BOA/CAS Hearing Reaction; Henry Adefope, Former IOC Member Dies

British Olympic Association chairman Colin Moynihan says he is "cautiously optimistic" of defending the BOA's lifetime ban on athletes following a hearing at the Court of Arbitration for Sport Monday.

"Today was a day when the voice of the athletes was heard. It was a constructive day in which the lawyers represented the interests of our athletes and the BOA highly effectively," he told a press conference shortly after the conclusion of the day-long hearing.

"They listened carefully to the arguments. I think it went well. I am cautiously optimistic abiout the outcome likely to be in about a month's time."

Moynihan restated that it was important for the BOA and its athletes to retain its controversial selection policy, which was ruled by the World Anti-Doping Agency to be non-compliant with its Code. The BOA is the only National Olympic Committee worldwide that has such a harsh penalty for drugs violations.

"One of the questions we put is to try and get a resolution as soon as possible. My expectation is a month, we don't want it any longer as it is in the interests of the athletes that they know what the outcome will be.

He said the CAS findings "may dwell on finer points of law rather than our very strong moral argument".

Sarah Winckless, BOA Athletes' Commission chairman, told reporters that she was "massively proud" that British athletes, who she said had been hugely supportive of the by-law, had been heard by CAS.

If CAS upholds WADA's ruling, the Olympic lifetime ban for athletes sanctioned for drugs violations would be scrapped, paving the way for previously banned athletes such as cyclist David Millar and sprinter Dwain Chambers to qualify for Team GB and compete at this summer's Games.

Henry Adefope, Former IOC Member, 85

Henry Adefope, a former IOC member from Nigeria died on March 11. He was 85.

IOC member from South Africa Sam Ramsamy tells Around the Rings he remembers Adefope as a leader in the fight against apartheid.

"Nigeria was the leader in Africa, at that time," Ramsamy said.

"He was responsible for coordinating the withdrawal of African countries from the Montreal Olympics.

Adefope made sure the entire Nigerian team withdrew. He sent a plane, I remember it was a DC 10."

Ramsamy says he first met Adefope at the 1972 Olympics where Adefope served as chef de mission for Nigeria.

Adefope served on the IOC from 1985 until 2006, and an honorary member until his death. He also led the Nigerian Olympic Committee from 1967 – 1976.

He eventually became a general in the Nigerian army, as well as serving as the country’s Labor and Foreign Affairs ministers.

Adefope’s name was connected to the 2002 Winter Olympic bid scandal, but following an investigation he was found innocent of wrongdoing.

Istanbul Bid Committee Hails Athletics Champs

Istanbul 2020 says the IAAF World Indoor Championships showcases the city as a "reliable and spectacular setting" for sporting events.

"Our sportsmen and women have shown they can compete with the very best in the world, and just as importantly, so have our local organising committee staff, and our fans," said Hasan Arat, an Istanbul 2020 official.

"We are just beginning to unlock this city’s full potential as an international sports capital; Istanbul 2020 will unite Turkey’s designs for the future and the ambitions of our bright, talented young people," he added.

London Assembly: Use Olympic Volunteers to Help Disabled

London Olympic volunteers could help disabled Londoners become more involved with sport.

The announcement came in a report released on Monday by the London Assembly about activity levels within the city’s disabled community.

Analyzing Mayor Boris Johnson’s "Inclusive andActive Strategy," the organization recommends utilizing Olympic volunteers in the plan making sport more accessible to disabled children.

"With the 2012 Games just around the corner, it would be a terrible legacy to see the world’s best disabled athletes competing in the city and then fail to capitalise on their inspirational example," said Dee Doocey, chair of the Economy, Culture and Sport Committee.

"In the six years since the publication of our first report on the subject, more and more disabled children are being educated in mainstream schools, but teachers are still not being given the necessary training to include them in sport and physical education."

"Until the government addresses this problem, the situation will only get worse."

NBC, YouTube Provide Streaming Videos of Olympics

NBC and YouTube will team for the London Olympics.

The broadcaster says the equivalent of 125 days of Olympic coverage will be streamed at www.nbcolympics.com using YouTube’s video player.

"We plan to deliver the most extensive 2012 Olympics content to viewers, including—for the first time ever—ALL events streamed live. That’s right, you’ll be able to watch up to 3,000 hours of live streaming covering all 302 Gold Medals and every event in-between," said NBC on its Olympic website.

"We’ll also include replays of Web-exclusive events, all television broadcasts, interviews with the athletes and exclusive daily segments about London 2012."

Sport Festival for Earthquake Anniversary

A sport festival was held in Tokyo on Sunday to mark the one year anniversary of a devastating earthquake in northeast Japan.

Tokyo 2020 said in a statement the event demonstrates "the power of sports to unite and energize a nation", which the bid claims is one of its core values.

Football, rugby and a fun run/walk were contested for schoolchildren and young athletes from the Sendai region.

"On behalf of the Japanese sports community, we sincerely appreciate the generous,

heartfelt support and encouragement from friends worldwide as Japan strives to recover from the Great East JapanEarthquake," Tokyo 2020 and Japanese Olympic Committee president Tsunekazu Takeda said in a statement.

"Japanese athletes and the sports community also have made great efforts to support the healing process. Events such as this embody our shared desire to give strength to those most affected. This same belief in the power of sports underpins Tokyo’s bid for the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games."

The event took place at a proposed venue for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.

SportAccord Sell Out Possible

SportAccord organizers tell Around the Rings they are well on the way to selling out this year's conference in Quebec.

Two months ahead of the sports gathering, around 1,100 people are already registered. Organizers expect about 1,700 delegates to attend. The exhibition has sold out.

The international convention takes place in Québec City, May 20 - 25.

Written by Mark Bisson and Ann Cantrell.

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