top marks 45 James Crook

Multi-sports events: Games people play 46 James Crook

Who are we? 51

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Russia: Russian sport’s ten-year plan 18

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T

his time last year we were all gathered in Québec City, where anticipation about the upcoming London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics was growing. London has come and gone, with most experts considering it the best Games in history thanks to the sellout crowds, the innovative ways in which the sports were showcased and the magnificent atmosphere in Britain’s capital. insidethegames, of course, reflect on the massive success of London 2012 in an interview with Sebastian Coe, chairman of the Organising Committee, and by finding out what each of the 26 sports thought of the Games.

Our main focus, however, is looking ahead.

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Anyone who thought the Olympic Movement would be using 2013 as an opportunity to catch their breath could not be more wrong.

I have been involved in the Movement for nearly 25 years now and this is easily the most fascinating one I can remember.

There are five elections going on at the moment, unprecedented in the Movement’s history. Normally, in the year the host city for an Olympics and Paralympics is chosen, that grabs all the attention. But, with so much going on, the race involving Istanbul, Madrid and Tokyo is hardly even on the radar of some International Olympic Committee members.

The election campaign that is grabbing most of their attentions is the one to choose a replacement as IOC President for Jacques Rogge. Picking an IOC President is a momentous occasion - this, after all, will be only the second time it has happened in 33 years.

So far it is a race with few runners. Because of the IOC’s strict election rules many of the candidates are refusing to declare for fear it will hinder how much campaigning they can do. But David Owen, former sports editor of the Financial Times who was there in Moscow in 2001 when Rogge was elected to replace Juan Antonio Samaranch, has produced an insightful analysis to guide you through the maze.

The IOC Presidential campaign may be the most important race this year but that does not mean we have neglected the other

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elections going on, including the 2018 Summer Youth Olympic Games featuring Buenos Aires, Glasgow and Medellín and wrestling’s attempts to stay on the Olympic programme after Rio 2016 at the expense of the seven sports hoping to replace it, baseball-softball, karate, roller sports, sport climbing, squash, wakeboarding and wushu.

We also have a special piece on the campaign to elect a new President of SportAccord, which while not part of the IOC, will have a big influence on how the Olympic Movement is managed over the next few years.

Finally, I hope you do not mind a little bit of self-congratulation as insidethegames’ magazine from last year’s SportAccord was shortlisted for Print Product of the Year in the British Media Awards, well-earned recognition for the hard work our publisher Sarah Bowron and designer Elliot Willis put in.

But, like the Olympic Movement, insidethegames does not stand still, so we hope you enjoy this year’s edition. If you like what you read you can access all our content online and sign up for daily e-alerts which, unlike other publications, is all totally free of charge at www.insidethegames.biz.

Duncan Mackay Editor

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Place your bets Choosing a new President of the International Olympic Committee is a rare event, which is why there is so much excitement about who will replace Jacques Rogge, as David Owen tries to figure out who will be the contenders.

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n September 10 in the Argentinean capital of Buenos Aires, Jacques Rogge’s remarkably turbulence-free spell as President of the International Olympic Committee will come to an end after 12 years and rather less than two months.

This marks 2013 out as a key year for the Olympic Movement. New IOC Presidents are rare beasts: Rogge is only the eighth in 119 years. The new man, or woman, will take over what remains the most powerful post in world sport, with the ability to set the course for the most influential sporting body planet earth has yet produced, in all likelihood for the next 12 years.

The former Olympic sailor from Belgium had to be, first and foremost, Mr Clean. His successor will probably be called upon to exhibit a more strategic, even visionary, bent.

After seemingly floating above the world’s problems on an ever-expanding cushion of marketing and media dollars for more than a decade, the Movement faces a stack of increasingly pressing issues that the new President will find in his/her in-tray.

How should the Movement react to an environment in which so many of the cities from which it must select future partners are struggling to make ends meet? Is the revenue-raising model that has served it so well in recent times still optimal? What to do about doping, which Rogge identified correctly as a subject the Movement needed to put right at the top of its agenda, but which, seemingly, is no less a problem today

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Main: Jacques Rogge, IOC President during an IOC Executive board meeting. Photo: Harold Cunningham/Getty Images

than in 2001? Is there an argument for relaxing rules governing visits by IOC members to bidding cities? Are the sports programmes for Summer and Winter Games right? And so on.

We are still some way from the moment when the covert campaigning that has stealthily been building up steam wherever sports VIPs gather bursts into the open. A bylaw to rule 20 of the Olympic Charter states, “candidatures for the election of the President are declared three months before the date of the opening of the Session at which the election is due to take place”. That is to say, June 7, although the IOC’s Executive Board may, if it sees fit, modify this deadline.

But, as I write, it is already possible to draw up a list of, well, “possibles” from which the eventual line-up of candidates will probably be drawn.

Thomas Bach, the 59-year-old German from Tauberbischofsheim, who was the first to declare, would probably be the bookmakers’ favourite to emerge in September as the ninth IOC President. A commercial lawyer with good language skills,

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Thomas Bach. Photo: Michael Regan/Getty Images

he is chair of the IOC’s Juridical Commission, an indefatigable networker, and he even has an Olympic gold medal in his locker as a member of the victorious German foil team at the Montreal Games in 1976. He showed evidence of both strategic thinking and managerial ability in overseeing the 2006 merger of the German Sports Confederation and its National Olympic Committee. He is also European, as seven of the eight IOC Presidents to date have been.

However, the IOC’s Euro-centricity may also serve as a campaigning point for other candidates, who might well argue it is high time that this global body elected a leader from a different part of the world.

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Sergey Bubka. Photo: Manuel Queimadelos Alonso/Getty Images Ching-Kuo Wu. Photo: Sam Yeh/AFP/Getty Images

Nawal El Moutawakel. Photo: Christophe Simon/AFP/Getty Images

Left: Ser Miang Ng. Photo: Mark Dadswell/Getty Images Right: Richard Carrion. Photo: Michael Cohen/Getty Images

Ser Miang Ng of Singapore could make the point that the IOC has never had an Asian President. The 64-year-old can also point to his role as President of the Organising Committee of the inaugural Youth Olympic Games, staged successfully by his country in 2010.

Richard Carrión, the likeliest candidate from the Americas, the one region of the world besides Europe to have produced an IOC President – Avery Brundage of the United States was IOC President from 1952 to 1972 - is one of the key figures behind the www.facebook.com/insidethegames

Movement’s recent financial success.

Chairman of the IOC’s Finance Commission, the 60-year-old Puerto Rican is an increasingly high-profile banker, with a seat on the Board of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

It is conceivable that there might also be an African candidate, namely, Nawal El Moutawakel, the 51-year-old Moroccan who won the gold medal in the women’s 400 metre hurdles at the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984. While she would be many people’s current pick as the individual most likely to emerge as the next but one IOC President (and hence the first woman to fulfil the role), however, she would not start this year’s contest, should she decide to enter, as favourite. Why risk rubbing influential colleagues up the wrong way when time is on your side and you could be a truly formidable candidate next time around? Partly for this

Left: Denis Oswald. Photo: Ben Stansall/AFP/Getty Images Right: René Fasel. Photo: Markku Ulander/AFP/Getty Images

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reason, some feel that the recently-elected IOC vice-president may ultimately decide against running this time, although I personally would not yet rule it out.

It could be that some International Sports Federations decide that their interests are best served by backing a candidate likely to prove sympathetic to their world view.

Should they do so, this may have the effect of further expanding the field.

Three names have been put to me as individuals who might decide to run, particularly if such circumstances pertained: 63-year-old René Fasel, President of the Association of International Olympic Winter Sports Federations; Denis Oswald, the 66-year-old former President of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations; and Ching-Kuo Wu, the 66-year-old President of AIBA, the international boxing association. I doubt that all of them will ultimately emerge as candidates, but one or two might.

Sergey Bubka, the former pole-vaulter, is another name I have heard mentioned as a possible candidate. The 49-year-old Ukrainian may prove capable of picking up a significant number of votes, especially from members with links to Eastern Europe and/or the core Olympic sport of athletics.

In 2001, when the vote was held in Moscow, there were five candidates: Rogge, Richard Pound of Canada, Un Yong Kim of South Korea, Pal Schmitt of Hungary and Anita DeFrantz of the United States. This time around, I think there could be as few as three or as many as six. I just hope the campaign eventually becomes overt enough for the world of sport to understand in detail what each candidate would aim to achieve.

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cities are arranged clockwise and alphabetically by name.

Istanbul

Picking up the pace

Istanbul, Turkey.

Photo: Julian Finney/Getty Images

The 2020 bid campaign has been relatively lowkey so far but that is all about to change at the SportAccord International Convention where Istanbul, Madrid and Tokyo are able to give their first major presentations to the Olympic Family. Duncan Mackay, who has visited all three cities, reports.

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t times, the campaign to host the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics has resembled a phoney war, with a lack of any real action. This is partly because the race has been overshadowed by so much else going on in the Olympic Movement, particularly the International Olympic Committee Presidential campaign and the controversial decision to recommend that wrestling be dropped from the list of core sports after Rio 2016.

The pace, however, is set to pick-up here at the SportAccord International Convention in St Petersburg where the three bidders, Istanbul, Madrid and Tokyo, will be allowed to make their first presentations to the Olympic Family. Each of the candidates at the event on May 30, the second day of the SportAccord Conference, will have 20 minutes to present their cases to more than 2,000 of the most influential decisionmakers in world sport, including several IOC members who will vote in Buenos Aires on September 7 when the host city is due to be chosen.

The occasion is sure to be marked by expensively produced new films - which have

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Madrid become an work of art in their own right showcasing the best of each city and the appearances of celebrities backing their country’s bid, although the biggest names are usually held back for the final presentation to the IOC, such as in Singapore in 2005 when London 2012 brought along David Beckham or four years ago when Pele accompanied the Rio 2016 delegation.

Istanbul will be the first city to give a presentation, followed by Tokyo and Madrid.

The order has been decided by the drawing of lots and will be followed at all subsequent presentations, including Buenos Aires.

Each city will be trying to convince the audience of their own unique reasons for holding the Games. So for Istanbul it will be a “Games on two continents�, Tokyo will be emphasising that the Olympics would be held in the most technologically advanced and innovative city in the world, while Madrid will be trying to convince everyone that even though they are the biggest capital city in Europe never to have hosted the Games they are already prepared due to the facilities that were built during unsuccessful bids for 2012 and 2016.

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Tokyo Tokyo Tower, Tokyo.

Photo: Kazuhiro Nogi/AFP/Getty Images

Cibeles Palace, Madrid.

Photo: Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images

British bookmakers have little doubt as to who will win. Nearly all have Tokyo as the odds-on favourites, with Istanbul second favourite and Madrid a long-shot. These prices, however, can be pretty much discounted as for the 2012 Olympics they had Paris in a similar position to Tokyo and for 2016 they nearly all installed Chicago as the favourites. And we know what happened there.

The success of London 2012 may have been a big boost to Tokyo’s campaign as it could have reminded IOC members that sometimes the Olympic brand can be strengthened just as much by giving the Games to a “traditional” city as to a developing market.

