#ICYMI: IOC on Tokyo 2020; Stockholm 2026 Progress; New IOA President

(ATR) #ICMYI -- 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.

IOC Confidence Abounds After Tokyo Inspection

(ATR) The International Olympic Committee concludes the fifth Coordination Commission visit to Tokyo with praise for Tokyo 2020 Olympic organizers.

"The Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee is committed to ensuring that the Olympic Games not only benefit the region for years to come, but that they are also an unforgettable experience for the Japanese people, by creating interactive initiatives both in the lead-up to and at the Games themselves," IOC Coordination Commission chair John Coates said in a statement.

"We left Tokyo confident yet again that preparations are well underway to host a fantastic Olympic Games."

Coates was joined in the Japanese capital by 15 fellow CoComm members, including the embattled IOC member from Israel Alex Gilady. Tokyo 2020 President Yoshiro Mori made a point to lead the IOC delegation in singing "Happy Birthday" to Gilady during the CoComm. Gilady turned 75 on Dec. 9.

Gilady, who serves as the vice chair of the CoComm, is currently facing allegations of sexual misconduct by Israeli journalists which he has staunchly denied.

Click here to read the full story.

Stockholm Bid Moves Forward

A Stockholm bid to host the 2026 Olympics appears very much alive, less than eight months after Stockholm politicians declared it dead.

An International Olympic Committee working group as well as bid consultants were in town earlier this week for meetings with Swedish bid organizers.

"We had two days of very fruitful work,"Richard Brisius, CEO of the Stockholm 2026 bid, tells Around the Rings."The new process that aims to tailor games for Sweden with great support of the stakeholders and the IOC working groups is great."

The Swedish Olympic Committee (SOK) says more visits from IOC groups are planned for the coming weeks.The SOK officially announced that Stockholm was an "interested city" last month.

The SOK had repeatedly told ATRthat a bid was not dead despite the April 26 announcement by the Social Democrats, who are the largest political party in a coalition that runs the Stockholm city government, that the Swedish capital was bowing out.

Click here to read the full story.

New IOA Head Targets Olympic Hosting

(ATR) New Indian Olympic Association President Narinder Batra says India could host an Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, or Olympic Games by 2030.

Batra was elected today President of the IOA unopposed after All India Tennis Association President Anil Khanna withdrew. The final results of the election are subject to review from a Delhi high court pending a previous legal challenge, according to reports from ANI.

The court is reviewing if the elections were held in accordance to the country’s sport code. A challenge to secure an injunction halting the elections was unsuccessful.

Click here to read the full story.

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