The Rwandan athletics coach has said his team is ready for the maiden African U-18 Youth Championships which kicked off in Warri, Nigeria from tomorrow.

Head coach Innocent Rwabuhihi told local media The New Times before the team's departure from Kigali:

    "They (athletes) have been doing well in training, and I hope they will be able to reproduce that kind of form in the competition.

    "It is their first time to compete at this level but they look confident of doing a good job. It will be a good experience for them as way of competing at the highest level."

    "I am optimistic about our chances to do well because we have prepared very well, especially the two boys have shown a strong competitiveness spirit in training," he added.

Rwanda's team of four athletes and their trainer left the country on Monday for Warri, and is expected to return on April 1.

The four athletes include two boys; Eric Turikunkiko (1500m) and Théogene Bigirimana (3000m) and two girls; Salomo Nyirarukundo (3000m) and Venantie Mukandayisenga (1500m).

The winners will qualify to compete at the IAAF World Youth Championship, which will be held in Ukraine in June.

IAAF Vice President Sergey Bubka and the Deputy Minister of Sport, Tourism and Youth Policy of the Russian Federation Pavel Kolobkov headed a joint press conference given by the IAAF and the Local Organising Committee of Moscow 2013 in the Luzhniki Stadium, the venue for the 14th IAAF World Championships on Wednesday.

Joining them in front of an audience of over 70 Russian media representatives were IAAF General Secretary Essar Gabriel, Deputy Head of Department for PE and Sport of Moscow Nickolay Gulyayev, and General Director of the Directorate for Sports and Spectacular Events of Moscow Aleksandr Polinskiy, who is also the Executive Director of the Moscow 2013 LOC.

With the sale of individual day tickets opening to the public on March 1st, the subject of the stadium spectators was a central topic.

The vast Olympic stadium is being reconfigured for the championships and will have a 50,000 capacity with 33,000 tickets available per session, once seating for VIPs, media, teams are taken into account.

Spectators can purchase the Day tickets for Moscow 2013 from the LOC ticket vendor.

The press conference was held to mark the IAAF’s latest site visit, which comes one month ahead of an IAAF Council meeting which will be hosted by Moscow.

Click here to read the full story on the IAAF website

David Lekuta Rudisha, the world 800m record-holder and London 2012 Olympic champion, from Kenya has been voted by AthleticsAfrica.Com readers as the 2012 AthleticsAfrica's (ATAF) Athlete of the Year.

Rudisha, 24, garnered 54 percent of the votes cast in our readers poll.

His third career World record time of 1:40.91 set at the London Olympics in a race the Kenyan lead from start to finish was amazing and undoubtedly the performance of 2012. 

David Rudisha's 2012 season also highlights fast times in Melbourne (1:44.33) on March 3; Doha (1:43.10) on May 11; Paris (1:41.54) on June 6; New York (1:41.74) on June 9 and at altitude in Nairobi (1:41.12) on July 21 before finishing with a second place in Zurich (1:42.81) on August 30th.

• Tirunesh DIBABA (ETHIOPIA)
• Meseret DEFAR (ETHIOPIA)
• Oscar PISTORIUS (SOUTH AFRICA)
• Stephen KIPROTICH (UGANDA)
• Taoufik MAKHLOUFI (ALGERIA)
• Tiki GELANA (ETHIOPIA)
• Ezekiel KEMBOI (KENYA)

The year 2013 will mark the 10-year anniversary of AthleticsAfrica.Com and we intend to hold a major award and a bigger competition to honour the best and finest athletes, coaches and officials from the African continent at the Athletics Africa Awards (ATAF Awards 2013)

We would like to thank all those who voted and wish all our readers a Happy New Year and a Prosperous 2013. Do remember to drop a comment whenever you pop onto our website.

As the year 2012 draws to a close, more African athletes continued to transfer their allegiances away from the continent.

According to the latest IAAF newsletter, three athletes from Morocco and Kenya will no longer compete for their country of birth as they seek greener pastures with France.

Also highly talented Abeba Aregawi, the Ethiopian 1,500m record-holder (3:56.54 set in Rome May 31, 2012) seizes to represent the African country since last week. The Ethiopian has opted to represent Sweden in international competitions.

Transfer of Allegiance - December 2012

See our original article on African drain in 2004. Not much has changed since then.

Around 95 candidates will contest for various elective posts in Athletics Namibia on Saturday 17th November 2012.