Istanbul’s bid, meanwhile, may need to work harder to convince the IOC that it is capable of undertaking such a major building project as they are proposing - at $19 billion, the figure quoted in their Bid Book, the money set aside for getting the city ready is by some way the highest of all the bidders - without running into the kinds of problems which Rio de Janeiro has in its preparations for 2016.

Madrid’s bid continues to be overshadowed by the crippling economic crisis that Spain is in the www.facebook.com/insidethegames

grip of. Spain’s National Statistics Institute published a report last month that revealed the number of people unemployed rose by 237,400 in the first three months of the year, a 1.1 per cent increase from the previous quarter.

The total out of work now stands at 6.2 million people, leaving more Spaniards without work than the entire population of Denmark, and the percentage rate now matches that of Greece.

The number of people considered long-term unemployed - out of a job for more than a year - increased to 3.5 million, while the unemployment rate for those aged under 25 was a staggering 57 per cent. The Government body also said its survey found the number of households without anyone working had risen by 72,400 to a 1.91 million.

But officials there continue to insist that the bid is in the best interests of the country and being awarded the Olympics and Paralympics would help bring Spain out of recession. It appears to most people to be a thin argument, especially when they are claiming that one of the biggest pluses of their bid is that most of the facilities needed to stage the Games have already been built, therefore mitigating the need @insidethegames

for a major infrastructure project, which would lead to large-scale employment opportunities.

But, with powerful advocates, like Juan Antonio Samaranch Junior, one of three Spanish IOC members, they remain the dark horses in this contest. “The money has already been invested,” says Samaranch. “The infrastructure is there, you have experienced the airport, the subway, the facilities.

“The truth of the matter is that, contrary to what some people try to imply, for Spain to continue bidding for the Games is an act of responsibility. We have put in the money and it would be hugely and vastly irresponsible to walk away now and not try to get the financial, economic and social return of all the money we have invested and paid for already.

“Contrary to other cities, like Rome, who said that they cannot afford it, in our case we cannot afford not to continue. You’ve invested all the money and you are ready to walk out on that investment and let go before trying to get the windfall that it brings.”

While the state of the economy is something which, understandably, Madrid is keen to mostly avoid, for Istanbul and Tokyo it seems

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DUNCAN MACKAY EDITOR, INSIDETHEGAMES

IOC member and President of the Turkish NOC, Professor Ugur Erdener (left), Mayor of Istanbul, Kadir Topbas (centre) and Istanbul 2020 bid leader, Hasan Arat (right) with Istanbul’s candidature file outside the IOC headquarters.

Photo: Istanbul 2020 via Getty Images

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Tokyo

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Miguel Cardenal, Committee and Ma Samaranch Jr (far Spanish Olympic mber, Juan-Antonio Blanco, head of the (rig ht) and IOC Me drid Ma of r iste Sport Min al/AFP/Getty Images Photo: Sebastien Fev

to have become the main battleground. Press releases about credit ratings, endorsements from the World Bank and the power of financial institutions regularly appear in my inbox, leaving me wondering sometimes if I am working for The Economist rather than insidethegames.

I have quickly come to learn that it pays to treat these releases with caution because, while each city is quick to want to share positive economic news with you, they are more reluctant to tell you when the picture is not so rosy. Besides, I think now it is pretty well established that Tokyo is the world’s richest city in the third biggest economy in the world and that Turkey’s economy is expanding quicker than almost anyone else’s in the world and that the cities financial situation will not play a major role in the IOC’s decision.

The size of Tokyo’s bid operation is hugely impressive and its financial strength - the city’s Metropolitan Government already has $4 billion in the bank ring-fenced for the Olympics if they are awarded it - will surely be an attractive incentive for the IOC to give them the Games.

Istanbul’s previous four unsuccessful attempts www.facebook.com/insidethegames

for 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2012 were notable mainly for how weak they were but, under charismatic bid leader Hasan Arat and with the full backing of Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, they have impressed people this time with the quality and professionalism of their campaign.

The city, capital of Turkey’s financial industry, sits at the crossroads of the world dissecting Europe and Asia, leading Napoleon to once observe, “If earth were a single state, Istanbul would be its capital.” It has recently provided the backdrop for the James Bond movie Skyfall and is undoubtedly stunning, especially when sat at one of the Turkish cafes on the European side and looking across the Bosphorus at Asia.

Istanbul would also give the Olympic Movement the opportunity to hold its Games in a predominantly Muslim country for the first time ever, although Turkey itself is secular. Some ill-advised quotes in the New York Times from Tokyo Governor Naoki Inose last month about the state of Islamic relations brought this issue to the forefront of the race and also signalled that the phoney war was at an end. @insidethegames

But do not write off Madrid still having a major role to play in this election. The economy may have crashed through the floor but the Spanish retain much influence in the Byzantine world of sports politics and its bid leader, Alejandro Blanco, has close links with several key officials in Latin America. It is hard to envisage a situation whereby they can win but it is perfectly possible to imagine a scenario which sees Madrid earning enough support to survive the first round and knocking out one of the two more fancied candidates.

Like Olympic marathon runners approaching the end of their race, the competitors in this event are now beginning to lengthen their stride as they begin their charge for the finish line.

At SportAccord in Denver four years ago it was the first major demonstration of the strength of Rio’s bid, a momentum they retained all the way to the IOC Session in Copenhagen where they became the first South American city to be awarded the Games. In a race which has so far been relatively low-key you sense this is now the moment when things really begin to take shape.

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SportAccord influence set to grow after election A new President of SportAccord is due to be elected in St Petersburg and it could mark a radical new direction for the umbrella organisation for all Olympic and non-Olympic international sports federations. insidethegames’ editor Duncan Mackay reports.

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portAccord may be one of the organisations connected to the Olympic Movement which does not register on the radars of a lot of people. But it has been steadily growing in influence in recent years and its profile could be about to skyrocket following this year’s election, which pits two International Federation chiefs against each other.

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Marius Vizer, the Hungarian-based President of the International Judo Federation, will take on France’s Bernard Lapasset, chairman of the International Rugby Board, for the right to replace Hein Verbruggen, a post which the Dutchman has held since 2004, a period which has coincided with the major growth of SportAccord, the umbrella organisation for all Olympic and non-Olympic international sports federations as well as organisers of multi-sports games and sport-related international associations.

SportAccord’s origins stretch back to 1921 when the international sports federations expressed the need for a representative of their common objectives and interests. Under the direction of Paul Rousseau, secretary general of the International Cycling Union, a permanent bureau was established to facilitate the dialogue with the Olympic authorities.

In 1967, 26 international sports federations met in Lausanne and agreed on the need to increase permanent liaisons and the name General Assembly of International Sports Federations was adopted. In order to establish a more formalised organisation, GAISF was set-up along proper lines in 1976 and the headquarters

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were moved to Monaco two years later.

Reacting to the increasing pressure on International Federations to professionalise and develop, GAISF in collaboration with the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations and Association of International Olympic Winter Sports Federations, launched the first SportAccord International Convention in 2003. In March 2009, GAISF was rebranded SportAccord and, in the same year, its offices returned to Lausanne, the Olympic Capital.

Besides the annual Convention, which it organises in association with ASOIF and AIOWF, it offers its members a range of services, including advice on anti-doping and governance and has launched a series of events, including in 2010 the World Combat Games and 2011 the World Mind Games and, in 2015, is planning to launch an Urban Games, featuring 3x3 basketball and extreme sports.

If he wins the election, which is due to take place at this year’s SportAccord International Convention on May 31, Vizer is proposing a radical new direction for the organisation, organising a united World Championships every four years for Olympic and non-Olympic sport in the same country.

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“We can use big countries, like the United States, Russia, China or India, or two or three medium-sized countries, without requiring investment in infrastructure,” said Vizer, who told insidethegames exclusively about his plans in March. “But, at the same time, it would create huge promotional opportunities for cities and countries.”

Vizer proposes to introduce the World Championships concept in tandem with other ideas, including an International Bank of Sport, International Insurance of Sport and International Lottery of Sport, in partnership with top companies which are experts in these fields.

“My objective is to transform SportAccord into an efficient and lucrative organisation, that preserves the interest of International Federations, Continental Unions and National Federations in all sports, working in convergence with and supporting the Olympic Movement,” said Vizer in documents filed as part of his candidature.

“I have spoken with a lot of leaders of International Federations and most of them find the project very attractive and they consider it as a big positive challenge,” he said. “It would generate money for education and for higher quality preparation for the Games, because we have to know the reality of sport in some countries in the world, particularly in Africa, some of the Asian countries, some of the Eastern European countries, in some parts of the Americas.”

Significantly, Vizer plans to work closely with the Association of National Olympic Committees, whose President Sheikh Ahmad AlFahad Al-Sabah is becoming an increasingly powerful influence within sport, to help some of his plans come to fruition.

There has always been an underlying tension between the National Olympic Committees and the International Federations, mainly over the distribution of money generated by the Olympics. ANOC would prove a powerful ally in helping him launch his united World Championships proposal, which will inevitably draw criticism that it would be a competing event against the Olympics.

“I do not believe that it would cause any controversy or conflict because my intention is to work with the International Olympic Committee,” said Vizer. “We want to be a partner with ANOC in the project for the benefit of the sport. We have to find a solution to finance the base of the sport, the national federations. www.facebook.com/insidethegames

Main: Bernard Lapasset, chairman of the International Rugby Board.

Photo: Frank Fife/AFP/Getty Images Above: Marius Vizer, President of the International Judo Federation.

Photo: Courtesy of the International Judo Federation

“I respect very much the Olympic spirit. The Olympic Games is today the highest expression of Olympic spirit and the value of the sport. The event that I propose is nothing to do with being against the Olympics – it is to finance and support the National Federations, children and youth sport for the quality and benefit of the Olympic Games.”

While Vizer has run a well-orchestrated campaign, including having his own website dedicated to explaining his ideas, Lapasset’s has appeared to lack purpose , direction and concrete policies, fuelling the suspicion that he has been pushed into standing by Verbruggen and the International Olympic Committee.

He served 17 years as President of the French Rugby Federation, during which time he served as head of the Organising Committee of a @insidethegames

record-breaking Rugby World Cup 2007. He has also held a number of senior roles within the French National Olympic Committee, including that of vice-president. He has been chairman of the IRB since 2008 and led rugby’s successful campaign for re-inclusion in the Olympic Movement, so is well respected internationally.

But whether that is enough to convince an eclectic electorate of 91 members, where the votes of draughts, fistball and underwater sports is just as important as athletics, football and skiing and who will undoubtedly be attracted to Vizer’s plans to offer them a major event to focus on, is debatable.

While this campaign may not be under the same spotlight as the other elections going on in the Olympic Movement this year, its outcome could prove just as crucial as any of them.

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Russian sport’s ten-year plan This is going to be an unforgettable few years for Russia as the country plays host to some of the biggest events on the sporting calendar. Tom Degun looks ahead to a “Decade of Sport”.

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t is going to be a memorable ten years for Russia as it plays host to two of the biggest sporting events in the world.

