Olympic Newsdesk: Kuwait Vows Changes, USOC Chief Demurs on Vancouver Medals, IIHF Releases 2010 Worlds Schedule

7/22/2009

Kuwait Government Aims to Avoid Olympic Sanctions

Kuwaiti Minister of Social Affairs and Labor Mohammad Al-Afasi said changes will be made to sporting laws that are in conflict with the Olympic Charter. The IOC has ordered the changes by July 31 to avoid suspension of the Kuwait NOC.

Kuwait media report that al-Afasi made the announcement Tuesday saying “the State of Kuwait promised International Olympic Committee to remove any contraventions between the local laws and the charter.” The comments came after a parliamentary session discussing youth affairs.

“I have briefed today’s meeting on the outcome of my last week visit to Lausanne, Switzerland, where I met IOC President Jacques Rogge” al-Afasi was quoted.

“The talks with Rogge focused on the causes of the suspension of Kuwait’s IOC membership and led to an agreement to extend the ultimatum given to Kuwait to amend its sports laws in line with the Olympic Charter to the end of the year,” he said.

USOC Boss Won’t Predict Vancouver Medals

Stephanie Streeter, the acting CEO of the US Olympic Committee refused to make a prediction on how many medals the U.S. team would win in Vancouver next year.

"I'm not in the projection business," Streeter told The Colorado Springs Gazette. "We won't set a medal projection for Vancouver. Our number one goal and my number one goal is for our athletes to compete drug-free and compete to the best of their ability."

The U.S. earned 25 medals in Turin three years ago, the second most after Germany which claimed 29 medals.

Jim Scherr, who Streeter replaced in March, said before leaving his post "I would hate to hang our hat on a number anywhere even close to the 25 we won in Turin."

Team USA has finished second in the medal tally at two successive Winter Olympics, claiming 34 in Salt Lake City in 2002.

Bolt Vows to Save Athletics

Usain Bolt says he is the savior for a sport that has had trouble finding marketing and broadcasting success in recent years.

"It would be a big thing for me to know people say when Usain came on the scene he turned track and field around to go the right way" Bolt was quoted by The Mirror newspaper. "I know the impact I have made on the sport. I am trying to keep it up and make it fun for people."

He added "that would be great for my status if my fate is to become a legend."

…Briefs

…Australian America’s Cup sailor John Bertrand was named an ambassador for the 2011 ISAF Sailing World Championships in Perth, Australia. Bertrand was the skipper for the Australia II boat

that won the 1983 America’s Cup, ending the United States’ 132-year dominance of the event.

…Long-time Danish badminton journalist Hans Christian Moller died on Monday. He was 84. Moeller was a regular columnist with the International Badminton Federation publication World Badminton and was a recipient of the IBF’s Meritorious Service Award in 1990.

...The IIHF and the German 2010 Organizing Committee released its schedule for the 2010 IIHF world championship in Germany on Tuesday. The tournament, which will be played May 7-23, 2010, opens with an outdoor game between host Germany and the U.S. at a 75,976-seat football stadium in Gelsenkirchen, while defending champion Russia opens its title defense against Slovakia on May 9 in Cologne.

...German Olympic gold medal luger Sylke Otto will be named the first female honorary citizen of the German city of Oberwiesenthal. The 40-year old Otto, who retired in 2007, joins three-time Olympic Nordic combined skiing champion Ulrich Wehling and three-time ski jumping gold medallist Jens Weissflog as honorary citizens of Oberwiesenthal, a ski resort located on the Czech border.

Written by Ed Hula III and Greg Oshust.

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