Olympic Newsdesk -- IOC President Reviews Ullrich Case; Australian NOC Criticizes Report, PyeongChang Hotel

Australian Olympic Committee Blasts Crawford Report

It appears the Australian Olympic Committee is still upset with the Australian government’s review of sport funding saying “there does not appear to be a broader vision articulated for sport in Australia.”

AOC chief John Coates criticized the report’s findings, chiefly that the government should reduce funding for the AOC. Coates claims the budget cuts would keep Australia out of a top five finish at the Olympics.

Coates had met with Australian Sports Minister Kate Ellis to discuss a compromise on the funding issue. But the AOC says there is an "apparent lack of consideration" of the AOC’s recommendations.

"While the Report offers many tactical and strategic recommendations to ensure the continuing robustness of the Australian sport system, there does not appear to be a broader vision articulated for sport in Australia in the longer term" the AOC said in its review of the report.

"The Crawford Report rejects, without any real justification, the goal of Australia maintaining a top five ranking at the Olympic Games.

"If targets set by the AOC ... are not considered valid, then on what basis will a valid target be established which is consistent with the notion of national measures?"

Rogge Looking at Cyclists’ Doping Case

IOC president Jacques Rogge has apparently reviewed a doping case against Olympic gold medalist Jan Ullrich.

Rogge was reported as telling German magazine Die Welt he had reviewed the case but there was no “smoking gun.”

"From the sport side we have no evidence that is strong enough - nothing that we could call a smoking gun," he said.

"There are no reports of possession of drugs or doping preparations. There is much speculation, but in the end, you can suspend someone only with conclusive evidence."

Rogge told a Dutch newspaper in 2007 if there was proof Ullrich had cheated during the 2000 Olympics, when he won gold in the road race and silver in the time trial.

“If I see proof that Jan Ullrich was doped during the Sydney Games when he won Olympic gold, I will rearrange the standing” Rogge said then. “The World Anti-Doping Agency allows us to go back eight years and I would certainly do so.”

Ullrich was linked to the Operation Puerto doping scandal but denied any wrong doing. He was barred from the 2006 Tour de France over allegations of doping.

Potential IOC Hotel Opens in PyeongChang

PyeongChang 2018 bid leaders hope a new 5-star hotel will help sway IOC members.

The Gangwon Province Development Corporation opened the 238-room Hotel Intercontinental this week in the South Korean city. The hotel would house IOC members if PyeongChang is selected to host the 2018 Winter Games.

Pyeongchang is competing against Munich and Annecy, France. The IOC will select a host city in 2011.

"We have kept our words as a commitment made by PyeongChang and developed world-level winter sports infrastructure," said Kim Jin-sun, Gangwon Province Governor and co-chairman of PyeongChang 2018.

Hotel rooms include an iPod docking station, DVD player, and high-speed internet access.

IIHF Names 2010 Hall of Fame Class

Olympian Riikka Nieminen of Finland will become the fourth women inducted into International Ice Hockey Hall of Fame in 2010.

The IIHF announced its 2010 Hall of Fame Class on Friday. Nieminen will be inducted with Dieter Hegen (GER), Arturs Irbe (LAT), Vladimir Krutov (RUS) and Rickard Fagerlund (SWE). Also, Lou Vairo of the U.S was named the recipient of the Paul Loicq Award for outstanding contributions to international hockey.

The induction ceremony will take place on May 21in Cologne, Germany.

Nieminen will be the first woman indicted into the Hall from outside of North America. She recorded 109 goals and 95 assist in 118 national team games. In the 1998 Nagano Winter Games, she took the scoring title while leading Finland to bronze.

All the honorees have Olympic backgrounds.

Hegen is one of four players to have appeared in five Olympics and served as national team captain from 1996 to 1999. Krutov skated for Russia and won two Olympic championships in 1984 and 1988 and five world championships.

Irbe skated for Latvia in two Olympics and was a flag-bearer for the 2006 Winter Games opening ceremonies.

Fagerlund served as president of the Swedish Ice Hockey Association from 1983 to 2002 and saw Sweden win four world championships and an Olympic gold in 1994.

Vairo served as U.S. men’s national team coach in two Olympics (1984, 2002) and established the IIHF Development Camp.

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Written by Ed Hula III.