World soccer's governing body FIFA has told clubs they must release any players aged under 23 selected for next month's Beijing Olympics after rejecting a protest by three European teams. In a statement issued to the clubs and the media on Wednesday, FIFA said Players' Status Committee member Slim Aloulou had ruled as a single judge that the release of players was mandatory for all clubs. German Bundesliga sides Werder Bremen and Schalke, and Spain's Barcelona had argued against the need to release players because the Olympics were not included on FIFA's international match calendar. “The single judge determined that the international match calendar is not of relevance in establishing whether clubs are obliged to release players,” FIFA said in its statement. “In view of the longstanding and undisputed practice (since 1988, clubs have always accepted the release of Under-23 players for the competition), he deemed that recourse to customary law is justified.” The statement added that the Olympic Games was a “unique opportunity” for all athletes “and that it would not be justifiable to prevent any player younger than 23 from participating in such an event”. Werder and Schalke have already filed complaints with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) following the call-ups of Schalke defender Rafinha and Werder playmaker Diego into Brazil's Olympic squad. CAS said last week it would wait until after FIFA had made its final decision before examining the complaints. Barcelona, whose influential forward Lionel Messi has been called up by Argentina, said on Monday they would also go to CAS if FIFA ruled against them. Beijing turns into e-Games When Coroebus of Elis won the first Olympic sprint in 776 BC, the result was scratched on to parchment and read out in market places in the following days and weeks. This year, the Olympic 100m champion will be announced immediately, to billions worldwide, via a click of the mouse or a curious buzzing in their pocket. Thanks to new technology, the Beijing Olympics will be accessible to more people than ever before, and in increasingly diverse ways. Office workers, instead of waiting for evening TV bulletins, can watch races live on their computers. Other fans will sign up for text alerts and video feeds to their mobile phones. And for those who missed it, all the action will be easily - and quickly - available on video sites like YouTube. It all adds up to a new approach to following the Games, eroding the traditional method of simply watching on TV. Hong Kong firm i-Cable is among a group of companies, including US giant NBC, Japan's NHK and China's CCTV, to snap up the Olympics' first ever new media broadcasting rights. Viewers here can log on to free live broadcasts online, and enjoy no-charge access to the i-Cable website at 800 WiFi hotspots in coffee shops, restaurants and shopping centers. Olympic horses shiver Horses competing in the Olympics will have had to contend with the city's sweltering heat, but so far they have just been suffering from icy air-conditioning, a newspaper said on Wednesday. Hong Kong has been criticized for its subtropical heat, humidity and pollution posing a potential health risk to horses used to cooler climes. But on arrival, some of their state-of-the-art stables were too cold, the Hong Kong Economic Times reported after temperatures were found to have dipped below 23 degrees Celsius (73 degrees Fahrenheit), sparking complaints by competitors.
