International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Jacques Rogge hailed the “excellent level” of the llth World Congress “Sports for All” organized by the Havana government, which ended Friday. Raul Castro, acting head of Cuba’s government, greeted Rogge and both leaders exchanged views on the challenges the international Olympic movement and the Cuban movement have to face in the middle of a complex modern world. Castro reaffirmed Cuba’s support for the battle against doping and any other form of cheating.
Oliver Stone will helm a five-minute promo about the joys and delights of Beijing ahead of the Beijing 2008 Summer Games, said organizers. The five-minute film to promote “cultural exchange between Beijing and the world” will be shown on television, in cinemas and on aircraft.
Scotland’s Sports Minister Patricia Ferguson has admitted that Scotland’s 2014 Commonwealth games bid faces “issues” over the shooting event. Pistol events are an essential ingredient in the Commonwealth and Olympic Games, but Britain’s strict gun laws prohibit the use of such firearms in public venues. She told the BBC Radio Scotland, “there are obviously issues around the country about shooting, with the kind of incidents that we’ve seen happen here”.
