The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum will host the Moto X Freestyle events.

Venues for Wakeboarding, Skateboard Street and Downhill BMX have not been specified.

Street Luge has so far unfortunately not been included in the list of events.

EXPN.com is planning streaming video from the X Games.

Whistler, San Antonio share X Games Global Championship

ESPN continues to expand its worldwide schedule of extreme events with the first edition of the X Games Global Championships to be held May 15-18, 2003.

The event is a team format, combining summer and winter X Games events, and hosted jointly in San Antonio, Texas and Whistler, British Columbia.

Six teams of the world's best X Games athletes will compete from the U.S., Europe, Canada, South America, Asia and Australia. Each team will consist of two athletes per region for each sport. Results from all events will be combined for an overall team score.

Individual winners will be given prize money and medals.

El Salvador opens Central American and Caribbean Games

Cuba stayed away, citing security concerns, one Venezuelan rower is missing in a pre-games training accident, and the Dominican Republic is assisting by hosting three events, but El Salvador opened the nineteenth edition of the Central American and Caribbean Games November 23rd. (Vague press reports stated that IOC President Jacques Rogge left the opening ceremony early because he found it "annoying.")

Cuba cited concerns over security, and groups that would encourage Cuban athletes to defect.

Four members of the Venezuelan rowing team were practicing in high winds the week before the games on El Salvador's Lake Coatepeque when their scull flipped. Two swam ashore, one was found on an island eight hours later, but Alexis Coba, 21, was not found. He was remembered at the opening ceremony, with wishes expressed that he still may be found.

Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic is helping with the games, hosting the handball, racquetball and shooting competitions, in venues that are being prepared for next years Pan-American Games.

Shooting will take place at the brand new Duquesa shooting facility, racquetball at the Santo Domingo Country Club, and handball at Mirador del Este Park.

Qatar Sports International Exhibition set to kick off Asian Games Preparations

The Qatar Sports International, an exhibition and conference in Qatar, with selected sporting events, is set for December 9-12 in Doha.

The event is the brainchild of the President of the Qatar National Olympic Committee Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani.

The event will begin with a procession of the Asian Games torch and flag, which will be handed over to the organizers of the 2006 games.

The sporting events include a small car race, the Ferrari Challenge, a soccer match between AC Milan and the Qatari all-stars and a $1M 10km Road Race

The race is being advertised as "the world's richest 10km Road Race." A prize of $1m will be awarded if the world's best time (27:20) is broken. The organizers have helped themselves considerably by lessening the chances of this happening. The race starts at 3 pm, rather than the more conventional, and cooler, morning or evening hours. Temperatures in Doha at this time of year will be in the high 70s to low 80s, (25 - 27 centigrade)

Haile Gebresellasie, Meb Keflezighi and Sonia O'Sullivan will attempt to win the prize.

In January 2003 organizers will submit the final master plan for the 2006 Games to the Olympic Council of Asia.

Doha is planning to build a new multi-sports center - the Khalifa Sport City - several other sports arenas, an Olympic Village with room for 10,000 people and a new $1 billion airport.

IOC member de Mérode dead at 68

Prince Alexandre de Mérode of Belgium, an IOC member from Belgium since 1964, has died of lung cancer at the age of 68.

In 1967, de Mérode was named chairman of the IOC's medical commission, which established the first Olympic drug testing programs, but has met with a mixture of success and controversy all throughout its existence.

De Mérode remained chairman of the medical commission until his death.

World Games to get new offices

The International World Games Federation has voted to move their offices to Colorado Springs. The federation has never had a permanent home.

Former USOC president Bill Hybl of the nonprofit El Pomar foundation has offered office space the federation in Colorado Springs.

"It is very generous," said Ron Froehlich, World Games president. Froehlich.

The federation looked at moving to Lausanne, Switzerland, but ruled that it was too expensive.

Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) to negotiate rights for 2006 Asian Games

The Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) has decided to negotiate broadcasting rights as one unit for the 2006 Asian Games in Doha, Qatar.

