TOKYO -- IOC President Thomas Bach expressed willingness Tuesday to work with Tokyo officials to achieve a significant reduction in costs for the 2020 Olympics, but suggested the effort should stick to the current venue plans. Swell Cyber Monday .Bach arrived in Japan amid growing tension between Olympic organizers and recently elected Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike, who is pushing to cut costs. A preliminary report from a city expert panel late last month proposed moving three sports from planned new venues to existing ones -- including relocating rowing to a site hundreds of miles outside the capital.Bach reminded the governor that Tokyo should respect the agreement it signed when it was awarded the games three years ago.I think it is in the interest of Japan, Tokyo and IOC that we do not change the rules of the competition after the election, Bach said. By respecting these principles we can very well look into the budget of Tokyo 2020 and we can look at the cost. We can see together how we can make it even more feasible.Bach proposed four-party talks among the International Olympic Committee, Tokyo organizers, the city government and Japans central government to agree on additional cost reductions, starting as early as November after Tokyo releases a final report. Bach declined to discuss specific proposals, saying he only knew about them from media reports.The Tokyo metropolitan government will finalize its internal study, then well discuss it with the other stakeholders ... and then I am confident that you will see a significant reduction in the cost compared to what we have seen so far from the press, Bach told reporters after a 40-minute televised meeting with Koike.The Tokyo panels preliminary report said the overall cost of the Olympics could exceed $30 billion -- four times the initial estimate -- unless drastic cuts are made.The review focuses on whether each venue can be cost-effective while also contribute to the reconstruction of the area hit by the 2011 tsunami and Fukushima disaster.Thats how we have promoted to attract the games, Koike said. We need understanding of the residents of Tokyo as we are relying on their money.The IOC has suggested the possibility of moving rowing to an existing site in South Korea in case there is no resolution over the Japanese venue, the Asahi newspaper reported, quoting unidentified Japanese sources as saying. The South Korean venue in Chungiu City hosted the 2013 world championships and rowing at the 2014 Asian Games.Asked about the report at Tokyos Haneda airport, Bach said: I will not comment on any kind of rumors. Japanese Olympic Minister Tamayo Marukawa told reporters she could not confirm the report.Tokyo won the right to host the games in 2013 by promising a compact bid with 28 of the 31 competition venues within a five-mile (eight-kilometer) radius of the Olympic Village. Originally, only shooting, modern pentathlon and one soccer venue were to be outside the radius.Already, the venues for basketball, taekwondo and cycling have been moved outside of Tokyo to reduce costs by using existing facilities. Cycling was moved to Izu, about 90 miles (145 kilometers) southwest of the capital.After her election at the end of July, Koike convened a panel of independent experts to review Olympic venues and costs.Its most drastic proposal has been to suggest moving the rowing and canoeing venue to an existing facility about 250 miles (400 kilometers) north of Tokyo, after the projected cost for a new venue in Tokyo Bay rose to 49 billion yen ($490 million), seven times the initial estimate.John Coates, an IOC vice president and former rower who heads the coordination commission for the Tokyo Games, was asked about the costs of the rowing site in Tokyo.The figures are very large to us, he said. We can certainly reduce those numbers.Meanwhile, the Japan Rowing Association and Japan Canoe Federation issued separate statements calling for the venue to stay in Tokyo.The local organizing committee in Tokyo has objected to the possible move, arguing the competition should remain at the planned Sea Forest Waterway.It said the existing facility that Koike is exploring in northern Japans Miyagi prefecture lacks infrastructure, accommodation for spectators and will be inconvenient for athletes.Tokyo organizers also said the final construction cost for the Sea Forest Waterway will likely be lower than estimated, while additional costs for transportation, security and infrastructure to move the events to Miyagi would add up.The expert panel has also suggested sticking with the planned venues, but reducing their scale to save money.