Olympic Newsdesk -- Olympic Bribery Attempt; Chavez Honored by Softball

7/2/2010

Dutch Find Attempted Bribery

An investigative commission formed by the Netherlands National Olympic Committee and the Dutch speedskating federation says a Dutch skater attempted a bribe to get a spot at the Turin Olympics.

On Monday, the commission determined Gretha Smit’s entourage offered Polish skater Katarzyna Wojcicka $62,000 to withdraw from the 5000m race. Smit was the first reserve and could have raced if Wojcicka withdrew.

The attempted bribe reportedly came in a letter from Smit, and also from her coach, Ingrid Paul, who mentioned the amount to Wojcicka.

"It appears that the Olympic values so important to us, such as fair play and respect, have been violated," Dutch NOC secretary general Gerard Dielessen said in a statement.

Both Smit and Paul deny their involvement.

Sanctions will be announced in a few months.

Venezuela President, Sports Minister Receive Medal

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and former Sports Minister Victoria Mata received the International Softball Medal of Honor for their support of the sport.

“Both President Chavez and Victoria have been very visible and vey involved and certainly deserving of the recognition we intend to bestow on them tomorrow for their commitment to seeing that softball continues to grow,” ISF President Don Porter said in a statement.

The pair received the honor before the finals of the women’s softball world championship in Caracas, Venezuela.

The first ISF Medal of Honor was awarded in 1990. It is the highest recognition for the governing body.

Construction on London 2012 Venues Moving Forward

Construction on London 2012 venues are moving forward as the external shell of the London 2012 Basketball Arena is now complete.

The Basketball Arena will hold 12,000 people and will be one of the largest temporary venues ever built for Games.

The entire venue is set to be complete next spring.

The main structure for the Handball Arena in Olympic Park is also complete. The arena is expected to be finished next summer.

World Games CEO

Joachim Gossow will serve as the first fulltime CEO of the International World Games Association after being appointed to the position Thursday.

The 50 year old German has the job of overseeing preparations for the 2013 World Games in Cali, Colombia. His background is in sports administration. He currently is the IWGA sports director.

To subscribe to Around the Rings Click Here

With reporting from Isia Reaves

For general comments or questions, click here

Your best source of news about the Olympics is www.aroundtherings.com, for subscribers only.

(Copyright 1992 2008, all rights reserved. The information in this report may not be published, excerpted, or otherwise distributed in print or broadcast without the express prior consent of Around the Rings.)