Lausanne, Switzerland  - Abdel Mohamed Halim of Sudan, a former African football supremo and International Olympic Committee member, the IOC said on Friday. He was 99 years old.

Halim was an IOC member 1968-1982 and later an honorary member of the Olympic body.

He made a big contribution to African football as founding member of the continent's football federation in 1957, organizer of the first African Nations Cup the same year in his native Sudan, and African football supremo 1987-1988.

Lausanne, Switzerland  - The Court of Arbitration for Sport on Friday cancelled a fine of 10,000 dollars imposed on Peru striker Claudio Pizarro by his nation's football federation (PFF) for allegedly misbehaving after a 2007 match with Brazil.

The CAS said in a statement that "the facts put forward by the PFF in relation to Pizarro were not supported by concrete evidence" and added that "the incidents reported by the PFF were not dealt with either in the PFF regulations, or in the FIFA regulations."

Lausanne, Switzerland  - The International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Tuesday announced that Briton Mark Adams has been appointed Director of Communications.

The 45-year-old, who is joining the Olympic body from the World Economic Forum in Geneva, Switzerland, where he was Managing Director and Head of Media and Communications, will be taking over his new position at the end of May.

In a statement the IOC said that the former journalist worked for several television stations before joining the World Economic Forum.

Lausanne, Switzerland - The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) reduced the lifetime ban for doping offences imposed on Austrian nordic skiing coach Emil Hoch to 15 years Tuesday.

Hoch was the trainer of the Austrian cross-country ski team at the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Turin when the team9s accommodation was searched by Italian police and medical items which could be used for blood doping and blood manipulation were found.

The Liechtenstein national was subsequently given a life ban by skiing's ruling body FIS for possession of a prohibited doping method and assistance/complicity in doping.

Lausanne, Switzerland  - The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) Thursday dismissed cyclist Michael Rasmussen's appeal against the two-year ban he received for doping from the Monegasque Cycling Federation (FMC) last June.

"Consequently, Michael Rasmussen is suspended for a period of two years, starting on 26 July 2007," said CAS in a statement.

Rasmussen was kicked out of the 2007 Tour while leading after lying about his whereabouts in connection with doping tests. He told the International Cycling Federation

Lausanne, Switzerland - The bidding process for the 2014 Youth Olympics opened on Friday, the International Olympic Committee said.

The IOC said in a statement that interested cities have February 9, 2009, to formally bid for the event bringing together around 3,500 athletes aged 14-18 in the Olympic summer sports.

Bid files have to be submitted by July 2009, a shortlist will be set up in October and the host city elected by the IOC in February 2010.