• 2 candidates for the position of President
• 12 candidates for the 4 Vice Presidents positions
• 8 candidates for the position of Secretary General
• 5 candidates for chair of Selection
• 5 candidates for chair of Veterans and Masters
• 5 candidates for chair of Road running
• 6 candidates for chair of Technical
• 6 candidates for chair of Cross Country
• 5 candidates for chair of Coaching
• 6 candidates for chair of Woman Affairs
• 9 candidates for chair of Juniors,
• 3 candidates for chair of Track and Field
• 7 candidates for chair of Development
• 5 candidates for chair of Medical and Doping
• 4 candidates for chair of Finance
• 2 candidates for chair of Officials
• 5 candidates for chair of Disciplinary

On the last day of his visit to Beijing, IAAF President Lamine Diack visited the headquarters of China Central Television (CCTV) to make a new broadcasting agreement in the world’s most populous country, China.

President Diack signed the agreement with Controller of Sports Jiang Heping in CCTV Tower, the recently completed 53 floor skyscraper that is now one of Beijing’s landmark buildings and will serve as base for 20,000 staff.

CCTV has been appointed by Dentsu Inc., the IAAF’s exclusive agency for marketing rights worldwide and for media rights outside Europe and Africa, for a six year period from 2014-2019.

The agreement covers three editions of the IAAF World Championships, which include the venues of the last two Olympic Games, Beijing 2015 and London 2017, as well as the 2019 World Championships.

CCTV will also have the right to broadcast the following events of the IAAF World Athletics Series in this period, including the IAAF World Indoor Championships, the IAAF Continental Cup, the IAAF World Junior Championships, the IAAF World Youth Championships, the IAAF World Cross Country Championships and the recently created IAAF World Relays.

IAAF President Lamine Diack said: "I am particularly pleased that this agreement will ensure that coverage of the IAAF’s most important events will not only be seen in China but by the broadest possible audience, thanks to CCTV’s status as the country’s most important free to air broadcaster. One of the key pillars of the IAAF’s commercial and sporting strategy is to fully develop the potential of our sport in Asia, and this deal is a major step in this direction."

Following a summer which saw him compete on the Olympic track eleven times across the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, South African sprinter Oscar Pistorius took part in his first ever US television chat show when he was a guest on the NBC ‘Tonight With Jay Leno’ show.

Fresh off the back of partnering with Ryder Cup hero and vice-captain Paul McGinley at the Dunhill Links golf Championships in Scotland, Oscar appeared alongside US actor Tyler Perry and the music band Plain White T’s as he reflected on a summer which saw him win two Paralympic gold and a Paralympic silver medal, break three world records and make an Olympic final.

The show was broadcast at 23:35 ET on NBC on Tuesday 09 October and is available at the following links below, including to viewers outside of the US.

• Pistorius on NBC 'Tonight with Jay Leno' PART 1
• Pistorius on NBC 'Tonight with Jay Leno' PART 2

Pistorius will be remaining in the US for the rest of the week, where his next appearance will be on the ‘Piers Morgan Tonight’ show on CNN on Friday 12 October, followed by the ‘Larry King Now’ show on HULU.com, to be broadcast at a later date.

The Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) will hold a Coaches' Forum/Clinic for all active and practicing coaches in Nigeria from Thursday 18th - Saturday 20th October 2012 at the National Institute for Sports (NIS) Multi-Purpose Hall, Surulere in Lagos.

The theme of the forum/clinic is 'Re-Equiping Nigerian Coaches for Enhanced Elite Performance'  to be led by Nigeria-born UK Athletics Coach Michael Afilaka (the coach of UK teenage sprinter and World Junior 100m champion, Adam Gemili) and IAAF Instructor Rotimi Obajimi.

A media release signed by the Secretary General of AFN, Maria Worphill stated: "This is in order to update and refresh coaches in the country and to incorporate them in the effort the Federation is making to take athletics to greater heights.

"In view of this, I am directed to invite three practicing coaches per State Athletics Association and one coach per athletics club/Military and Para Military/ Schools and Higher Institutions in Nigeria to participate at this forum."

