News from the NOCs -- Bach Leaves Siemens, Castro Greets Cuban Olympic Hopefuls

Thomas Bach and Siemens say that Bach’s role with the company did not improve the company’s chances of getting Olympic contracts. (ATR)German NOC President Leaves Siemens Job

Industrial giant Siemens says it will not renew the consulting contract for Thomas Bach, president of the German NOC and a vice president of the IOC.

A statement from the Munich firm says the decision to end the eight-year relationship was mutual.

Bach, a lawyer, had advised the company on business development, specializing in Arabic nations. He is president of the German-Arab Association of Industry and Commerce.

Media reports earlier this year raised questions about whether Bach’s Olympic connections helped Siemens win contracts in Beijing for the new airport and other infrastructure projects.

Both Bach and Siemens deny any link.

"There are no doubts about the integrity of Dr. Thomas Bach," says a statement from Siemens.

Bach could not be reached for comment, but in May he told Around the Rings that his work for Siemens had been duly reported to both the IOC Ethics Commission and the commission that nominated him for the presidency of the German NOC.

Bach’s departure comes as Siemens is going though a major retrenchment under a new CEO. The company’s share price has dropped by 35% in the past year and cuts of up to 17,000 jobs could be announced this month. Media reports say Bach was paid 400,000 euros a year, plus 5,000 euros per day of work.

Costa Rica Turmoil Hurts Beijing Preparations

The new president of the Costa Rica Olympic Committee says his predecessor failed to make the most basic preparations to send athletes to Beijing. Team Costa Rica has no airplane tickets and has not been registered with Beijing 2008, according to a statement from CRNOC. Costa Rica's Olympic team numbers eight, including 200m freestyle specialist Mario Montoya. (Getty Images)

President Roberto Verdesia says he feels cheated but says that the worst cheat is against the athletes. Verdesia took over the NOC less than two weeks ago, after winning a PASO-supervised election. For months the NOC had been torn apart over controversy involving former president Jorge Nery Carvajal and government attempts to control the NOC.

When he was elected in June, Verdesia said his first job was to review Beijing expenses and preparations. This week he announced that Henry Nunez of the judo federation was named new chef de mission for Beijing, replacing Edwin Suarez, who was seen as close to the former NOC leadership.

…Briefs

...Gold-medal winning Spanish athletes will take home nearly $150,000, according to a new announcement from the Spanish Olympic Committee. Silver medalists get about half that and bronze earns about one-third. The awards are smaller for members of duet or team events. The money comes from COE and the Consejo Superior de Deportes, a body of the Spanish government.

...Romania will send its largest Olympic delegation ever to Beijing. The ROC said on Saturday they would send 105 athletes to Beijing in 15 sports. Cuban leader Raul Castro (R) told Olympic hopefuls that his country believes in its athletes. (Getty Images)

...Cuban President Raul Castro visited the Cuban baseball trials and urged them to glory in Beijing. "All of you know what the Cuban people are expecting from you and all of us know that you can do it" Castro said. "We’ll see each other in August. Well done!"

...Indian Olympic Association President Suresh Kalmadi has asked for National Games organizers to be given a cabinet level position. Kalmadi wrote a letter to the Prime Minister requesting the appointment saying a high level position would ease organization of the event.

...Media Watch

The New Straits Times in Malaysia says the Olympic Council of Malaysia needs to solve the fighting in Malaysian sports federations before the disputes go to court.

http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Sunday/Sport/2280214/Article/index_html

Turkish Daily News profiles Iraq’s lone Olympian.

http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=108362

Written by Maggie Lee and Ed Hula III.