Monday Memo: World Cup Bids Pitch Media, Africa YOG Inspection

Morocco, North America Bids Head to Head

The two bids for the 2026 World Cup make their first head-to-head appearance of the campaign at the AIPS Congress in Brussels.

Leaders of Morocco 2026 and United 2026 will present their plans for the tournament May 8 to the 200+ delegates expected for the annual meeting. AIPS is the IOC-recognized association representing the international sports press.

The joint appearance may be the one and only such encounter ahead of the vote at the FIFA Congress in Moscow.

Hicham El Amrani, CEO of Morocco 2026 will speak for the bid from Africa. From the North American bid there are representatives from each host county: bid co-chair Carlos Cordeiro, US Soccer President, FMF President Decio de Maria, and Peter Montopoli, Canada Soccer Association General Secretary.

The AIPS meeting runs until May 10.

IOC Experts in Africa for Youth Olympic Games

A small team of experts from the IOC will make a ten day tour of three possible locations in Africa for the 2022 Youth Olympic Games.

The IOC visit is meant to open preliminary contact with the potential bidders ahead of any formal candidature. The IOC is using a streamlined approachto selecting the next YOG host, lopping a full year off the past selection process. IOC President Thomas Bach has added focus with the declaration that Africa should receive the 2022 YOG.

The IOC group will visit Senegal, Botswana and Nigeria. The list is absent Tunisia, which the IOC will not consider until the country delivers assurances that it will end its policy of barring Israeli athletes from sports competitions.

A formal visit by an IOC Evaluation Commission, headed by vice president Ugur Erdner, will come after candidate cities are named in July. The IOC Session in Buenos Aires this October will make the final choice.

Americas Paralympics In Lima

Leaders of Paralympic sport in the Americas are getting a firsthand look at the preparations for the 2019 Parapans that will follow the Pan American Games in Lima.

Site visits and reports on the Parapans are a big part of the agenda for the annual meeting of the Americas Paralympic Committee May 7-8 in Lima.

The meeting follows this weekend’s latest visit of the coordination commission for the 2019 Parapans. Now headed by interim president Eduardo Montenegro of Cuba, there could be a decision on how to select the next APC president.

Ice Hockey in Denmark

Round robin play continues through this week of the International Ice Hockey Federation World Championships in Denmark. Russia is the only team with two victories so far, The final of the tournament is May 20 in the Royal Arena in Copenhagen.

Reported by Ed Hula.