KOC Downplays Chef de Mission Resignation Impact
A top official with the Korean Olympic Committee says there will be little impact following the resignation of South Korea’s chef de mission for the 2012 Olympics.
John Moon, KOC Chief of Staff, made the comments to Around the Rings.
Kyung Sun Yu, chef de mission for the Korean Olympic Team, resigned following investigations into alleged impropriety at the Eugene Corp., which he is chairman of.
Moon declined to discuss the situation surrounding his resignation, just one month after he was named to the post, but said he did not think the news would impact South Korea’s preparation or performance in London.
He added the KOC is "considering" a few replacements for Yu, but added a decision has not been made yet.
Currently, Korea’s Olympic team totals 138 athletes, but Moon said that is not the final tally.
Coe Visits Rio
LOCOG chief Sebastian Coe said he sees the Olympic legacy "model" established by London taking root in Rio de Janeiro, site of the 2016 Olympics.
Coe made a visit to Rio on Monday touring Rocinha Sports Complex, Maria Lenk Aquatics Centre, and the Rio 2016 headquarters where he met legendary Brazilian athletes.
"London is determined to build a legacy to the city and the nation and I see that Rio is following this model," he said in a statement.
"I believe that relationships made through sport, as it’s happened to London and Rio, are long-lasting. In a hundred years from now, the fact that we’ve been host cities once will keep our friendship going," he added.
He added he is happy to see the close involvement of athletes with Games preparations.
"When you see the world through the eyes of an athlete, you can deliver excellent Games to athletes", Coe said.
Rio 2016 president Carlos Arthur Nuzman says LOCOG has "permanently" helped Rio in staging the 2016 Olympics.
"We have learnt many lessons; many of them will stay and are very personal because they represent the victory of both cities, London and Rio. Cities that were not the favourites will be hosting the Games. The Rio 201 team has been permanently assisted by the LOCOG in our frequent visits and trips to London, where we feel very well-received and have learnt a lot."
McDonald’s to Serve British Chicken During Games
McDonald’s says 100 percent of its chicken at the London Olympics will come from the United Kingdom.
According to trade publications, McDonald’s made the announcement after reports that only 10 percent of its chicken would come from the UK.
"Recent comments made on this topic have, in our opinion, created some confusion in the minds of our customers about our commitment to British farming and to the Games," a McDonald’s spokeswoman said in a statement.
"We spend over £300 million each year on our UK supply chain, purchasing from thousands of farmers across a wide range of categories, from beef to free-range eggs."
While McDonald’s will serve 100 percent British chicken, pork, eggs and milk, it has not yet committed to providing all British beef.
Signatories Support Baku Bid
Thousands of Azeris showed their support for Baku’s Olympic ambitions by signing a nationwide campaign.
In five days, more than 100,000 people signed on, including President Ilham Aliyev and his wife, Mehriban.
Baku 2020 CEO Konul Nurullayeva says the "deluge of signatories" illustrates overwhelming support for the bid.
"The positive environmental, social and economic impact ofBaku 2020 is almost impossible to calculate. And the legacy for sport in Azerbaijan willtransform the lives of athletes for generations to come," she said.
"That is why there is such an amazing passion in Azerbaijan for hosting the Games in Baku."
Olympians Farid Mansurov and Zemfira Meftaheddinova helped launch the campaign last week.
Olympian Retiring to Focus on IOC Role
British IOC member and two-time Olympian in skeleton, Adam Pengilly, will retire from sport to focus on his work as an IOC member, among other duties.
"It's a fantastic sport and I still love tearing down a mountain at 90mph but I am beginning to struggle with travelling the whole winter and wish to spend more time with my wife, as well as making the most of my term on the IOC," he was quoted by British media .
He was elected to the IOC as a member of the Athletes Commission at the Vancouver Olympics.
"Next on the agenda is London 2012, where I am looking forward to a fantastic spectacle that will make the nation proud. I will be hosting my IOC colleagues and so representing Britain in a very different way.
"There is ongoing and exciting work at the IOC with my fellow athletes, not to mention at WADA. I am also keen to get more involved on the British Olympic Association board, while developing a career alongside my sporting responsibilities."
Bryn Vaile, president of the British Bob Skeleton Association thanked Pengilly for his 10-year career.
"He has been part of a hugely successful programme over the past ten years that has consistently delivered World and Olympic success.
"I wish Adam every success, both in his work in sport and beyond."
Measles Warning for Olympics
The Centers for Disease Control warns Americans traveling to the 2012 Olympics that they may bring back cases of measles.
"Disease knows no borders," Rebecca Martin, director of the CDC's Global Immunization Division told USA Today. "We are concerned about Americans coming back from the Olympics this summer and unknowingly infecting others."
The daily reports that most U.S. cases of the disease come from travelers returning to the States.
Measles infections are reportedly up throughout Europe.
Written by Ann Cantrell and Ed Hula III.
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