The organising committee of the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics has lost another senior member after Kim Jin-sun quit as President of the organisation on Monday.

Kim, 67, who had been President of the committee (POCOG) since 2011, had his resignation accepted by the government despite his term running until October 2015.

“Pyeongchang 2018 is at a turning point for the latter half of its Games preparation, which requires more detailed planning and execution,” Kim said in a statement.

“At this critical juncture, I believe that Pyeongchang 2018 needs new leadership and a stronger system that will effectively carry out various Games-related projects. And this is why I decided to resign as President of POCOG.”

Kim’s departure follows that of Moon Dong-hoo, the Vice President and Secretary General of the committee, who tendered his resignation in May citing health problems but only quit earlier this month.

The organisation is in the process of a review by the Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI), who refused to say what prompted the investigation in the first place.

“Yes, there is an audit going on but it’s not a regular audit. It is a specific-subject audit. POCOG is not big enough for us to audit regularly, like we do the ministry of culture, sports and tourism annually,” a BAI official told Reuters.

“The process is still ongoing. We just completed only the on-site part of the months-long audit. Thus we have no result yet.”

Cho Yang-ho, head of the Korea Table Tennis Association, has been favored to succeed Kim. Cho, though, denied he would take up the role.

“Taking the position is a great honor for the country but I have a lot of work at hand that requires my full-time commitment,” he said in a statement.

“Therefore I cannot take up the position as the head of POCOG. But I will do my best in order to make the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Games successful.”

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Despite not deciding on whether it will bid for the 2024 Olympics, the United States Olympic Committee hopes to narrow down a list of cities capable of winning a bid within the next couple months.

A number of cities have professed their interest already increasing the pressure for the committee to make a bid.

“It is a very informal process and our goal is to make a decision (on whether to proceed) by the end of the year and there haven’t been any formal deadlines or submissions,” USOC chief executive Scott Blackmun said on a conference call.

“The dialogue is really around which cities do we think can put together a bid that is going to be a fantastic bid and which cities do we think have the opportunity to win.

“Before we make a final decision we need to get into fairly detailed discussions with hopefully a smaller number of cities so our objective is to be in that position within the next couple of months.”

The USOC sent letters to the mayors of America’s 35 biggest cities last year to gauge interest in bidding for the 2024 Games and has been tight-lipped ever since about the response calling the process “informal.”

Several cities are believed to have thrown their hats into the ring, including San Francisco, Los Angeles, Boston, Dallas, Philadelphia, Washington D.C. and San Diego but as yet no preferred candidate has been identified.

The last Olympics staged in the United States were the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Games.

The United States has not hosted a Summer Games since the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and can expect stiff competition if it does enter the 2024 race with potential bids coming from Rome, Paris, Doha and Durban, South Africa.

The IOC has encouraged the United States to submit a candidate but the USOC will want firmer support before proceeding.

“We have heard plenty of encouragement from multiple IOC members about a U.S. bid so I think IOC membership is favorably inclined towards us at least considering going forward,” said USOC chairman Larry Probst.

The decision on the 2024 host will be made in 2017.

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Euroleague Basketball are set to become the first European basketball competition to adopt Google Glass during their games.

“New technologies are providing sports organizations with new opportunities and new ways to communicate with the fans,” Alex Ferrer Kristjansson, Euroleague Basketball’s Brand & Communication Director, said. “This partnership with the University of La Salle will allow Euroleague Basketball to explore the possibilities with the Google Glass, experimenting with new tools for basketball professionals and new ways of getting the fans closer to the action and to its stars.”

Fans will be able to see the action from Thursday’s game through the eyes of the protagonists: players, coaches and referees.
In marking objectives for their partnership, Euroleague Basketball and University of La Salle are pursing ways in which technology can help develop the sport and new means of interaction with fans.

This game is the first of different test projects that will help both entities understand the possibilities for building new technology applications for both professionals and fans in the future.

“We’re grateful to our partner, Euroleague Basketball, for the opportunity to implement this pilot project in such a high-profile competition,” Chris Kennett, director of the Undergraduate Business School at La Salle-Ramon Llull University, said. “Professional sports have always been a testing ground for cutting-edge technologies and the Google Glass is no different. This is a technology that will change the way we live, and sports such as basketball will be at the heart of its development.”

With security an ever increasing topic for the Sochi 2014 Olympics, Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak has played down the threat of “toothpaste bombs” to the prestigious event.

Security fears have dominted the headlines leading up to the games which are set to begin on Thursday.

Two explosions in Volgograd in December killed 34 people and there have been further threats from Chechen separatists who are determined to disrupt Sochi 2014.

The latest plot, highlighted by the US Government, involves terrorists trying to place explosives disguised as toothpaste on Russia-bound flights – but Kozak insists the fact authorities are aware of it proves they are in control of the situation.

“If the info is confirmed it proves our special forces are working. We do however guarantee the safety of all at Sochi 2014,” he told Sky Sports News.

“Terror fear is a global character and in any sport or place it has its nature. On Sochi it is a little too much – the level of fear should be lower.

“The threat level is no worse than for New York, Washington or Boston – we have no specific threat.

“We are working with western European countries and the US, based on the info we receive – there is no reason to believe Sochi is under anymore threat than any other city on the planet.

“We can guarantee the safety if people as far as any other government can.”

British Olympic Association Chairman Lord Coe is also confident Team GB athletes will be safe at the Winter Olympics in Russia.

“We haven’t been appraised of any situations,” he said. “We’ve been in contact with all agencies and no overtures has been made to us about this”

Lord Coe’s view was echoed by the BOA’s Chief Executive Officer Bill Sweeney, who added: “the threat level has not changed”.

Ronnie O’Sullivan has retracted his previous statement claiming Stephen Lee is not the only player guilty of match-fixing, after stating his words were “taken out of context”.

The 37 year-old world champion tweeted the claims after Lee was found guilty of fixing seven games in 2008 and 2009.

World Snooker boss Barry Hearn called O’Sullivan’s comments “unacceptable and damaging” and asked for an explanation.

O’Sullivan stated: “I was referring to rumours from years ago when there were only a few tournaments on the circuit.”

He added: “The comments were an instant reaction to an issue which I feel strongly about, namely the integrity of my sport.

“I have no intention of undermining the integrity of the sport that I love and enjoy participating in so much and firmly believe that my tweets were taken out of context.

“The snooker circuit calendar is now full of tournaments all year round and has undoubtedly been cleaned up since World Snooker was taken over by Barry Hearn.

“I do not want my comments to leave a damaging mark on the game.”

O’Sullivan commended World Snooker for their action on Lee, and said he was aware of his obligation to report any knowledge of match-fixing. Lee will find out his punishment on 24th September.