International Capsules: 2018 Winter Games bid cities make pitches to IOC
LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — Pyeongchang remains the city to beat in the race for the 2018 Winter Olympics.
The South Korean resort maintained its front-runner status Wednesday as all three bid cities took their case directly to the International Olympic Committee, seeking to gain vital support just weeks ahead of the vote.
Bid teams from Pyeongchang, Munich and Annecy, France, made pitches to IOC members in one of the most crucial phases of the global two-year campaign.
IOC members said all three cities made convincing closed-door presentations, with no single candidate slipping up or standing out.
"Nobody made a fool of themselves, nobody let themselves down," Irish member Patrick Hickey told The Associated Press. "They were three extremely professional presentations."
The IOC members will vote for the winning bid on July 6 in Durban, South Africa.
Third-time candidate Pyeongchang did what it needed to bolster its strong position, stressing it has kept all promises to the IOC through a decade of bidding and pitching the games to a new winter sports market in Asia.
Munich enhanced its credentials as the main challenger, while Annecy showed it has improved dramatically in recent months and should not be counted out.
"I think it's very close," IOC President Jacques Rogge said. "Don't ask me numbers, but it's going to be a close race, definitely. I don't expect a big gap between the three cities."
The South Koreans brought new star power to the show, with reigning Olympic figure skating champion Kim Yu-na making her international debut to promote Pyeongchang's bid. Another figure skating star, two-time Olympic gold medalist Katarina Witt, chairs the Munich bid.
"I was so much more nervous than when I was competing in the Olympics, but I think it went well," the 20-year-old Kim said. "I had a little bit of a mistake, but nobody noticed, I hope. I'm very satisfied and happy that I did well."
Asked what score she would give her performance Wednesday, Kim said: "10, yeah."
Reedie said IOC members were impressed by Kim's presentation.
"To have Miss Kim presenting as fluently and as wonderfully well as she did, it was very good for Pyeongchang," he said.
Each city had 45 minutes for presentations featuring speeches and videos, followed by another 45 minutes for questions and answers. Rogge said members asked a total of 27 questions.
The IOC said 88 of its 110 members attended the briefings at the Olympic Museum. On Thursday, the members will visit the candidate cities' exhibition rooms at a Lausanne hotel and have face-to-face meetings with bid leaders.
In the day's only unusual twist, one IOC member sought to raise the issue of IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn's arrest on sex assault charges in New York. Hicham el Guerrouj, a two-time Olympic gold medalist distance runner from Morocco, began to ask Annecy officials about the impact of the Frenchman's case on their bid. But Rogge cut him off, saying the question was out of place.
Pyeongchang, bidding again after narrow defeats in the voting for the 2010 and 2014 Olympics, has been widely considered the favorite from the start as it seeks to bring the Winter Games to a new hub in Asia. The Winter Olympics have been held twice in Asia, both times in Japan (Sappporo 1972 and Nagano 1998).
Citing a 92 percent public approval rating, by far the highest of the three candidates, Pyeongchang said its bid was a "national priority." Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan noted that South Korea had spent $1.4 billion in developing an Olympic-caliber ski resort in the Alpensia mountains and is working on a high-speed rail link between Seoul and Pyeongchang.
Munich, the 1972 Olympic host which is seeking to become the first city to stage both summer and winter games, has been trying to counter Pyeongchang's status as favorite by pushing its argument for taking the games back to their European roots in a country with a long winter sports tradition.
Witt said the choice of an Olympic host city is "about more than just geography," a reference to Pyeongchang's case for taking the Winter Games to Korea for the first time.
"It is a choice about the kind of Olympic experience the athletes of the future should have," she said.
American IOC member Anita DeFrantz asked the Germans about the terrorist attack at the 1972 Munich Olympics that left 11 Israeli athletes and coaches dead.
"The mayor (Christian Ude) could explain that the incident in '72 had nothing to do with Munich as a city or with Germany," said Thomas Bach, an IOC vice president who is a senior Munich bid leader. "It was just the beginning of international terrorism, and we appreciated this question to make this clear."
Annecy is seeking to establish itself as a true contender after being seen as a longshot for much of the race. After going through financial and leadership troubles, the bid has been strengthened in recent months.
