Canadian diving team finalized for the Olympic Games.
(Canadian Sport News)

WINNIPEG- The Olympic Trials were held this weekend to determine who would compete for Canada in diving this summer in Athens. The final list includes Alexandre Despatie and Philippe Comtois of Laval, Que, and Christopher Kalec of Montreal for the men. On the women's side it's Emilie Heymans of St-Lambert, Que., Blythe Hartley of North Vancouver and Myriam Boileau of Pointe-Claire, Que.

On Sunday on men’s three-metre, Despatie, ranked number-one in the world, won the gold medal posting a Canadian record score. The highlight was four perfect 10’s from the judges on his third dive, a reverse three and half. ‘’I made hardly any errors it was one of my best showings no doubt,’’ said Despatie, 18, who also won the 10-metre event on Friday. ‘’I was really happy to get the big marks on the reverse dive. It’s one of my hardest dives and I had been having some trouble with it of late.

Comtois also enjoyed one his best ever performances finishing second, also a personal best score. Comtois made the 1996 Olympic team but in 2000 a serious leg injury crushed his hopes to compete in Sydney and nearly ended his career. ‘’It was an extraordinary day,’’ said Comtois, 27, who has been battling a very sore shoulder this week.

Arturo Miranda of Pointe-Claire was third.

On women’s tower, Heymans, the world champion in the event, executed three fantastic dives and two subpar ones in the final for the win. Boileau gained the second Olympic spot while Marie-Eve Marleau of Montreal was third. ‘’I’m glad it’s over,’’ said Heymans, who also qualified on three-metres on Friday. ‘’I’d like to have those two dives back, I wasn’t happy about that.
It’s a reminder that I have to keep working hard in training for the Olympics. I have to arrive in Athens and perform to the very best of my abilities.’’

Boileau has been one of Canada’s top international divers for 10 years. But she fell short in landing Olympic berths in 1996 and 2000. Plus she had a major setback in 2002 when she underwent back surgery. ‘’With all the work I’ve put in the sport in my life there was no way I was going to give up on my Olympic dream. Today I was rewarded.’’ said Boileau.

Gymnastics announces athletes that will vie for Olympic berths in next month.
(Gymnastics Canada release)

Gymnastics Canada is pleased to announce the pool of athletes selected for the Final Olympic Trials for Athens 2004 in Artistic Gymnastics:

Women’s Artistic Gymnastics:

Kylie Stone, Stampede City Gymnastics Club, Calgary, AB,
Coaches/entraîneurs: Stephania, Horia and Steve Iliesu
Melanie Banville and Heather Purnell, Ottawa Gymnastics Centre, Ottawa, ON Coaches/ entraîneurs: Lori Ierullo and Tobie Gorman
Amelie Plante, Gymnix, Montreal, QC Coaches/ entraîneurs: Francine Bouffard, Josee Cyr and Claude Pelletier
Laura-Ann Chong and Kate Richardson, Abbotsford Twisters, Abbotsford, BC Coaches/ entraîneurs: David Kenwright, Bing Zhao and Valorie Kondos
Marci Bernholtz and Danielle Hicks, Academy of Sport & Fitness, Richmond, ON Coaches/ entraîneurs: Paula Johnson and Brenda Madder
Jennifer Simbhudas, Winstonettes Gymnastics Association, Markham, ON
Coaches/ entraîneurs: Liudmilla Korolenko and Tatiana Frolova
Gael Mackie, Omega Gymnastics Club, Port Coquitlam, BC
Coaches/ entraîneurs: Svetlana Lashina and Vladimir Lashin

The Final Women’s Artistic Gymnastics Olympic Trials are scheduled July 10-11 at Seneca College/Sport Seneca, Toronto, ON

Men’s Artistic Gymnastics:
David Kikuchi, Halifax Alta Gym Club, Halifax, NS Coach/ entraîneurs: Tak Kikuchi
Grant Golding and Nathan Gafuik, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB Coach/ entraîneurs: Tony Smith
Kyle Shewfelt, Altadore Gymnastics Club, Calgary, AB Coach/ entraîneurs: Kelly Manjak
Alexander Jeltkov, Centre National Montreal, Montreal, QC Coach/ entraîneurs: Alexey Kirillov
Casey Sandey, Burlington BG’s, Burlington, ON Coach/ entraîneurs: Vladimir Somsikov
Adam Wong, Calgary Gymnastics Centre, Calgary, AB
Coach/ entraîneurs: Mark Van Wyk
Brandon O’Neill, Capital city Gym Club, Edmonton, AB
Coach/ entraîneurs: Liang Cheng
Ken Ikeda and Richard Ikeda, Twisters Gym Club, Abbotsford, BC
Coach/ entraîneurs: Mits Ikeda

