Federations Update -- AIBA Applies for Women's Boxing, Grandi Re-elected

AIBA Applies for Women’s Boxing

Women’s boxing could be on the Olympic Program for London if the International Boxing Association (AIBA) gets its way.

AIBA sent a letter to the IOC on Monday requesting the discipline be on the schedule for the 2012 Games.

"AIBA head office officially submitted to the International Olympic Committee its application to include women's boxing in the 2012 Olympic Games," AIBA President C.K. Wu said in a letter to the national federations, informing them of the federation’s actions.

"The AIBA application outlines the strengths of women's boxing and illustrates the key points behind why women's boxing should be included in the Olympic Games."

The IOC will make a decision at the Executive Board meeting in Vancouver in 2009, scheduled from Dec. 9-11.

"We know that the IOC will be acting in the best interests of boxing," said Wu.

Grandi Re-elected, Will Lead FIG though 2012 Games

The International Gymnastics Federation returned President Bruno Grandi to office for another four years, meaning the Italian will lead the federation through the 2012 London Olympics.

Grandi, 74, was elected to his fourth term at the helm of FIG at the FIG Congress in Helsinki.

Also re-elected were Adrian Stoica of Romania and Nellie Kim of Belarus, the presidents of the men’s and women’s technical committees respectively.

Bob Colarossi, former president of USA Gymnastics; Germany's Wolfgang William and Atilla Orsel of Turkey will also continue on the executive committee.

Four new members of the executive committee were also put into office - Vassily Titov of Russia, Brian Stocks of Britain, Gao Jian of China and Walter Nyffeler of Switzerland.

Grandi’s most visible impact on the sport came after the Athens Games, when judging errors marred competition. Grandi changed the scoring system from a 10 point scale to a system that now awards points in two categories, execution and degree of difficulty.

Grandi has also worked to reduce team sizes at the Games, opening up more spots for smaller countries. At the London Olympics, teams will be restricted to five member squads. In Beijing, teams could have six members, a decrease from the Atlanta Olympics when teams could have seven members.

IIHF Inks TV Deal

The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) signed a broadcast contract with multiple networks to show the federation’s new league.

IIHF made the announcement last Thursday that Russia’s Sport TV, Scandinavia’s and the Baltic’s VIASAT, Germany’s Eurosport, the United States’ Universal Sports, Slovakia’s STV, Poland’s TVP, Romania’s BOOM TV and the Czech Republic’s 4NET are the latest broadcasters to sign on to carry the Champions Hockey League. The league pits Europe’s best clubs against each other, similar to UEFA’s Champion’s League in football.

“The Champions Hockey League will, with the new acquisitions, have a substantial coverage in Europe, which is essential for this league to make an immediate impact in the sports landscape on the continent,” said Rene Fasel, president of the IIHF. “But primarily, we want to expose this league to fans.”

…Briefs

The German Ice Hockey Association elected Erich Kuhnhackl as its new vice president on Thursday. Kuhnhackl was elected at a meeting of the DBE’s executive committee. Kuhnhackl competed in three Winter Olympics, winning bronze in 1976, and 10 world championships. He is the all-time leading goal scorer for the German national ice hockey team.

“Kuhnhackl not only brings the necessary hockey know-how, he has also always stood out because of his strong commitment,” said DEB General Secretary Franz Reindl, who was also Kuhnhackl’s teammate at the 1976 Olympics in Innsbruck. “I’m sure he is the right man for this position. We have made an important step for our organization, especially with regard to the 2010 IIHF World Championship in our country.”

…The International Ski Federation is “optimistic” about the 2009 Nordic World Ski Championships 2009 in Liberec, Czech Republic. On Oct. 13, FIS made its final inspection of the city before the event, which takes place Feb. 18 to March 1, 2009. FIS President Gian Franco Kasper said, "The organizing committee continues the preparations with great enthusiasm and presented us with various good initiatives. Significant work still remains in the upcoming four months, which is usual for all organizing committees, but provided the same motivation we have seen until now. We can optimistically look forward to very good FIS World Championships here in Liberec."

…The ISU World Cup Short Track season kicked off last weekend in Salt Lake City. Korea was the best team on the weekend, winning 13 medals. The next stop on the Short Track circuit is scheduled for Oct. 24 through 26 in Vancouver.

…Hansjorg Wirz, president of European Athletics, announced some changes as part of a strategy to raise athletics' profile on the sporting calendar. “One of our biggest innovations here will be the restructuring of the one day meetings,” he said. “This will be the biggest change in our sport for the last 40 years. It involves transforming the whole European calendar into an integrated and more coherent format.”

…Olina Hanesova was appointed as the new secretary general of the Slovak Biathlon Association. She replaces Radovan Simocko who is pursuing a career in the financial industry. Hanesova is the first female secretary general of the SBA.

…IIHF released its annual report on Saturday. The 100-page report recaps the 2007-08 season in ice hockey. To request a copy, email media@iihf.org.

Written by Ed Hula III.