First will come the 2014 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in Sochi before the country stages the 2018 FIFA World Cup. But these two crown jewel events make up only part of what has been dubbed, predictably, Russia’s “Decade of Sport”.

Coming up this year alone is the Rugby World Cup Sevens in Moscow in June, the Universiade in Kazan in July and the

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International Association of Athletics Federations World Championships in Moscow in August.

Next year, shortly after the conclusion of the Winter Olympics and Paralympics, Sochi is due to begin hosting Formula One for at least the next six years on a speciallydesigned course around the Olympic Park, bringing speed and glamour to this Black Sea resort which is a favourite of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Kazan will then again take centre stage with the 2015 FINA World Aquatics Championships, before yet another major event will follow in 2016 as Moscow and St Petersburg combine to host the International Ice Hockey Federation World Championships, an event sure to capture the imagination of this hockey-mad nation.

While the key focus will inevitably be on Sochi 2014 and Russia 2018, the other major events will have a massive opportunity to shine in the world’s biggest country and which is increasingly becoming the place where federations want to hold their

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major events.

“We are very pleased that Russia will be organising the World Athletics Championships,” said Lamine Diack, President of the IAAF. “We are very happy with the development of athletics in Russia.

Our organisation and the Russian Ministry of Sport have done very well.”

IAAF vice-president Sergey Bubka, chairman of the Moscow 2013 Coordination Commission, is equally excited ahead of the event at the giant Luzhniki Stadium, which was the centrepiece of the 1980 Olympics, the scene of the epic middle distance duels between British legends Sebastian Coe and Steve Ovett.

“Every World Championships in athletics is an immense event,” said Bubka. “I think it’s great that this event will be held in the capital of Russia. Moscow 2013 will be truly unique.”

The attraction of Russia is that it provides a unique opportunity for sports to showcase themselves in a part of the world where they are only just starting to develop a fanbase, which is something International Rugby Board chairman Bernard Lapasset is acutely aware of.

The IRB will be holding the Rugby World Cup Sevens in the Luzhniki Stadium as the

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sport prepares to make its debut on the Olympic programme at Rio 2016. Rugby is currently ranked by the IRB as 19th in terms of participation within Russia, with 22,000 players, but is set to expand rapidly now it is part of the Olympics.

“I am confident that Russia 2013 will be a resounding success,” predicted Lapasset.

“It will be an event that will bring people together from across a great sporting country and around the world to have fun, enjoy world-class rugby and experience the very best of Russian hospitality.

“Russia is a great Olympic nation and the Russian people love Olympic sports. As we continue to look forward to rugby sevens Olympic Games debut at Rio 2016, this event represents a great opportunity to showcase our sport in growing rugby markets and inspire interest and engagement in Russia.”

Lapasset also pointed out that the huge commitment from all of Russia to stage major sporting events – led at the highest level by Putin – makes the country an attractive proposition for International Federations looking to get the maximum positive exposure for their biggest competitions.

“Planning and preparation for the 2013 Rugby World Cup Sevens is on track and www.facebook.com/insidethegames

Russia has a proud history of staging exceptional major sporting and cultural events,” he said. “It will be a Rugby World Cup Sevens festival like no other.”

The fascinating thing about Russia is that the country’s vast geography and differing climates enable it to stage both summer and winter sport simultaneously.

Undoubtedly the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics and Paralympics will be the biggest winter sports festival ever staged in the country but the 2016 IIHF World Ice Hockey Championships in Moscow and St Petersburg will be vital in creating a real winter sports legacy for Russia.

IIHF President René Fasel has high expectations of the competition. “The 2013 World Championships are very important for the IIHF and for Russia,” said Fasel, who is also a member of the International Olympic Committee Coordination Commission for Sochi 2014 and President of the Association of International Olympic Winter Sports Federations .

“We can see how much Russia has invested in winter sport with Sochi 2014 and they are creating something very special there where there was nothing before. But you need a legacy, not just with facilities but with major events. Our World Championships in 2016 will be part of this legacy and also provide a

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great chance for our sport to expand in Russia just two years after Sochi 2014.”

Rounding out the decade of sport will be the 2018 FIFA World Cup which Russia won comfortably in December 2010 by seeing off England and joint bids from Portugal/Spain and Holland/Belgium.

FIFA President Sepp Blatter is confident the governing body made the right choice. “I am convinced that it will be a great success,” he said. “Not only the people and youth here are behind it, but also the President [Putin], the Duma [Russia’s Parliament], the Local Organising Committee and all footballers; they are behind this World Cup.” So with a decade of truly world-class sport coming up in the country, Russia is set to roll out the red carpet and show what they can really do.

Main: The Russian Ice Hockey team celebrate after defeating Slovakia to win the Ice Hockey World Championship on May 20, 2012 in Helsinki, Finland.

Photo: Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP/Getty Images Far left: Then Russian Prime Minister Vladmir Putin speaks to the media after winning the 2018 bid during the FIFA World Cup 2018 & 2022 Host Countries Announcement at the Messe Conference Centre on December 2, 2010 in Zurich, Switzerland.

Photo: Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images Bottom: New Zealand’s Ben Lam is tackled by Australia’s Ben Adams during the fourth leg of the 2013 IRB Rugby Sevens Series on February 2, 2013 in Wellington, New Zealand.

Photo: Marty Melville/AFP/Getty Images

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TOM DEGUN REPORTER, INSIDETHEGAMES

Photo: Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images

Sports eyeing

2020 vision

Seven sports have been vying for more than two years for a single place on the Olympic programme for 2020 but now they must also take on wrestling if they are going to be successful. Duncan Mackay and Tom Degun report.

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or almost every sport a place on the Olympic programme is the holy grail and winning a gold medal is the pinnacle of any athlete’s career.

For seven sports that dream could move a significant step closer during this week’s www.facebook.com/insidethegames

SportAccord International Convention when the International Olympic Committee’s ruling Executive Board meets to draw up a shortlist that will be put forward for the whole membership to consider at its Session in Buenos Aires on September 8.

For baseball-softball, karate, roller sports, sport climbing, squash, wakeboarding and wushu it will be the most important milestone on their journey which began more than two years ago when the IOC chose them for consideration to be included on the sports programme at the 2020 Olympics.

They have all produced bid documents, given presentations and travelled thousands of miles speaking to people who might influence the decision. Now, in St Petersburg, it will come down to another 30 minute presentation after which the IOC Executive will recommend, probably, three sports to continue.

Whichever sports are chosen will hope to follow in the footsteps of rugby sevens and golf, which have been added to the programme for Rio 2016, a decision taken at the IOC Session in Copenhagen four years ago.

While sports were sometimes added, under the IOC system it was rare for one to disappear from the Olympic programme - indeed when baseball and softball were controversially removed after Beijing 2008, it was the first time a sport had been removed since polo, which was dropped after Berlin 1936. @insidethegames

But, since February, there has been a rather large elephant in the room in the shape of wrestling, which the IOC Executive Board controversially decided to recommend for exclusion from the list of “core” sports after Rio 2016 but giving it an opportunity to save itself by including it among the bidding sports for 2020.

The decision has led to a backlash that the Lords of the Rings could surely never have predicted. From the White House in the United States to the Kremlin in Moscow to the Majles in Tehran, the world has condemned the decision by the IOC and come together under a single banner, setting aside deep-rooted political differences, to save wrestling. Petitions have been launched, Facebook groups set-up, letters written, protest groups formed, even gold medals returned to the IOC, as wrestling tries to save itself. It has been an impressive response from the wrestling community.

It has thrown the whole process of picking a new sport into utter chaos, leading to the possibility that the seven sports who aspire to be on the Olympic programme could have wasted two years of resources and time bidding, just for the IOC to retain the status-quo by putting wrestling back in.

It makes the campaign even more intriguing and every sport will be doing its best to convince the IOC that they deserve a place more than anyone else.

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TOM DEGUN REPORTER, INSIDETHEGAMES

ll Baseball and softba What is it: Softball had a presence at the Olympic Games, solely for women, between 1996 and 2008. It was then dropped from the programme for 2012, as was men’s baseball, which had appeared at the Olympics since 1992, having been an unofficial sport as long ago as 1904. Now a joint bid for 2020 is under way after the sports merged to form the World Baseball Softball Confederation. While baseball would appear in its conventional format, arena softball, an indoor version of their sport, is the suggested discipline. The proposal calls for the sports to be played at a single venue over seven to ten days. Each tournament would feature eight teams.

Bid pros: The joint bid offers the Olympic Movement the chance to have “two sports at the Olympics for the price of one” with the IOC allowing the International Baseball Federation and the International Softball Federation to form the unified world governing body, the WBSC. Softball has 127 National Federations, baseball 118 and both sports are popular around the world, particularly in the United States, South America and Asia.

Bid cons: The IOC dropped both baseball and softball from the Olympic programme ahead of London 2012. This was because baseball did not release its top Major League

Karate

Why it should feature in 2020: “Our vision is to give every boy and girl in the world a chance to play baseball and softball and to inspire them to take up the sport through the Olympic Games,” said Don Porter, coPresident of the WBSC. “Baseball-softball is a game that anyone, anywhere can play. There are no barriers to participation. If you’ve got a bat and ball you can play, regardless of age, gender, social, cultural or economic stature.

Baseball and softball help to empower women and provide pathways for women and young girls to experience and participate in sport in all cultures.”

popular in mainland Europe. The 2020 Olympic campaign from the World Karate Federation is their third bid in a row to join the Games and they have come close on both previous occasions.

What is it: Karate is a martial art with its roots set firmly in Japan. In competition, two karatekas can use any variety of allowed scoring techniques. Punches, kicks, take-downs and sweeps can all be used to score with the target areas being any part of the body above the belt, apart from the throat. Competition is performed on a matted area, or Tatami. The bout runs for a fixed time of two to four minutes. The clock stops for judgments and point awards. Points are awarded based on the criteria for good form, sporting attitude, vigorous application, awareness, good timing and correct distance.

Bid pros: Karate is one of the most popular combat sports in the world and is played in more than 150 countries. An estimated 100 million people around the world participate in it while it is particularly www.facebook.com/insidethegames

Baseball players for the Games and faced major doping problems, while softball was criticised for being a female-only sport, with the IOC looking for more gender equality in the Olympics. The WBSC must convince the IOC these problems are now over - although the signs are not positive with the MLB having already ruled out a mid-season break in 2020 to accommodate the Olympics - and that a joint bid is a positive rather than a negative.

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Bid cons: There are three combat sports on the core sports programme for the 2020 Olympics with boxing, judo and taekwondo, and some critics believe four would be too many. However, karate could be helped by the fact wrestling, another combat sport, was recommended for exclusion by the IOC Executive Board after Rio 2016.

Why it should feature in 2020: “In some areas - like the universal nature of karate - we have always been very strong,” said Spain’s WKF President Antonio Espinós. “I think that the job that we’ve been doing in the last four years has been in addressing, not weaknesses, but areas that we could work on. Today we’re a much more balanced federation compared to four years ago and we’re really confident that karate has all the necessary ingredients to become an Olympic sport.”

