U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul on Wednesday suggested that U.S. President Barack Obama "is unlikely to attend February’s Winter Olympics in Sochi," but could send a "delegation headed by 'former advisors.'" Obama has attended "neither of the two Olympics that have taken place during his five years in office." McFaul: "There will be a presidential delegation, that’s 100 percent" (R-SPORT, 12/11). ... Baseball Federation of Japan Chair Yoshinobu Suzuki visited Nippon Professional Baseball's offices on Wednesday and "asked for help in getting baseball and softball included in the Olympic program" for the 2020 Tokyo Games (KYODO, 12/11). ... Indian athletes have been "cleared to compete in the Winter Games in Sochi after the country complied with the IOC’s ethics rules and avoided becoming the first country expelled from the Olympics in more than 40 years." Still to be "determined is whether the few Indian athletes who have qualified for Sochi compete for their country or under the Olympic flag" (AP, 12/11). ... Cisco has been "chosen by the Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games Rio 2016 as an official provider of the IT infrastructure." The manufacturer will "provide the network and server equipment that will form the basis of the network for the 2016 Olympics" (TELECOM PAPER, 12/11).
