Miro Named IOC Political Problem Solver

(ATR) A major change in the administration of the IOC means new roles for two veteran staffers.

After 26 years as the executive in charge of NOC relations and Olympic Solidarity, Miró will now focus on solving the political issues encountered by the IOC.

Miró, who joined the IOC staff in 1992 after the Barcelona Olympics, will keep the title of Deputy Director General for Relations with the Olympic Movement that he’s held for the past three years.

While he will oversee NOC relations and Olympic Solidarity, the IOC announcement will allow Miró to spend most of his time working "with the senior IOC leadership to coordinate the resolution of critical political issues that affect the Olympic Movement".

Among those issues: the refusal of some nations such as India and Miró’s Spain to grant visas to athletes from Kosovo to compete in recent events. Neither nationrecognizes Kosovo.

The IOC has also begun to pressure the government of Senegal to help secure testimony of Papa Masata Diack in the inquiry of France into allegations Rio de Janeiro bought the votes of IOC members for the 2016 Olympics. Diack has refused to testify and Senegal doesn’t allow extradition to France. Diack’s father Lamine is in France where he’s being held in connection with the investigation.

The elder Diack, former IOC member and ex-IAAF president, is said to have been a mastermind in payments to IOC members. Senegal was named host of the 2022 Youth Olympic Games two months ago, so the IOC may use that event to leverage cooperation from the Senegalese government.

Succeeding Miró in the day-to-day world of NOC relations is James Macleod.

A U.K. native, Macleod started at the IOC working with Miró in Olympic Solidarity more than 10 years ago. He then moved on to London 2012 to head NOC and NPC relations. After London he joined the staff of the 2015 European Games in Baku. He rejoined the IOC in 2017.

Reported by Ed Hula.