IOC to hold annual meet in Lima
50km walk to stay in Olympics
LAUSANNE, Switzerland, April 13, (Agencies): The International Olympic Committee says it still plans to hold its annual meeting in Lima despite the devastating recent floods in Peru.
The 2024 Olympic hosting vote between Los Angeles and Paris is set for Sept 13, the opening day of the IOC Session.
Peru’s suitability for the week-long Olympic meetings was questioned in ongoing fallout from heavy rains and mudslides last month.
The IOC says the Peruvian government confirmed Thursday its preparations “are going ahead as planned.”
Peruvian President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski says hosting the Olympic meetings “send a vital message to the world and to Peru that we are ready to welcome the world after the emergency situation.” and is allowing women to participate in the 50km walk at the world championships in London in August.”
Wayde van Niekerk’s hopes of a 200/400 metres double at this year’s world championships in London were given a boost when organisers announced on Wednesday that they had changed the programme to avoid the two events clashing.
South African Van Niekerk, who electrified last year’s Rio Olympics by smashing the 400 metres world record with a time of 43.03 seconds in the final, had set his sights on a double gold in London.
The 24-year-old’s hopes, however, looked like being scuppered by the schedule, which originally put the 400 final on Aug. 8, just hours after the first round of the shorter sprint.
The IAAF, world athletics’ governing body, has sought to avoid the clash by moving the first round of the 200m to Aug. 7 to “better allow for a 200m/400m doubling opportunity”.
It said in a statement that it had responded to requests from athletics federations, including South Africa’s.
“I am also delighted that the Council today approved the 200m and 400m double. These double headers create great excitement among both athletes and fans,” IAAF President Sebastian Coe said. The world championships run from Aug. 4-13. The leader of a new organization aimed at providing a safe environment for athletes tells The Associated Press it already is investigating 21 cases involving sexual misconduct or abuse in Olympic sports.
The US Center for Safe Sport is 3 weeks old. Its website offers a hotline and an online reporting form for those who have been victims of abuse or know of such cases.
CEO Shellie Pfohl (pronounced fole) tells the AP the early influx of reports may have come because some people were waiting for the center to open.
The organization operates independently from the US Olympic Committee and organizations governing Olympic sports. The USOC and 47 national governing bodies help fund the center — about $13.3 million over five years. But they do not have any say over how it operates.