For the 2002 Asian Games, five nations acquired broadcasting rights on their own, a departure from previous policy. The ABU will return to its previous strategy for 2006.

The ABU has also offered to help organizers in Doha broadcast the games. Qatar's production staff may have difficulty airing an event the games on their own.

About 400 representatives from 86 organizations in some 50 countries and territories participated in the assembly.

2003 African Games Preparations enter final year

With less than twelve months to go until the 8th All-African games in Nigeria, organizers and administrators in Nigeria are still working hard to put the pieces together, and quell numerous divisions that could harm the organization of the games.

The latest disruption occurred over the Miss World contest which was to be held in Abuja on December 7th. Violence erupted when Muslims, angry over a newspaper article about the beauty contest that was said to have insulted the prophet Muhammad, rioted and set fire to buildings and churches.

The Miss World contest has since been moved to London.

The reporter has now been named the target of a "fatwa" declaring that the journalist, Ms. Isioma Daniel must be killed. All Muslims, wherever they are, must consider the killing of the journalist a religious duty, declared a local radio station.

Earlier this month, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-General Alexendar Ogunmudia assured African Games organizers that there would be adequate security for the duration of the games.

"All hands are on deck to ensure there is adequate security for the games," he said.

The army will also assist COJA in training volunteers, and provision of logistics.

Concern had been expressed previously over the issues of religious division within the nation and how this might affect the games, and over the fact that Nigeria will also be holding elections next year, another possible source of conflict, possible violence from election activities could disrupt the games.

Meanwhile divisions between the Organizing committee (COJA), and the Nigerian Olympic Committee (NOC)may be hindering communications between the NOC and IOC. Sources are concerned that this might mean Nigeria will not be able to garner as much support, especially financial support, for the games from the IOC.

COJA has assumed some of the tasks that are traditionally the responsibility of the NOC.

The Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA) will meet in Djibouti from December 7 to 9 to discuss issues and examine preparations for the Games.

Coca-Cola Extends Sponsorship agreement with Special Olympics

The Coca-Cola Company has announced that it has renewed its sponsorship of Special Olympics until the end of 2005.

Coca-Cola was Special Olympics first corporate sponsor in 1968.

Coca-Cola Ireland has unveiled specially designed Coca-Cola/Special Olympics pins and a special commemorative pack featuring the 2003 World Games logo available in Ireland.

The 2003 Special Olympics World Games will be held in Dublin, June 20-29.

Pan-Am venue money slow

The Banco de Desarrollo Economico y Social of Venezuela has made a US$3.1 million first disbursement of a total US$15.8 million loan for the reconstruction of the Juan Pablo Duarte Olympic Center to be used for the 2003 Pan-American Games.

The money will pay for new construction and renovations of the Olympic Stadium, cycling velodrome, boxing, gymnastics, weightlifting and volleyball pavilions, and a baseball stadium.

8 months are left before the games. The reconstruction had been estimated to take 15 months time.

SEA Games rule changes

The South East Asian Games Federation (SEAGF) has decided to change the rules and implement a "no-tie" rule for the Vietnam SEA Games.

At the recently concluded Asian Games 14 events in gymnastics had 21 winners.

Some officials had speculated that some medals were being given out as "favors" to certain countries creating a sense of unfairness in the competitions.

Vietnam is preparing for the 2003 Games. Ho Chi Minh City will host, badminton, basketball, billiards, bodybuilding, boxing, chess, judo, petanque, taekwondo, and tennis.

Archery, athletics, aquatics, canoeing, cycling, fencing, fin swimming, gymnastics, handball, judo, karate, sepak takraw, shuttlecock, shooting, penchak silat, traditional boat racing, volleyball, weightlifting, wrestling, wushu and rowing will be held in Hanoi.

Football will be held in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City with women's football in Haipong.

Table tennis will be held at Hauduong.

Bowling and golf are still lobbying to be included in the games.

Budget Cuts for Australia and Great Britain

Both Australian and Great Britain have been forced to slash their respective budgets for their Olympic teams.

