The IOC delegation started its four-day visit in Istanbul on Saturday "after paying visits to other candidate cities Tokyo and Madrid." The group "will make visits to the sports facilities in Istanbul, including the 76,000-seat Ataturk Olympic Stadium, and the 52,000-seat Seyrantepe Stadium" (XINHUA, 3/24). ... Organizers of the 5th Fazaa Int'l Athletics Competition said that Dubai's position as the opening host city in the Int'l Paralympic Committee's inaugural Athletics Grand Prix "is crucial to the future of the sport" in the UAE. The event, taking place this week at the Dubai Police Officers Club "received a resounding endorsement from the IPC when it was chosen to kick-off the governing body's new, six-leg global circuit." Such recognition "can already be quantified in the interest generated among the para-athletic community, with more than 450 entrants representing 35 countries registered for the four-day event," which began Friday evening (THE NATIONAL, 3/23). ... The Shanghai Sports Bureau "has denied claims they signed an agreement with a hospital to provide free life-long medical insurance to Olympic and world champions as well as their coaches." The sports authority, which has twenty-three athletes listed in the program, clarified on Wednesday "that the insurance program includes both personal and commercial medical insurance supported by the Shanghai Sports Development Foundation" (XINHUA, 3/23).
