Olympic Newsdesk -- CAS Dismisses Appeal; Sochi Searching for Mascot

7/30/2010

Cyclist Loses Medal Appeal

Italian cyclist Davide Rebellin won’t get back the silver medal he won in Beijing.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport announced on Friday it was upholding the IOC Executive Board decision to strip him of his medal from the Beijing road race.

Rebellin finished second but later tested positive for CERA, a derivative of EPO used to boost performance in high endurance events.

The sample was collected in 2008 and stored for re-testing as methods to detect new drugs emerged.

The IOC retested Beijing samples for CERA in April 2009 and stripped Rebellin of his medal in November.

Rebellin then appealed the IOC’s decision after the requisite three weeks, an appeal the CAS dismissed Friday.

“The CAS Panel has rejected all the arguments put forward by the athlete and has confirmed that the procedures of the chain of custody have been complied with and that there was no departure from the international standards for laboratories (ISL) which could have reasonably caused an abnormal analysis result,” the CAS said in a statement.

The ruling affects only the fate of the medal.

The International Cycling Union will decide whether to issue a two-year ban. Under IOC rules, such a sanction would prohibit Rebellin from competing in London 2012.

Sochi Begins Mascot Hunt
Russia’s search for an Olympic mascot is underway, and the competition is anyone’s to win.

"Every citizen of our country can submit their work," Sochi 2014 head Dmitry Chernyshenko said Friday at an international sport forum in Moscow.

A jury will select the best entries, and professional artists will take over from there.

An online vote in February will determine the winner.

Indian Olympic Bid Encouraged

India should follow its Commonwealth Games with an Olympic bid, five-time gold medalist Steve Redgrave told The Times of India on Thursday.

"Having Olympics in India would be absolutely amazing,” said the British rower.

Redgrave accompanied LOCOG chairman Sebastian Coe and fellow Olympian Kelly Holmes to India to witness progress on International Inspiration, a London 2012 initiative targeted to bring sport to 12 million children in challenging situations by Games-time.

The Commonwealth Games, set for Oct. 3-14, will be the largest sporting event ever held in India.

Diver Must Attend All YOG
 
The IOC ruled that a diver competing at the Youth Olympic Games in Singapore this August must stay for the duration of the Games.

The Olympic Council of Malaysia asked if Pandelela Rinong could remain in Malaysia for training, then head to the YOG just before her competition.

Rules for accommodation stipulate that a competitor must stay for the entirety of the YOG to have lodging costs covered by the IOC.

Rinong is also training for the Commonwealth Games, taking place in October. Rinong was a surprise bronze medalist at the diving world championships in Rome last year.

She will now stay at the YOG village for the entirety of the Games, Aug. 14 – 25.

Indian Olympic Association Must Amend Constitution

The Indian Olympic Association must alter its constitution pursuant to the Olympic Charter.

The IOC told the IOA to convene, make the changes and report back by mid-August.

Among the IOC’s requests are the formation of an ethics commission and the ousting of state Olympic associations as voting members.

Munich Olympic Park Sponsoring Bid; Pyeongchang Resort Complete

Munich’s Olympic Park will sponsor the Munich Olympic Bid.

“Munich’s bid to host the 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games is founded on the close collaboration between the Bid Committee and Munich’s Olympic Park” said Munich 2018 CEO Willy Bogner.

“This is already regarded as a sporting and cultural focal point for Munich and Bavaria, and it is therefore a perfect partner for our bid. We will be holding lots of events together over the coming months, and we are looking forward to a long and successful partnership.”

The Olympic Park was built for the 1972 Munich Olympics.

Pyeongchang’s $1.4 billion investment in the Alpensia Resort Complex is complete.

Ocean 700, the resort’s water park opened last week.

The resort is the proposed site of the Olympic Village for the Games.

ATR coverage of the Youth Olympic Games is Proudly Presented by Annecy 2018

Written by Matthew Grayson.

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