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TOM DEGUN REPORTER, INSIDETHEGAMES

Roller sports What is it: The sport of inline speed skating is run globally by the international governing body, the Federation International de Roller Sports, which holds World Championships every year on both road and track circuits. In essence its races appear similar to those of cycling.

Competition distances range from a 200 metre individual sprint time trial up to a mass-participation full marathon. The 2020 Olympic bid includes no marathon and just track action in the distances of 300m, 500m, 1km, 10km and 15km.

Bid pros: FIRS has been trying to become part of the Olympic programme longer than any other sport without succeeding, having first tried to get included at Berlin 1936. They have renewed their bid on several occasions to join the Olympic Games in recent years and are said to have improved with each attempt. It is considered a fast, exciting and thrilling sport and one that appeals to young people. It has a strong global fan base in South America, Asia and mainland Europe.

Bid cons: The IOC has expressed their desire to reduce the size of the Olympics and roller sport would bring a significant number of additional athletes if it is introduced to the Games. The event would also mean extra cost for Organising Committees in terms of putting a temporary or permanent unique roller sport track in place for the competition.

Why it should feature in 2020: “All young people received two gifts as a child - a ball and some skates,” said Roberto Marotta, an Italian who is the former world and European champion in inline skating and is now secretary general of the FIRS. “All of us have experienced skating at some point when we were younger. It’s so popular around the world and covers so many disciplines that we are proud to say that we have a right to become an Olympic sport. It’s not just a sport, it’s a social movement.”

Sport climbing What is it: Sport climbing is a form of rock climbing that relies on permanent anchors fixed to a wall. The 2020 Olympic bid involves lead climbing, speed climbing and bouldering. Lead climbing sees athletes attach themselves to a length of elastic rope and ascend a route while periodically attaching protection to the face of the route and clipping in to it. Speed climbing sees athletes race up identical routes to see who gets to the top in the fastest time. Bouldering is the ultimate climbing test of strength and power as it sees athletes compete vertically without ropes.

Bid pros: Climbing is considered a sport that is popular with young people due to its status as an extreme sport. It has a large fan base, particularly in mainland Europe. The International Federation of Sport Climbing World Championships have been held every two years since 1991 and have been well attended. The Championships have been staged outside Europe only once when the competition was held in Xining, China, in 2009, but medals would be spread across several nations if it is included in 2020.

Bid cons: The bid came as a surprise to many of the National Federations, showing a lack of joined up strategy in the move. However, there is now huge international support for the bid from the worldwide climbing community. But lack of exposure and understanding of what the sport is will undoubtedly hinder its bid.

Why it should feature in 2020: “Climbers are part - or maybe the leading part - of a huge outdoor community that includes hikers, mountaineers, ramblers, etc and this, in my opinion, is an area in which the IOC or the Olympic values are not really represented,” said Marco Scolaris, the Italian President of the IFSC. “So, maybe from a marketing point of view, this would be interesting for the IOC, which may also consider that recently, in the last couple of years, we have seen the interest of the wider sport industry moving into the outdoors.”

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Squash What is it: Squash is a high-speed racquet sport played by two players (or four in doubles) in a four-walled court with a small, hollow rubber ball.

Each wall has an in-line, below which the ball must be hit.

Players exchange shots hitting the ball against the front wall, and a point is won when a player cannot successfully return the ball. Games are played to 11 points but players must win by two clear points.

Bid pros: Squash has come close in previous bids for the Olympic Games and the sport has now modernised since they missed out for Rio 2016, with the introduction of glass courts, under floor lighting, music, referee video review and in-play statistics. Squash are proposing just 64 athletes, 20 officials and two glass courts in their 2020 bid meaning it would help the IOC keep the size of the Games in check and also be cost effective for an Organising Committee. Also, as it is played in 185 countries, its universality is wider than many people believe.

Bid cons: Squash has its roots as a Commonwealth sport and is still only in its early developmental stage outside these areas. World Squash will be arguing that inclusion in the Olympics would help them expand their popularity outside the Commonwealth further. The Olympics already has racket sports in tennis and badminton.

Why it should feature in 2020: “People keep talking about how the Olympics should be the pinnacle of achievement and for our players that’s a given,” said Andrew Shelley, chief executive of World Squash. “Our current world number one female, Nicol David, has said she’ll give up her six world titles for an Olympic medal in a heartbeat, and that’s the same for all the players. It is the greatest show on earth and as a sport we would embrace it as such.”

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Wakeboarding What is it: Cable wakeboarding differs from the more traditional version of the sport where participants are towed by a boat and use the wake created to jump, flip and spin in the air. An Olympic competition would use overhead cable machines to tow up to nine riders at once. With no wake created, competitors flex the cable in order to spring out of the water.

Each rider must show all possible variations of tricks and each run is judged subjectively against others, with two runs per heat. No falls are allowed. It is broadly similar to that of snowboard’s half-pipe - certainly that is the comparison that the International Waterski and Wakeboard Federation reaches for.

Bid pros: Wakeboarding is considered very much a youth-centred event with a big youth fan base. It is popular across the world, particularly in the United States, Australia and Germany. China, the Philippines, Singapore, Russia and the Middle East are all currently expanding their operations.

Wakeboarding is an event an Organising Committee could stage without big expense.

Bid cons: The water sport of sailing already features as a core sport at the Olympics Games with 10 medal events in place. In addition, the IWWF has not previously bid to have wakeboarding included at the Olympic Games and therefore lacks the experience of some of their rivals, who have been involved in the IOC process in the past.

Why it should feature in 2020: “The IOC is committed to supporting youth-centred events to ensure their fan base thrives in the future,” said Des Burke-Kennedy, chairman of the IWWF Marketing and Media Committee. “Cable wakeboard is a youth-focused lifestyle discipline from the booming ‘board sports’ category.”

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Wrestling Wushu What is it: Wushu - from the Mandarin Chinese umbrella term for “martial arts”, whose popular equivalent is kung fu - is both a performance and full-contact sport derived from traditional Chinese martial arts. There are two major disciplines for competition which are taolu and sanda but only taolu, which involves the symbolic use of weaponry, is being put forward for 2020 Olympic bid. The weapons consist of long spears and cudgels, short straight swords and broad swords. The points system is similar to ice skating - each athlete starts with 10 points and as mistakes are made through the routine, scores are deducted.

Bid pros: Wushu is hugely popular across Asia, particularly in China. It also offers to bring 5,000 years of Chinese culture, history and philosophy to the Olympic Movement. It proved popular at the Beijing 2008 Olympics when the IOC permitted an international wushu event during the Games, even though the competition was not one of the 28 official Olympic sports at the Games, nor was it a demonstration event. Instead, it was called the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games Wushu Tournament.

Bid cons: Wushu is not very well-known or participated outside Asia.

Critics have also slammed the sport for being inauthentic, too commercialised and potentially threatening to old styles of teaching martial arts. The feeling is that if the sport was going to feature in the Olympics its best chance was at Beijing.

Why it should feature in 2020: “We have strengthened a lot of our competition rules, our format is something we have improved tremendously within the last decade,” said Anthony Goh, vice-president of the International Wushu Federation and President of the Pan-American Wushu Federation. “We changed our competition rules to be more consistent with Olympic practices. The taolu part - the nonfighting part for example, was more like a demonstration so we changed the rules, we made it more consistent, with judges that measure different aspects of the performance, including difficulty of moves. So it makes it more measurable, rather than subjective.”

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What is it: Wrestling is a combat sport involving grappling type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. A wrestling bout is a physical competition, between two competitors or sparring partners, who attempt to gain and maintain a superior position. There are a wide range of styles with varying rules with both traditional historic and modern styles.

Bid pros: As well as featuring in the Ancient Olympic Games, wrestling has appeared at every single Modern Olympics since it began in Athens in 1896, with the exception of Paris 1900. After being recommended for removal as a core sport for the 2020 Olympics by the IOC Executive Board in February, there has been huge support for wrestling to be retained in the Olympics from many influential figures, including Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Bid cons: Having been removed from the list of core sports for the 2020 Olympics by the IOC Executive Board, it would prove an embarrassment if the sport was to immediately return to the Games. Wrestling has had far less time than the seven other bids to prove their sport worthy of inclusion at the Olympics. There would also be considerable anger from the seven other bids, who have been fighting for a place on the 2020 Olympic sports programme for over two years, if wrestling was simply retained in the Games.

Why it should feature in 2020: “Olympism is born together with wrestling,” said Nenad Lalovic, President of FILA. “I don’t think the Olympics can continue so easily without wrestling. We don’t need a lot of equipment. If you go in any village in Africa or in South America, every group has his wrestling. Wrestling is practiced in every village in the world.

The Olympic wrestling is compilation of all these styles. The main goal for each wrestler is the Olympics. Without the Olympics our sport is practically dead. It’s not football. It’s not basketball. They can survive from that, but not wrestling.”

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DUNCAN MACKAY EDITOR, INSIDETHEGAMES

Kenya’s David Rudisha wins the greatest 800 metres final of all-time in the fastest race ever seen - Sebastian Coe’s favourite memory of London 2012. Photo: Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

Every morning I had to pinch myself London 2012 chairman Sebastian Coe kept his promise to put the athletes first and was rewarded with the best Olympics in history. He reflects on the success of the Games in this interview with insidethegames editor Duncan Mackay, while leading officials from the 26 sports which made up the programme tell us how they found it.

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s befits a man who was among the founding members of the International Olympic Committee’s Athletes’ Commission more than 30 years ago, Sebastian Coe always promised to put the most important people involved in London 2012 - the competitors - at the forefront of everything he did.

“Put the athletes first,” Coe, the chairman of London 2012, told insidethegames. “That never changed from the day we submitted the bid and, if anything, my commitment to that promise strengthened after visiting Beijing in 2008.

“Put simply, there would have been no Games without the athletes, no breathtaking moments of sporting brilliance, no spine-tingling magic that lives in the memory long after the Games are over.

“The athletes dedicated half their young lives to achieving them. Putting athletes centre stage was not just about building world-class venues.

It was about creating an environment where they had everything they needed to perform to www.facebook.com/insidethegames

their limits.”

Coe, one of history’s great middle-distance runners who won back-to-back Olympic 1500 metres titles at Moscow in 1980 and Los Angeles 1984, was spectacularly rewarded for his investment. “It was a unique time when sport seemed to rule the world, and people everywhere were transfixed by the joy of sport,” he said.

“We felt the uplifting spirit that distinguishes the Olympic and Paralympic Games from other sporting events, and we witnessed how sport can break down barriers and extend the boundaries of human achievement.

“We saw new local and international sporting heroes and role models emerge in London including Mo Farah, David Rudisha, Laura Trott, Hannah Cockcroft, Missy Franklin, Jonnie Peackock, Nicola Adams, and China’s Ye Shiwen and many others. This was the legacy of inspiration we were looking for.

“Every morning when I woke I had to pinch myself to think that we were staging an Olympic Games in London. What happened was @insidethegames

beyond my wildest dreams. We witnessed some of the best sport ever. It was like glugging your way through a quart of cream.

