December 29, 2005

Daniel Bell - International Games Archive

2005 closes another intriguing year in international games with the Unity Games (a competition restricted to members of the Shia Ithnasheri Islamic sect) being held in Dubai from December 24-31. That brings the total of announced international multisport competitions in 2005 to 179, one more than 2004.

2005 also saw what can be verifiably regarded as the smallest international games ever held, in terms of number of competitors. 

In October, Shanghai, China held the Shanghai Gravity Games at the new SMP Skatepark with just 19 competitors from six nations.

Dubai went one better in December with just 14 competitors from six countries in the Dubai X Games.   

In Shanghai the events were billed as competitions, and medals awarded.  The Dubai event, while advertised as games, had more of an air of exhibition. 

Curiously, in both events, there were no athletes entered from the host nation, another first in international games history.

The 1948 Stoke Mandeville games had only 16 competitors.  However that event (a precursor to multisport Stoke Mandeville Games and later the Paralympic Games) was neither multisport or international.  The only sport was archery, and the only nation, England.

The 1949 Winter World Games for the Deaf in Seefeld, Austria had 33 participants from 3 nations in 2 sports.

The 1948 Stoke Mandeville Games fail to reach the threshold of  international and multisport, and the Dubai X Games were an exhibition. This would leave the Shanghai SMP Skatepark Gravity Games as the smallest international multisport competition held to date.

No Great Outdoor Games for 2006

December 20, 2005

ESPN announced yesterday that the Great Outdoor Games will not be held in 2006.

Vice president and general manager of ESPN Outdoors Christine Godleski said the plan for now is to "take a break and assess what we need to do to make the Great Outdoors Games bigger and better than ever."

During the process ESPN will evaluate how it chooses sites for the games, decide the best time of year for the games, and what events to include in the games.

The games have been held annually beginning in Lake Placid from 2001 until 2003, the games were then held in Reno, NV; Madison, WI and last summer in Orlando, FL at the Disney Wide World of Sports complex.

With the cancellation also comes the cancellation of dozens of qualifying events, as well as contests by sponsors Dodge, Stihl and ESPN that were giving away trips to the 2006 games (but had not named the destination).

On the same day that ESPN announced it would not be holding the games in 2006, SportsTravel magazine announced that the 2004 edition of the Great Outdoor Games had been named the Best Professional Multi-Sport or Multi-Discipline Event award for the year, in a vote by its readers.

The event unfortunately was not met with complete acceptance by the residents of Madison, mostly over the use of guns in the games, and the event did not return to Madison a second time.

The Great Outdoor Games has also won Emmy Awards for television sports coverage.

Nigerian government forced to close Commonwealth Games training camp

December 17, 2005

Nigeria’s Daily Independent newspaper reported yesterday that the national Sports Ministry has closed Nigeria’s training camp for the 2006 Commonwealth Games due to lack of funds.

All athletes were told to go on “indefinite holidays” from the training camp.

The camp reportedly opened just two weeks ago but a number of athletes stayed away, preferring to train in their own familiar training environments, funded by training grants. 

The Nigerian Sports ministry also revealed last month that there would be no funds for overseas training, instead planning to bring foreign coaches to Nigeria to help prepare the Commonwealth Games team. 

Nigeria is planning on participating in just eight sports in Melbourne.

In addition due to the perceived poor international performances of Nigeria’s track and field athletes, officials have even brought up the topic of simply leaving the team home, and this issue has still not been resolved.

Sunday Bada, a Commonwealth games bronze medallist in the 400 meter, and now

Technical director of the Athletic Federation of Nigeria (AFN) encouraged the athletes to continue training on their own, and not wait for the government’s help.

Trials for Nigeria’s athletics team are still scheduled for February.

The crisis in funding for all of Nigeria’s Commonwealth Games teams is juxtaposed with the fact that Nigeria is hoping to bid to host the Commonwealth Games of 2014.  Putting on the games requires far more money that sending a team to the games.  If Nigeria cannot fund a 2006 Commonwealth Games team, can they legitimately fund a bid for 2014, or pay for the games themselves?

Canada Chooses Halifax  to compete for 2014 Commonwealth Games

December 15, 2005

Halifax has been unanimously selected as Canada's candidate to bid for the 2014 Commonwealth Games against Glasgow, Scotland and Abuja, Nigeria.

Halifax was selected over Hamilton, Ottawa, and the York/Toronto Region.

