Measures to help British athletes "deal with mental health issues" are being introduced by UK Sport and the English Institute of Sport. The new Mental Health Strategy was launched on Wednesday -- World Mental Health Day. UK Sport Chair Katherine Grainger said, "I don't think high-performance sport will ever feel cozy or comfortable -- it will always be tough and hard and there will be high pressure. But we want to help people deal with it better" (BBC, 10/10).
The IOC asked Senegal to support a French investigation into the son of the former head of the IAAF, who is suspected of corruption. France's financial prosecutor said that Senegalese Papa Massata Diack, the son of former IAAF President Lamine Diack, had been "at the heart of a corruption scheme" in int'l sports, an accusation he has denied. The prosecutor added that there were indications that payments were made "in return for the votes of IAAF and IOC members over the designation of host cities for the Olympics and other major sporting events" (REUTERS, 10/9).
New Zealand's Para athletes "will now earn the same as their Olympic counterparts regarding performance enhancement grants." NZ PM Jacinda Ardern made the announcement at a gala dinner celebrating Paralympics New Zealand's 50th anniversary as a national committee. NZ's Paralympic and Olympic medalists will be "supported equally through direct financial grants to enable them to train full time" to maximize their int'l performance (NEW ZEALAND HERALD, 10/10).
The Int'l Cycling Union (UCI) and Tokyo 2020 organizers announced the foothills of Mount Fuji will be the setting for the individual time trial events at the Games. The course will start and finish at the Fuji Speedway Circuit at the base of the mountain. The course length is approximately 22.1km, with an elevation gain of approximately 423m (REUTERS, 10/10).
