"The Formula One riders are very great athletes, very fit, they are very courageous . . . and they also have to have strategic thinking and I have a lot of admiration for them," Rogge said.
He called the F1 circuit "one of the sacred places of automobile racing," but firmly denied the possibility of Formula One becoming an Olympic sport any time soon.
"Frankly speaking, the concept we are having is the games are about the competition for the athletes not for equipment," Rogge said. "Therefore, while having a lot of respect, they will not be included into the Olympic program."
The British Grand Prix was won by Red Bull driver Mark Webber, who overtook Fernando Alonso to move closer to his rival in the race for the Formula One championship. Webber pursued pole-sitter Alonso from the start and finally passed the Ferrari driver on lap 48 of 52.
In another auto race:
* Ryan Hunter-Reay became the first American-born driver in 6 years to win three straight IndyCar races, taking the Honda Indy Toronto. He took over the series points lead five races left.
Sport Stops *
Poland beat the United States, 25-17, 26-24, 25-20, to win its first gold medal in the World League volleyball finals in Sofia, Bulgaria.
* Didier Deschamps, who quit as Marseille coach a week ago, was named coach of France's men's national soccer team.
* Jordan Jones, of Golden, Colo., finished first in the men's competition in the New York City Triathlon, swimming about a mile, biking almost 25 miles and running 6 miles in 1 hour, 45 minutes and 4 seconds. Amy Bevilacqua, of Wilton, Conn., won the women's competition with a time of 2 hours and 4 seconds. The event includes a swim in the Hudson River, a run through Central Park and a bike ride on the West Side Highway.
