April 27, 2005

If it's live X Games action you want, it's LA from now until 2009.

ESPN and the Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) are finalizing details that will have the X Games in Los Angeles for the next five years at the Staples Center and Home Depot Center, both owned by AEG.

ESPN is hoping that having the games grounded in one location will eliminate the time, energy and cost of moving the games from city to city, an exhausting undertaking for such a large event.

The 2005 X Games are scheduled for August 4-7.

Zambia for 2011 African Games

April 26, 2005

Zambian news sources are reporting that the Supreme Council for Sport in Africa (SCSA) has named Zambia as the host for the 2011 African Games.

At meetings held in Algiers, all of the other bidders reportedly stepped aside or were deemed ineligible, leaving Zambia as the only bidder. Of the 52 nations on the continent of Africa, only 18 were eligible to either bid for the games or to cast votes at the meeting, because they are behind in their fees owed to the SCSA.

In Zambia however, the news reportedly came as a shock to Zambia's National Olympic Committee and sports federations, which were not aware that a bid for the games had been launched. Zambia's Sports Minister Gladys Nyirongo was in Algiers, and presented the bid.

New Gay Games doping policy for powerlifters

April 26, 2005

Powerlifters hoping to compete in the 2006 Gay Games are being advised to add their names to an "Out-of-Competition Athletes Register" by July 15, 2005. The policy is in line with the protocol of the International Powerlifting Federation (IPF). Athletes are also required to be a member of their national powerlifting federation.

Athletes on the IPF register would have the possibility of being tested at any time throughout the year, in out of competition tests. They would then be eligible to receive their medals on the day of the competition at the Gay Games.

Medal winning athletes not on the register will be automatically drug tested at the games, and will only receive their medals after the drug test have come back negative.

Athletes in Physique and Wrestling are also drug tested at the games.

Saudi Arabia top Islamic Solidarity Games

April 21, 2005

Thirty-two of the fifty-four nations participating at the Islamic Solidarity Games in Saudi Arabia took home medals.

The host Saudis topped the medals table with 24 gold and 60 overall medals and won the final medal of the games, the highly desired football gold.

The closing ceremony immediately followed the football final, with Saudi Prince Sultan ibn Fahd, turning over the games flag to Iran, scheduled to be hosts of the 2009 games.

2005 Islamic Solidarity Games Medals Table

Commonwealth Games Baton on to Gambia and beyond

April 19, 2005

The Queen's Baton for the Commonwealth Games has completed its tour of the British Isles and will now head to Gambia.

Since March 14th when it left Buckingham Palace, the baton has been to Cambridge, Norwich, Loughborough, Birmingham, Manchester, Brighton, Portsmouth, Bristol, Wolverhampton, Sheffield, Newcastle upon Tyne and Gateshead in England and then Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands.

In total the baton will travel over 100,000 miles through 71 Commonwealth nations, finally arriving in Melbourne on March 15, the day of the Opening ceremony for the games.

The baton contains two miniature cameras, a microphone and a microchip with the Queen's message that will be revealed at the Opening Ceremony. A GPS device tracks the location of the baton.

Roger Draper, chief executive of Sport England said that there was hope that the enthusiasm and energy created by the relay in the British Isles would help to convince the International Olympic Committee to back the London bid for the 2012 Olympic Games.

Yellowknife to host 2008 Arctic Winter Games

April 19, 2005

Yellowknife, Northwest Territories has been chosen to host the 2008 Arctic Winter Games. Yellowknife hosted the inaugural Arctic Winter Games in 1970, and has also hosted the 1984, 1990 and 1998 games.

Yellowknife won the bid over a joint bid from South Slave, Hay River and Fort Smith.

The games started with teams from Alaska, Yukon, and the Northwest Territories, but now additional teams from Northern Alberta, Nunavut, Nunavik Quebec, Greenland, Yamal Russia, the Sami of northern Scandinavia compete in the games.

Yellowknife and Arctic Winter Games International Committee are due to sign the official contract for the games in May of this year.

Pacific Rim Summit Cancelled

April 15, 2005

Disappointment, acrimony and finger pointing seem to be all that is left from the proposed Pacific Rim Sports Summit that was to be held in Seattle, June 7-12.

Seattle organizing committee members are pointing fingers at the USOC, claiming non support of the event. Northwest newspapers are pointing their fingers at promoter Bob Walsh, who may have seen his reach exceed his grasp on this endeavor. The USOC is denying responsibility for the cancellation of the event.

After summer of 2004 announcement that the games would be held in the summer of 2005, with the possibility of a 2006 event in China and a 2007 event back in Seattle, the concept never really seemed to gather the momentum to become a reality.

Inability to meet financial and sponsorship goals and slow ticket sales were said to be the primary reasons for pulling the plug on the event.

Island Games get TV contract

April 15, 2005

The 2005 Natwest Island Games will be televised in a limited fashion across the Shetland Islands, in an agreement signed this week.

Scottish TV and Grampian TV will help broadcast the games, which will be shown at designated "catering venues" across the Island.

