A "key meeting" on the topic of whether NHL players will participate in the Winter Olympics in South Korea a year from now "ended Friday without a decision." IOC President Thomas Bach joined Int'l Ice Hockey Federation President Rene Fasel, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and NHLPA Director Don Fehr in N.Y. "for the first time to discuss the PyeongChang Games." Bach said, "This was a courtesy visit and there was a very good open and friendly atmosphere. Hopefully this has prepared the ground for successful negotiations between the NHL and international federation." Fasel said that Bach was in N.Y. for other meetings, setting up the visit without "hard negotiations," or "major updates," among the parties (AP, 2/3).
The Kasumigaseki Country Club, which will host the golf tournaments at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, will reportedly "hold a board meeting next week to consider ending its ban on women becoming full members." The vote comes after calls to shift the tournament from the private club in Saitama province "because of the rule, which allows women to play Monday through Saturday but bars them from becoming full members and from playing on Sundays." The 15-member club board "will meet next Tuesday with a unanimous vote required to change the relevant bylaws" (REUTERS, 2/3).
The 2020 Tokyo Games organizers said Friday that "they are looking at the possibility of renovating Azuma Stadium in the city of Fukushima to host part of the baseball and softball competition." Yokohama Stadium was "picked as the main venue for the sports" by the IOC in December, and the World Baseball Softball Confederation is "calling for several other stadiums to be made available within the Tokyo metropolitan area" (KYODO, 2/3).