“It had always been my intention that these would be an athletes-led Olympics and the athletes responded to the crowds not only in the stadium but at every venue. And those crowds were fantastic in their support both for British athletes, and to those from overseas.”

Coe’s main highlight was an incredible performance from Kenya’s Rudisha, who led from gun-to-tape to break the world record in the 800 metres, which was once held by Coe himself for 18 years. “My best memory by a distance was Rudisha, [Usain] Bolt was good, this guy was magnificent,” he said.

There is another memory that will long stick in Coe’s mind. It was seeing the Olympic Stadium full to its 80,000 capacity for the opening day of the athletics. “I’d seen all the ticket applications so, of course, we knew it was sold out,” he recalled. “So we knew they were coming - but I think we were still quite shocked when we saw them all in there in the first morning.”

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DUNCAN MACKAY EDITOR, INSIDETHEGAMES

Aquatics

Cornel Marculescu, Executive Director, FINA

I think aquatics demonstrated one more time that it is a pillar of the Olympic Games. This is based on the number of spectators that attended. The venue was excellent and I think the spectators enjoyed it.

Games, both in terms of awareness - live spectators and TV appeal - but also profitability for the Organising Committee. Selling out two sessions a day - of an 80,000-seat stadium says it all.

Badminton

Thomas Lund, Secretary General, BWF

London 2012 was an incredible event and fully lived up to the expectations we had. In terms of

Boxing

Dr C K Wu, President, AIBA

Everybody who saw boxing at ExCeL or in front of their TV, was impressed with the great performance level and also by the atmosphere in the arena. We were one of the only sports to have competitions every day of the Games and every single session was sold out. It was wonderful.

Canoeing

José Perurena López , President, ICF

Judging by the spectator turnout and feedback from officials, the goal of London 2012 and the ICF to showcase the sport at the highest level was met with flying colours. Lee Valley White Water Centre was spectacular as it was dramatic, providing arguably one of the most thrilling viewing experiences of any venue of the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Cycling Archers compete at Lord’s Cricket Ground in London on August 1, 2012 during the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Photo: Paul Gilham/Getty Images

Archery

Professor Dr Uğur Erdener, President, WA

The iconic venue of Lord’s Cricket Ground allowed our sport to showcase itself at its best. During the Games, TV channels all over the world were delighted with the spectacular competitions at Lord’s and archery had a record audience on the NBC cable network in the USA. The stands were 99 per cent full and they were rocking.

sports presentation, the tournament was presented extremely well and gave the spectators and fans an incredible experience both the live audience and the millions of TV viewers. New initiatives included new camera angles, an educational experience for the audience and great lighting effects. London really set new standards for sports presentation.

Basketball

Patrick Baumann, Secretary General, FIBA

Athletics

Lamine Diack, President, IAAF

We believe that London 2012 proved categorically that athletics is at the heart of the Olympic www.facebook.com/insidethegames

Professional organisation and planning of the highest global standards were combined with an authentic and friendly “British touch”. The arenas were full with people every day from 9am until midnight and the atmosphere was extremely positive and dynamic. @insidethegames

Pat McQuaid, President, UCI

The success of all cycling’s disciplines at London 2012 was proof of our sport’s popularity. From the traditional disciplines of road and track, to the off-road spectacle of mountain bike and on to our youngest discipline BMX, cycling has the ability to capture the imaginations of an enormous cross-section of the population and draw them into the Olympic Movement.

Equestrian

Princess Haya, President, FEI

The London 2012 equestrian events were really incredible and Greenwich was a wonderful venue. We could not have wished for better sport and we now have a whole new fan base, which has to be the best legacy we could ask for.

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Fencing

Alisher Usmanov, President, FIE

Everything was excellent at London 2012 which displayed our truly noble sport in its best light. The stands were full, the people were enthusiastic and the fencers were happy.

Football

Sepp Blatter, President, FIFA

The Olympic football tournament was witnessed by more than two million

was a big success. It amounted to 3.5 billion and I am sure that in London, especially in the first week, we were top of the events.

Handball

Dr Hassan Moustafa, President, IHF

The Games were fantastic.

And our sport made a major contribution to its success. Since the Games handball hasn’t been just a marginal sport in Great Britain anymore.

We had full halls and great audience. People were talking about handball everywhere no matter if in the tube, the Olympic Park or in the streets.

Judo

Marius Vizer, President, IJF

It was for me and our sport one of the most successful Olympic Games. It was the most successful in terms of presentation and administration. Judo was sold out with spectators every day, in fact we could have filled a venue with 30 to 40,000 people every day no problem.

Modern Pentathlon

Dr h.c. Klaus Schormann, President, UIPM

London 2012 did a great job for the Olympic Movement, as did British society and all the soldiers. It was not a big surprise but it was better run than many people thought it would be. For our sport, it went extremely well, especially focussing on the combined format and laser shooting.

Rowing

Denis Oswald, President, FISA

Netherlands’s Dorian Van Rijsselberge waves to the crowds after winning gold in the men’s RS:X sailing class at the London 2012 Olympic Games, in Weymouth on August 7, 2012. Photo: William West/AFP/Getty Images

people, more than any other sport. The Olympic spirit has done a lot of good for football. I would be so happy if this Olympic spirit, where in the stadia there was not one single problem, would be transported...around the world, where in all football matches you can sit together and there are no clashes or disputes.

Gymnastics

Bruno Grandi, President, FIG

The number of people who saw gymnastics on television on different platforms, including live, highlights, magazine and news, www.facebook.com/insidethegames

Hockey

Kelly Fairweather, Chief Executive, FIH

We were absolutely thrilled with London 2012.

I’ve seen the hockey events since Barcelona, and worked on six Games - winter and summer - at the IOC, and I don’t think I’ve seen a better organised Games. The experiment with the pitch colour was a fantastic success, television coverage was excellent, full stadia all day, knowledgeable crowds and our athletes delivered more fantastic performances. @insidethegames

The London 2012 Olympic Regatta was amazing because of the incredible support for our sport shown by the British public. Rowing is very popular in Great Britain and we knew that the interest would be strong, and it was. The Regatta went smoothly for athletes, organisers and supporters.

Sailing

Göran Petersson, Former President, ISAF

The word is excellent, I must say. We had over 60,000 ticketed spectators and we had very knowledgeable commentary. It was really well done and people had a really good time. We were sailing very close to them, right in front of them. You could hear the spectators engage with the sailors and the sailors could hear the claps and the fans on shore. This has never happened before.

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2013 uci events

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uci mountain bike & trials world championships

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Just some of the highlights still to come this year

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24-28.07.2013

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uci bmX world championships

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29.08-01.09.2013

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uci para-cycling road world championships

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Shooting

Triathlon

Weightlifting

Olegario Vázquez Raña, President, ISSF

Marisol Casado, President, ITU

Dr Tamás Aján, President, IWF

It was a great pleasure and a unique experience for 390 athletes from 108 countries from all five continents to be part of these outstanding Olympic Games. The fantastic crowd of spectators who filled the ranges and especially the finals ranges enjoyed excellent performances and results of our great athletes. The spectators with their enthusiastic applause and reactions created an incredible atmosphere for all athletes to give their extraordinary performances.

I think London was one of our most successful Olympic Games to date, and not just in terms of athleticism. For both our men’s and women’s races there were probably a few hundred thousand people lining the streets and in Hyde Park. Spectators enjoyed a near-constant view of the athletes in scenic Hyde Park and in front of historic Buckingham Palace and Wellington Arch.

Volleyball

Wei Jizhong, Former President, FIVB

Table Tennis

Adham Sharara, President, ITTF

The experience was better than expected. Based on the test event held in November 2011, we were not very optimistic in terms of crowd support and we also discovered many deficiencies. But we were very happy with the final product: excellent sports presentation, a full house of spectators from 9am on day one until the last point was played.

We were immensely impressed and pleasantly surprised with the great success of the volleyball events at London 2012. The organisation was outstanding from the volunteers through to the officials, and the support and passion shown for volleyball by the public was the most pleasing aspect.

I was extremely satisfied and happy about the organisation of London 2012 - professionalism, outstanding facilities, problem-free management coupled with a love and understanding for sport. The positive reception given to weightlifting by the British crowd, as well as the smooth management and execution of the event, has left a deep impression on our organisation.

Wrestling

Nenad Lalovic, President, FILA

London 2012 was a fantastic success, big crowds, excellent organisation, plenty of countries from around the world winning medals. London will always be in our hearts.

Taekwondo

Dr Chungwon Choue, President, WTF

This was a competition that will really help taekwondo grow in the country and this region, so there will be a great legacy that London 2012 has given taekwondo and a great legacy that taekwondo has given to London. It was a great advertisement for taekwondo.

Tennis

Francesco Ricci Bitti, President, ITF

The Olympic tennis event was a big success from almost every standpoint. Having the All England Club as a venue made the experience very special for both people and the general public. The players were incredibly supportive of the event and played with passion and pride throughout the tournament. www.facebook.com/insidethegames

Athletes in the cycling leg of the women’s triathlon make their way past Buckingham Palace on August 4, 2012 during the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Photo: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

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TOM DEGUN REPORTER, INSIDETHEGAMES

Young pretenders Three cities remain in the running to host the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics, with Glasgow hoping to bring the event to Europe for the first time but facing strong competition from two South American rivals, Buenos Aires and Medellín. Tom Degun runs the rule over all three candidates as they prepare for the International Olympic Committee vote in Lausanne on July 4.

Buenos Aires

B

uenos Aires is the capital and largest city in Argentina and second-largest metropolitan area in South America after São Paulo in Brazil. Buenos Aires is rated one of the 20 largest cities in the world and has been ranked as the most important global city and competitive marketplace in Latin America. Argentina has the second best quality of life in Latin America, second only to Chile.

Bid pros

Buenos Aires

The International Olympic Committee Working Group that evaluated the bid outlined that Buenos Aires’ project to host the Youth Olympic Games presents minimal risk. There are also minimal security risks as Argentina has experience in providing security for major sports and cultural events, for example, the South American Games in 2006. The bid has the full support of Argentina’s Government, with all guarantees for the competition having been provided. The bid is boosted by the presence of Gerardo Werthein, President of the Argentine Olympic Committee and an IOC member who is lobbying hard for the event to be bought to the city. Buenos Aires is looking to link its bid to the fact that nearby Rio are hosting the 2016 Olympic Games two years before. Bid leaders suggest staging the 2018 Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires provides the opportunity to build on the Rio 2016 legacy by helping expand the Olympic Movement in South America.

Bid cons Buenos Aires is said to be lining up the 2018 Youth Olympics as part of a long-term strategy to help it secure the Olympic Games in 2028 or 2032. The city has previously bid for the Games in 1936, 1956, 1968 and 2004, losing out to Berlin, Melbourne, Mexico City and Athens respectively. However, the IOC has made it clear the Youth Olympic Games should be awarded to cities that do not have the capacity to host the full Games. IOC President Jacques Rogge has said on numerous occasions the idea of the competition is to take the Olympic Movement to new parts of the world that will never have a chance to host the main Games, and this could count against Buenos Aires.

