Federations Roundup - Ski World Championships Votes Thursday, IAAF Cuts Budget

2015 Ski World Championships Vote Thursday

A host city for the 2015 Alpine, Nordic and joint Freestyle/Snowboarding world championships will be selected Thursday.

Delegates to the International Ski Federation (FIS) Congress in Antalya, Turkey, get the final pitch from the bid cities however, the 16 member FIS Council will make the final decision.

Candidate cities for the 2015 Alpine Championships include Colorado’s Beaver Creek/Vail, Cortina d’Ampezzo, and St. Moritz.

Lahti, Finland, Oberstdorf, Germany and Zakopane, Poland are bidding for the Nordic World Ski Championships.

Kreischberg, Austria is the only cit bidding for the Freestyle and snowboard world championships.

FIS will announce the results at 7PM local time on Twitter and the federation’s website.

IAAF Reducing Budget

The International Association of Athletics Federations will cut $20 million from its budget. The cuts will take place over the next three years and will hit all departments.

By 2012 the federation expects to have a balanced budget.

IAAF’s Olympic revenue will be $35.77 million from the London Olympics, up from $29 million from the Beijing Games.

IAAF income is predicted to reach $204 million through 2012.

NHL Boss Slams Ice Hockey Federation

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman slammed the International Ice Hockey Federation for saying the league’s best players should play in the world championships.

Speaking at the end of his annual "State of the NHL" speech Bettman said, "If you remember, the debate that (IIHF President) Rene Fasel and I had at my media availability in Vancouver…I said I don’t believe the IIHF respects our game, our players, our business or our schedule. And what was said by the IIHF during the world championships was exactly that."

Bettman’s comments were in response to an article on the IIHF website last month that criticized NHL players for not participating in this year’s world championships. Fasel apologized for the article following a backlash from Canadian and U.S. hockey officials. The IIHF removed the article from the website.

The world championships take place annually, often during the NHL postseason.

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"I’m not happy with the way the IIHF somehow feels it has an entitlement to these great athletes who risk their careers and put themselvesout of their own time without anything but love of country to be belittled by the IIHF" Bettman added.

Hockey Summit Registration Opens

World ice hockey leaders will convene in Toronto this August to discuss ways of growing the game.

The theme of the Molson Canadian World Hockey Summit is "Global Teamwork Promoting the Growth of Game". Organizers of the summit revealed the theme Monday in Toronto. IIHF, Hockey Canada, Hockey USA, NHL and Canadian Hockey League are organizers of the summit.

The summit will take place August 23-26 at the Sheraton Centre and The Hockey Hall of Fame. Registration is available at www.worldhockeysummit.com.

"As leaders, stakeholders and fans of hockey we have a shared responsibility for the care, nurturing, protection and development of our game," said Hockey Canada president and CEO Bob Nicholson. "The goals of the Molson Canadian World Hockey Summit are to provide an inclusive forum to table the most pressing questions surrounding our game and work together to find implementable solutions."

UCI Rankings Change

The International Cycling Union removed Spanish cyclist Alejandro Valverde from the UCI rankings following the Court of Arbitration upholding his two-year ban for doping on Monday.

Valverde was the top-ranked cyclist before UCI removed his name and points. Austrian Cadel Evans is now the top-ranked cyclist.

UCI retroactively banned Valverde starting January 1. Valverde is charged with using the blood booster EPO.

Valverde says he plans to appeal the CAS decision to the Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland and the European Court of Human Rights if necessary.

FITA Extends Sponsorship

The International Archery Federation, FITA, extended its partnership for four years with Swiss watchmaker, Longines.

Longines will serve as the official partner of the Archery World Cup and World Championships. The watchmaker has been a partner since 2008.

The company also unveiled the Longines Prize of Precision for archery. Two athletes will be awarded the prize during the World Cup season.

"This sport has taken a front seat on the international sport scene and it perfectly represents our value in elegance, precision and fair-play," Longines President Walter von Kanel said.

Written by Ed Hula III, Isia Reeves and Sam Steinberg.