Sarah Tait 1983 - 2016

Australian London Olympics silver-medallist rower Sarah Tait has died after a battle with cancer, aged 33.

Tait, who captained Australia’s rowing team at the Beijing Olympics and was in the women’s eight when Sally Robbins famously stopped rowing before the finish of the final in Athens 2004, was diagnosed with cervical cancer in March 2013.

The West Australian also won a gold and silver medal at the 2005 World Rowing championships, as well as a bronze in the same competition in 2011. She won her Olympic silver medal in the pairs in 2012.

Tait, who is survived by her senior national coach husband Bill and two children, stepped away from rowing in February 2014 to fight the disease.

Rowing Australia CEO, Rob Scott, paid tribute to Tait’s ability to act as a role model to both past and present athletes. “She was one of the most determined and passionate rowers in our sport and she will be deeply missed by everyone in the rowing community,” he said in a statement. “The entire Australian rowing community sends its thoughts and best wishes to Bill, the children and Sarah’s family at this tragic time.”

Scott’s views were echoed by Australian team head coach, Chris O’Brien. “Her spirit for rowing was paralleled with her dedication to her family and friends,” O’Brien said.

“Sarah was one of rowing’s most successful and impressive female athletes who has left a permanent mark on our sport. I was personally inspired by Sarah’s pursuit of success in sport and life. She will be sadly missed.”

#RIP

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French Investigate Olympic Voting

French prosecutors have widened their investigation into corruption in athletics to include the bidding and voting processes for the hosting of the 2016 and 2020 Olympics.

Lamine Diack, the former president of world governing body the IAAF, is already being investigated by French authorities.

He was arrested last year on corruption and money laundering charges, over allegations he took payments for deferring sanctions against Russian drugs cheats.

Confirming the investigation was being widened, an official from the prosecutor's office said: "We are looking at these elements, but at this stage it is a question of verification. Nothing has been proved."

Tokyo, which will host the 2020 Olympics, defended the voting process when it came under scrutiny in January.

Rio 2016 organisers said on Tuesday that the city "won the right to host the Games because it had the best project".

"The difference in the votes, 66 to 32 against Madrid, excludes any possibility of an election that could have been rigged," communications director Mario Andrada said.

Diack, 82, was head of the International Association of Athletics Federations for 16 years until he stepped down last August.

He resigned as an honorary member of the IOC in November - a day after being provisionally suspended by the organisation following the start of the French investigation.

In December, a World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) report into alleged IAAF corruption claimed Diack had been prepared to sell his vote to decide on the host city for the 2020 Games in exchange for sponsorship of IAAF events.

Diack's son Papa Massata, who was employed by his father as a marketing consultant for the IAAF, is also under investigation, and a warrant for his arrest has been issued by Interpol.

Last month, Wada investigators called for a follow-up inquiry into all World Championships awarded by the IAAF for 2009-2019 after finding evidence of possible wrongdoing.

Diack Jr has been banned for life by the IAAF but told the BBC in December he and his father were innocent of the claims against them.

Prosecutors are now looking into whether the alleged corruption could have extended to vote-rigging.

The Guardian claimed last year that - according to leaked emails - Diack Jr requested a payment of $5m from Doha in 2011, shortly before a decision was made about the city's unsuccessful bid for the 2017 World Championships. The Doha bid denies any wrongdoing.

In January, the newspaper reported he apparently arranged for "parcels" to be delivered to six IOC members in 2008, when Qatar was bidding for the 2016 Olympics, which will be hosted by Rio.

An IOC spokesman said the organisation had been in close contact with French prosecutors since the beginning of this investigation.

He added: "The IOC's chief ethics and compliance officer had already asked for the IOC to be fully informed in a timely manner of all issues that may refer to Olympic matters and has already applied to become a party to the investigations led by the French judicial authorities."

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Thorpedo Reveals Depression History

Ian Thorpe has revealed his years as a teenage swimming prodigy were affected by mental health issues.

The five-times Olympic gold medallist opened up about his struggle with depression in a blog post detailing how the illness was often at odds with the expectations of a gifted young athlete with a “boundless” future.

“I am someone who has struggled with mental health issues since I was a teen,” Thorpe said in the Huffington Post Australia piece. “From the outside, many would not see my pain nor be able to relate to the sometimes-daily struggle I was facing.

“What may appear at face value is a stark difference from the agony that lies within.”

The swimming great, who rose to international prominence with four gold medals as a 15-year-old at the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Malaysia, admitted to battling depression and alcohol use in his 2012 autobiography.

His desire to not allow the struggle with mental health issues to “define” him have driven his efforts to build resilience to the illness, revealing a burning desire to accomplish more “great things” in his life after swimming.

He also encourages others to maintain their own battles. “I believe that each of us has the ability to shape and create our own reality,” the 33-year-old said. “We may be in the grips of our depression but we do have some control over how it impacts us.

“If you concede to your illness and accept its reality you fall into the trap of not only being depressed but also taking on the depressed mindset.”

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BBC Olympics Coverage New Discovery

The BBC will broadcast the next five Olympics - Summer and Winter - on its television, radio and online platforms.

It had already secured the rights for the 2016, 2018 and 2020 Games.

Now an "innovative" partnership with Discovery Communications ensures the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing and the Summer Games two years later will also be broadcast by the corporation.

The announcement ensures the BBC will continue to be the free-to-air home of the Olympics until 2024.

"The Olympic Games is one of the nation's most treasured sporting events," said Barbara Slater, director of BBC Sport.

"This is an extensive package of rights that ensures we can offer the best of the Games, across TV, radio, online and digital, maximising the reach and impact of the BBC.

"This ground-breaking partnership also shows how the BBC can collaborate and work with others to continue to bring the very best in sport to licence fee payers."

The next four Olympics take place in Rio de Janeiro (2016), Pyeongchang (2018), Tokyo (2020) and Beijing (2022).

The venue for the 2024 Games is yet to be decided.

The 2012 Games in London were watched on the BBC by more than 50 million people in the United Kingdom.

Seven million people accessed the BBC website every day, with 111 million requests for video and more than two million people downloading the app.

UK Sport recently predicted Britain could win as many as 79 medals in Rio, where the Games begin on 5 August

Mo Farah will be attempting to win another Olympic double after taking 10,000m and 5,000m gold in London, while Jessica Ennis-Hill will defend her heptathlon crown.

"The BBC prides itself on bringing the biggest sporting moments to the public," said Tony Hall, director general of the BBC.

"I'm delighted that through our new partnership with Discovery, the BBC will continue to carry the torch for great sporting coverage right through to the 2024 Games.

"While the BBC has had to take some tough financial decisions, this partnership underlines our commitment to making world class sport available to all."

As part of the agreement, Discovery will sub-license from the BBC exclusive pay-TV rights to the 2018 and 2020 Olympic Games.

David Zaslav, president and chief executive officer of Discovery Communications, said the deal was "a win for UK sports fans".

He added: "For 30 years, our two organisations have charted new frontiers with co-production partnerships in factual and natural history programming.

"Now we join together once again to bring the most compelling stories of human ambition, sacrifice and achievement to people across the UK."

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