"I think we are all three even now," IOC member and French ski great Jean-Claude Killy said. "We showed we are a good team. We have a good proposition. We are proud of it. We think we have nothing to envy of the other two bids."
Skating star Kim feels nerves of bid presentation
LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — Kim Yu-na has performed in front of thousands of spectators and millions of TV viewers on the biggest stages in figure skating. Yet, the reigning Olympic champion says she has never felt nerves or pressure like this.
The 20-year-old South Korean will be addressing a roomful of International Olympic Committee members on Wednesday, helping to pitch Pyeongchang's bid for the 2018 Winter Games.
"I'm more nervous than when I was competing in the Olympics," Kim said in an interview Tuesday after a rehearsal for the presentation. "I didn't have much time to practice. I'm afraid of making mistakes, but a lot of people are helping me. I'm trying my best."
Kim, who won the gold medal at last year's Vancouver Games, will be making her first official appearance in a presentation for the Korean bid.
"This is not a personal competition. It will be for the whole country," she said. "There is a lot more pressure on my shoulders."
Pyeongchang is competing against Munich and Annecy, France. Each bid team will spend 90 minutes with the IOC members in a closed-door session at the Olympic Museum.
The presentations are a crucial stage in the race, which will culminate with an IOC vote in Durban, South Africa, on July 6.
Kim is not the only figure skating star featured in the bid contest. German great Katarina Witt, a two-time Olympic champion, is chairwoman of Munich's candidacy.
"I met her in Vancouver and said 'Hi' to her," Kim said. "I haven't seen her here yet but I'll be so excited when I do. I watched her skate on TV, video and the Internet. She was a role model for all the figure skaters."
Kim, who finished second in this year's world championships in Moscow behind Japan's Miki Ando, arrived in Lausanne on Sunday and has been going through a series of rehearsals with the rest of the bid team.
Pyeongchang is bidding for a third consecutive time after close defeats for the 2010 and 2014 Games. Kim said she would have wished to skate in front of her home fans in 2010, but is now determined to help bring the games to Korea in 2018 so that young skaters in her native country will get the chance.
"It's been a long time since the Winter Games were held in Asia," she said. "More and more people are interested in winter sports. A lot of young athletes in Korea are waiting for this."
The Winter Olympics have been held twice in Asia, both times in Japan (Sapporo 1972 and Nagano 1998).
While Kim may no longer be skating competitively in 2018, she sees herself as a role model for others.
"I can inspire young athletes in Asia," she said. "I was inspired by Michelle Kwan in Nagano. I had a dream to be in the Olympics and I achieved my dreams. I hope young skaters and athletes will also be inspired."
Kim said she also plans to travel to Durban for the final presentation and vote. After that, she will begin working on her skating program for next season with coach Peter Oppegard.
-- Stephen Wilson
Olympic torch to go on 8,000-mile tour of Britain
LONDON (AP) — Past major city landmarks and through remote islands, the Olympic torch will travel the length of Britain during a 70-day relay ahead of the 2012 London Games.
Olympic organizers on Wednesday named 74 locations where 8,000 torchbearers will carry the flame after it arrives from Greece in exactly a year's time on May 18, 2012.
The 8,000-mile relay will start the following morning at the southern tip of Britain at Land's End in Cornwall, and organizers plan to hold evening celebrations on 66 days of the journey.
The flame will pass through England's major cities, including Manchester and Birmingham, as well as the Welsh capital Cardiff and Scotland's capital Edinburgh.
The relay will also go off the mainland to visit Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man, Guernsey, Jersey, Shetland, Orkney and the Isle of Lewis.
The flame will spend the week in London before it is used to light the cauldron at the opening ceremony in the Olympic Stadium on Friday, July 27, 2012.
"The flame will shine a light across the regions and islands of the UK, bringing people together from the rolling borders of Scotland, the majesty of the Peak District and the big skies of the Fens and our thriving cities," said Sebastian Coe, chairman of the London organizing committee.
The torch could also go outside Britain's borders to Ireland.
"It is our ambition to take the torch through Dublin," Coe said. "We are still working through the fine details."