Daily Programme of Events:

Arrival: 17th October 2012

Day 1

• 0800-1200 - Registration/accreditation of Participants.
• 1400-1530 - Opening Ceremony (Guest of Honour-Hon Minister/Chairman NSC)
• 1530-1600 - Cocktail
• 1600-1800 - Open Parlour. (Moderator to be appointed)

Day 2

• 0900-1200 - Morning Session - Maximizing Results through Identification of Elite Performance Components - A Scientific Approach (Coach Michael Afilaka - UK)
• 1200-1400 - Lunch
• 1400-1700 - Afternoon Session - Elite Athletes Management- The Coach's Perspective (Mr Rotimi Obajimi)

Day 3

• 0900-1200 - Morning Session - Contemporary Approach to Periodisation and Yearly Planning for Developing/Elite athletes (Coach Michael Afilaka-UK)
• 1200-1400 - Lunch
• 1400-1700 - Afternoon Session - Optimizing Resources to Achieving Elite Performances/Results (Dr Elias Gora)
• 1730-1800 - Closing Ceremony
• 1530-1600 - Cocktail

Departure: 21" October 2012

All participants are expected to arrive a day prior to the commencement of the coaching clinic, and must forward their intention to participate to the AFN secretariat not later than Sunday 14th October 2012.
 

A total prize purse of US$245,000 will be paid by the IAAF for the men's and women's races at the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships, Kavarna, Bulgaria, on Saturday October 6 2012.

Prize Money (all amounts are in US$)

Individual

• 1st - 30,000
• 2nd - 15,000
• 3rd - 10,000
• 4th - 7000
• 5th - 5000
• 6th - 3000

Teams

• 1st - 15,000
• 2nd - 12,000
• 3rd - 9000
• 4th - 7500
• 5th - 6000
• 6th - 3000

World record bonus

Any athlete who surpasses a World record in Kavarna will be awarded $US50,000 by the IAAF.

NOTE. The payment of all prize money is dependent upon athletes undergoing and clearing the usual anti-doping procedures.

Race Timetable

Saturday October 6, 2012 (times are local: GMT +3)

• Women’s Race - 08:30
• Men’s Race - 11:00

(IAAF)

The US is the world’s marketing centre. It is the epicentre of brand marketing, where iconic brands that transcends borders have emerged. Americans tend to create iconic images or become icons themselves.

Great examples abound: Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Tiger Woods, Mohammed Ali, and counting. But not at London 2012. The US track athletes, especially the men folks, failed to gain global fans beyond their own partisan supporters who came to cheer their team up to victory.

It looks as though America’s dominance in athletics is not only lost on the track; curtailed by Usain Bolt and his imperial team of class act athletes, but also in terms of brand iconism in general where the US has led since the beginning of capitalism - whenever that is.

The ‘lightning bolt’ and the ‘mobot’ celebratory acts performed by Usain Bolt and Mo Farah respectively in London 2012 could be located in brand theory. In brand marketing leading brands have symbols that contribute to their recall and marketability in general.

The marketing literature shows that customers use signs and symbols of product as cognitive short cuts to recall and make purchase decisions.

Brand symbols, they say, act as simplifiers, aiding the customer to reduce dependence on detailed product information in the facilitation of the choice process.

When Sidney Levy wrote ‘Symbols for Sale’ he noted that ‘people buy products not only for what they can do, but also for what they mean’. This means not only performance matters, style adds to likeability and recall. Symbols enable us to remember the world.

They cause us to think of something beyond the impression the thing itself makes upon our senses. This seems to be the missing link for the American track athletes in London 2012.

Fans-linking capabilities as strategy for engaging global fans in a long-term, close-up relationship is missing in the American team. Something that we can safely say that Usain Bolt and Yohan Blake of Jamaica, and Mo Farah of Great Britain took for granted in London 2012 with their celebratory acts.

Although performance is the most crucial, especially in sports, we should also remember that humans are generally susceptibility to imagery. Hence the ability to connect both performance and acts that enable recall of that performance decades to come is also important. You could argue that performance itself is the act that should generate the recall, and without which any celebratory act is meaningless.

True, but we should also remember that as mere fans we may not have the opportunity, or the capability to recreate these great performances. For example, we all recall the dominance of the great Mohammed Ali in boxing with one thing, the ‘Ali Shuffle,’ which might be the only great moment that ordinary fans of the great man can recreate anywhere outside the ring although there are other great moments associated with Ali.

In athletics, I cannot recall any unique celebratory act associated with US track athletes. They all tend to be serious minded before a race, and the usual jumping and air punching when they have won.