Commonwealth Games Federation president Claude Bennett spoke very highly of all four bids and hoped that all four cities would continue to bid for future international events.

The announcement was made in a live webcast just before 10:30 am EST (7:30 am PST). Halifax organizers immediately updated the Halifax 2014 web site with "Winner" emblazoned across the top, and a press release of the announcement.

Halifax had previously bid for the games in 1994 and 2010, losing to Victoria and Hamilton. This will be Halifax's first attempt at an international bid for the games.

The international bidding for the 2014 Commonwealth Games will conclude in November 2007 at Commonwealth Games meetings in Sri Lanka.

Melbourne Commonwealth Organizers finally sign TV deal with India

December 14, 2005

At long last, the organizing committee of the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne have reached an agreement on the rights t televise the games in Indian with Indian state  broadcaster, Doordarshan.

Doordarshan had refused to purchase the rights for the past year, stating that the asking price was just too expensive.

Melbourne organizers were deep into negotiations with Indian pay TV companies when India's Federal Government added the games to the list of events of "national importance."

Events of  national importance to India are required to be shown on free network television in India. The listing helped Melbourne and India come to an agreement.

India wants to show the games to create interest and familiarity in India because the 2010 Commonwealth Games are to be held in Delhi. 

Melbourne organizers are still hoping to sign a deal with Canada. To date the games are not scheduled to be televised in Canada.

Commonwealth games baton nears Antarctica

December 14, 2005

The Queen's Baton for the Commonwealth Games  left Hobart Australia on December 2nd aboard the ship Aurora Australis and is expected to arrive in Antarctica at Australia's Casey Station on December 16th.

This is the first time that any games relay has traveled to Antarctica.  

Olympic torch relays have traveled to many unique places, underwater and to outer space, but never to Antarctica.  The 2004 Olympic bid from Buenos Aires did contain a proposal to have the Olympic torch relay travel to Antarctica. 

Today marks 91 days to go to the Opening Ceremony of the Melbourne Commonwealth Games.

Follow the progress of the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Game Queen's Baton relay. 

South Asian Games dates change again

December 14, 2005

The dates for the tenth edition of the South Asian Games have been changed again. The games to be held in Sri Lanka, Colombo were postponed from 2005 to 2006 after the December 2004 tsunami struck the region.

The dates have now been changed from April until August 17-27, 2006.

The Sri Lankan Olympic Association told the South Asian Sports Federation that the dates would need to be changed on this occasion due to changes in the national government in Sri Lanka.

Investigation into SEA Games soccer match fixing

December 14, 2005

Police in Vietnam are investigating reports that four national team players were involved in match-fixing during the SEA Games, in collusion with a gambling ring in Vietnam.

Vietnamese officials noticed behavior and play inconsistent with the players normal practice.

Vietnam has struggled with match-fixing in its national soccer leagues this year.

Lexington chosen to host 2010 World Equestrian Games

December 6, 2005

The Kentucky Horse Park, in Lexington, Kentucky, USA, has been chosen over Normandy, France as the host for the 2010 World Equestrian Games.

A third bidder, the United Arab Emirates, had been eliminated from consideration before the final presentations this week.

Lexington hopes to host the games in September-October 2010.

The games encompass seven equestrian disciplines; dressage, driving, endurance riding, eventing, reining, show jumping and vaulting, This will be the first time the games will have been held in the United States, and the first time the games will all be held in one venue, with all of the events held at the Kentucky Horse Park.

Preliminary figures are calling for 800 riders, 1000 horses from 50 countries, with television coverage in 180 countries.

John Nicholson, executive director of the Kentucky Horse Park was head of the delegation bidding for the games at FEI meetings in Bahrain, with support from John Long, the CEO of the United States Equestrian Federation.

The State of Kentucky and Governor Ernie Fletcher have pledged strong support for the games.

The Kentucky Horse Park plans to build a new $30 million indoor equestrian arena and a 300 room hotel for the games.

2008 FISEC Games in Malta

December 6, 2005

Malta will host the 2008 FISEC games. Malta hosted the games in 1997, 2002 and 2004.

The 58th FISEC General Assembly also resolved to bring other nations into FISEC, in particular Poland, Romania, Russia and other Eastern European nations.

The 2006 games are to be hosted by Kesckemet, Hungary.

The games are held on an annual basis, but the 2007 host has yet to be announced.

