Next stop Beijing

From next week my blog will be coming from Beijing. Although the Olympics do not begin until August 8 - the Chinese consider 8 so lucky that they planned the opening ceremony for 8pm on 08/08/08 - the week before the Games begin is always an important one in terms of sports politics. This is when meetings of the Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the wider IOC session are held, meetings which bring together the great and good from the world of sport. While it is easy to mock these gatherings as jollies for the blazer brigade, they remain the most important gathering of those who run world sports. The 115-strong IOC comprises leaders of various sports federations, assorted European and Asian royals and other individuals, sports administrators and businessmen from different countries, all of whom... [read full story]