#ICYMI -- In Case You Missed It ... Sometimes the best stories don't get the attention we think they deserve. Here are our staff picks for articles this week they really want you to know about..
Ex-AIBA President Loses U.S. Appeal
(ATR) Former AIBA President Gafur Rakhimov is unsuccessful appealing sanctions that deny him entrance to the U.S. and a host of other countries.
Rakhimov, an Uzbek-born businessman, has been under watch by the U.S. Commerce Department for alleged connections to Russian organized crime activities. He denies any ties to criminal activity.
His standing with the U.S. was an issue throughout Rakhimov’s year tenure as president of the boxing federation, first on an interim basis. He won a landslide victory in 2018 to a full four year term, but resigned in 2019. He frequently cited the appeal of his sanctions to counter questions over his suitability to serve as AIBA president, particularly from the IOC.
He said he resigned for the good of the federation, which was on the verge of suspension by the IOC for missteps and mismanagement well before Rakhimov took charge. His elevation to the AIBA presidency added more unneeded controversy that led to the federation suspension, even after Rakhimov resigned.
His successor on an interim basis is Mohamed Moustahsane, a physician from Morocco. Moustahsane has overseen reforms demanded by the IOC to end the suspension. But completion of the changes has been disrupted by the corona pandemic. The new constitution and by laws were to have been adopted at an extraordinary congress in March and are now supposed to be considered in June.
The IOC sanctions have removed AIBA from responsibility of organizing the boxing tournament at the Tokyo Olympics. The IOC has indicated that even if AIBA adopts appropriate reforms ahead of the now-postponed Tokyo Olympics, the suspension will remain in effect through the Games next year.
For more federation news, click here.
World Rugby Council Member Forced Out
(ATR) One of the candidates for the World Rugby Executive Committee is out of the running following allegations of homophobia and discrimination.
Fiji Rugby Union (FRU) forced its chairman Francis Kean to resign from the World Rugby Council and replaced him with FRU CEO John O’Connor.
The decision follows a report in the UK’s Sunday Times alleging Kean used homophobic language in a recording while he was in charge of the Fiji prison service.
World Rugby, in a statement, said it "takes all allegations of behavior that is not in keeping with the sport’s strong and inclusive values and Bye-Laws extremely seriously.
"While it is important to stress that any allegations must be validated, following dialogue with World Rugby, the Fiji Rugby Union recognizes the seriousness of the allegations made and the need for them to be fully investigated, and that it is in the best interests of the sport that Mr Kean steps down from the Council and his Executive Committee candidature be withdrawn."
Kean has been a member of the council since May 2019 despite having been convicted of manslaughter in 2007.
The FRU is supporting Beaumont’s bid for re-election. He is facing opposition from former Argentina scrum-half and current federation vice-chairman Agustin Pichot, who wants more sweeping changes for the federation than the incumbent.
If elected, Pichot would be the first chairman from outside Europe.
With Kean out of the race, there are only seven candidates to fill the seven seats on the World Rugby Executive Committee.
French Rugby President Bernard Laporte is running unopposed for vice-chairman.
Voting opens this coming week with the results to be announced on May 12 at the World Rugby Council teleconference meeting.
Olimpismo Recuerda a Samaranch en su Peor Crisis
(ATR) Este 21 de abril se cumplen 10 años de la muerte de Juan Antonio Samaranch Torelló.
Este 2020 me despertaba desde su inicio varias iniciativas en torno a su figura y a su legado: este año se conmemoraba además el Centenario de su natalicio (17 de julio de 1920) y el aniversario 40 de su elección como Presidente del COI (julio de 1980)
Hoy, desgraciadamente, el Movimiento Olímpico se enfrenta a otra crisis, la peor de su historia, marcada por la amenaza a la salud de los deportistas y por la inédita posposición de los Juegos Olímpicos de Tokio con todas las ramificaciones que ello conlleva en medio de una incertidumbre vigente.
Sin embargo las efemérides que he mencionado quizás podrían incentivar jornadasde reflexiones "virtuales" en tiempos de confinamientos sobre el presente y futuro del Movimiento Olimpico y Deportivo Internacional y de las perspectivas del propio Periodismo del Deporte en ese espacio vacío que habrá por la ausencia de las competiciones olimpicas.
La cuarta parte de los actuales miembros del Comité Olímpico Internacional ingresaron al organismo en la "era Samaranch" (1980-2001).
Uno de esos 25 integrantes es el actual presidente del COI, el alemán Thomas Bach, electo en 1991.
"Samaranch fue el gran impulsor de la renovación del Movimiento Olímpico Moderno" escribió Bach, campeón olímpico de esgrima, quien fue propuesto por Samaranch como uno de los portavoces para representar a los atletas en el Congreso Olímpico de Baden-Baden en 1981.
Para el resto de la historia, haga clic aqui.
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