In Boston, John Powers reports neither the courses for the Boston Marathon nor the Head of the Charles Regatta "could be used as an Olympic venue" should Boston host the '24 Summer Games, despite the fact that they are "famous courses." The overall decrease in elevation of the classic Hopkinton-to-Boston Marathon layout "exceeds international standards," while the Charles "has too much current, too much wind, and bridges across its straightaways." For alternatives, the bidders "plan to use a variation of the loop course along the river that was employed for the 2008 Olympic women’s marathon trials, and stage rowing and sprint canoeing on the Merrimack River in Lowell" (BOSTON GLOBE, 2/18).
ALL IN: The Chicago DAILY HERALD cited officials as saying that Allstate's logo "will be painted on top of the Rosemont arena that bears its name by the end of March." As part of a naming-rights-agreement extension approved last August for Allstate Arena, village officials "agreed to place the company's logo on the stadium's roof -- sought by Allstate so it could be visible to passengers in airplanes" flying into O'Hare Int'l Airport (Chicago DAILY HERALD, 2/13).
PEACHY KING: In Georgia, Seth Emerson reports the Univ. of Georgia at yesterday's athletics board meeting "focused on one spot" for its proposed indoor football practice facility and is "planning for it to be very expensive." There is "no firm date set for an opening or even a groundbreaking." But AD Greg McGarity said the project could cost "in the ballpark" of $30M. That is "twice as much as similar projects, such as the just-announced indoor facility project at Florida." The focus now "is on the area just beyond the football team’s current outdoor practice fields" (MACON TELEGRAPH, 2/18).