What they say Buenos Aires Mayor Mauricio Macri: “We are a capital city of global stature - an economic, sporting, media and cultural hub with influence that goes well beyond our borders. One out of every five people here is aged under 20 and having this young population does something to the rhythm of a city - it gives it a special beat.”

Right: River Plate Stadium, the proposed venue to host the 2018 YOG Opening and Closing Ceremonies.

Photo: Courtesy of Buenos Aires 2018

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Glasgow

G

lasgow is the largest city in Scotland, ahead of the capital Edinburgh. It is situated on the River Clyde in the country’s West Central Lowlands. It grew from a small rural settlement to become one of the largest seaports in the world. It remains one of Europe’s most prominent cities and will host the 2014 Commonwealth Games, the biggest sporting competition ever staged in Scotland.

Bid pros The IOC Working Group said the Glasgow 2018 bid was built on good use of existing venues and experience of hosting international multisport events. It also noted staging the event in Glasgow could help create a double legacy for the United Kingdom from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and Commonwealth Games. It has provided all the guarantees and presents minimal risk to the IOC. The Glasgow 2018 bid team is keen to highlight that London 2012 demonstrated Britain’s ability to deliver a major sporting event successfully and that little expenditure would be required if the city’s bid is successful as the majority of the venues and infrastructure will be in place because of Glasgow 2014. The campaign is also boosted by the fact London 2012 chief Sebastian Coe was recently elected as the British Olympic Association chairman and

Glasgow

is helping lead the bid. Coe is one of the most influential figures in the Olympic Movement following his role in helping London stage one of the greatest Olympic Games to date and his presence could play a key role in helping Glasgow 2018 secure victory. IOC vice-present Sir Craig Reedie, who is from Scotland, is another influential supporter of the bid.

Bottom Left: The Emirates Arena, this multi-purpose arena is proposed as the YOG venue for badminton and 3x3 basketball.

Photo: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images

Bid cons Despite the huge success of London 2012, the English capital is situated in close proximity to Glasgow and, as the IOC is looking to take the Olympic Movement to new parts of the world where the Games have never been, it could count against Glasgow.

What they say Gordon Matheson, leader of Glasgow City Council: “We have proven our ability to stage major events time and again, and we continue to surprise the world with the inimitable Glaswegian flavour we give them. We are ready to take the next step with the IOC and push the bar even higher.”

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TOM DEGUN REPORTER, INSIDETHEGAMES

Medellín Left: The Atanasio Girardot Sport Complex, Medellín, Colombia.

Photo: Courtesy of Medellín 2018

M

edellín is the second-largest city in Colombia behind the capital Bogotá.

It is in the Aura Valley, one of the most northerly points of the Andes in South America. With its surrounding area composed by another nine cities, it is the second largest urban agglomeration in the country in terms of population and economy, with more than 3.5 million people. Despite previously being a major destination for drug trafficking, Medellín has transformed itself in the last two decades to become one of the leading tourist destinations in Colombia.

Bid pros The IOC Working Group recognised Medellín has the experience and capability to host the Games and praised the bid’s compact venue plan and use of its existing venues. It also provided all the required guarantees. Of the three candidates, Medellín has by far the best story to tell. Once the centre of the country’s drugs trade, the Medellín Cartel was at the height of its operation making $60 million a day exporting illegal substances around the world.

But in the last 20 years the city has undergone a miraculous transformation dubbed the “Medellín Miracle” and this year has been announced as the Latin-American Capital City in www.facebook.com/insidethegames

Innovation due to its recent advances on politics, education and social development. It has also been recognised as the world’s most innovative city in a global competition conducted by the Wall Street Journal. Andrés Botero Phillipsbourne, Colombia’s Sports Minister, who is also a member of the IOC, will play a key role in lobbying for the Games, pointing out that Colombia has never staged the Olympic Games before and that the Youth Olympics would help write another new chapter in Medellín’s remarkable renaissance.

Bid cons Despite the renovation of Medellín and the hard work done to remove the city of its drugs trade image, there will remain concerns over safety and security for a Games in the city. This is a particular concern given that the Youth Olympics is for elite athletes aged between 15 and 18 years old, so security fears are heightened. Also, despite having staged sporting events, Medellín has never hosted anything the size and scale of a Youth Olympic Games and it could count against them compared to the other two bidders, who have far more experience and infrastructure in place for staging the competition. @insidethegames

What they say Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos: “Medellín has already demonstrated through hosting other events the power of its people and the passion with which they work every day and how they make things happen. “

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Sochi’sField of Dreams Sochi is engaged in an epic rush to get everything ready for the 2014 Winter Olympics and Paralympics but after visiting there Mike Rowbottom is confident that it will be a spectacular Games.

I

have a confession to make. While touring the Sochi 2014 Games sites in November 2012 along with colleagues attending the World Press Briefing, I did not take up the enthusiastically-offered opportunity of visiting the cross-country skiing area.

Judge me as you will. In my defence, I had by that point spent the best part of two days being shown around every other site in the “coastal cluster” and the “mountain cluster” – which sound like two milk chocolates in a box but are in fact two parts of what will be the most compact Winter Games ever staged.

Our press operation was based in a gated village of a hotel sumptuously located within a steep-sided, fir and birch-lined valley deep in the Krasnaya Polyana mountains – and not far from a much larger gated enclave belonging to the Russian President Vladimir Putin. The forthcoming Olympics and Paralympics – not to mention other sporting coups such as Formula One racing in November 2014 and the 2018 FIFA World Cup finals - are an expression of his desire to re-brand and re-present his country to the wider world.

The weather varied over the two days of sightseeing. The labour - which was creating an entire Games venue with relevant transport links from

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scratch in a city best known as Russia’s favourite Black Sea holiday resort - did not. It was unceasing.

As our bus traversed the 48 kilometres route to the coastal city - as far south as Nice - we travelled in bright sunshine past solid lines of lorries, diggers, cement mixers and mini-buses full of construction workers heading up towards the mountain ranges behind us, their wheels throwing up dust into mountain air that has been pristine for countless years. The dust was flying too when we reached our destination just a few hundred metres away from the rolling, olive green water of the Black Sea. More lines of lorries. More mini-buses. More activity.

On day two, as we made the shorter journey up to the alpine venues, clouds had covered the mountaintops, drifting down almost to ground level at our hotel, and the rain sheeted down. And the building operation continued in the mountains without a beat as workers clad in yellow waterproofs, proceeded in the downpour.

In his opening address to the briefing, the Mayor of Sochi, Anatoly Pakhomov, had spoken proudly of how Sochi could count on 300 sunny days a year. Sochi yes – but Krasnaya Polyana no. “The local guys say it will probably be like this until the snow comes,” said our tour guide, Olga.

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MIKE ROWBOTTOM CHIEF FEATURE WRITER, INSIDETHEGAMES

So that was winter sorted for 20,000- or-so workers – pioneering in the rain. They would certainly be earning their roubles.

At the time of our visit, the Iceberg Skating Palace, which will host figure skating and short track speed skating, was not far from completion, a month ahead of holding its first test event when the International Skating Union was due to stage its World Cup there.

It is an imaginative design, all icy blues and white, lines flowing like water. The interior was still pretty basic, however, as we trudged in for the statutory views of the empty room which will become the mixed zone, and the empty room which will become the media working room, and the empty room...you get the picture...we encountered a glorious figure standing like a proud daughter of the Revolution with a long-handled painting roller set temporarily at her side.

The task of turning the corridors white was halted as our international cohort passed through. Irina, our painter, smiled on radiantly, then shook her head with a mixture of pleasure and disbelief as she became the focus of numerous camera phones.

Other subjects chosen were less positive. One visitor knelt carefully on the floor to get a close-up view of a small pile of dusty rubble in a corridor. Horror!! Would the Games be ready on Time?

The answer was yes, of course. If anyone doubts it, the volcanic reaction of the President early this year over the burgeoning budget and

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perceived foot-dragging in completing the ski jump venue stands as a smart corrective. The man in the frame was one of the vice-presidents in the Russian Olympic Committee, Akhmed Bilalov, whom Putin demanded be fired.

“So a vice-president of the Olympic Committee is dragging down the entire construction?” commented Putin with savage sarcasm. “Well done! You are doing a good job.” Now there is one international politician you really don’t want to annoy.

On February 24 the fourth Sochi 2014 test event was satisfactorily concluded as the final stage of the Luge World Cup was held at the Sanki Sliding Centre. That meant that within the winter season, more than 130 luge riders from 29 different countries had gathered in Sochi for the 2012-2013 World Cup to test out the venue for the 2014 Olympic competitions in luge, bobsleigh and skeleton.

The Olympic track winds its way across the northern slope of the Aig ba Ridge, in Krasnaya Polyana. It is 1,814 metres long, generating maximum speeds of 135 kilometres per hour. In the wake of the shocking death of Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili on a training run before the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games, the focus on athlete safety has sharpened intensively in this and similar events.

Accordingly, the Sanki track is the only one in the world with three negative slopes, which slow up the impetus of the sliders, as does the radius of some of the turns.

@insidethegames

Main: An overview of the Sochi 2014 Olympic Park in construction.

Photo: Courtesy of Sochi 2014 Top: FIS Ski Jumping World Cup at the “RusSki Gorki” Jumping Centre in Sochi, December 2012.

Photo: Courtesy of Sochi 2014 Bottom: “Iceberg” Skating Palace.

Photo: Courtesy of Sochi 2014

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MIKE ROWBOTTOM CHIEF FEATURE WRITER, INSIDETHEGAMES

The reactions of the latest batch of downwardly mobile athletes as far as the track was concerned were instructive - if varied. “It’s got its own rhythm,” said Tatjana Hüfner, Germany’s double winner of the Luge World Cup final stage. “It’s not that fast, but safe,” said Hüfner’s fellow German Andi Langenhan, a winner of the final stage in the men’s singles.

“It’s technical and fast,” said Germany’s bronze medallist David Möller. “The track is very nice and difficult,” commented Italy’s double Olympic champion Armin Zöggeler. “It’s awesome,” said luger Andrew Sherk. Who was, of course, American.

The Sanki track, whether it is fast or not fast or indeed both - is undoubtedly a success, a sweet piece of safe engineering which does what it is intended to do. But the track to the Olympic start line has not been an entirely smooth one for the Sochi organisers.

Apart from the ski jump aggravations, the area was affected in December by a series of tremors and earthquakes, which, although they caused no obvious damage or casualties, prompted Putin to order an urgent check on all the facility structures.

Many local people have complained that the construction jobs have gone to outsiders, and that the previously clean and fresh mountain areas have become compromised by the work. www.facebook.com/insidethegames

There will be concerns over possible demonstrations. And there are, of course, serious ongoing security concerns relating to neighbouring countries such as Georgia and Chechnya.

In the course of the World Press Briefing, Mayor Pakhomov said Sochi was becoming “an international sports city”, adding: “Russian athletes have very often demonstrated impressive results in the Winter Games, but unfortunately we have never had good enough training facilities for them. Now that is changing.

