ICYMI: Brisbane 2032; Tokyo 2020 Qualifying

#ICYMI -- In Case You Missed It ... Sometimes the best stories don't get the attention we think they deserve. Here are our staff picks for articles this week they really want you to know about..

(ATR) The Brisbane bid for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games has cleared its most significant hurdle in the ‘targeted dialogue’ phase with the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) Future Host Commission.

Australian politicians have announced that the Federal government and the Queensland government will jointly fund the critical infrastructure projects contained within their Olympic proposals to the IOC.

When announcing the milestone, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison made clear that the new joint funding agreement was subject to a 50-50 shared governance model, which allows both governments oversight of all projects from the planning, scoping and design phase through to contracting, construction and delivery.

"We have always believed in the potential of the 2032 Olympic Games for Queensland and Australia and it’s important we maintain momentum to win this bid," Prime Minster Morrison said.

"Backing the Queensland bid means more jobs, better infrastructure and more tourism dollars."

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Americas Olympic Baseball Qualifier Schedule Confirmed

(ATR) The president of the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC), the Italian Riccardo Fraccari, described the holding of the Olympic Qualifying Tournament of the Americas in Florida as an "historical event".

Fraccari's observation is based on two factors. The qualifying contest that will begin on May 31 at stadiums in West Palm Beach and Port St. Lucie will be the first international baseball tournament that the WBSC can organize in more than a year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Second, the Florida tournament could mean the starting point of the cycle towards a new Olympic return of this sport at the Los Angeles Olympic Games in 2028.

The organizers of Paris 2024 did not include baseball or softball. In Tokyo 2020 both disciplines returned to the Olympic program after being absent in London 2012 and Rio de Janeiro 2016.

Although the LA 2028 program has not yet been decided, analysts assure that these two sports will have a place given the tradition, level and marketing of both in the United States.

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Colombia and USA Dominate Pan American Weightlifting

(ATR) The first Pan American Weightlifting Championship organized in person in more than a year confirms that Colombia and the United States lead the way in the sport on the continent.

Colombia garnered the most gold medals with a total of 22. Fourteen continental records were established, five of them by Colombians. US women also set five in the event held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

While Colombian men won 19 golds, the USA women topped the podium 13 times during the competition organized from April 19 to 25 by the Dominican Federation with the endorsement of the Pan American Weightlifting Federation (FPLP).

In the general table, Colombia won 43 medals (22-11-10) followed by the USA with 39 (15-11-13).

In the classification of teams by points, in men Colombia was first (706), followed by Cuba (675) and USA (628). In women, USA (762), Colombia (692) and Mexico (628)

More than 250 competitors from 24 countries were back competing together after more than a year of absence due to the coronavirus pandemic that forced the postponement of this continental championship in 2020.

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