October 15 – Brazil’s Fabiana Murer, the newly-crowned world pole vault champion, is to renew her rivalry with Yelena Isinbayeva – this time off the track after she was unveiled as the latest ambassador backing London’s campaign to host the 2017 World Athletics Championships.

Murer, 30, succeeded Isinbayeva as world champion in Daegu in August and the two will now head-to-head again because the Russian is backing Doha’s bid to host the 2017 Championships.

Murer is the latest high-profile foreign athlete to come out in support of London, joining Ethiopia’s double Olympic 10,000 metres champions Haile Gebrselassie and Kenenisa Bekele, Jamaica’s former 100m world record holder Asafa Powell and America’s Jesse Williams, the new world high jump champion, who is another new ambassador.

As members of the London 2017 Athlete Commission chaired by British Olympic gold medallists Denise Lewis and Jason Gardener, Williams and Murer will draw on their experience as world-class athletes to provide the bid team with personal insight into optimising all aspects of the athlete experience at a World Championships.

read more http://www.insidethegames.biz/sports/summer/athletics/14567-top-pole-vaulters-go-head-to-head-in-battle-for-2017-world-championships

October 14 – Neither the security fears, construction delays nor the tail end of Hurricane Jova that has caused heavy rainfall across Guadalajara over the past week could prevent the Mexican city from hosting a quite spectacular Opening Ceremony for the 2011 Pan American Games here at the 50,000 capacity Omnilife Stadium.

Even the rain, which had dominated the build-up to the event, stopped failing as the sun came out for an event attended number of high-profile dignitaries, including International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Jacques Rogge and the Mexican President Felipe Calderón.

It was Calderón who officially opened the competition at the conclusion of the Ceremony as he took centre stage on the podium and declared in Spanish: “With the certainty that these Games symbolise a fraternal union, peace and the prosperity that we wish for all people of the Americas; I solemnly open the 16th Pan American Games.”

The Opening Ceremony had been in doubt even 24 hours before it was scheduled to take place because of the heavy rain in the week but that was not at all evident as a variety of electric performances continuously bought a deafening and passionate Mexican crowd to their feet.

A colourful dance began proceedings with Mexican vaqueros – or cowboys – riding their horses at a quick gallop around the centre of the Omnilife Stadium.

It was shortly after that the parade of the 42 nations began.

read more http://www.insidethegames.biz/latest/14564-pan-american-games-open-in-guadalajara-with-spectacular-ceremony

Family and friends are mourning the death of Grass Valley native Aaron Joseph Weiss, 31, whom they described as an “exceptional” person who looked forward to becoming a father next month.

Weiss was among two people who died in an accident on Highway 70 late Thursday in Plumas County, the California Highway Patrol reported.

Weiss, who was living in Paradise, Calif., is the son of Dwight and Debbie Weiss; Dwight Weiss and his brother, Marty Weiss, own Weiss Bros. Nursery in Grass Valley’s Glenbrook Basin.

He graduated from Nevada Union High School in 1999 after competing in track and field, especially in the pole vault, cousin Adam Weiss told The Union.

He later graduated from California State University, Chico, where he met the woman who would become his wife, Lisa Weiss. The couple is expecting their first child in November, Adam Weiss said.

Aaron Weiss and Ryan Miles, 29, of Chico, both drowned shortly before 4:30 p.m. Thursday when the blue Ford F550 Miles was driving —

read more http://www.theunion.com/article/20111015/NEWS/111019839/1001&parentprofile=1053