A group of Russian sports stars "has appealed" to the IOC "to let athletes with no history of doping compete at the Rio Games in August, days ahead of a ruling on Russia's ban from world athletics."
Thirteen Olympic medalists and world champions "signed a letter" addressed to IOC President Thomas Bach saying that "it would be unfair if Russian track-and-field athletes with no record of using banned substances were not allowed to go to Rio." The letter said,
"The fraud of dishonest people should not jeopardise the career of the other innocent fellow athletes and throw a stain on our country's reputation." Those signing the letter included Alexander Popov, a four-time Olympic champion swimmer, Olympic judo champion Tagir Khaibulaev and others from a range of summer and winter sports (REUTERS, 6/15).
BLACKOUT IN SINGAPORE?: With less than two months to go before the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro begins, it is unclear if Singaporeans "will be able to catch the sporting action live on television." Neither national broadcaster Mediacorp nor pay-TV operators Singtel and StarHub "have been able to strike a deal" with rights holder Dentsu to screen the Games. Dentsu holds the 2016 Olympics broadcast rights in Singapore and 16 other Asian territories.
Of the 17 markets in Dentsu's blanket deal with the IOC, it is believed Singapore "is the only one that has not agreed terms to broadcast the coverage live" (ASIA ONE, 6/15).
ROUSSEFF TO ATTEND: Brazil's suspended President Dilma Rousseff "intends to attend the Olympic Games whether she is invited or not, though she will not be there to open them in Rio in August." She said,
"If I am not invited, I will climb a tree to watch the Games." Rousseff "was suspended one month ago" and replaced by interim President Michel Temer. Rousseff lamented that Temer "will take the credit for hosting the Olympics when it was the government of her Workers Party that won the Games for Brazil and made them possible by building the infrastructure" (REUTERS, 6/14).
OLYMPIC BRIEFS ...
With hotels mostly booked, landlords "are charging a pretty penny for tourists still seeking accommodation in Rio de Janeiro for the Olympics in August" -- asking as much as $2,305 per night for a three-bedroom apartment far from venues and beaches.
With 97.3% of hotels full, according to price-comparison site Trivago, visitors "are resorting to room rental websites" like Airbnb to find lodging. The Olympic price hikes "come despite a steep drop in the broader Rio real estate market." Property prices have fallen 10% over the past 12 months in the city, according to FipeZap, a realty index.
Hoteliers "have also greatly expanded the local room stock in recent years in efforts to get in on tourism for the Games." The number of rooms in Rio climbed to 58,000 from 30,000 in '09 (REUTERS, 6/15).
The Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games Bid Committee launched an Environmental Excellence Committee to promote green initiatives and sustainable development. Chaired by World Wildlife Fund [WWF] France President Isabelle Autissier, the Environmental
Excellence Committee is composed of 24 members, including scientists, NGO
representatives, athletes and entrepreneurs (Paris 2024).