The point is we as mere fans might not be able to recreate Usain Bolt’s speed and Mo Farah’s endurance on the track, but we have the opportunity to recreate the ‘lightning bolt’ and the ‘mobot’ signs anywhere we find ourselves in recalling the great moments of London 2012.

Same could not be said of the US athletes, not even when Aries Merritt won the 110m hurdles. From these thoughts it seems not only should the US go back to the drawing board on performance but also on likeability and recall of their athletes else they drop into the grave of oblivion.

Today AthleticsAfrica.Com is Eight !!!

Eight years of putting Africa at the forefront of world track and field discussions.

Eight years of braving the odds, with limited sponsorships, to promote African athletes both at home and in the diaspora.

Eight years of jumping from one meet to the other across Europe and the African continent to bring the best of African athletics to your desktop.

In those eight years, others have joined, new sites and news outlets have come up and together we would continue to push African Athletics content further to reach more audiences.

We could not have done this without your loyal readership, assistance and support, Thank you!

So, as we celebrate our 8th year anniversary, we'd like to crave your indulgence not to forget us and to continue to support us in 2013 and beyond.

Thank you once again as you continue to show your love and support for our work and efforts and together we can do more!

God bless you all.

Yours Sincerely,

Yomi Omogbeja
Editor

Shortly after being named in the South Africa's individual men's 400m and 4x400m relay to the London 2012 Olympic Games, Oscar Pistorius, also called the Blade Runner, released a media statement on his website.

Pistorius said on Wednesday: "Today is truly one of the proudest days of my life. To have been selected to represent Team South Africa at the London 2012 Olympic Games in the individual 400m and the 4x400m relay is a real honour and I am so pleased that years of hard work, determination and sacrifice have all come together.

"I have run two Olympic 'A' standard times over the past twelve months and with the time I ran at the African Championships last week I know my speed and fitness are constantly improving so that I will peak in time for the Olympics.

"I have a phenomenal team behind me who have helped get me here and I, along with them, will now put everything we can into the final few weeks of preparations before the Olympic Games where I am aiming to race well, work well through the rounds, post good times and maybe even a personal best time on the biggest stage of them all.

"I am also hugely excited to then be competing to defend my three Paralympic titles at the Paralympic Games. I believe will see some amazing times posted and I am very much looking forward to what will be an incredible Olympics and Paralympics in London."

Some of the African champions and star athletes to watch out for at the 18th African Senior Athletics Championships which begin on Tuesday June 26 at the Stade d’Lamite in Port Novo, Benin Republic.

• Amantle Montsho (BOT)

Amantle Montsho (born July 4, 1983) is a female sprinter from Botswana who specializes in the 400 metres and is the first Botswana woman athlete to reach elite world level. Montsho is the reigning World Champion over the 400m, winning in a personal best time of 49.56 in Daegu, Korea in 2011.

A two-time African Championships gold medallist over 400 m, she has also won gold medals in the event at the 2007 All-Africa Games, the 2010 IAAF Continental Cup and the 2010 Commonwealth Games. Her Commonwealth win made her Botswana's first ever gold medallist of the games.

Her personal best times are 11.60 seconds in the 100 m, 22.94 seconds in the 200 metres and 49.56 seconds in the 400 m. She trains at the High Performance Training Centre in Dakar, Senegal. She holds the national record for the 400 m both indoors and outdoors.

She also won the silver medal at the 2006 African Championships and finished fifth in the 200 metres at the 2007 All-Africa Games.

At the 2006 IAAF World Cup she finished sixth with the African 4x400 metres relay team. She ran a personal best and Botswanan record of 49.83 seconds to win at the 2008 African Championships in Athletics. She finished fourth (52.53secs) at the 2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships: having set indoor national records in the heats and semi-finals.

• Blessing Okagbare (NGR)

Blessing Okagbare (born 9 October 1988) is a Nigerian Long & Triple jumper and short sprinter.

Okagbare is the reigning African sprint champion from Nairobi 2010 and this season sets new personal bests in the 200m (22.63 at the PreClassic in Eugene early this month ) and the Long Jump (6.97m) at the Nigerian Olympic Trials last week in Calabar.

In 2010, Okagbare achieved the 100m/Long Jump double at the NCAA Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championship and completed an undefeated collegiate streak. She won the Nigerian 100m title running a time of 11.04 seconds in Calabar and comes to Benin with a PB of 11.00 secs achieve at the Aviva London Grand Prix in Crystal Palace in August.

