Medellin, apoplectic Colombia submitted its bid to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Monday for the 2018 Youth Olympic Games.

A delegation from Medellin 2018, headed by bid executive Juan Camilo Quintero Medina, went to Lausanne to ensure the dossier, guarantees, photographic files and other bid documents were presented to the IOC. Quintero said: “We believe the strong technical documentation and the concrete guarantees we submitted today will give IOC members and future YOG competitors the confidence that Medellin can host excellent, unique, Youth Olympic Games in 2018. The entire government and its institutions have provided more than 170 guarantees as part of their commitment to stage the Games in Medellin.”

In Medellin Mayor Anibal Gaviria Correa talked about the support the bid has among the residents.

He said: “The entire city wishes we could personally go to Lausanne to cheer for the submission of the dossier, but we know our Candidature File will convey to the IOC what a perfect fit Medellin is for the Youth Olympic Games. We dream of sharing our success through staging compact, exciting Youth Olympic Games in a city which has been transformed by sport.”

An updated version of Hong Kong popstar Jacky Cheung’s official Coca-Cola Olympic anthem will be released on July 12, incorporating the beats submitted by consumers.

Coca-Cola’s Beat of China campaign taps into the national pride among young Chinese, encouraging fans to submit their own beats to help create an anthem for their athletes competing in London.

Coca-Cola Sparkling Beverages Director for Greater China and Korea Marina Palma said: “Previous research showed that after the huge success and high relevance of 2008 (the Beijing Olympics), there was a perceived distance between Chinese people and London. The main task was to close that emotional and physical distance in a relevant way.”

The campaign also includes mini-documentaries featuring the personal stories of five Chinese Olympians, a traveling roadshow, special Coke cans and an Angry Birds game.{jcomments on}

The executive board of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) concluded its meeting in London by announcing that the International Floorball Federation (IFF) has been added to the group of international sports federations the body recognises.

The board also decided to nominate three people for IOC membership: José Perurena Lopez (Spain), sickness whose candidature is linked to his function within the International Canoe Federation (ICF); Gerardo Werthen (Argentina), whose candidature is as an individual member; and Barbara Kendall (New Zealand), whose candidature is as an active athlete.

The IOC Session will vote on the prospective new members in Durban later this year.

For the first time in any soccer league, drugs and new for the 2010-11 season, cialis Liga de Futbol Profesional, (LFP) & Sogepec (the Production arm of Mediapro) have announced the formation of a new joint venture business that will capture player tracking data from all 42 clubs in both La Liga 1 and 2.

The Project has been made possible through LFP’s decision to install new state-of-the-art tracking technology into all 42 club Arena’s through a “global footballing first” partnership with TRACAB – the world’s leading player & ball tracking technology which was used at UEFA Euro 2008 and the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Francisco Roca, President of the LFP commented on the formation of this new venture, stating: “We have spent a great deal of time evaluating the various technical options open to us and are confident that with the TRACAB system, we will be providing all LFP Clubs with a break-through technology to help them extend their expertise within Coaching analysis. At the same time, we are excited about bringing global fans of Spanish Football with new exciting performance data and tools to enable them to further understand why our two Leagues are among the best in the world”.

The joint venture will exploit the captured real-time data in both the media space and through providing Spanish clubs with coaching services.

Director of Mediapro, Jaume Rores commented: “It is clear that exploiting Official LFP data presents a new growth area for Spanish Football and we are delighted to have formed a joint venture business with LFP to manage the opportunity. We are for example in talks with brands keen to become the Official Performance Partner of the League and Media/Betting/Gaming companies interested in creating new products based on Official LFP data”.

The TRACAB System delivers real-time positioning data and value-added content to the sports, media and entertainment sectors via its proprietary patented tracking technology.

The unique data that the TRACAB System generates allows organisations to provide media-rich content in real or virtual form through a wide array of distribution platforms (TV, Internet, Mobile, Print), creating a new form of rights and revenue streams to sports rights owners.

Johan Apel, founder and CEO of TRACAB commented: “We are very happy to help LFP and Mediapro to create new rights and revenue streams from La Liga using the TRACAB technology. The world of sports is changing in a fast pace and we are impressed with the innovation skills shown by the LFP, they are clearly a frontrunner in the new digital era”.

Buenos Aires have delivered their Candidature File to the IOC for their 2018 Youth Olympic Games bid.

Gerardo Werthein, President of the Argentine National Olympic Committee said: “Today marks an exciting milestone for Buenos Aires’ bid for the Youth Olympic Games. A great deal of work has gone into compiling our Candidature File and we are delighted to now showcase to the IOC our unique vision for the YOG and our exciting Games Plan.

“It is fantastic to see so many enthusiastic young Olympic fans here today to celebrate this moment. One fifth of Argentina’s population is under the age of 18 – we are youthful, confident and energetic country. With Buenos Aires’ vibrancy and dynamic culture we can now help energize the youth of the world by hosting the YOG in 2018.”

Mauricio Macri, Mayor of Buenos Aires, added: “As a major international capital city, Buenos Aires is a significant economic and commercial hub that can uniquely help the Youth Olympic Games develop and have a long-term sustainable future.

“Young people are the heartbeat of Buenos Aires city and we can encourage the youth around the world to embrace the Olympic ideals by communicating with them in a language they understand.

“The youth of Buenos Aires are passionately in tune with the digital world and our city possesses world-class technology capabilities. By harnessing the power of digital media, Buenos Aires 2018 will enthuse and motivate young people – helping them to create and share their own enriching online and offline experiences, connect with their peers and take part in new global sporting conversations.”

Olympic Rings mown into the grass have been unveiled in London’s Richmond Park.

The Rings have been mown into the grass by the Royal Parks’ shire horses and are visible on the Heathrow flight path, ready to welcome athletes and visitors to the London 2012 Games.

A spokesman for Richmond Park said the rings are approximately 300 meters wide and over 125 meters tall.

“I am so proud we‘ve been able to achieve such an effective representation of the Olympic symbol,” said Richmond Park assistant manager Adam Curtis.

The British Olympic Association (BOA) have revealed that they have temporarily suspended its decision to take its cash row with London 2012 to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

The decision came as London 2012 responded positively to a request from the BOA to re-open talks over trying to find a settlement to the affair, pharmacy viagra though a date is yet to be set for the meeting.

The agreement is the first indication that the BOA chairman Colin Moynihan is ready to back down in a row that has left him isolated both domestically and internationally.

A spokesman for the BOA stated: “We have taken the decision to suspend the case before CAS, and have notified CAS of that.

“We have requested a meeting with LOCOG and they have agreed, and the purpose is to continue working together towards a resolution.

“It has been our desire all along to resolve this outside the legal process and we are pleased to have this opportunity with LOCOG.’

The BOA are due 20 per cent of any surplus after the Games but are claiming the cost of staging the Paralympics should not be taken into account when calculating that surplus.

Despite suspending any action with the CAS, the BOA claim that they have not totally withdrawn the threat of taking the case to the courts but the decision to take a step back and try to reach a negotiated settlement means that the case is now unlikely to be heard by the CAS, which potentially could have cost the BOA tens of thousands of pounds if they had lost. 

The IOC claimed that the CAS did not have jurisdiction over the dispute because the BOA had signed a contract which gave them the right to have the final say.

A London 2012 spokeswoman said the BOA had approached them with a new proposal, stating: They have said to us they have a proposal they want to discuss and we have always said our door is open if they want to talk.”