ASEAN Para Games next up in Manila

December 6, 2005

The third Asean Para Games, the SEA games for disabled athletes open in Manila, Philippines December 14 with a ceremony in Rizal Memorial Stadium. About 1,000 athletes are expected to participate in the games which run until December 21.

Sports in the games will be athletics, badminton, chess, goalball, judo, powerlifting, swimming, table tennis, wheelchair basketball, and wheelchair tennis. Demonstration sports include boccia, fencing, sailing, and tenpin bowling are demonstration sports.

Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has signed Executive Order 275 calling for full support from the government and citizens for the games.

Philippines top SEA Games medals table for first time.

December 5, 2005

The Philippines achieved its goal of resting atop the medals table of the 2005 SEA Games, but not without controversy.

Singapore's Joscelin Yao, a regional swimming star for the past twelve years in SEA, Asian, Commonwealth and Olympic competition, won six golds to bring her total for the SEA Games to 40 gold medals since 1993.

Midway through the games, Thailand's prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra surprised many when he was quoted by Thai news sources claiming that the judging of the games was not fair and was biased towards the hosts.

The remarks sparked investigations by the SEA Games Federation which quickly concluded that the judging had been consistent and fair. The Thai National Olympic Committee then denied that the prime minister ever made the remarks.

However, two Thai officials, one diving judge, and another water polo referee, were sanctioned by the International Aquatics Federation (FINA) for poor judging in their events.

In boxing, the Philippines protested the judging when four gold medal bouts against fighters from Thailand all went the visitors way.

In addition, two marathoners from Vietnam were disqualified when it was determined that the male runner was illegally pacing the female runner, who originally finished in the silver medal position.

The Secretary of the Olympic Council of Malaysia, Sieh Kok Chi pointed out that the issue of accusations of biased judging has been associated with these games for some time. "When we [Malaysians] hosted the Games, we were also accused of biased judging and it was the same when Vietnam were the host."

Philippines finished 3rd and 2nd on the medals table in 1981 and 1991 respectively, the only other two occasions when the Philippines hosted the South East Asian Games.

Thailand has promised that the judging will be completely fair when it hosts the games in 2007.

East Timor won it's first ever medals of the SEA Games, taking three bronze in the Philippine stick fighting sport of arnis.

Medals Table 2005 SEA Games

Roland Schoeman, wooed by Qatar, will stay South African

December 5, 2005

Gary Lemke of South Africa's Cape Argus newspaper is reporting that native son swimmer Roland Schoeman (part of South Africa's Olympic Gold medal winning 4X100 meter relay team) has turned down a rich offer from Qatar to switch nationalities.

Qatar was reportedly offering 20 million South African rand (or about 3.2 million dollars US) for Schoeman to swim for the gulf nation.

Qatar was attempting to induce Schoeman to compete in next year's Asian Games, and then pending eligibility clearance, the 2008 Olympic Games.

Instead, Schoeman will compete for South Africa in the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne.

2013 Deaflympics bidders still in hiding

December 1, 2005

Donalda Ammons, International Committee of Sports for the Deaf President, in her letter to her constituency in October stated " I would like to reiterate that thinking about the 2013 Summer Games is not too early!"

Bids for the 2013 games are due by December 31 of this year, will be evaluated in March 2006 with site visits in 2007.

A management team from the International Committee of Sports for the Deaf has stated that it has looked at cities such as Athens, Barcelona, Edmonton, London, Montreal, Munich and others as potential quality bidders.

In addition, Toronto International, a unit of the tourism program for the City of Toronto, Canada has listed the 2013 Deaflympics as one of its goals.

Schedule for 2006 Central American Games reduced further

December 1, 2005

Updating its decision from three weeks ago, the nations of ORDECA (Organización Deportiva Centroamericana) have decided to reduce the schedule further, eliminating 5 sports, and leaving 20 sports to be hosted by six countries.

Lack of entrants was cited for eliminating tennis, handball, bowling, rowing and chess.

The games are still to be spread out among six different nations as follows:

Guatemala - cycling, equestrian, football, shooting and weightlifting

Nicaragua - athletics, boxing, bodybuilding, baseball and volleyball

Panama - basketball, fencing, wrestling, swimming and softball

Honduras - judo and table tennis

Costa Rica - taekwondo and triathlon

Belize - karate-do.

The games are to be held March 3-12, 2006.

Preliminary 2006 schedule information

Preliminary 2007 schedule information

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