• Sunette Viljoen (RSA)

Sunette Viljoen (born 6 October 1983) is a South African javelin thrower, who has won gold at the Commonwealth Games and African Championships. She won gold at the 2009 Summer Universiade in Belgrade, throwing 62.52m, but had earlier in qualifying set a new African record 65.46 metres.

On June 14, 2010 she improved her African record with 66.38m at the Josef Odložil Memorial in Prague.

She went on to win bronze at the IAAF World Championships in Daegu, Korea on 2 September 2011. With a throw of 68.38m, she also set a new African Record.

Again on June 9, 2012 she improved her own African record to 69.35m at the Adidas Grand Prix in New York City.

• Ajoke Odumosu (NGR)

Ajoke Muizat Odumosu is a Nigerian 400m/400m hurdles athlete and national record holder. This season, she had ran 55.36 to win the Rabat Meeting International Mohammed VII d'Athlétisme de Rabat and 55.20 to place fifth at the Rome Golden Gala in May.

Odumosu defeated Beijing Olympics 400m hurdles champion, Melanie Walker (55.66 to 55.96 secs) at the Grande Prêmio Caixa Maringá de Atletismo in Maringa, Brazil in June 2010.

Also in 2010, she won the gold medal in the 400 metres hurdles at the Commonwealth Games, and was runner-up at the African Championships in Nairobi and also took a silver medal for Africa at the Continental Cup. She holds the Nigerian record in the 400m hurdles with a personal best of 54.59 seconds.

• Godfrey Khotso Mokoena (RSA)

Godfrey Khotso Mokoena (born March 6, 1985 in Heidelberg, South Africa) is a South African athlete who specializes in the long jump and triple jump. In July 2009 he set a new African record in long jump, 8.50m in Madrid in an IAAF Super Grand Prix meeting where he finished second behind Fabrice Lapierre. The previous African record, 8.46, was held by Cheikh Toure of Senegal and set in 1997.

To be continued........

(Additonal information from Wikipedia)

More than sixty-one entries have been received from over 20 countries to participate at this year’s Warri Relay and CAA Athletics Grand Prix holding today, Thursday, June 14, in Warri, Delta State of Nigeria.

Some of the countries where these athletes are coming from include; USA, Jamaica, Bahamas, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Vincent, Egypt, Cameroon, Botswana, Morocco, Algeria, Senegal, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Kenya, Ethiopia, Liberia and Uganda.

According to the Coordinator of the Meet, Yusuf Alli, most of the athletes expected at the one-day event have started arriving Nigeria with the last batch scheduled to coming into town Wednesday.

“We are almost set to have a good Meet in Warri on Thursday, June 14. Most of the athletes we are expecting have arrived and the rest will be coming on Wednesday afternoon,” observed the former captain of Team Nigeria.

Amongst the athletes expected to give Nigeria’s contingent a good fight is Ghana’s Vida Anim. The former African women sprint champion is hoping to return to relevance again after a spate of injuries slowed her progression. Cameroonian Delphine Atangana is also expected to compete in the 100m along with Lakadrin Ivey (USA), Lahsawandra Ratcitt(USA) and Tameka Williams of St. Kitts.

Nigerian female sprinters like Lauretta Ozoh, Agnes Osazuwa and Endurance Abinuwa are all in town from the United States to compete at the Meet. Only top runners like Blessing Okagbare, Gloria Asumnu and Damola Osayomi who have races abroad same weekend may not be able to make it to Warri.

In the male category, all the top sprinters and quarter milers from Nigeria’s training camp in Atlanta, USA, have confirmed their willingness to race in Warri on Thursday.

