Brown attending Russia sports meet

Minister for Sport Mark Brown will spend this week in Russia, attending an Association of National Olympic Committees’ second World Olympic Sport convention in its capital Moscow.

The two-day meeting will cover topics including the development of health in sports, doping, collaboration between governments and National Olympic Committees, and an overview on the progress of the London Olympics.

Brown will join representatives from 204 National Olympic Committees across the world.

His air travel and accommodation in Moscow are covered by Association of National Olympic Committees.

Brown is the only Cook Islands Party Government minister expected to be outside Rarotonga this week.

Prime Minster Henry Puna, Deputy Prime Minister Tom Marsters and ministers Nandi Glassie, Teina Bishop and Teariki Heather will remain in Rarotonga.

Bishop returns from a three-week absence that saw him travel to Guam and New Zealand to attend meetings from various aspects of his portfolio.

First stop for Bishop was Guam, where he attended a Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission conference.

He next travelled to New Zealand to hold a series of meetings with a number of education providers.

The main focus of that trip was to improve the access and availability of tertiary education to Cook Islanders based in New Zealand or completing study by correspondence at their home islands.