After the international torch relay for the 2008 Beijing Olympics was interrupted by protests by human rights activists in London, Paris, San Francisco and other sites, officials decided to keep future relays within the host nations, apart from the lighting in Greece.
"People used the torch as an opportunity for protest (before the Beijing Games) when it should really be an opportunity for peaceful celebration," said Craig Reedie, Britain's International Olympic Committee member. "That's why the decision was taken by the IOC to make it a domestic relay only and I think that can only benefit London and Britain."
Security will still be high to keep the relay from being disrupted by domestic protesters. London has recently seen large protests against the Conservative-led government's austerity plans, which aim to cut 310,000 government jobs and raise university tuition fees.
"I don't really sit here and think this is going to be catalyst for massive demonstrations. I think people get this," Coe said. "This is a once in a lifetime opportunity — don't mix or confuse messages here. This is about celebrating the fact the games are here."
Coe said that 90 percent of the 8,000 torchbearers will be ordinary members of the public who can be nominated to take part through www.london2012.com/olympictorchrelay.
But it is likely that sports stars — including former England captain David Beckham, who is sponsored by relay backer Samsung — will also run with the torch.
There will be a more detailed breakdown later this year on where the torch will visit each day in Britain, including sports venues.
The torch has been designed by a London-based studio headed by Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby, but an image is yet to be released.
-- Rob Harris
Cycling
Horner wins stage, takes overall lead
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — With a quick uphill burst, Chris Horner of Bend, Ore., rode away from teammate Levi Leipheimer in the final two miles and pedaled into the race lead at the Tour of California on Wednesday.
Horner (RadioShack), who last year finished 10th in the Tour de France as the top American, completed the 81.8-mile Livermore to San Jose road race in 3 hours, 27 minutes and 51 seconds.
Andy Schleck (Leopard-Trek) of Luxembourg, the 2009 and 2010 Tour de France runner-up, finished second, 1 minute and 15 seconds behind.
Rory Sutherland (United Healthcare) of Australia was third, just behind Schleck.
Horner, who finished fourth overall last year in the Tour of California, leads the seven-day race by 1:15 over Leipheimer of Santa Rosa, the three-time race winner.
Tom Danielson (Garmin-Cervelo) of Boulder, Colo., is third overall, trailing by 1:22.
Leipheimer, who has won five stages of the event, all time trials, finished fourth in the stage, also trailing by 1:15.
"I was riding in support of Levi (Leipheimer); I always gave him room," said Horner, who began his pro career in 1995 and is the second-oldest rider in the race.
"He's the three-time winner of the race and is still a big favorite in the time trial. I think we can go 1-2 overall."
With teammates providing support through the stage, which included four categorized climbs, Horner waited until the base of the final 3.5-mile climb to the finish to launch his move.
Leipheimer followed, but it was soon apparent Horner was the strongest rider.
"I wanted to break the race apart," Horner said following the first mountaintop finish in the six-year race's history.
Schleck, who has finished second to Alberto Contador of Spain in the Tour de France, was expected contest for the stage win.
"I was surprised," said Schleck, sixth overall, trailing Horner by 1:30. "I didn't expect myself to be up there."
The stage's severity took its toll. Four riders didn't finish and nearly half of the field finished more than 24 minutes behind the winner.
Will Dugan of the United States and Michael Matthews of Australia did not start the stage after crashing in stage three. One hundred thirty-eight of the starting field of 144 remain.
The seven-day race continues Thursday with a 135.1-mile Seaside to Paso Robles road race, the longest stage.
Gadret wins 11th stage, Contador retains Giro lead
CASTELFIDARDO, Italy (AP) — Frenchman John Gadret used a late attack to win the 11th stage of the Giro d'Italia on Wednesday, while Alberto Contador retained the overall lead.
Gadret attacked on the uphill finish with a few hundred meters to go and clocked 3 hours, 33 minutes, 11 seconds over the hilly 89-mile route from Tortoreto Lido to Castelfidardo. He dedicated his victory to Wouter Weylandt on the day of the Belgian rider's funeral.
Joaquin Rodriguez of Spain crossed second and Italian champion Giovanni Visconti was third, both with the same time as Gadret. Jose Serpa finished fourth ahead of Contador in fifth.