---Follow Mari Yamaguchi at https://www.twitter.com/mariyamaguchiFind her work also at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/mari-yamaguchi Swell Black Friday Sale . The defending champion beat Gael Monfils of France 7-6 (6), 6-3, while second-seeded Andy Murray of Britain dispatched Edouard Roger-Vasselin, also of France, 6-3, 6-3. Making his first appearance since injuring his wrist a month ago, Del Potro had difficulty with his service games in the first set. Hydro Flask Black Friday . The third-ranked Ivanovic, who won the event in 2008 and 10, served five aces and broke Wickmayer, also a former winner in 2009, five times. "The result looked easier than it really was," Ivanovic said. http://www.waterbottleblackfriday.com/ . Brett Kulak and Jackson Houck of the Vancouver Giants were each charged with assault causing bodily harm on Aug. 18, according to the B.C. court services.HOUSTON -- Mark Appel received high praise from MLB commissioner Bud Selig on Wednesday when the No. 1 overall pick signed with the Houston Astros. Speaking at a MLB diversity business summit at a convention near Minute Maid Park, Selig praised Houstons rebuilding efforts. He then likened Appel, a right-handed pitcher, and Houstons 2012 No. 1 pick, shortstop Carlos Correa, to two of the franchises greatest stars, Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell. "The Astros are on their way to building the foundation that every club needs for sustained success and I believe this club has the right people in place to execute their very sound plan that is going to bring winning baseball back to the fans of Houston," Selig said. "I look forward to the day when players like Carlos Correa and a hometown pitcher Mark Appel ... will be among those who form a new core as successful as Bagwell and Biggio were for so many years." Appel, a polished and well-spoken Stanford graduate, was left speechless when told of the commissioners remarks. "Thats, uh, its very nice words that he said," he said, shaking his head. "Just hearing that comparison is pretty special, especially being a hometown Houston guy. Bagwell and Biggio were two of my favourite players and knowing that Bud Selig sees me and Carlos Correa as potentially the next Bagwell and Biggio is exciting." Terms were not disclosed but Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow said it was "the most significant investment" the Astros have ever made in an amateur player. The 21-year-old Appel was 10-4 with four complete games and a 2.12 ERA this season. He had 130 strikeouts in 106.1 innings pitched and allowed opponents a .203 batting average. Appel is an Astros fan who grew up in West Houston before moving to California at the age of 12. The Astros had a chance to draft him last year but instead went with the 17-year-old Correea from Puerto Rico. Hydro Flask Cyber Monday. Appel slid to Pittsburgh at No. 8 last year but turned down a $3.8 million offer and returned to Stanford for his senior season. Appel said when he rejected the Pirates, he wasnt thinking about potentially being drafted by Houston this season. When it happened, he could barely believe how well everything worked out. "Growing up in Houston I came to games at the Astrodome and at Minute Maid," he said. "That was the dream. It was every kids dream to play for your home team and now its a reality. Its still surreal. I dont think its sunk in." The 6-foot-4, 195-pound Appel will be a welcome addition to the hard-luck Astros with his mid-90s (mph) fastball, nasty slider and improving changeup. "Drafting and signing Mark Appel was a top priority for our organization this year," Luhnow said. "We are an organization focused on winning championships in the future and we expect Mark to be a big part of that effort." Astros amateur scouting director Mike Elias raved about Appel and believes he will be a key piece in turning around this franchise which has lost 100 games in back-to-back seasons. "This is what we believe is going to be a high-impact addition to our organization," Elias said. "He is someone who has the potential to be a front-line starting pitcher for a very long time." Luhnow said that Appel will report to Houstons spring training facility in Florida next week and that hell likely begin his professional career at short A Tri-City. He expects him to then move to Single-A Quad Cities and possibly Double-A Corpus Christi by the end of the season. He said he will be at major league camp next season, but that he wasnt sure when he could be pitching in Houston. "Its too early to speculate on timelines," Luhnow said. "We need to get him out there and get him pitching." Wholeslae Jerseys NFL Jerseys Cheap Wholesale NBA Jerseys Cheap NHL Jerseys Cheap MLB Jerseys Wholesale Soccer Jerseys Cheap College Jerseys Cheap Football Jerseys Cheap Basketball Jerseys Cheap Baseball Jerseys ' ' '