The Final Men’s Artistic Gymnastics Olympic Trials are scheduled July 10-11 at the University of Calgary, Calgary, AB

Canada's Felicien takes silver at Seville Grand Prix.
(CBC SPORTS ONLINE)

Perdita Felicien of Pickering, Ont., a medal favourite for the Athens Olympics this summer, captured the silver medal in the 100-metre hurdles at the Seville Grand Prix on Saturday.

Felicien, the defending world indoor and outdoor champion in the hurdles, finished in a time just off her season's best so far. Delloreen Ennis-London of Jamaica was the winner, while Glory Alozie of Spain took third. Angela Whyte of Edmonton was eighth.

Jason Tunks of London, Ont., finished eighth in the men's discus. Gerd Kanter of Estonia won, Mario Pestano of Spain took second, while Hungarian Joltan Kovago finished third.

Seville was the fourth stop on the IAAF Grand Prix circuit. Felicien will
compete in the Golden Spike meet in Ostrava, Czech Republic on Tuesday.

Canada tops U.S. to win under-19 soccer tourney.
(CBC SPORTS ONLINE)

Josee Belanger scored with two minutes to play in the second overtime as Canada defeated the United States 2-1 Sunday in the final of the under-19 CONCACAF qualifying tournament in Ottawa.

The victory means Canada will hold the one of top four seeds at the FIFA under-19 world championship this November in Thailand. The Americans also qualify for the world championship as the second seed from the North and Central American and Caribbean region. "This is a big, big plus in the draw," said Canadian coach Ian Bridge, whose team now avoids powerhouses Brazil and UEFA's No. 1 team (expected to be Germany) as well as the U.S. through the tournament's opening round. "But bragging rights are pretty good, too. This is the first time I've beaten (the Americans) and the under-19 team's first time as well."

Belanger, of Coaticook, Que., headed in a long free kick from Kara Lang of Oakville, Ont., in the 118th minute to send the crowd of 3,300 at Frank Clair Stadium to its feet. "Normally it's not me, I'm (usually) at the near post, but this time I was too tired to go there," said Belanger. "I just jumped for it."

Aysha Jamani of Calgary scored her team-high fifth goal of the tournament to give Canada the lead in the third minute, but Kerri Hanks buried her tournament-best 10th goal in the 42nd minute to tie the match for the U.S.

Sunday's win was a little revenge for the Canadians, who have experienced some heartbreaking results against the Americans over the last few years. At the under-19 world championship two years ago in Edmonton, the U.S. edged Canada 1-0 in overtime to take the inaugural title and at last summer's women's World Cup, the Americans edged the Canadians in the bronze medal game.

Canadian defender Emily Zurrer of Crofton, B.C., was named most valuable player of the tournament. The 16-year-old had three goals in the tournament – all headers off corner kicks. Stacey Van Boxmeer of Collingwood, Ont., was named the tournament's top goaltender. Van Boxmeer, along with Canada's back four of Lang, Zurrer, Katie Radchuck of Halifax and Sari Raber of Richmond, B.C., allowed just one goal over five games in the tournament – the lone marker was Hanks' on Sunday.

Earlier in the day, Costa Rica defeated Mexico 4-3 in the third-place match.

Canada’s Rick Say wins gold at Mare Nostrum swimming meet.
(Canadian Sport News)

CANET, France- Rick Say of Victoria delivered a promising gold medal performance in the men’s 200-metre freestyle on Sunday to conclude the second stop on the Mare Nostrum swimming circuit.

Say, seventh in the event at the 2000 Olympics, clocked the third fastest time in his career and just a half-second off his Canadian record set two years ago at the Pan Pacific Swim Championships. The other occasion he swam faster was in the semifinal at the Sydney Games.

Andrei Kapralov of Russia was second and his compatriot Maxim Kuznetsov was third. ‘’The difference this year is I’m doing all the little things a lot better,’’ said Say. ‘’I’m making every stroke count. It’s very promising and a big confidence boost since I wasn’t even tapered or shaved for this meet. I got a time today I couldn’t reach fully prepared last year.’’

