Federations Rio 2016 Debrief Paves Way for New IOC Model

(ATR) Leaders of the 28 summer sports will meet Friday with IOC officials to give their feedback on the Rio Olympics.

The IFs debrief at the Olympic Museum is chaired by Association of Summer Olympic International Federations president Francesco Ricci Bitti. It will contribute to the IOC’s ongoing work to provide a blueprint for greater input from federations into the organizing of future summer Olympics, starting with Tokyo 2020.

The outcomes of Friday’s meeting will also be presented as part of the IOC’s overall Rio 2016 debrief in Tokyo at the end of November.

"The focus of Friday’s meeting is not looking back and dwelling on detailed issues from the Rio Games but to focus on the big ticket items that we can take forward as learnings to change the Games delivery model," ASOIF director Andrew Ryan tells Around the Rings.

All the 28 sports were sent questionnaires in July seeking their feedback across a range of issues during the preparation phase and staging of the Rio Games.

Following a crisis meeting with the IOC two years’ ago amid unrest among federations about Rio 2016 delays, the summer IFs were called upon to get more involved than ever before with Olympic Games delivery.

"The object is to take as many learnings going forward to Tokyo and future Games," Ryan said, noting the ASOIF’s work with the IOC – "a big piece of work" - to look at a new delivery model involving IFs.

More than 4,000 Games deliverables are under consideration, including planning for venue operations, accommodation and transport.

Friday’s meeting "will accelerate changes to the model".

Ryan said the summer sports involvement would evolve, "shifting big ticket items that were the responsibility of the organizing committee to the IFs, because the IFs are doing this day in day out".

He said venue operations planning, for instance, might become part of the IFs remit because they have the in-house expertise. Another proposal is for each IF to appoint an event director, replacing the OCOG’s heads of sports and venues, who is then seconded to the organizing committee.

"It should save a lot of money for the organizing committee," Ryan said of the work-in-progress model.

"It’s so far-reaching, we can’t do it over one Games."

The IOC and ASOIF plan to take a "big step" for Tokyo 2020 with the new blueprint to be fully implemented for the 2024 Olympics.

IFs Governance and Anti-Doping

ASOIF will go public with a study of the 28 sports’ anti-doping practices on Nov. 9, the first day of the IF Forum in Lausanne.

Ryan said the research was being carried out in support of the Olympic Summit proposal to WADA. He said it would "underpin a lot of assumptions that had to be made, what is being spent in what areas. Some very interesting figures are in there".

The 70-page research document will detail the IFs obligations, controls and spending in the fight against doping under the current WADA code.

Later in November, ASOIF’s governance task force will distribute a self-assessment questionnaire to federations. They will be asked to complete it by the end of January. A preliminary report is due out April 4.

Reported by Mark Bisson

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