The IOC advised national Olympic committees on Friday "to follow the World Health Organization's guidance on dealing with the Zika virus ahead of the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, asserting its confidence that the games will be safe."
Brazil "has been hit hard by the mosquito-borne virus, which has been linked to severe birth defects in infants, raising concerns about the outbreak's potential impact on South America's first Olympics in August." The IOC "did not say the Olympics were threatened in any way and made clear it expects the Aug. 5-21 games to be secure for athletes and visitors" (AP, 1/29). ... Bulgaria's weightlifters "will be barred from this year's Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro" after the Court of Arbitration for Sport on Friday rejected an appeal against a ban for numerous anti-doping violations.
In November, the Int'l Weightlifting Federation sanctioned the Bulgarian Weightlifting Federation and fined it $500,000 "after 11 lifters tested positive for the banned anabolic steroid stanozolol."
Swiss-based CAS said that while the ban remains in place, "the fine is set aside." The BWF said, "The decision fully satisfied the Bulgarian federation, for which dropping the fine was priority" (REUTERS, 1/29). ... South Korean furniture maker Hanssem signed on as the official furniture supplier with the PyeongChang Organizing Committee for the 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. Hanssem will provide furniture to the organizing committee to host the Games, and in return, will be able to exercise various marketing rights in the country including the use of the "Official Supplier" intellectual properties, product category exclusivity, and Games Emblem in promotional activities (PyeongChang 2018). ... The Japan FA said that the men’s and women’s national football teams for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics will use the J-Village national football training center, "currently serving as Tokyo Electric Power Co.’s forward base in dealing with the Fukushima nuclear crisis, as their training base." The site "is expected to partially reopen in July 2018 and in full capacity in April 2019." New all-weather training grounds and accommodation facilities "are scheduled to be built" (KYODO, 1/30). ... North Korean Lieutenant General Ri Jong-mu came "back as the country's sports minister after nearly two years, just ahead of the 2016 Summer Olympics to be held in Brazil later this year." Ri, who was named sports minister in Oct. '12, "was replaced by Kim Yong-hun in May 2014 ahead of the 2014 Asian Games competition held in South Korea in October of that year" (YONHAP, 1/29).