Rising international star Brittany Reimer of Surrey, B.C., was busy placing fourth in the women’s 400 freestyle and fifth in the 200 freestyle.

In the women’s 200-metre individual medley, Olympic champion Yana Klochkova of the Ukraine remained undefeated on the tour with the win while Beatrice Caslaru of Romania was second, Johanna Maranhao Melo of Brazil third and Joanne Malar of Calgary fourth.

Audrey Lacroix of Montreal was also fourth in the women’s 100 butterfly, Michel Boulianne of Montreal seventh in the men’s 100 breaststroke and Riley Janes of Victoria was eighth in the men’s 50 freestyle.

The same Canadian group competes at the third stop this Wednesday and Thursday in Barcelona.

Helen Hennick wins silver medal at University World Championships.
(Coach Leigh Vierling)

Six weeks after winning her first Senior National Gold medal Helen Hennick won a Silver Medal at the University World Championship in Lotz Poland this past weekend.

Hennick Lost in the final to Former Senior World Champion Ayako Shoda of Japan. Hennick had a strong tournament which included wins over Enkheke Gereltseteg of Mongolia, Christi Evangelia of Greece, and Lusine Arystamyan of Russia. The Silver Medal is Hennick's first world level medal and helped Team canada to a strong fourth place finish overall in the Championships. Hennick will attend the Summer Olympic Games this August as Christine Nordhagen's Training Partner in preparation for the Olympic Competition.

Breanne Graham had to settle for a bronze medal after losing to Marcie Vandusen of the U.S. in her pool earlier in the competition. Vandusen was the eventual gold medalist of the event. Graham re-grouped from the loss and came up with wins over Arleta Walkuska of Poland, Sayuri Tatemoto of Japan, and in the branze medal final defeated Shu-fang Chuang of Chinese Taipei. The bronze medal was Graham's third World level medal, having previously won two Junior World Bronze Medals.

Roof for Athens Olympic stadium completed.
(Canadian Press)

This is what the International Olympic Committee and Athens Olympic organizers have been waiting to see for months: the main section of a steel-and-glass roof for the main Olympic stadium in Athens finished sliding into place Friday.

The 75,000-seat stadium, the showcase facility for the Aug. 13-29 games in Greece, has been the focus of intense scrutiny over the past few months because of incessant delays. The International Olympic Committee had expressed its concern that the roof would not be ready early enough to hold test events in the stadium.

However, the roof was slid into place Friday, alleviating those fears. "We are finished," Costas Mathiopoulos, a representative of the Aktor construction company said. "The sliding of the roof into place over the stadium is more than just an incredible feat of engineering. It is a symbol to the outside world of the progress that has been made," Denis Oswald, the IOC official overseeing Athens' preparations, said recently.

All that remains to be done on the roof is connecting the arches making up the roof of the stadium, said Mathiopoulos, adding that engineers left a 20-centimetre gap between the two arches so they can be precisely fastened together.

The 15,470-tonne steel-and-glass roof had to be ready by the end of June to allow crews to finish work on the remainder of the stadium complex. Work on the stadium, however, is not yet completed. The arches still have to be painted, the roof's synthetic glass panels need to be put into place and the bases that were used to assemble the arches have to be removed.

Plenty of tickets available for Games.
(By James Christie- Reuters/The Globe and Mail)

What if they held the Olympics and nobody came?

With only 10 weeks until the first soccer ball is kicked to begin play at the Athens Olympics, more than half of the tickets for the Games are unsold. Corporate sponsors are buying far fewer seats than they did in Sydney, organizers say.

Security concerns could be holding back spectators from travelling, particularly from the United States. "In Sydney, there were 120 sponsors," marketing director George Bolos said. "We have 35. So every sponsor is buying about 3,000 tickets, 4,000 tickets. . . . That makes a huge difference at the end of the day."

He predicted that stadiums will be at least 75 per cent filled. Tickets prices also have been kept modest to attract spectators in one of the European Union's poorest countries. Organizers hope the traditional pattern of Greeks doing things at the last minute will fill some of the seats. The revenue goal is within reach, even with slow sales, they said.

A total of 5.3 million tickets was set aside for Athens -- three million for the public and 2.3 million for International Olympic Committee officials, sponsors and others. Only 1.83 million tickets have been sold. The most popular sports event is sailing on Aug. 19, which is 99 per cent sold.

The track and field session on Aug. 26 is 97 per cent sold for the 200 metres, which is expected to feature Greek favourite and Olympic defending champion Costas Kenderis.