Australia is claiming a deficit of A$12.2 million ($6.9 million) due to a lack of big-money sponsors.

The Australians' money for medals program has been postponed, but may be reinstated at a later date.

Meanwhile falling lottery revenues in Great Britain have had the same effect. Great Britain has proposed reducing funding by some £21 million ($33 million) over the next four years.

Chile requests next South American Games

The Chilean Olympic Committee has presented a bid to host the next South American Games in 2006.

Chile lost out to Brazil in an emergency vote this past April to host the 2002 South American Games.

The 2002 games had been moved from Cordoba, Argentina due to financial troubles to Medellin Colombia. Security issues then became a major concern and several nations stated they would not compete in Medellin. Brazil was elected host and held the games with just four month of preparation.

ODESUR the Organization Deportivo Sudamericanos, South American Sports organization is hoping to return stability to the hosting of the games.

FISU busy planning for future games

FISU delegations are busy inspecting sites for possible 2007 University Games.

Inspectors visited Kaohsiung, Chinese Taipei and Bangkok, Thailand earlier this month. Details at http://www.fisu.net

Cuba Stuns CACG organizers, announces boycott

In a surprise development, Cuba has said that they will not participate in the upcoming Central American and Caribbean Games in San Salvador,

Instead, Cuba will hold the first "Olympics of Cuban Sports," during the same time as the Central American and Caribbean Games.

The Cuban authorities have stated that they were concerned about the safety of their delegation in San Salvador, claiming that intelligence officials had uncovered evidence that anti-communist groups from Miami were planning violence, planning to encourage defections, possible kidnappings of athletes, and even an assassination attempt on Vice President Jose Ramon Fernandez, the president of the Cuban Olympic Committee.

Cuban authorities asked Salvadoran officials if they could take measures to protect the Cuban athletes during their time there, but, according to the Cubans, "no response has been received."

El Salvador has not had diplomatic relations with Cuba since 1961.

The boycott leaves the games without the strongest team, and will mean a massive redistribution of medals. Some events may be cancelled if replacement teams can not be prepared in time.

Cuba first participated in the games in 1926 and, since 1970, has soundly trounced the rest of the Central American and Caribbean nations in the medals table, with Mexico second on each occasion.

 

Year	Nation	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1970	Cuba	98	61	51	210
	Mexico	38	46	40	124
1974	Cuba	101	55	35	191
	Mexico	26	30	26	82
1978	Cuba	120	44	18	182
	Mexico	25	48	43	116
1982	Cuba	173	71	38	282
	Mexico	29	55	47	131
1986	Cuba	174	81	44	299
	Mexico	40	49	44	133
1990	Cuba	180	90	51	321
	Mexico	112	99	84	295
1994	Cuba	?
	Mexico	?
1998	Cuba	191	74	69	334
	Mexico	61	87	71	219

The 191 gold medals in 1998 was at that time the second highest total ever for gold medals won by one country in a games that limited the number of entries per nation per event. (depending on the 1994 games for which no medals table has been available.)

In 1997 Indonesia collected 194 gold medals when it hosted the South East Asian Games. This was only surpassed by China, winning 205 gold medals at the 1999 Far East and South Pacific Games for the Disabled.

East African Games for students rescheduled

The East African Games for secondary students, originally to be held Sept. 30 to Oct. 5, in Nairobi, have been rescheduled. The games were postponed after a teachers strike in Kenya closed schools for a month. The new dates are for Dec. 2-7.

Boys and girls from Kenya and Uganda will compete in football and volleyball, boys will compete in basketball, girls in netball.

If successful, organizers are hoping future games will include students from Rwanda and Burundi.

Rani still fighting drug penalty

Sunita Rani of India has vowed to fight her drug suspensions from the Asian Games. Rani tested positive for nandrolone and lost medals from the 1500 and 5000 meters.

Rani and her supporters have claimed "major discrepancies" in the test results of the Asian Games doping laboratory, and that "certain quarters do not want an Indian to do well in the Olympics."

