Summer Olympics

Monti fiddles while Rome freezes

By Duncan Mackay

Mario Monti_head_and_shoulders_February_2012February 13 - Rome's proposed campaign to host the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics is hanging in the balance tonight - less than 48 hours before the Applicant City file is due to be delivered - after confusion emerged about whether or not Italy's Prime Minister Mario Monti has a meeting scheduled tomorrow to discuss the bid.

Sambodromo venue for Rio 2016 reopens after major renovation

By Duncan Mackay

Sambodromo reopens_with_fun_runFebruary 13 - More than 1,000 athletes and Carnival revelers have taken part in a 5.5 kilometres race that marked the reopening of the Sambodromo, the stage of the Rio de Janeiro Carnival's samba school parades and venue for the archery events at the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games, as well as the start and finish for the Olympic marathon.

Turkey's "strong, stable" economy boosts Istanbul 2020 bid

By Tom Degun

istanbul 10-02-12February 10 - Istanbul's bid for the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games has received a major boost just days before the application file submission for the event after two new sets of data published underlined the huge strength and stability of the Turkish economy.

Exclusive: Tickets for 2012 School Games finals at Olympic venues set to be snapped up

By Tom Degun at the Youth Sport Trust National Conference in Telford

Sainsburys School_GamesFebruary 9 - Tickets for the conclusion of the 2012 School Games finals on May 9, which will see around 1,600 of Britain's top young sports stars compete at the Olympic Park just two months before the start of London 2012, are set to be all snapped up with just 2,499 of a possible 30,580 remaining, it has been claimed.

Government backs £125 million "biggest, longest ad for Britain"

By Mike Rowbottom at the at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport in London

GREAT Poster_in_ParisFebruary 9 - Jeremy Hunt, the Minister for Culture and Sport, has said that Britain's biggest ever international tourist campaign, which was officially launched on Thursday – with a target of gaining an extra 4.6 million extra visitors, and £2.3 billion ($3.7 billion/€2.74 billion) additional spend, over the next four years – is deliberately flying in the face of "conventional wisdom".