“But the key achievement of the Sochi Olympics will be that Sochi is no longer regarded simply as a summer resort, but as a place where people can visit all year round.

Sochi has 300 days of sunshine a year. It has a unique sub-tropical climate, so in March and April you can come skiing here and still find people sunbathing on the coast. It can be 10 or 15 degrees below freezing in Krasnaya Polyana and 15 degrees on the coastline.

“This is really a unique place. Sochi has always had the capacity to be an all-round resort, not just the most popular Russian summer resort.

We never had the infrastructure or the conditions to make it happen before – but the Olympics have prompted us to take that opportunity.

“It is the task of Olympic Games to go further @insidethegames

Main: The “Sanki” Sliding Centre, Krasnaya Polyana Sochi.

Photo: Courtesy of Sochi 2014

than other Olympic Games. We hope that together we can ensure that our Olympics are the best ever.”

Sochi 2014 has operated, in epic fashion, on the notion of “if we build it, they will come” (and yes, I do know that wasn’t the exact line used in the film Field of Dreams, from which the saying stems.)

There is similar faith about the arrival of the one element without which any Winter Games, no matter how hi-tech, cannot take place snow.

While some of the highest peaks in the Krasnaya Polyana range were dusted with snow above the dense tree lines during November, there was no snow in evidence lower down.

Locals insisted it would arrive by February. But when February came, the freestyle skiing test event had to be postponed – because of a lack of the white stuff.

The Chinese may have been able to make it rain early so as not to disrupt their Beijing 2008 Opening Ceremony, but not even President Putin can make snow arrive on cue. As far as I know. So fingers crossed…

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JAMES CROOK REPORTER, INSIDETHEGAMES

Kazan hopes for top marks This year’s Summer World University Games will take place in the Russian city of Kazan in July with over 10,000 athletes expected to be welcomed to the Republic of Tatarstan for what is claimed as the second largest multi-sporting event on the planet, behind only the Olympic Games. James Crook reports.

A

s Russia embarks on what can only be described as a golden decade of sport, Kazan is gearing up to play a starring role in the country’s sporting heyday, hosting not only the Universiade, but also the 2015 FINA World Aquatics Championships and several matches at the 2018 FIFA World Cup. The self-styled “Third Capital” of Russia received a glowing report from President Vladimir Putin as he inspected facilities that are set to be used for the Universiade.

“What has been done in Kazan in the run-up to the Summer Universiade makes a favourable impression,” he said after touring the venues that will be used at the Games this summer.

“A large amount of work has been completed and the city is turning into a true sports capital of Russia.”

Putin is, of course, a man who sets high standards but with world-class facilities such as the tennis academy, with its striking facade and 26 indoor and outdoor courts, and the grand Aquatics Palace - one of the largest indoor sports venues in Russia - on the Kazanka River who can blame him for being impressed by what this ambitious city has created?

The jewel in the crown, the 45,000-capacity Kazan Arena - which “particularly impressed” the Russian Head of State - will host the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Universiade, but will not be completed in time to host the football event at the Games as originally hoped.

The world-class facilities are in place and are ready to welcome the world’s finest young athletes this July for the 27th biennial Summer Universiade.

But with such fantastic facilities in place and a www.facebook.com/insidethegames

host of potential future Olympic champions on display - much as was on offer at the last Summer Universiade in Shenzhen two years ago - does university sport get the recognition it warrants, and, more importantly, can Kazan act as a springboard?

“For the moment, the public and media still do not realise that the Universiades are really the second biggest multi-sports event in the world,” said Dejan Susovic, media and communication director and head of television production for the International University Sports Federation.

“Through an extraordinary relations campaign developed throughout the planet, through different press conferences held in the world by Vladimir Putin or other Russian dignitaries during international sports events, and thanks to a very innovative torch relay that has transported our brand around the globe, Kazan has definitively put university sports on the map.”

With televising partnerships for the 2013 Universiade in place with Eurosport, which broadcasts in 59 countries worldwide, Kazan 2013 marks a massive opportunity for university sport to gain the exposure it feels is deserved from the world’s media and public.

“There are 27 sports, one more than the Summer Olympics, so sports lovers will have plenty of choice to watch some decent action this summer,” said Susovic.

“They might spot the next world champion in athletics or the next NBA draftee.

“Take the Jamaicans for instance.

“They’re predicting a medal haul in athletics; maybe the next Bolt is among them.”

This summer’s Universiade will be streamed @insidethegames

The Torch Relay of the 27th Summer Universiade as it arrives in Krasnoyarsk, Siberia on April 20, 2013.

Photo: Courtesy of Kazan 2013

via the Eurosport Player service, which will allow viewers to watch live action on the move via mobile, tablet and connected televisions, as well as on channels Eurosport and Eurosport 2, which will share coverage over the course of the Universiade.

“The broadcasting of the Universiade will be of a very high level and with partners like Eurosport you can be assured the sport dramatics on the field will be nicely broadcast on TV and other media platforms,” said Susovic.

Olympic champions, such as London 2012 heptathlon gold medallist Jessica Ennis, have competed at past Universiades, and with over an unprecedented 120 hours of live coverage from Kazan scheduled for broadcast by Eurosport, it will be easier than ever to follow the young stars that could well be going for gold at Rio 2016 and beyond at this summer’s Universiade.

As debate over the legacy from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games continues to rumble on, the aims of the Kazan 2013 Universiade legacy are somewhat clearer; to announce the transition of Kazan from “Third Capital” to “Sports Capital” of Russia, while bringing university sport to the fore and giving developing athletes the chance to hone their skills as the world watches on.

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The Gamespeople play Everyone knows about the Olympics but there are several multi-sport Games that are held around the world every year. James Crook finds out about some events you will have heard of and others that you will not have.

Commonwealth Games First held: Hamilton, Canada - 1930 (known as the British Empire Games) Last held: Delhi, India - 2010 Next held: Glasgow, Scotland - 2014 Background: The Commonwealth Games are open to countries that were a part of the British Empire, and claim to be the third-largest multi-sports event in the world behind the Olympic Games and the Asian Games.

Founded as the British Empire Games in 1930, the first event of its kind took place in Hamilton in Canada, where around 400 athletes from 11 Commonwealth nations competed for 59 medals in six sports.

At the 2010 edition of the Games, held in Delhi, around 6,000 athletes from 71 Commonwealth nations took part, making it the biggest Commonwealth Games so far, while the 2014 edition in Glasgow is set to be even bigger.

The Games were also known as the British Empire and Commonwealth Games and the British Commonwealth Games before gaining their current guise as the Commonwealth Games from the 1978 event in Edmonton, Canada, onwards.

Only individual sports were featured at the Commonwealth Games until the 1998 Games in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur, where team

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sports such as cricket, hockey and netball featured for the first time.

Australia are the most successful nation in Commonwealth Games history amassing over 800 gold medals, followed by England, Canada and India, and are also one of only six nations to have competed at every Games, along with England, Scotland, Wales, New Zealand and Canada.

The future: The sports programme regularly alters, and sports such as judo and triathlon will be re-introduced at Glasgow 2014, along with the core sports, such as athletics, boxing, lawn bowls and swimming. Sports such as wrestling, hockey, rugby sevens and squash will also feature in Glasgow. Australia and Canada have hosted the Games the most times - on four occasions each - but Australia are due to hold the Commonwealth Games for a fifth time in 2018 in the Gold Coast City, Queensland.

London are set to bid to host the 2022 Commonwealth Games in an attempt to capitalise on the world-class facilities built for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games in the city, but they could face competition from countries such as Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, Singapore and Sri Lanka, who are all believed to be considering bids. If London’s bid is successful, it will be the first time the city - which was the capital of the British Empire in its heyday - has hosted the Commonwealth Games since 1934, and would almost certainly end Welsh capital Cardiff’s hopes of hosting the 2026 Games.

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JAMES CROOK REPORTER, INSIDETHEGAMES

successful nation in the Pan-Am Games, clocking up a staggering 4,172 medals, including 1,861 gold; well ahead of second-placed Cuba with 1,932 total medals, 839 gold, and Canada in third with 1,696 medals, of which 377 were gold.

The future: The Canadian city of Toronto will host the next Pan-Am Games in 2015 after successfully winning the bid process ahead of Peruvian capital Lima and Colombian capital Bogotá. The provisional list of sports for the 2015 Games includes canoe slalom, which would be making its debut at the Pan-Am Games, as well as golf, with women’s baseball and men’s softball also proposed for the programme, with basque pelota making way.

Official bids to host the 2019 Games have been submitted by Chilean capital Santiago, Ciudad Bolívar in Venezuela, La Punta in Argentina and Lima, who will be hoping to gain from the experience of their losing 2015 bid. A decision is set to be made on the 2019 host city in October this year.

Pan-American Games

Asian Games

First held: Buenos Aires, Argentina - 1951 Last held: Guadalajara, Mexico - 2011 Next held: Toronto, Canada - 2015

First held: New Delhi, India - 1951 Last held: Guangzhou, China - 2010 Next held: Incheon, South Korea - 2014

Background: The idea of holding a PanAmerican Games between nations in North and South America originates from as far back as 1932, when Latin American International Olympic Committee members proposed the notion after being inspired by the hosting of the first Central American Games - which were contested by Mexico, Guatemala and Cuba in 1926.

This led to the first Pan-American Sports Congress in Buenos Aires in 1940, where it was decided that the inaugural event would take place in the Argentinean capital in 1942.

However, due to the ongoing Second World War, the event was postponed, and eventually made its debut in 1951 in Buenos Aires following the second Congress in London during the 1948 Olympics.

The Games, colloquially known as the Pan-Am Games, now welcome around 6,000 athletes to compete in 361 disciplines and 36 sports.

Sports such as basque pelota, which is especially popular in Latin America, racquetball, bowling and baseball have featured on the programme, alongside the likes of waterskiing, karate and wrestling.

The United States are by far the most

Background: The origins of the Asian Games, also known as the Asiad, date as far back as the early 1910’s when the Far Eastern Championship Games took place for the first time in Manila in 1913, and were competed between The Phillipine Islands, the Republic of China, the Empire of Japan, the British East Indies, now known as Malaysia, the Kingdom of Thailand and the British colony of Hong Kong.

However, these Games were discontinued following 11 editions when scheduled hosts for the 1938 Games Japan insisted on including the contentious Manchu Empire as a competing nation, provoking China’s withdrawal and the eventual collapse of the event.

Following the Second World War, Indian IOC member Guru Dutt Sondhi proposed the formation of a new competition, the Asian Games, and in 1949, the Asian Athletic Federation were formally inaugurated along with the name “Asian Games Federation” in New Delhi.

Since the first Asiad in India in 1951, the event has grown from hosting 489 athletes from 11 nations in six sports, to welcoming 10,000 athletes from 45 nations competing in 42 sports in Guangzhou where they were held last in 2010.

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China have won the most gold medals at the Asian Games, accumulating 1,204 over 10 Games, but Japan have the most overall medals, totalling 2,658 - just 27 more than China, despite competing at six more Games.