After an inquiry by the Amateur Athletic Federation of India, a report was issued that cleared Rani of all charges. The AAFI has promised to support Rani as she continues her fight to the IAAF, (International Association of Athletics Federations.)

Malaysia wants bowling reinstated in SEA Games

The controversy over the sports to be held in the 2003 SEA Games in Vietnam continues. Malaysia wasn't bowling reinstated in the games, claiming that Vietnam has left bowling and seven other sports squash, hockey, golf, equestrian, lawn bowls, sailing and netball, out of the games, because it has no chance of winning medals at them.

Instead, Vietnam has included sports which are either rare in Southeast Asia or sports in which it feels it can win medals such as chess, fin swimming, shuttlecock kicking, wrestling, handball, traditional boat rowing, canoeing and bodybuilding.

The Vietnam Tenpin Bowling Federation and the Olympic Council of Vietnam are to meet and decide whether bowling will be reinstated.

Bowling has been contested in every Games since the 1975 Games in Bangkok.

Malaysia re-evaluating SEA Achievement awards

The National Sports Council and the Olympic Council of Malaysia, citing what they see as a declining standard in South East Asian games competition, have recommended that the monetary reward structure for Malaysian medallists at those games be reviewed.

Under the current rules, Malaysian gold medallists at the SEA games are awarded RM5,000. Awards are not given for silver or bronze.

Both organizations have agreed that the SEA Games "should only be used for exposing young athletes while `achievement' means shining in the Asian Games, Olympics and world meets."

The Malaysians also joined in the criticisms of the past several months of the lack of a stable list of sports for the SEA games, saying "It has come to a point where it is acceptable for the host nation to include some strange or funny sports - or something that resembles sport. When the biennial sports carnival is turning into a circus, not to mention the inevitable dubious judging in most combat sports, it becomes farcical to heap cash on medal winners."

The NSC and OCM agreed that rewards should only be given out for excellence, and suggested that awards only be given for sports contested in the Olympic Games, as long as a national, SEA Games, or Asian record is set.

The proposal asked, "should we pamper our athletes with rewards for mediocre performances?".

The proposal answered its own question, "making it difficult for athletes to get monetary rewards will make them hungry for achievements."

Asian Games referees propose changes

The badminton referees from the Asian Games have submitted a proposal to the International Badminton Federation (IBF) to improve on the line calls in future tournaments.

Poor officiating caused several disagreements and a walkout by Indonesia's entry in the final at the Asian Games.

Currently, a line judge's decision is the only ruling on line calls and is final. The new proposal suggests that a neutral umpire have the option to overrule a line judge, and that badminton make use of video replay technology.

The IBF council will look at the proposals and decide on any future rule changes.

FESPIC Games close in Busan

Korea's busy international sports year is finally winding down, with the close of the FESPIC Games (Far East and South Pacific Games for the Disabled) having followed the Asian Games and World Cup.

The Chinese delegation finished on top of the medals table for the fifth consecutive time.

Though the North Koreans were the most celebrated delegation at the Asian Games, they did not send any athletes to the FESPIC Games.

The debate over monetary support for disabled athletes was again raised. Some Korean disabled athletes noting that disabled athletes from Korea were given, from the Ministry of Health and Welfare, just two thirds the financial reward than non-disabled athletes received.

The 2002 Asian Games and 2002 FESPIC games proved once again that it is much easier to win medals in international disabled competitions than in non-disabled competitions, and that it would not be reasonable to pay the same amounts of money for medals at disabled competitions because the competition is not equal.

At the FESPIC Games, 20 different athletes won a total of four gold medals or more, while at the Asian Games, just two athletes won four or more gold medals.

At the FESPIC Games, one athlete won six gold medals, seven athletes won five gold medals, and eleven athletes, four gold medals.

At the 2002 Asian Games, Xu Yanwei, a swimmer from China, won five gold medals, and Zhang Nan, a gymnast, also from China, won four gold medals.

