Spanish sprinter ÁNGEL DAVID RODRÍGUEZ proposed a decrease in Spain's IVA tax on sports events, which is currently 21%. This proposal coincides with Spain considering dropping the cultural IVA from 21% to 10%. Rodríguez posted on his Instagram account, "I propose that at 8:45pm [local time], coinciding with the start of football, everyone launching at this time a Twitter 'hashtag' #IvaDeporteal10. There are many of us and we could make this a 'trending topic' at the time of day when the most people will be connected" (EFE, 3/10). ... Jordanian news agency Petra reported on Tuesday that Bahrain and Brunei are backing Jordan's PRINCE ALI BIN AL-HUSSEIN to oust incumbent SEPP BLATTER as president of FIFA. Bahrain's KING HAMAD and Brunei's PRINCE SUFRI had met Prince Ali, the FIFA VP for Asia, in Manama to discuss the May vote and "both men had assured Prince Ali of their countries' support" (REUTERS, 3/10). ... Int'l Cycling Union President BRIAN COOKSON said that "grooming young cyclists to take drugs is 'nothing short of child abuse.'" A 227-page report into doping, published on Monday, "claimed youth cycling was particularly vulnerable." Cookson: "I want to look into that with a bit more seriousness. I think it may well be [happening] in certain parts of the world, it's not widespread but let's look at it" (BBC, 3/10). ... EPL side Sunderland manager GUS POYET has denied an FA "charge of improper conduct after kicking a container of drinks" and confronting Hull City manager STEVE BRUCE on the touchline. The incident took place as Poyet was "sent to the stand in the 35th minute" of the club's 1-1 draw with Hull City last week (BBC, 3/10).
FRENCH ATHLETES KILLED: France was "plunged into mourning" on Tuesday after "three of its best known sports stars died in a fireball when their helicopters collided mid-air in a remote part of Argentina during filming for a reality television show." Ten people were killed in the accident in the "rugged mountains of La Rioja province," including sailor FLORENCE ARTHAUD, Olympic Gold Medalist swimmer CAMILLE MUFFAT and Olympic boxer ALEXIS VASTINE. The accident caused an "outpouring of emotion in France, where Arthaud and Muffat were seen as national heroines." French PM MANUEL VALLS said, "The whole of France is in mourning." The party was filming Dropped, a "popular survival series on the French television channel TF1." Provincial spokesperson HORACIO ALCORCON said that "the cause of crash remained unknown" (LONDON TIMES, 3/10). French media citing Argentinian sources said that the helicopters were "flying through clear skies at an altitude of about 100 meters when they hit each other" around 5:15pm local time. Amateur footage "showed dozens of people rushing through heavy undergrowth toward the helicopters' burning wreckage." TF1 issued a statement "expressing solidarity for the victims' families." French media said that filming had been suspended "and the crew and other contestants were heading back to France." TF1 CEO NONCE PAOLINI said, "All I can say at the moment is that we are in a state of complete shock" (REUTERS, 3/10).