Since 1998, Samsung has sponsored a Most Valuable Player award for the Asian Games, which was last won by Chinese badminton great, Lin Dan, in Guangzhou.

The future: The 2014 Asian Games will take place in the South Korean city of Incheon after they defeated New Delhi in the bid process. The 2014 Asiad will feature over 100 venues including 23 newly built - and is estimated to cost over $1.5 billion. The Incheon Asiad Main Stadium was designed by the same company that were behind the London 2012 Olympic Stadium and is estimated to cost $400 million to construct, and is set to be officially opened in April 2014. Featuring under the slogan “Diversity Shines Here”, the 2014 Asiad is set to take place between September 19 to October 4, where around 10,000 athletes from all over Asia are expected to compete in 437 events over 36 sports and disciplines. Sports featured in the 2014 programme include the 28 Olympic sports for Rio 2016 as well as eight popular Asian sports such as sepak takraw, soft tennis, kabaddi and the martial art of wushu.

The 2019 Asiad will take place in Vietnamese capital Hanoi, three years after the country hosts the 2016 Asian Beach Games in Nha Trang. Hanoi won the bid process in controversial circumstances, when delegates of their sole competitors, Surabaya in Indonesia, claimed that the only reason Vietnam were awarded the Games was due to China’s interest in the country.

Main: Decathletes of the Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games salute the crowd after the men’s decathlon event on October 8, 2010 in Delhi, India. Photo: Michael Steele/Getty Images Left: United States and Puerto Rico women’s basketball teams compete during the XVI Pan American Games on October 22, 2011 in Guadalajara, Mexico.

Photo: Dennis Grombkowski/Getty Images Above: The men’s 4x400 metre relay final of the 16th Asian Games on November 26, 2010 in Guangzhou, China.

Photo: Phillippe Lopez/AFP/Getty Images

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JAMES CROOK REPORTER, INSIDETHEGAMES

Gay Games First held: San Francisco, USA - 1982 Last held: Cologne, Germany - 2010 Next held: Cleveland and Akron, USA - 2014 Background: The quadrennial Gay Games were the brainchild of the late Olympic decathlete Dr Tom Waddell, who founded the Games as a sports competition and arts festival held in San Francisco in 1982, named the Gay Olympics.

However, event organisers were controversially sued by the United States Olympic Committee over the use of the term “Olympics”- of which the USOC had exclusive rights to - just weeks before the inaugural event, which led to the change of the name to Gay Games.

The Gay Games operate under the founding principles of: “Participation, Inclusion, and Personal Best”, and are open to all with no qualifying standards in place. Around 10,000 athletes, artists and activists gather for the Gay Games, which actively promotes equality for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transsexual people, while encouraging participation for all, regardless of sexual orientation.

A Gay Winter Games event was pencilled in to be held in Denver, Colorado, in 1986, but plans were scrapped due to a lack of funding and have not been revived since.

The last Gay Games in the German city of Cologne featured sports such as handball, golf and swimming, as well as less-conventional events such as dance sport, bodybuilding and billiards.

In 2009, an award-winning documentary-film entitled “Claiming the Title: Gay Olympics on Trial” was made in the United States, which followed the court case that saw the “Gay Olympics” become known as the “Gay Games”.

Icons of the LGBT community including Lord of the Rings actor Sir Ian McKellen and American singers Tina Turner and Jennifer Holliday have played a part in the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Gay Games.

The future: The 2014 Gay Games are due to take place in Cleveland and Akron in the US - the country which has held half of the Games that have taken place since their inception, in founding city San Francisco twice, as well as New York City and Chicago. Cleveland and Akron faced stiff competition in the bidding process from fellow American cities Boston and Washington D.C., but prevailed when they were announced as the winning cities at the Federation of Gay Games annual meeting in September 2009 in Cologne. Events scheduled to feature at the 2014 Games include flag American football, cheerleading and darts, as www.facebook.com/insidethegames

Above: Medal winners from the 2002 Gay Games stand on the steps of the Sydney Opera House on November 8, 2002 in Sydney, Australia. Photo: Greg Wood/AFP/Getty Images Bottom RIght: The Hong Kong China team celebrates after winning the Beach Handball Women’s Team semi-final match of the 3rd Asian Beach Games Haiyang 2012 on June 21, 2012 in Haiyang, China. Photo: Lintao Zhang/Getty Images

well as ice skating and rodeo. Bids from London, Amsterdam, Orlando, Limerick and Paris have been submitted to host the 2018 Games, with an announcement on the shortlist expected in late May 2013 and the winning city to be announced in 2014.

Asian Beach Games First held: Bali, Indonesia - 2008 Last held: Haiyang, China - 2012 Next held: Phuket, Thailand - 2014 Background: The biennial Asian Beach Games were founded just five years ago and feature a host of beach and sea-based sports, regulated by the Olympic Council of Asia.

The Games have so far been a great success since their inception thanks to low organisation costs and high levels of incoming tourism.

Sports previously featured in the programme include beach sepaktakraw, a sport originating from the Malay-Thai Peninsula which is effectively volleyball played with the feet, the Chinese team paddling sport of dragon boat racing, in which teams compete in boats traditionally made of teak, and the Indonesian martial art of Pencak silat, in which different disciplines are contested.

Sports more-recognised in the West, such as sailing, water polo and triathlon have also appeared in this unique programme, alongside the likes of bodybuilding, paragliding, roller speed skating and waterskiing.

Thailand are the most successful team at @insidethegames

the Asian Beach Games, winning 101 medals in total, including 37 gold, with China and Indonesia following with 32 gold medals a piece, but China have 82 in total compared to Indonesia’s 78.

The future: The 2014 Games were awarded to Phuket in 2010, with Governor Tri Augkaradecha claiming that the Games could bring in up to one billion Thai baht to the province. Thai combat sport Muay Thai will feature in the sports programme at the 2014 Games, and the resorts of Karon and Patong will host the majority of events, according to officials. The key values of the 2014 Asian Games in Phuket are “Warmth, happiness, friendship and mutual respect”.

The hosts for the two Games following the Phuket edition have also been announced, with Vietnamese city Nha Trang pencilled in to host in 2016, and the 2018 Games set to take place on the West Coast of India in Goa.

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ALAN HUBBARD COLUMNIST, INSIDETHEGAMES

Back in the USSR

There was a time when attending an event in Russia was a foreboding prospect but Alan Hubbard still has fond memories from the 1980 Olympics in Moscow.

M

oscow 1980 was a vastly different place to the Moscow of today. Back in the USSR we were warned the first Olympics to be held behind the Iron Curtain would be all bad. But actually they weren’t.

Having set off with some trepidation I found them among the most enjoyable of the dozen Summer Games I have attended. They were expertly-organised, ran smoothly and the sport sparkled.

The problem was, of course, that more than half of the world stayed away.

Politics and the Olympics have been uncomfortable bedfellows almost since their inception, most tragically in Mexico City 1968 and Munich 1972.

Moscow’s Olympics became bedevilled by a United States-led boycott following the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, a war that was to last a decade but one we now look back on with a certain cynicism.

Then Soviet-led Afghan forces fought insurgent groups called the Mujahideen. The rebels, who received military training in neighbouring Pakistan, were forerunners of today’s Taliban - who ironically the Americans and British are now trying to eliminate. Sound familiar?

In the end 81 nations were represented in Moscow, a drop of only 14 on Montreal in 1976 when the Africans did not compete.

Inevitably the most significantly absentees were the Americans, together with West Germany, Japan and Kenya.

The British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher had commanded Great Britain to stay away too.

Some sports did but Sebastian - now Lord - Coe was among those who defied the Iron Lady, later to become his political mistress.

Just as well, as he collected the first of his two 1500 metre gold medals in that Chariots of Fire duel with bitter rival Steve Ovett having lost out in his specialist 800 metres.

Their epic track combat, living up to its label as the greatest two-man showdown in athletics history, was to be repeated in Los Angeles four years later, when the Soviet Union stayed away as a reprisal.

Coe vs Ovett’s running battle was the

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Left: Sebastian Coe crosses the finish line ahead of East Germany’s Jurgen Straub to win the men’s 1500m race on August 1, 1980 at the Olympic Games in Moscow, Russia.

Photo: Tony Duffy/Getty Images Above: Misha the Bear wishing everyone good luck at the Opening Ceremony of the 1980 Games.

Photo: AFP/Getty Images

highlight of the Games, along with gymnast Nadia Comaneci’s perfect ten, decathlete Daley Thompson’s confirmation as the world’s supreme all-round athlete and Cuban heavyweight Teófilo Stevenson - whom I dubbed Castro’s right-hand man - blasting his way to a third Olympic gold medal, equalling the record of the great Hungarian Laszlo Papp.

Yet it must be said that away from the Olympic arena the atmosphere was depressingly sterile. No birds sang in Red Square, no kids clamoured for autographs outside the Lenin Stadium or the Olympic Village.

Our hotel corridors were patrolled by KGB men with loose suits and blank stares. Although there wasn’t a gun in sight, there was no shortage of armoury or tanks rolling monotonously along the banks of the Moscow River.

The sport provided a golden lining to the cloud that hovered over Moscow.

How different it would be if the Games were to be held in this beautiful, energising city now.

Some of the Russian student friends I made hastened to point out that the Games disguised a very different lifestyle, one of grim austerity.

They murmured about an escalating “war of ideology” with their nation.

One wonders now whether those Olympics sparked the thought processes among the younger generation that led first to glasnosts and the eventual throwing back of the Iron Curtain.

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A wooden replica of Misha the Bear, the mascot whose teardrop provided such a moving farewell to the Games, is among the most treasured of my Olympic souvenirs.

But my abiding memory of Moscow 1980 remains a personal one.

Just before the Games I had interviewed Sebastian Coe for a British news magazine which had a cover depicting the Olympic rings being incinerated by flames under the headline: “Destruction of a Great Ideal”.

This was confiscated on my arrival at Sheremetyevo airport as “bourgeois propaganda”. As it was an International Olympic Committee obligation that journalists should have access to any material required for their work when covering the Games, I made a formal protest to them, pointing out that I needed the magazine for reference.

The next day I was summoned to a windowless room in the Kremlin where the magazine was handed back to me with a curt nod by a stern-faced apparatchik.

Returning to the now demolished Rossiya Hotel, once the world’s largest, I found I had been upgraded to a very comfortable suite, big enough to hold a farewell party on the last day of the Games. As Georgian champagne popped, a colleague suggested that the room might be bugged. Jokingly we raised our glasses and said: “To all our listeners – Cheers!”

A few seconds later the phone rang and a Russian voice chuckled:”And cheers to you too, tovarich!”

Who says they don’t have a sense of humour!

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The success of its reform in 2007 has now brought the International Boxing Association to manage global boxing programs by developing all forms of competitions including AIBA Pro Boxing. The motto “We are Boxing” now demonstrates AIBA’s will and determination to represent the pride and passion of being associated with the noble art. AIBA embraces all boxers, coaches, referees & judges, officials, members and national member federations with care and commitment to provide the best benefits.

AIBA respects the ideals of the Olympic Movement and contributes to its unforgettable success.