IOC Marketing Commission Chair GERHARD HEIBERG underwent surgery today "following what's being called a mild heart attack." Heiberg, 71, reportedly was "on holiday in the mountains when he felt unwell." His secretary, UNNI JOHNSEN, said that doctors at Ulleval Hospital in Oslo, Norway, said that Heiberg is "doing well after surgery" (NEWSINENGLISH.no, 2/24).
SEEKING AN EXPLANATION: VANOC CEO JOHN FURLONG yesterday in an e-mail said that he "explained to the IOC this week references he made" in his new autobiography about how his organization while bidding for the '10 Winter Olympics "agreed to supply Russia's bid for the 2012 Olympics with information in return for votes of Russian IOC members during the 2010 host city vote." Furlong yesterday said VANOC was "entirely scrupulous and ethical" in advance of the '03 vote. IOC Communications Dir MARK ADAMS yesterday said that the organization has "asked Furlong to explain the reference" in his book, "PATRIOT HEARTS" (VANCOUVER SUN, 2/24).
I'VE GOT MY SUSPICIONS: India's Central Bureau of Investigations "arrested two top officials involved in organizing last year's Commonwealth Games in New Delhi" as the country's government "probes allegations of corruption in the planning of the 54-nation sporting event." The CBI registered cases against LALIT BHANOT and V.K. VERMA, "alleging that they 'abused their official position and entered into criminal conspiracy' by tailoring the timing and scoring contract in such a way that it favored" Swiss Timing Ltd. (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 2/24).
NAMES: Univ. of Ottawa researcher BLAINE HOSHIZAKI yesterday presented his findings on how hockey helmets can prevent head injuries at the Reebok-CCM Hockey Safety Summit, "which brought together representatives from the NHL, Hockey Canada, USA Hockey and other organizations." Reebok-CCM has "agreed to help to finance Hoshizaki's work, along with the federal government" (GLOBE & MAIL, 2/24)....TREVOR BAYNE Tuesday said that someone from the White House called him after his Daytona 500 victory on Sunday, adding, "That was pretty incredible. I didn't know who it was because it was a private number. I said, 'Who is this?' They said: 'This is such-and-such from the White House.' I thought someone was playing a prank on me" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 2/23)....NASCAR drivers DAVID REUTIMANN, MARTIN TRUEX JR. and RYAN TRUEX "plan to practice" with the White Sox at their Spring Training facility in Arizona on Saturday. Some White Sox players "are expected to attend that afternoon's" NASCAR Nationwide Series Bashas' Supermarkets 200 (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 2/24)....Texas Tech's $500,000 raise for football coach TOMMY TUBERVILLE has "angered some university faculty members, who have been asked to take a pay freeze in 2011." But school President GUY BAILEY said that Texas Tech is "keeping a promise it made to Tuberville a year ago" (AP, 2/22).
