Olympic Newsdesk -- Shooting Federation President Reelected; Russian Olympic Forum

7/29/2010

Rana Reelected Shooting Federation President

Olegario Vasquez-Rana was reelected as president of the International Shooting Sport Federation on Thursday.

Rana, who was served as ISSF president since 1980, was elected unanimously at the ISSF general assembly in Munich. Horst Schreiber was confirmed as secretary general.

"I would like to thank you for your confidence and friendship" Rana said. "The Shooting Sport Federation is my family!"

The assembly took place ahead of the ISSF world championships which begin Friday.

IOC President Jacques Rogge will open the championships in Munich.

"I visit all of the 35 Olympic sports over a lifespan of four years," Rogge tells Around the Rings. "My place is there. I’ll be there."

The event is the first Olympic qualifier for London 2012. Sixty-nine spots will go to finalists in the 15 Olympic shooting events, while another 40 junior and non-Olympic events will also be contested.

"This is going to become ISSF’s milestone," Rana said Wednesday in a statement to his federation’s General Assembly.

"With a record number of almost 2600 participants, the 50th ISSF World Championship is the biggest shooting competition of the ISSF history."

IOC Vice President Thomas Bach opened the two-day gathering of delegates from 115 national shooting federations.

"It is with great pleasure that I welcome you here in Munich, a city with a Olympic past, and at the same time, we hope, a great Olympic future," he said in reference to the Munich 2018 bid.

ROC President Says Any Russian Region Can Raise Olympians

A monument unveiling and a declaration that anywhere in Russia can produce Olympic champions were among the highlights Thursday at the opening of an international sport forum in Moscow.

“All those gathered here feel how much attention leaders of the country and federal government give to the development of sports,” Russian Olympic Committee president Alexander Zhukov said during a news conference.

“Each Russian region, considering our outstanding athletic traditions, is able to train high class athletes.”

Zhukov later joined Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov to dedicate a bronze monument for the Moscow Olympics near the Walk of Fame at the Luzhniki Sports Center, one of the venues for the 1980 Olympics.

The work of art depicts, among other symbols, a brown bear to represent the 1980 Summer Olympics and a polar bear to represent the 2014 Winter Olympics.

The four-day forum titled “Russia is a Sport Power” celebrates the nation’s Olympic past, present and future.

Beach Volleyball Olympic Qualifying Kicks Off

The qualifying process for Olympic beach volleyball is underway, and Lithuania is the first country to have its London Olympic dreams dashed.
The men’s and women’s teams from Latvia, Bulgaria and host nation Russia advanced past four-team group play Sunday in Europe’s Continental Cup. Neither Lithuanian team will move on.

Group play is the first of three phases in the Continental Cup, which wraps up in 2012 with a winner from each continent earning a spot in the 2012 Games.

Another 18 spots will be doled out via world rankings and a Final Olympic Qualification Tournament open to nations who haven’t already qualified by other means.

Written by Matthew Grayson.

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