Yesterday, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) announced that its Executive Committee approved the List of Prohibited Substances and Methods for 2008.

On 21 September, around 750 employees of the world class-ship builder Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft (FSG) gathered, together with their families and friends, at the FSG shipyard in Flensburg, Germany, to participate in the official launch of the first vessel built for Canadian shipping company B.C. Ferries.

The 2008 International Convention on Science, Education and Medicine in Sport (ICSEMIS) is the successor of the Pre-Olympic Congresses and the Paralympic Congress, and will be held in Guangzhou, China, from 1 to 5 August 2008, themed "Sport Sciences and Harmonious Society in the 21st Century".

On 18 September, following eight days of intense meetings, a Venue Operational Planning Review for the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games was concluded successfully in Beijing, China. Various staff members of the Beijing 2008 Organizing Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games (BOCOG), including BOCOG Venue Managers as well as Apostolos Rigas, International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Head of Paralympic Games Strategic Projects participated in the Review.

Hosted by the Hellenic Paralympic Committee, a total of 27 members (National Paralympic Committees, IPSFs and IOSDs) from all over Europe met from 14 to 15 September at the 7th European Paralympic Committee (EPC) General Assembly and Conference in Heraklion, Crete. Representatives from the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) also attended the meeting, including IPC President Sir Philip Craven and IPC CEO Xavier Gonzalez.

Bonn, Germany – Last week, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced that seven cities have been appointed by their respective National Olympic Committees (NOCs) to apply to host the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The cities, in alphabetical order, are: Baku (Azerbaijan), Chicago (USA), Doha (Qatar), Madrid (Spain), Prague (Czech Republic), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) and Tokyo (Japan).*

Bonn, Germany - Following three days of positive meetings, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Co-ordination Commission today successfully concluded its fifth visit to Vancouver, the host city of the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

On 9 September, Xavier Gonzalez, CEO of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), and Zainal Abu Zarin, President of the Asian Paralympic Committee (APC), signed a host agreement in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for the APC to organize the Asian Women in Paralympic Sport (WIPS) Leadership Summit to be held in Malaysia in 20v08.

From 5 to 7 September, the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games Chef de Mission Seminar took place in Beijing, China, with delegates of more than 90 National Paralympic Committees (NPCs) as well as International Paralympic Committee (IPC) representatives participating.

Bonn, Germany - Today marks the one-year countdown to the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. The occasion is being celebrated by a number of events in Beijing, China, attended by International Paralympic Committee (IPC) President Sir Philip Craven, IPC Governing Board Members Greg Hartung and Shen Zhifei as well as IPC Chief Executive Officer Xavier Gonzalez and other IPC staff members.