Posted: October 2, 2004

Athletics: Fredericks Named To IOC Evaluation Commission

By Bob Ramsak, Track Profile

(c) 2004 Track Profile all rights reserved TrackProfile.com

Just a week after finishing his series of farewell races, four-time Olympic silver medallist Frank Fredericks of Namibia was appointed to the Evaluation Commission of the International Olympic Committee that will visit the five 2012 candidate cities for the Summer Olympic Games, the IOC announced today.

Fredericks, who celebrates his 37th birthday tomorrow, was elected to the IOC Athletes' Commission in Athens in August just before finishing fourth in the 200 meters, and was added to the 12-member Evaluation Commission today by IOC President Jacques Rogge.

The commission's visits will begin in Madrid on 3-6 February, a process that will last through the middle of March. Visits to London (16-19 Feb.), New York City (21-24 Feb.), Paris (9-12 March) and Moscow (14-17 March) will follow. The Commission will be responsible for analyzing the candidature files that the bidding cities will submit to the IOC by 15 November 2004. make on-site inspections, and conclude with a report of their findings one month before the final host city selection is made in Singapore on 6 July.

In addition to Fredericks, the commission includes Chairwoman Nawal El Moutawakel of Morocco, Els van Breda Vriesman of The Netherlands, Canadians Paul Henderson and Patrick Jarvis, Mustapha Larfaoui of Algeria, Argentine José Luis Marco, Ser Miang Ng of Singapore, South African Sam Ramsamy, Australians Simon Balderstone and Bob Elphinston, and Philippe Bovy of Switzerland.

Peace Marathon 80Th Anniversary Sunday

A quartet of Kenyans are the favorites at Sunday's International Peace Marathon, as the oldest international marathon in Europe celebrates it's 80th anniversary in Kosice, Slovakia.

Two-time winner and course record holder (2:12:40) David Kariuki tops the men's field, which also includes Italy-based Kenyans Pius Maritim, the winner of this year's VigaranoMaratona in Ferarra (2:13:03); Charles Yabei, runner-up this year at the Maratona d'Europa in Trieste (2:13:15); and 2002 Maratona di Napoli winner Clement Kibor.

Britons Sue Harrison (2:38:20 - London 2004) and Michaela McCallum (2:38:28 - Firenze 1999) and Romanian Claudia Colita (2:44:35 - Praha 2004) lead the women's field.

Running his 19th marathon will be Slovak Prime Minister Mikulas Dzurinda. Dzurinda has a personal best of 2:54:57 from 1986, but hopes to challenge his "Prime Ministerial" best of 3:36:27 from last year's Flora London Marathon.

"I think you always could find time for running in whatever function," Dzurinda, who also competed in the 2001 New York City Marathon, said. "It is more important for me to run than to sit and have unnecessary talks and meetings, even if I can put aside eating and sleeping."

The race was not contested during the second world war, making Sunday's edition the 74th running. The race will also serve as the Slovak national championships.