Below is the list of athletes who have confirmed their participation at the Warri Meet
Name Country Gender Event Departing from
1. Gibrilla Pato Sierra lone Male 100m London
2. Amr Sequid Egypt Male 100m Cairo
3. Antoine Adams St. Kitts& Nevis Male 100m Houston
4. Christopher Williams Jamaica Male 100m LAX
5. Tameka Williams St. Kitts Female 100m
6. Delphine Atngana Cameroon Female 100m Parris
7. Anim Vida Ghana Female 100m
8. Lakadrin Ivey USA Female 100m
9. Phobay Kutu-Akoi Liberia Female 100m Dallas TX , USA
10. Iahsawandra Ratcitt USA Female 100m
11. Manteo Mitchell USA Male 400m
12. Obakeng Ngwigwa BOT Male 400m Frankfurt
13. Marvin Lewis Liberia Male 400m USA
14. Isaac Makwala BOT Male 400m Frankfurt
15. Ndeye Fatou Soumah Senegal Female 400m Dakar
16. Patricial Hall Jamaica Female 400m Houston
17. Cache Armbrister Bahamas Female 400m Atlanta
18. Kineke Alexander St. Vincent Female 400m Houston
19. Angele Cooper Liberia Female 400mh Austin, TX (USA)
20. Houria Moussa Algeria Female 400mh Brazaville
21. Mame Fatou Faye Senegal Female 400mh Dakar
22. Kou Luogon Liberia Female 400mh Greensboro NC USA
23. Raasin Mclintos Liberia Female 400mh Austin TX
24. Nicole Denby USA Female 100mh
25. Gnima Faye Senegal Female 100mh Dakar
26. Marie Michel USA Female HJ
27. Jerome Milla USA Male 110mh
28. Muhamed Fathllah Egypt Male LJ Cairo
29. Randall Flimmons USA Male LJ Atlanta
30. Ignitius Gaisah Ghana Male LJ
31. Fatimoh Muhammed Liberia Female 400m Los Angeles CA
32. Abdelhakim Mlaab Morocco Male LJ Casablanca
33. Muhammed Bensghi Morocco Male 1500m Casablanca
34. Baisa Ktesa Ethiopia Male 1500m Addis Ababa
35. Gideon Makeka Kenya Male 1500m Nairobi
36. Nicolas Kipchumbia Kenya Male 1500m Brazzaville
37. Legese Lamiso Ethiopia Male S/C Addis Ababa
38. Caleb Ngetich Kenya Male S/C Nairobi
39. Timothy Toroitich Uganda Male S/C Brazzaville
40. Peter Bomo Kenya Male S/C Nairobi
41. Bahmad Abdelghani Morocco Male S/C Casablanca
42. Gerezine Gebremariam Ethiopia Female 800m Addis Ababa
43. Khadija El Moussaoui Morocco Female 800m Casablanca
44. Jane Jalagat Kenya Female 800m Nairobi
45. Mantegbosh Mlese Ethiopia Female 800m Addis Ababa
46. Miata Morlu Liberia Female relay Charlotte, NC (USA)
47. Grace Dinkins USA Female Manager Los Angeles, CA (USA)

See Startlist:

Want to become better acquainted with your favourite Olympians? Tired of not knowing if the athletes you are following online are the real deal? Looking for a unified status-update stream that integrates Facebook and Twitter so you can get the entire conversation and not just part of it? If you said yes to any or all of these questions, then the Olympic Athletes’ Hub is the place for you.

Officially launched online this week to coincide with 100 days to go to London 2012, the Hub is the latest initiative by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to make the Olympic experience more personal and interactive for Olympic fans worldwide by substantially increasing engagement between them and the athletes.

The Hub is a searchable directory of Olympians that provides posts from their Facebook and Twitter accounts and other information designed to connect people with their favourite athletes. Using the Hub’s search function, users can effortlessly locate athletes by country or by sport. Over 1,000 verified Olympians have already joined the Hub, and the number will continue to grow as the countdown to London 2012 continues and word of the Hub spreads.

Fans can unlock secret training tips from Olympic legends, including Nadia Comaneci (gymnastics, ROM), Edwin Moses (athletics, USA), Mark Spitz (swimming, USA), Yelena Isinbayeva (athletics, RUS) and Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean (figure skating, GBR). The more athletes users “like” on Facebook or follow on Twitter through the site, the more points they receive, accumulating prizes such as virtual gold, silver and bronze medals from past Olympic Games in the process. Many other prizes will also be awarded on the road to London 2012.

During the London 2012 Olympic Games, a special section will be created on the Hub where users can view in real time what the athletes competing at the Games are saying on social media sites. In addition, for the first time ever at the Olympic Games, chats with athletes will take place from within the Athletes’ Village, connecting fans and Olympians in real time.

“The Olympic Athletes’ Hub was born out of our desire to connect Olympic athletes and their fans more intimately than ever before,” said Alex Huot, Head of Social Media for the IOC. “With the launch of the Hub, we are creating a paradigm shift in the communication around the Olympic Games, and we are excited to offer this opportunity for greater engagement and interaction between Olympians and their fans.”