Slow ticket sales that have concerned the IOC and the organizing committee for the PyeongChang Games have "picked up in recent weeks." IOC Olympic Games Exec Dir Christophe Dubi said that ticket sales have "tripled since the torch relay arrived in South Korea at the end of October." He added that total sales have reached 55% (USA TODAY, 12/6).
The Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee confirmed the IOC exec board approved the venues for skateboarding and sport climbing, as well as for the two newly-added disciplines, basketball 3x3 and BMX freestyle. The Aomi Urban Sports Venue will host basketball 3x3 and sport climbing. The Olympic BMX Course will host BMX freestyle and skateboarding in addition to BMX racing (Tokyo 2020).
The IOC blocked the Olympic Council of Ireland's attempts to prevent the return of Pat Hickey to the OCI. Hickey, 72, was arrested and charged in Brazil last year over "alleged ticket touting during the Rio Olympics." Under IOC rules, Hickey, as a member of the IOC, is "automatically entitled to be on the board of his national Olympic committee" (BBC, 12/6).
Spain's Juan Antonio Samaranch will take over as interim chair of the IOC Coordination Commission for the 2022 Beijing Olympics "following the suspension of Russia's Alexander Zhukov." Singapore's Ser Miang Ng has also been added as a permanent member of the panel to replace Dmitry Chernyshenko, who has been "withdrawn" by the IOC (INSIDE THE GAMES, 12/6).
