By David GoldMarch 13 - The staging of last year's International Paralympic Committee (IPC) World Athletics Championships are set to be recognised after they were shortlisted for the New Zealand Sport and Recreation award for Event Excellence.

, which took place in New Zealand last year on January 21 until 30, are up against the Owen G Glenn Hockey

By Tom DegunMarch 11 - Salt Lake City is celebrating the 10-year anniversary of the 2002 Winter Paralympic Games this week, known now as the event that created huge awareness for Paralympic winter sports accumulating a mass new following of fans.

Flis, who was crowned the Most Valuable Player of the United States' gold-medal winning Ice Sledge Hockey

By Tom DegunMarch 9 - Four-time Olympic medallist Angela Ruggiero (pictured) of the United States has been named as the chair for the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Coordination Commission for the 2016 Winter Youth Olympics in Lillehammer.

The 32-year-old from California is one of the rising stars in the IOC and retired from ice hockey at

University graduate was just 18 when she won Olympic gold with the US team in 1998 - when women's ice hockey

Turin in 2006 and silver again at Vancouver in 2010.The former defenceman is also a four-time ice hockey

Coordination Commission for the 2012 Youth Olympics.René Fasel, the Swiss President of the International Ice Hockey

By Tom Degun in BarcelonaMarch 8 - Some of Spain's Olympic medallists from Barcelona 1992, including former football star Alfonso Pérez, have backed Madrid's bid to host the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games at a special gathering at the Spanish Olympic Committee (COE) headquarters.

Judo, athletics, water polo, field hockey, and boxing were some of the sports represented at the event.Contact

By David Gold at City Hall in LondonMarch 7 - London 2012 chairman Sebastian Coe (pictured) staunchly defended Dow Chemical's sponsorship of this summer's Olympic Games during a grilling by London Assembly members here today.

Dow's position as an Olympic partner, while Aslam Sher Khan, an Olympic bronze medallist with the 1972 hockey

By Duncan MackayMarch 5 - Kate Lundy has been appointed as Australia's new Minister for Sport, a high-profile role with the London Olympics less than six months away.

According to her website, Lundy also plays hockey, soccer and netball ''when time permits''.Australian

By Andrew Kollo My love affair with Olympic pins started during the 1972 Munich Summer Olympics. My mother's uncle was a boxing judge at the 1928 Amsterdam, 1932 Los Angeles and 1936 Berlin Summer Olympics. I had been regaled with stories of my extended family's involvement with the Olympic Games. My uncle - through marriage - Ferenc Puskás played football for Hungary in the 1952 Helsinki Summer Olympic Games, where they won the gold medal.  My uncle Puskás gave me one of his Hungarian Olympic football uniforms.I was 10 years old when I attended the 1972 Munich Summer Olympic Games.

accommodating.I got to meet and trade pins with members of the Iranian wrestling team, Indian field hockey

By David GoldMarch 4 - Sky Sports Living for Sport, an initiative using sports stars to improve the lives of young people across the United Kingdom, has unveiled 13 new athlete mentors.

archer Mel Clarke, skateboarder Neil Danns, rugby league player Paul Broadbent, diver Peter Waterfield, hockey

athlete mentors, which already includes former BMX world champion Mike Mullen (pictured) and women's hockey

By Duncan Mackay March 2 - The prospect of a boycott or official protest at London 2012 from India over Dow Chemical's sponsorship of the Olympics continue to recede, it seems. 

"This time, India have also qualified in hockey.

who has been a regular member of the England and – as far as London 2012 is concerned – Great Britain hockey

2009 when England's men – who comprise the main part of the British team - claimed their first major hockey

champions, Germany, 5-3 in the European championship final.Writing in the Daily Telegraph, veteran hockey

nothing too risky with London 2012 in the offing.Mantell, meanwhile, is confident that the British men's hockey

To watch the 400m hurdles, hockey and high jump Olympic hopefuls getting competitive on the MINI assault

By Tom DegunMarch 1 - International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) President René Fasel (pictured) has

claimed that there are currently no plans in place to move the 2014 Ice Hockey World Championships from

are the Minsk-Arena and the Chizhovka-Arena with Yawhen Vorsin, the chairman of the Belarusian Ice Hockey

widespread human rights abuse in Belarus.But Lukashenko (pictured), who is known for his love for ice hockey

By David GoldMarch 1 - The United States Olympic Committee (USOC) has announced with Allstate Insurance the 28 nominees for induction into the US Olympic Hall of Fame for 2012.

for the Hall of Fame, including women's soccer legend Kristine Lilly (pictured), Olympic women's ice hockey

The sights and sounds of London 2012 are getting closer and closer. Soon – very soon – the BBC Big Screens already set up in 22 cities around the British Isles will fill with live Olympic and Paralympic action, and the squares and streets and parks around those screens will teem with activity and music.In the last few weeks, some vivid details have begun to emerge as to how the Games will connect with the wider, non ticket-bearing public.For BT London Live, ironically, it is Blur who have given one of their iconic projects a hard edge.

and six sports participation areas which will enable visitors to have a go at athletics, handball, hockey

By Tom Degun at the London Stock ExchangeFebruary 27 - British Olympic Association (BOA) chairman Colin Moynihan (pictured) has given the latest warning that illegal betting will be one of the biggest threats to the London 2012 Olympics and revealed that in an attempt to counter the issue, authorities will meet daily during the Games to analyse possible suspicious betting patterns.

perfectly legal to spot bet on all sports, for example to make a spot bet on first short corner in [field] hockey

By David GoldFebruary 27 - India's men's hockey team will be at London 2012 after crushing France 8-1

Today, our team has turned that black into white...it is a huge day for us and for Indian hockey."

Singapore 5-0.In the women's qualifiers South Africa beat hosts India 3-1 to reach the London 2012 women's hockey

We have been playing very consistent hockey right through the week and we capped it with another fine

story at [email protected] storiesFebruary 2012: Hero MotoCorp sponsors Olympic hockey

qualifiers September 2011: South Africa claim hockey spots at London 2012 Olympics