Medals 2002 FESPIC Games

Nation	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
China	191	90	50	331
South Korea	62	68	60	190
Thailand	43	48	37	128
Japan	33	25	25	83
Hong Kong	27	15	16	58
Chinese Taipei	17	25	21	63
Australia	17	17	10	44
New Caledonia	7	1	2	10
Sri Lanka	5	8	12	25
Myanmar	4	13	4	21
India	3	9	10	22
Singapore	3	2	4	9
Indonesia	3	2	3	8
Cambodia	3	2	1	6
Vietnam	3	2	2	6
Pakistan	3	0	1	4
Malaysia	2	28	37	67
Brunei Darussalam	2	3	2	7
Wallis & Futuna	2	2	2	6
Mongolia	2	0	0	2
Macau	1	1	3	5
Fiji	0	5	2	7
New Zealand	0	4	2	6
Philippines	0	2	2	4
Kazakhstan	0	2	2	4
Azerbaijan	0	1	1	2
Papua New Guinea	0	1	0	1
Vanuatu	0	0	2	2
Laos	0	0	1	1

Titan Games now to debut in February

Add another games to the busy international multisport calendar. The US Olympic Committee, after several months of vague mentions (and originally calling the games the Gladiator Games), has given the go ahead to the 2003 Titan Games to be held in February 2003.

The games will feature boxing, fencing, wrestling, weightlifting, judo, taekwondo, karate and shot putting and be held in San Jose, California February 14 and 15.

The format will match teams from the United States against teams from the rest of the world.

The competition will take place in the Event Center at San Jose State University, with four competition platforms. The plan is for action to be simultaneous on at leas three of the four platforms at all times.

Cuba's boxers are expected to compete, as well as the wrestling team from Russia, weightlifting team from Hungary, taekwondo team from Korea.

Lloyd Ward,  the USOC CEO has said that other mini multisport games could be created if the Titan Games succeed. 

Examples could be games consisting of water sports (swimming, water polo, diving), blade sports (hockey, figure skating, speed skating) or paddle sports (tennis, badminton, table tennis).

North Korea to enter Asian Winter Games

North Korea, after successfully participating in the 2002 Asian Games, has entered athletes into the 2003 Asian Winter games to take place in Aomori, Japan in February.

North Korea filed the entries after a meeting of delegation heads in Aomori, earlier this month.

North Korea has entered 67 athletes, that will be accompanied by 37 officials, and will compete in alpine and cross country skiing, long- and short-track speed skating, figure skating and ice hockey.

Hamilton and Halifax Reveal 2010 bid proposals

Hamilton, Ontario, Canada has made public a proposal for the 2010 Commonwealth Games that would spend $381.5 million dollars (presumably Canadian).

The money would be spent on a new aquatics center and a new main stadium, to be used for professional football, or to refurbish the current, Ivor Wynne stadium.

Halifax, Nova Scotia has submitted a bid proposal that would spend $475 million, a large portion of that for a new stadium.

Female boxer upset at African Games organizers

Nigeria's female national super heavyweight boxing champion, Maria Agha, says she is angry with the African Games organizers for removing female boxing from the games.

Agha was hoping the sport would at least be held as a demonstration event.

The Nigerian government, through the Minister of Federal Capital Territory Abbah Gana has once again pledged full support for the games, in arranging transportation, accommodations and security, promising, "no regret for any visitor who comes to Abuja for the Games."

The Federal Government has also promised to build a doping control laboratory for the games.

Australia has offered its support for the games. A delegation from the Australian parliament, while visiting Abuja, pledged support through the Australian Institute of Sports.

Paralympics and Intellectually Disabled still sorting things out.

The disastrous furor over the participation of intellectually disabled athletes that grew from the 2000 Sydney Paralympic Games is still not settled, more than two years after the scandal was uncovered.

Just after the Paralympic Games, a Spanish magazine writer revealed that he, and several other basketball players on the Spanish team were not intellectually disabled, and that a few other members of Spain's delegation in table tennis, swimming and track and field were also not intellectually disabled.

