BUENOS AIRES, Argentina -- With three major votes on the agenda, Olympic leaders begin weeklong meetings on Wednesday that will bring a close to Jacques Rogges
12-year reign as IOC president.
New Balance 574 Womens Uk . The International Olympic Committee convenes in Buenos Aires to choose a host city for the 2020
Games, elect Rogges successor and add a sport to the 2020 lineup. First up,
Rogge chairs his policy-making executive board for the last time, a two-day
meeting to review a range of Olympic issues. The full IOC then convenes starting
Friday for its 125th session, a landmark meeting that will set the Olympic
movements direction for the next decade. On Saturday, the 100 or so IOC members
will vote by secret ballot on the 2020 host, a three-way contest between Tokyo,
Madrid and Istanbul. A day later, the members will choose between wrestling,
squash and baseball-softball for a spot in the 2020 Games. And next Tuesday, the
IOC will elect a new president from among six contenders. After a two-year
global campaign, Tokyo is seen as a slight favourite going into the final days
of the 2020 race, pushing its case as a "safe pair of hands" at a time of global
uncertainty. With the leak of radioactive water from the tsunami-crippled
Fukushima nuclear plant raising concerns, Tokyo bid leader Tsunekazu Takeda has
written to all IOC members seeking to reassure them that the city and its
Olympic plans are "completely unaffected." Madrid has picked up momentum in
recent months, despite Spains recession and 27-per cent unemployment rate.
Madrid contends that its bid makes the most economic sense because most of the
venues are already built and only $1.9 billion will be spent on construction.
Istanbul is urging the IOC to make a "historic" choice by taking the games to a
new region and a city that links Europe and Asia. The bid has been scrambling to
overcome the fallout from Junes anti-government protests and a slew of doping
case, while the civil war and chemical attacks in neighbouring Syria underline
the volatility of the region. The prime ministers of Japan, Spain and Turkey
will lead the bid delegations here, travelling to Buenos Aires from the G20
summit in St. Petersburg, Russia. Wrestling, meanwhile, looks in strong position
to win back its place for 2020 after being surprisingly dropped from the list of
core sports in February by the IOC executive board. Stung by the wake-up call,
wrestling body FILA responded rapidly by changing leadership, giving women and
athletes a bigger role in decision-making and adopting rule changes to make the
sport more fan-friendly. Mens baseball and womens softball, which have been out
of the Olympics since the 2008 Beijing Games, have merged into a single
federation to improve their chances for reinstatement. Squash is back for a
third try at making it into the Olympics. IOC vice-president Thomas Bach of
Germany has been considered the longtime front-runner to succeed Rogge, the
Belgian surgeon who served one eight-year term and was re-elected in 2009 to a
second and final four-year mandate. Richard Carrion, a Puerto Rican banking
executive who heads the IOCs finance commission, and vice-president Ng Ser Miang
of Singapore shape up as the other main contenders. Also on the ballot are
executive board members Sergei Bubka of Ukraine and C.K. Wu of Taiwan and former
board member Denis Oswald of Switzerland. Bach, a 59-year-old lawyer, is a
former Olympic athlete, winner of a team gold medal in fencing in 1976. He has
served at the top levels of the IOC for years and is president of Germanys
national Olympic committee. Some members are uncomfortable with the pro-Bach
lobbying by Sheik Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, the influential Kuwaiti who heads the
Association of National Olympic Committees. But Bach downplays the connection.
"I would of course be more than happy if the national Olympic committees would
support me because I am an NOC president," Bach said in telephone interview last
week with The Associated Press. "But that is not enough. I want to be a
president for all. You need the support from many different sides." The IOC is
looking into comments made by Sheik Ahmad in a German television interview five
months ago and aired last weekend. He openly expresses support for Bach and says
he is doing everything he can to help him get elected. Such comments are against
IOC election rules. Sheik Ahmad could receive a warning or reprimand from the
IOC ethics commission, though no severe sanctions are expected. Carrion, the
60-year-old head of Puerto Ricos Banco Popular, has earned respect as the IOCs
money man. He negotiated the record $4.38 billion deal with NBC for U.S. TV
rights through 2020. He impressed members with his emotional notes-free speech
during presentations by the six candidates in Lausanne in July. "They liked what
they saw. They liked what they heard," Carrion told the AP. "Im happy with what
Ive done. Im following my plan. Im where I wanted to be at this point." Ng, a
64-year-old businessman and diplomat, organized the inaugural Youth Olympics in
Singapore in 2010 and represents an Asian continent that is growing in world
influence. "I believe in my heart that I have the independence, the integrity,
the leadership qualities and the required experience to take the movement to new
levels over the next eight years," he said in a letter to IOC members last week.
New Balance 574 Blue . Speaking with TSN 1050 following Brendan Shanahans introductory press conference, the Leafs GM also
addressed the clubs perceived leadership issues and the type of working
relationship that can be expected within Torontos front office.
New Balance 574 Womens Sale .com) - Generally you want to be the guy who replaces the guy who replaced the legend.BOSTON
BRUINS:LAST SEASON: 54-19-9, 117 points, most in the NHL. Lost to Montreal
Canadiens in second round of playoffs.COACH: Claude Julien, eighth season in
Boston (310-165-65); 12th overall in NHL.ADDED: F Simon Gagne, G Niklas
Svedberg.LOST: F Jarome Iginla, F Shawn Thornton, G Chad Johnson.PLAYER TO
WATCH: Defenceman Zdeno Chara is 37, and its not clear how long his 6-foot-9
body can hold up. He played in 77 games, but had the least time on the ice (in a
non-lockout season) since his arrival in Boston in 2006, and his fewest points
and penalty minutes as a Bruin, too. He finished the season with a broken
finger.
New Balance Shoes Wholesale. Still, he was a finalist for the Norris Trophy, which he won in 2009.OUTLOOK: After winning the Stanley Cup in 2011 and
returning to the finals two seasons later, the Bruins posted the NHLs best
record last season but were knocked out of the playoffs by the rival Canadiens
in seven games in the second round. The Bruins return essentially the same team,
including Selke Trophy winner Patrice Bergeron and Vezina winner Tuukka Rask,
who led the league with seven shutouts, finished second with a .930 save
percentage and was fourth with a 2.03 goals-against average.
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