IOC presidential candidate THOMAS BACH attended the state dinner in honor of U.S. President BARACK OBAMA's visit to Berlin. Bach attended in his capacity as president of the German Olympic Sports Association (DOSB), Germany's biggest civil organization. German Chancellor ANGELA MERKEL and NBA Dallas Mavericks F DIRK NOWITZKI also attended the official dinner at the Charlottenburg castle in Berlin (DOSB). ... Jamaica world 200m champion VERONICA CAMPBELL-BROWN "has been provisionally suspended from competition after a positive test for a banned substance," a banned diuretic. The Jamaican Athletics Administrative Association said that Campbell-Brown is suspended pending her "B sample" result, and faces a two-year ban from athletics. Her management company said she would seek to clear her name, adding "Veronica is not a cheat" (BBC, 6/18). ... Australian Olympic swimmer SCOTT MILLER "has been arrested and charged with possessing drugs and suspected stolen goods." The drug is understood to be methamphetamine (THE AGE, 6/18). ... Russia national team coach FABIO CAPELLO "is not going to cancel his contract as some media have suggested." RFS CEO NIKOLAI TOLSTYKH said, "Capello has a work contract with the Russian Football Union, and he has repeatedly said about how happy he is with the Russian football and that he intends to go ahead" (XINHUA, 6/19). ... London Olympics hammer throw medallist KOJI MUROFUSHI was the victim of an "overzealous" Japanese Olympic Committee who "were to blame for him being banned from election" to the IOC athletes' commission (REUTERS, 6/19). ... Pakistan-born leg-spinner FAWAD AHMED, who "has been widely tipped to be added to Australia's Ashes squad," has been named in the party for next month's A tour of Africa. A recent amendment to the Citizenship Act meant that Fawad "would be allowed to fast-track his passport application in time for the Ashes series," which begins on July 10, and national selector JOHN INVERARITY "has hinted that the spinner is on course to receive a call-up" (THE NATIONAL, 6/19). ... Former Brazilian footballer RIVALDO "has joined the thousands of people that have been protesting for several days" Brazil's spending of public funds for the Confederations Cup and the 2014 World Cup. Rivaldo: "It's a shame that they are spending so much money for the World Cup and they leave the hospitals and schools in poor conditions. I have to speak because I have been poor and I have felt the problems in public schools and effects of poor sanitation in my skin" (AS, 6/19).
