On the Scene at SportAccord - IOC Roundup

(ATR) Candidates for the IOC presidency will present to their peers..Changes for Olympic ticketing…Reaction to the election of Marius Vizer as SportAccord president…The return if Pal Schmitt…. More from the press conference of IOC President Jacques Rogge at SportAccord in St. Petersburg Russia.

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(ATR) Candidates for the IOC presidency will present to their peers, a first for the Olympic Movement. So far, that’s six speeches to expect at the IOC Technical Briefing scheduled for July 2 and 3 in Lausanne.

The pitches will take place in private and will not include handouts, Powerpoints or other such props.

The decision was taken this week by the IOC Executive Board during its three-day meeting on the sidelines of the 2013 SportAccord Convention.

Notably, four of the EB’s 15 members left the room for the discussion given their candidacy in the election.

Germany’s Thomas Bach joked afterwards that he, Ser Miang Ng of Singapore, C.K. Wu of Chinese Taipei and Sergey Bubka of the Ukraine could have reached a quicker decision outside than their EB colleagues did inside.

Richard Carrion of Puerto Rico and Denis Oswald of Switzerland are the other two entries in the race to succeed Jacques Rogge.

According to Rogge, he does not expect a seventh candidate to declare before the June 10 deadline, three months ahead of the vote at the IOC Session in Buenos Aires.

"I see the finish line, and I see the ribbon, and on the ribbon is written Sept. 10," he said during his closing press conference in St. Petersburg.

"I hope to cross it in good shape."

Also this week, the EB discussed Rogge’s proposal that his successor be paid but decided this was a moot point since none of the six contenders wants a salary.

Asked for his advice to the candidates, he said they must stay true to themselves.

"I think they will do that," he told reporters.

"Any of the six will definitely be a good president of the IOC."

Schmitt’s Back

Also this week, the EB ruled that fencing champion and former Hungarian president Pal Schmitt will remain an IOC member despite a university court determining he plagiarized large portions of his doctoral thesis.

"Taking into consideration the length of time since that occurred more than 20 years ago, taking into consideration the great contribution of Mr. Pal Schmitt, who was a double Olympic champion, to the Olympic Movement, taking into consideration that he had to face the fact that he resigned as the head of state of a country, taking into consideration that Pal Schmitt voluntarily and permanently suspended himself from any participation in any commission of the IOC, then the EB decided to issue a warning," Rogge said Friday, "and that closes the case."

The ruling paves the way for Schmitt to return to attending IOC meetings for the first time in a year.

Congratulations, Criticism for Vizer

After congratulating newly elected SportAccord president Marius Vizer in his comments to reporters, Rogge admitted concerns over the Austrian’s proposed United World Championships, which he hopes to launch as soon as 2017.

Such an event, Rogge said, "contradicts with the opinion of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations, who, not later than 10 days ago, said the international program is already too crowded."

Still, the IOC president said that’s a matter for his successor, admitting he was "nearing the level of irrelevance" in these final weeks before retirement.

"I expect the two new leaders to come together to discuss the collaboration between the Olympic Movement and SportAccord," said Rogge.

Ticketing Changes Coming

The scandal over ticket sales by National Olympic Committees uncovered at the London Games is prompting changes okayed by the EB.

Under the changes, for which full details have not yet been disclosed, a central on line portal will be established for tickets being sold to the NOCs as well as international federations.

"We want to control the sales of tickets better," says Rogge.

An undercover investigation by a London newspaper last year found NOC leaders apparently willing to sell tickets to ticket brokers at a premium, outside IOC rules.

While more than 50 NOCs were reported to have been involved, after the IOC’s own investigation warnings were issued against officials at four NOCs: Greece, Lithuania, Malta and Serbia.

Written and reported in Saint Petersburg by Matthew Grayson and Ed Hula

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