Monday Memo - One Year to Sochi; PASO Visits Jamaica; Alpine, Biathlon World Champs

One Year to Sochi

Around the Rings will be on the scene Thursday as Winter Olympics organizers mark one year to go until the Games.

To mark the occasion, countdown clocks will be unveiled in eight major cities throughout Russia.

Sochi, of course, will be the hub of activities, with a "grand event" taking place Thursday night at the Bolshoi Ice Palace.IOC president Jacques Rogge will invite the world’s National Olympic Committees to the Games, and "a spectacular ice show" with Russian figure skaters will tell the story of preparations.

Also attending the event will be Russian Olympic Committee chief Dmitry Kozak, Sochi 2014 president Dmitry Chernyshenko and, of course, ATR.

Tuesday Talk

This week’s Tuesday Talk is with IOC member and International Ice Hockey Federation president Rene Fasel.

In a wide-ranging interview conducted by phone from Zurich, he discusses negotiations for NHL participation at Sochi 2014, South Korea’s hockey hopes for PyeongChang 2018, a possible Swiss bid for the 2022 Olympics and whether he will run for IOC president this September.

PASO Visits Jamaica

Around the Rings will be on the scene in Kingston this week for meetings of the Pan American Sports Organization.

PASO’s Executive Committee will convene Wednesday with an extraordinary general assembly to follow Thursday and Friday.

Be on the lookout for ATR’s special edition magazine for the occasion.

Alpine, Biathlon World Champs

Two winter sports hit their peaks this week.

The FIS Alpine World Ski Championships open Tuesday in Schladming, Austria, and the IBU Biathlon World Championships begin Thursday in Nove Mesto, Czech Republic.

Both run through Feb. 17.

Written by Matthew Grayson.

20 Years at #1: Your best source of news about the Olympics is AroundTheRings.com, for subscribers only.