Canada's diminishing voice doesn't worry amateur groups.
(By JAMES CHRISTIE - The Globe and Mail)

Four years ago, Canada had one of the biggest presences on the International Olympic Committee, with five members, including a powerful vice-president, Richard Pound. By the end of this year, through terms running out and the death of one member, the country may be down to a single voice at the table.

The Olympic Games are coming to Vancouver in 2010, and it seems Canada's impact has shrunk drastically, but Olympic officials in the country say they are not worried because Canadians influence sport in a number of other roles. "We have four heads of international sport federations who are Canadians, and they are the bodies who actually run the sport events of the Games," said Chris Rudge, the chief executive officer of the Canadian Olympic Committee.

"There are fewer permanent IOC members since reforms were brought in. Most of the strength is going to be with the international federations and national Olympic committees. We'd like to see Canada retain some degree of strength in the IOC, but it's not crucial to the success of sport."

In 2000, Canada hit its peak as a presence in the IOC: Pound was the chief marketer and salesman of the television rights, which brought billions into the IOC coffers. Carol Anne Letheren was not only an IOC member but also the chief executive officer of the old Canadian Olympic Association. Bob Steadward was on the IOC as the founding president of the International Paralympic Committee, who got sport for athletes with disabilities hooked into the Olympic circuit. Paul Henderson, who had led Toronto's 1996 Olympic bid, was back on stage as the president of the International Sailing Federation. Charmaine Crooks, an Olympic track medalist in 1984, was elected as an athlete member after anti-corruption reforms were implemented in 1999.

But Letheren died of an aneurysm in 2001. Steadward stepped down as the Paralympics chief the same year. Crooks's term as the athlete representative will be over at the end of the Olympic cycle in Athens. Henderson will step down as sailing's president in November.

Pound is now a regular IOC member, no longer on the executive board. His major portfolio is as the chairman of the World Anti-Doping Agency, an important job in rescuing the integrity of sport, but at arm's-length from the IOC. He had a run at the IOC presidency in 2001 when Juan Antonio Samaranch finally retired after two decades at the head of the IOC. Pound appeared to have the best track record of all the candidates and had devised the marketing scheme that turned the Olympics into an economic giant in the sport world, and he had been placed in charge of the investigation of corruption in the Salt Lake bid process.

But the IOC stayed Eurocentric, opting for Samaranch's favoured member, Jacques Rogge of Belgium, as his successor. Pound resigned all his marketing duties and wrote to sponsors that he could no longer ensure the IOC would follow through on policies he had set in motion, "and unfortunately that burned his bridges," an IOC member said.

The IOC recently cut ties with the marketing team it had used in recent years, but there is no move to bring Pound back into the mix, despite his history of success. "When I resigned the position in 2001, it was as if I had fallen off the planet, and I have never been approached for any advice or counsel," Pound said. "There's nothing you can do about the lessening voice of Canada in the IOC," Henderson said. "That's the new rules."

He said three other Canadians who head up international federations might be encouraged to move up and seek IOC positions -- Bob Storey of the International Bobsleigh and Tobogganing Federation, Les McDonald of the International Triathlon Union and Adham Sharara of the International Table Tennis Federation. "We need Canadians to be strong in federation and on the IOC," Henderson said. "Otherwise, I don't think there will be any federation presidents from outside Europe in a few years."

John Furlong, the chief executive officer of the Vancouver Olympic organizing committee, said the COC will put forward Olympic champion wrestler Daniel Igali as a candidate to become an athlete IOC member, taking the place of Crooks. Igali has the added appeal to athlete voters of having come from the Third World, a Nigerian by birth. "It's always very positive to have IOC members in your home country," Furlong said. "With two coming off this year, we have out fingers crossed. We're optimistic for Daniel. He's a living example of what the Olympic movement set out to foster. "Canadians are highly respected in the Olympic movement, even those who aren't members."

Jack Neumann named to Hall of Fame.

Jack Neumann of the University of Calgary has been named to the College Sports Information Directors of America Hall of Fame.

Neumann has been the sports information director at the U of C since 1978 and is well known for his passionate dedication to university sport. In 2000, he received the Calgary Booster Club’s Leadership Award, as well as the U of C Dinos Football Fifth Quarter Distinguished Service Award. He also earned that group’s Award of Merit in 1988.

He’ll be inducted into the CoSIDA Hall of Fame on June 30, during the organization’s annual workshop in Calgary.