Monday Memo -- London Ticket Window Closes; Figure Skating Worlds Open

Ticket Window Closes

Olympic ticket hopefuls have until Tuesday at 11:59 p.m. to register their interest before the close of London 2012’s application window.

The process is not first-come, first-served – when a session’s demand exceeds its supply, tickets will be allocated via a ballot system.

Applicants will find out by June 24 if they scored some of the 6.6 million tickets now on sale.

Click here for a sport-by-sport listing of dates, times, venues and pricing options.

Figure Skating Worlds

The delegation from Japan is sure to receive a warm welcome at the figure skating world championships about to open in Moscow.

The event was to take place late last month in Tokyo until the March 11 earthquake forced organizers to seek a postponement.

The International Skating Union then chose the Russian capital to step in as host over Vancouver; Graz, Austria; Zagreb, Croatia; Turku, Finland and Colorado Springs or Lake Placid, U.S.

Competition opens Monday at Megasport Arena, site of the 2007 ice hockey world championships. Events run through May 1.

Ice Hockey Champs

The women’s ice hockey world championships wrap up Monday night in Zurich.

Four days later, the men’s edition kicks off Friday in Slovakiaand runs through May 15. Play is split between Bratislava and Kosice.

Check back May 3 for an interview with International Ice Hockey Federation president Rene Fasel as next week’s edition of Tuesday Talk.

Tuesday Talk

This week’s Tuesday Talk is with Nawal El Moutawakel, chair of the IOC Coordination Commission for Rio 2016.

She spoke to Around the Rings during SportAccord about the role of women in sport, the status of North African NOCs, the preparations of Rio de Janeiro and whether Africa is ready to host an Olympic Games.

IOC Meshes Sport, Environment

Around the Rings will be on the scene in Doha next weekend for the IOC’s 2011 World Conference on Sport and Environment.

The two-day gathering is themed "Playing for a Greener Future" and will address questions such as "How can the Olympic Movement contribute to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals which also relate to environmental sustainability?", "How can sporting role models convey environmental messages at national level?" and "Which inspiring solutions to global environmental issues can be offered by the world of sport?".

Also in Doha, the IOC will award its 2011 Sport and Environment Awards to recognize outstanding initiatives in the field of sustainable sport and environment.

The ninth annual conference runs Saturday and Sunday.

Taekwondo Champs

The taekwondo world championships kick off Sunday in Gyeongju, South Korea and run through May 6.

Written by Matthew Grayson.