The arrangement will allow more people to see the games events. Facilities in the Shetlands Islands are too small to hold all of the expected spectators for the games.

Canada struggling to get Commonwealth Games TV deal

April 15, 2005

The Canadian Broadcasting Company (CBC) has declined to broadcast the 2006 Commonwealth Games according to a Chris Zelkovish report in the Toronto Star. CBC claims their schedule will already be full at the time (March 2006) with a local curling tournament, and the Paralympic Games from Italy.

George Heller, President of the Commonwealth Games Foundation of Canada called the move an affront to Canada's athletes, to Canada, the Commonwealth Games movement, Australia and to the history of the games.

Other broadcasters in Canada have also claimed difficulties in fitting the games into their schedules. ``If there's not TV coverage in 2006, it's not because I haven't made an extraordinary pest of myself," Heller said.

Heller may have let his emotions override his reasoning when he continued, ``We're bidding to hold the 2010 Games (in Hamilton). ... How's this going to look?" (The 2010 games were awarded to New Delhi seventeen months ago, in November 2003).

Rowing added to Paralympic Games

April 13, 2005

Rowing has been added to the Paralympic events and will be contested in Beijing at the 2008 Paralympic Games.

The vote to add the sport took place at International Paralympic Committee meetings in Turin April 9-10.

Adaptive rowing for athletes with disabilities was part of the 2003 and 2004 World Championships in rowing.

Aboriginal supporters plan "shame game" for Melbourne Commonwealth Games

April 13, 2005

In a repeat of past games in Australia Aboriginal leaders have threatened to cause chaos at next years Commonwealth Games in Melbourne if their demands are not met and will encourage other nations to boycott the games.

Aboriginal elders have written to the High Court in Melbourne asking the court to review claims of genocide against Indigenous communities in Australia.

One elder Isabelle Coe said "This is the shame game." We want to get our message out to the rest of the world, and that the genocide is continuing here in our country and we want to stop it."

Another Elder Robbie Thorpe, called the games the "Stolenwealth Games" and said that Aborigines in Australia want a treaty with the government, their sovereignty restored and genocide to stop. "We're sick of the genocide and the terrorism in this country and we want it to end. "If we don't see a treaty by the end of this year, who knows what's going to happen. "We're calling on all conscientious Australians and indigenous Australians to come to Melbourne, starting now."

The federal Indigenous Affairs Minister, Amanda Vanstone, said the threat is a political stunt that does not warrant further comment.

Acting Premier John Brumby said "I would hope that activists or others would see the Commonwealth Games as a great opportunity to bring together people from around the world - all races, all incomes, all Commonwealth countries."

Several aboriginal protests occurred the last time the Commonwealth Games were held in Australia, in Brisbane in 1982.

India in discussions for 2011 Special Olympics bid

April 11, 2005

Indian sports officials, looking to capitalize on infrastructure expected to be in place for the 2010 Commonwealth Games, have offered New Delhi as a possible host for the 2011 Special Olympics Summer World Games. The idea was discussed this week in India with Special Olympics head Timothy Shriver, in addition to discussions centered on promoting Sport for the intellectually disabled throughout India.

India is currently pursuing the 2014 Asian Games and talking about a bid for the 2016 Olympic Games.

The Seattle Sports Commission also listed the 2011 Special Olympics on a list of possible events it might pursue in a 2004 report.

First Islamic Solidarity Games open this week

April 6, 2005

After years of discussions and proposals, the first Islamic Solidarity Games will open this Friday in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, and conclude April 20th.

The games are organized by the Organization of the Islamic Conference with about 6500 athletes (all male) from 54 nations participating in 18 sports.

Mecca, Medinah, Jeddah and Taif are scheduled to host events.

Doha Asian Games village to be ready in one year

April 4, 2005

The Asian Games village for the 2006 Asian Games in Doha is progressing as planned and will be ready in April 2006, well ahead of the December opening of the games the Doha Asian Games Organizing Committee announced yesterday.

The massive project will have room for 10,000 games participants and personnel.

Seattle to downsize Pacific Rim Games

April 1, 2005

Ron Judd of the Seattle Times is reporting that the new Pacific Rim Sports Summit planned for Seattle in June will most likely be reduced in size in the coming days.

The United States Olympic Committee has preliminarily invited athletes from China, Canada, Mexico Japan, Russia, Korea, New Zealand and Australia to compete in archery, basketball, cycling, diving, gymnastics, track, synchronized swimming, softball and volleyball.

One primary motivation for the events is to create an exchange with Chinese athletes prior to the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

Organizers would not confirm rumors that ticket sales had not been strong for the event, or that Seattle had had difficulty procuring contracts for some of the venues, but did say the event would be reduced.

The budget for the event is about $12 million, all to be provided by private sponsorship

Seattle organizing committee representative Karen Russell said, "We would like to emphasize that the Summit has not been canceled." "We fully intend to proceed with a multi-sport, international event in Seattle this summer."