A minute of silence was observed at the start of the stage in memory of Weylandt, who died when he crashed after clipping a wall during a descent in the third stage. His funeral was held in Ghent, Belgium.
At the start of the stage, Britain's David Millar made a short speech in Weylandt's honor. Many riders then took their helmets off and hung them on their handlebars as they stood in tribute to their former colleague.
"I thought about it all day, because we're all a big family in cycling," Gadret said.
Several riders attempted early breakaways but were swallowed up by the main pack before another nine-man group got away with 50 miles to go. Two more riders then caught up to make it an 11-man group.
The breakaway gained a lead of more than two minutes at one point and Spanish rider Daniel Moreno Fernandez then charged into the lead on his own and was joined by Ignatas Konovalovas of Lithuania with less than six miles to go.
The chasing pack caught Konovalovas and Moreno in the final kilometer, and that's when Gadret launched his decisive attack.
Contador remained 59 seconds ahead of Kanstantsin Sivtsov of Belarus in the overall standings, with Vincenzo Nibali of Italy 1:21 back. Contador was fined $1,130 for skipping the overall leader's news conference Tuesday.
Stage 12 on Thursday is a mostly flat 114-mile leg from Castelfidardo to Ravenna that should be the final chance for sprinters to capture a stage victory.
Thousands gather at Weylandt funeral
GHENT, Belgium (AP) — Some 2,000 fans, riders and cycling officials gathered Wednesday for the funeral of Wouter Weylandt, the Belgian who died in a crash during the Giro d'Italia last week.
Several of Weylandt's Leopard-Trek teammates, including Fabian Cancellara and Frank Schleck, attended the ceremony at Saint Peter's church in western Ghent. Huge screens were placed outside the church for fans who could not get in.
A message from Weylandt's pregnant partner, An Sophie, was read during the service. She said that despite the sorrow "I have one thing to cling to — my little angel."
Weylandt, known for his sprinting skills, had already won stages in both the Vuelta of Spain and the Giro. The 26-year-old crashed when his pedal clipped a wall during a sharp descent late in the third stage of the Giro. He died almost instantly from his injuries.
U.S. pro cyclist and close friend Tyler Farrar said that Weylandt "carried with him an energy and a joy that was infectious."
"I thought he was one of the coolest guys in the peleton," Farrar said. "He was intimidating but also worth imitating."
After the crash, all riders rode the next stage of the Giro bunched together out of respect for Weylandt. His Leopard-Trek team quit the three-week race the day after.
Before the start of Wednesday's 11th Giro stage in Castelfidardo, Britain's David Millar made a short speech on behalf of all riders in Weylandt's honor. Then a minute of silence was observed, with many riders taking their helmets off and hanging them on their handlebars in tribute to their fallen colleague.
Luge
World Cup luge to return to crash-marred Whistler
The sliding track that hosted the crash-marred 2010 Vancouver Olympics may soon have new start ramps in an attempt to make the treacherous course more safe.
The International Luge Federation will host a World Cup race later this year at the Whistler Sliding Center as planned, the first time an elite international field will race there since the Olympics. Georgian athlete Nodar Kumaritashvili crashed and died on the Whistler ice hours before those games opened, casting an enormous pall over the competition and raising many safety questions.
By early June, Canadian officials are expected to decide if building new starts farther down the track are an answer.
"We are awaiting their response," FIL secretary general Svein Romstad wrote in an email to The Associated Press.
Either way, a World Cup will be held in Whistler on Dec. 9-10. What remains unclear is if luge races that weekend will begin from the hastily lowered Olympic starts — which many athletes vehemently opposed using even after Kumaritashvili's death — or new ramps built into the concrete chute.
Starting around Nov. 29, athletes will have the chance for a full week of additional training in Whistler before the World Cup stop, something that doesn't regularly happen at many venues on the circuit.
"As there have already been several changes implemented in Whistler, we decided to add a training week so athletes can adjust," Romstad wrote.
USA Luge, which urged Canadian officials to allow international sliders to have more training time at the Whistler track leading up to the Vancouver Games, applauded that move.
"Having an extra week of training for our athletes on such a challenging track is always appreciated," USA Luge CEO Ron Rossi said.
