IOC President Set for Rio Visit -- Monday Memo

(ATR) IOC president Thomas Bach will make his final trip to Rio de Janeiro this week as the Summer Olympics are now less than two months away.

Bach will travel to Rio from June 14-16 primarily to conduct a project review on the first two days of his visit. Bach and other IOC members will inspect venue preparations and discuss ongoing concerns with the host country such as the Zika virus, water pollution and political struggles at the national government.

Bach will visit Brasilia on June 16 to meet with interim president Michel Temer. Former Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff was suspended for six months by the Senate allowing vice president Temer to take over.

The IOC is committed to seeing the host country through its final preparations for the Games despite the several challenges facing Brazil.

The 2016 Summer Games will begin on Aug. 5 and will conclude on Aug. 21.

Russian Track Athletes Await IAAF Decision

The International Association of Athletics Federations will determine whether Russian track and field athletes will be allowed to participate at the Rio 2016 Olympics this Friday.

The IAAF Council will make its final decision on the national federation’s Olympic participation after months of reinstatement efforts by the All Russia Athletics Federation (ARAF) and the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA).

The June 17 council meeting in Vienna, Austria will hear from the independent task force charged with monitoring Russia’s reinstatement progress. Among the changes suggested by Russian sports minister Vitaly Mutko are a minimum of three independent anti-doping controls before Russian athletes can compete at the Rio Olympics.

If the IAAF moves forward with suspending ARAF from the Games the IOC would likely support the decision and bar the athletes from competition. The last IAAF Council meeting in March showed that "further significant work" was needed to be done in order to reinstate Russia.

FIL Congress Begins in Lake Placid

The home of the 1980 Winter Olympics will play host to the annual International Luge Federation (FIL) Congress June 16-19.

The 64th edition of the three-day event will determine the race schedule for the 2017 season and new policies and procedures will be voted on by the thirty-eight national federations.

"The 2016 FIL Congress will be a great opportunity to showcase Lake Placid and the Adirondack region to the international luge community," said USA Luge chief executive officer Jim Leahy. "I want to personally thank the great folks at ORDA for making this exciting upcoming event possible, which will undoubtedly have a positive economic impact on our community."

Written by Kevin Nutley

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