Despite the fact that the fraud led to the resignation of the vice president of the Spain's Paralympic Committee and president of the Sports Federation for the Intellectually Handicapped, Fernando Martin Vicente, the International Paralympic Committee responded harshly. Rather than banning the offending organizations from the nations and sports involved, the IPC handed out a blanket ban on all intellectually disabled athletes in all sports from every country, punishing hundreds of athletes who were abiding by the rules, with a few who were not.

The issue is still under discussion between the IPC and the INAS-FID (International Sports Federation for Persons with Intellectual Disability).

The two groups met again last month and came to some conclusions on the status of intellectually disabled athletes at the games, and what the INAS-FID needs to do in order to be reinstated for participation in the Paralympic Games.

One point of agreement is that the INAS-FID agreed that it must "demonstrate for each athlete that the intellectual disability impairment has an impact on the functional ability to perform each specific sport."

Because this system is not yet in place, the INAS-FID agreed with the IPC that it is not yet in compliance with international rules.

The IPC stated that due to this noncompliance, that intellectually disabled athletes will not be permitted to compete in Decembers IPC World Swimming Championships. (Once again punishing athletes that had nothing to do with the original infraction.)

As of this date, the intellectually disabled division is still suspended from competition in the 2004 Paralympic Games.

The IPC has given the INAS-FID until January 31, 2003 to show that it is in compliance in order for the IPC to give its approval to include INAS-FID events in the Athens 2004 Paralympic Games.

Pan Am transport plans studied

Auding Latinoamericana, the transportation provider for the 2003 Pan-American Games, has carried out transit studies in Santo Domingo and has promised that transportation for the games will be better even than the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games for which the company also organized transport.

According to the studies, transportation times will be about 10 minutes from the Las Americas International Airport, to the Pan-Am Games Village, from the Village 15 minutes to the Mirador del Este Park, and from the village 30 minutes to the Juan Pablo Duarte Olympic Center.

Afro-Asia Games back on the calendar?

According to newspapers in Nigeria, the Afro-Asian Games will now be hosted by India immediately after the All Africa Games next year. The All-African Games are currently scheduled for early October, 2003.

The best performers of the African Games would be chosen to compete with the best performers from this years Asian Games.

Low response rate so far for Athens volunteers

Athens 2004 Olympic Organizers have stated that some 60,000 volunteers will be needed to successfully host the 2004 Olympic Games, and are hoping for twice as many applicants in order to choose the most qualified. To date, just under 22,000 applications have been received.

Interest within Greece has been low, with a large percentage of the volunteer applications coming from outside the country. Thirty per cent of the applicants do not hold Greek passports.

Mats Wilander would vote tennis out

Mats Wilander, captain of the Swedish Davis Cup tennis team, has stated that he believes tennis should no longer be an Olympic event.

Wilander cited the lack of interest from professional players as the reason for his argument.

Wilander felt it is disrespectful to the other sports that tennis does not send its best players, but also countered, " 'We already have four Olympics a year" referring to the four major tournaments.

Wilander has suggested tennis be contested as a team event at the Olympic Games if it is to remain on the schedule.

The International Olympic Committee meets in Mexico City later this month to discuss how to adjust the Olympic Program.

Viet Nam, S. Korea cooperating on SEA Games

Viet Nam and South Korea's have agreed to cooperate on construction projects and organizational and management issues for the 2003 SEA Games, which will be held in Hanoi.

The agreement is part of a larger plan discussed between the two countries in July relating to state management of construction, urban planning and development, and worker training.

Hong Kong awards Asian Games medallists

Hong Kong has awarded a total of 1.95 million HK dollars to its Asian Games medal winners.

Hong Kong won 4 gold, 6 silver and 11 bronze medals at the games..

Every gold medal winner received 200,000 HK ($25,641 US) dollars while silver or bronze medallist was granted 100,000 ($12,821 US) or 50,000 ($6,410 US) HK dollars respectively.

Games for the rest of  2000