It's common for newly built tracks, like the one in Whistler, to be modified after opening. Some curve shapes on the lower portion of the Whistler course have been slightly altered already, but taking a major step like building new ramps would be highly unusual.
The Olympic course was shortened after Kumaritashvili's death in an effort to keep speeds down, with male racers beginning from what was to have been the women's start, and female Olympians starting farther down the track at the junior start position. Some racers said they did not have enough time to figure out the new starts, including 2009 world champion Erin Hamlin of Remsen, N.Y., who was 16th at the Olympics.
The FIL held testing at the Whistler track in March and made recommendations to Canadian officials about where to have men's, women's and doubles starts in the future, though no decision is expected until late May or early June. Rossi said "it is expected" that male racers and doubles teams will have new starting points in Whistler going forward.
If new ramps are built, athletes may essentially have to relearn just about everything about how to slide on the Whistler track. That would make the additional training week even more vital.
"We will proceed with the World Cup next (season)," Romstad wrote. "We just have to see if they will be from new starts or the Olympic starts."
Kumaritashvili was on a training run Feb. 12, 2010, when he lost control of the sled in one of the final turns. He crashed into a track wall, was thrown from his sled, sailed over the side of the concrete chute and into a steel support beam at 89.4 mph, dying on impact from massive head trauma. When the track reopened the next day, the wall that Kumaritashvili went over had been raised.
Many Olympic luge athletes crashed either in competition or training during those Olympics. Some required hospitalization for concussions, and many openly questioned the track's safety. Whistler is scheduled to host luge's world championships in 2013.
"The additional week will also give our younger athletes, many of whom have never been to Whistler, an opportunity to learn the track's nuances," Rossi said.
The 2011-12 World Cup season opens on Nov. 26 at Igls, Austria. There is no World Cup luge race scheduled in the United States this season, though the site for the Dec. 17-18 competition remains undetermined. It likely will go to either Calgary, Alberta, or the 2002 Olympic track in Park City, Utah.
-- Tim Reynolds
Swimming
Thorpe ready for return to competitive swimming
SYDNEY (AP) — Five-time Olympic gold medalist Ian Thorpe returned to Australia on Wednesday after 10 days of high-altitude training in Switzerland, saying he's "starting to look like a swimmer again."
The 28-year-old Thorpe, targeting a place on the Australian team for next year's London Olympics after announcing his comeback in February, plans to meet with head coach Leigh Nugent before returning to his Switzerland base at the end of the week.
A fit-looking Thorpe said he was "satisfied ... I'm content where I'm at but I have a lot to do."
Thorpe said he will concentrate on the 100- and 200-meter freestyle events and drop the 400, an event in which he once held the world record.
"I honestly don't think I'd have enough time to do anything for the 400," Thorpe said.
The 200 could put him up against American star Michael Phelps, who won a record eight gold medals at the Beijing Olympics.
Thorpe and Phelps last met in the event dubbed the "Race of the Century," the 200 freestyle final at the Athens Olympics in 2004.
Thorpe won, Dutch swimmer Pieter van den Hoogenband was second and Phelps was third. But that was well before Phelps established himself as the most prolific race winner and record holder since Thorpe.
Thorpe, training under Russian coach Gennadi Touretski, is expected to make his competitive return at a World Cup series meet in Singapore in November. An appearance at December's Queensland state titles is likely to be his first race in Australia.
Thorpe confirmed in February he has registered for drug testing in order to be eligible to compete in the Australian Olympic selection trials in March 2012.
He retired in November 2006 after setting 13 world records and winning 11 world championship golds. He won both the 200 and 400 free at the 2004 Athens Olympics in his last major international meet.
Track & Field
Olympic 100-meter champ Fraser-Pryce to run in NYC
NEW YORK (AP) — Olympic 100-meter champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce will take on American star Allyson Felix in the 200 at next month's Adidas Grand Prix.
Also entering the June 11 race is Carmelita Jeter of the United States, who was ranked No. 1 in the world last year in the 100. Felix and Olympic 100 silver medalist Sherone Simpson of Jamaica already had been announced for the event.
Felix is a three-time world champion in the 200. Fraser-Pryce, of Jamaica, is the reigning Olympic and world champion in the 100.
The meet is on New York's Randall's Island.
