PASO Presidential Candidate Deadline Arrives -- Monday Memo

(ATR) The Pan American Sports Organization will have a new leader in about three months.

The 41 PASO countries will elect their next president at a general assembly in Punta del Este, Uruguay on April 28.

As per PASO’s new constitution, candidates seeking to lead the organization must have at least 90 days prior to the election to campaign. PASO leaders have indicated to Around the Rings that the deadline for candidates to submit interest is Jan. 28.

Thus far, five candidates have announced their intentions to run: Rio 2016 president Carlos Nuzman, Chilean Olympic Committee president Neven Ilic, IOC member from St. Lucia Richard Peterkin, St. Vincent and the Grenadines NOC secretary general Keith Joseph and former Dominican Republic NOC president Jose Puello.

However, Peterkin tells ATR that he would be willing to drop out of the race in April if a "consensus candidate" is put forward. Peterkin has also discussed backing either Joseph or Puello as the other Caribbean representatives in the race.

Italy Ready for World Para Alpine Skiing Championships

The final Winter Paralympic world championships before the next Winter Games in PyeongChang begin this week in Tarvisio, Italy.

The World Para Alpine Skiing Championships began Sunday, Jan. 22 with an opening ceremony. Competition begins on Jan. 25 andfeatures 30 medal events across the disciplines of slalom, giant slalom,super combined, super-G, and downhill sitting, standing and visuallyimpaired.

The IPC says approximately 130 of the world’s best skiersfrom 25 countries will compete in the championships.

This year’s edition of the championships will also be live streamed,something the International Paralympic Committee says creates an addedsignificance to the event.

"It is one of the most exciting sports around, with sit-skiers, standingskiers and blind skiers reaching high speeds and searching fortechnical perfection in their quest for gold medals," says IPCspokesperson Craig Spence.

"In 2017 the Worlds will have added significance. It will be a greatindication of which athletes are on form with just over one year to gountil PyeongChang 2018."

The event concludes on Jan. 31.

World Handball Championships Enter Knockout Rounds

The International Handball Federation will crown the first world champion of the new year on Jan. 29 in France.

The 24 best men’s handball teams in the world began the competition on Jan. 11 with 16 progressing to the knockout round starting Jan. 21.

Eight cities in France, including 2024 Olympic hopeful Paris, are hosting matches during the 18-day event. Albertville, Brest, Lille, Metz, Montpellier, Nantes and Rouen are the others.

The 25th edition of the IHF Men’s World Championship precedes the IHF Women’s World Championship by nearly a year. The best women’s handball teams will compete for the world title from Dec. 1-17 in Germany.

World Luge Championships Begin

The 47th edition of the World Luge Championships starts Thursday, Jan. 26 in Innsbruck, Austria.

The three-day event features the best luge athletes in the world competing for the world title. Competitors will complete runs on the Olympic bobsleigh track used for the 1976 Winter Olympics also held in Innsbruck.

The event marks the fifth time the Austrian state of Tirol has hosted the competition. Innsbruck has hosted the International Luge Federation’s (FIL) premier event once every decade dating back to 1977.

The championships conclude Sunday, Jan. 29.

FIFA Governance Committee Meets

FIFA's Governance Committee is holding its first meeting of 2017 that follows the decision by world football leaders to expand the World Cup to 48 teams.

The football federation is still undergoing governance reforms brought on by wide-ranging corruption scandals that implicated top FIFA officials including former president Sepp Blatter.

The Governance Committee meeting will be held at FIFA headquarters in Zurich on Thursday, Jan. 26.

Special Olympics 2019

Olympians Michele Kwan and Donna DeVarona will be among those joining Special Olympics chief Timothy Shriver Tuesday. The Abu Dhabi World Games 2019 task force will host a press conference and "unified sports experience". Others in attendance will include officials and executives from Abu Dhabi and the Special Olympics.

Abu Dhabi was the unanimous choice of the Special Olympics board of directors in November.

Written by Kevin Nutley

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