Former U.S. Secretary of State Talks IOC, FIFA at Securing Sport

(ATR) Condoleezza Rice defended Barack Obama’s Sochi 2014 snub and backed the IOC’s stance on Russia’s anti-gay propaganda law at the New York conference.

In a wide-ranging interview with Juliet Macur, a sports columnist for the New York Times, Rice spoke about threats to sport and the role of government in meeting growing societal expectations for wider social and economic benefits from sport.

"Terrorists like nothing better than to score a hit at a major international sporting event," she said of one threat, recalling the 9/11 attacks in New York.

When the discussion turned to sport and diplomacy, Rice said that in general "using sport to send a political signal is not the right thing to do".

Russia’s anti-homosexuality law was an exception, she said, because it affected the athletes.

The furor over the law dominated headlines in the buildup to the Sochi Winter Olympics.

"The signal is that it would be open season on the athletes. There IOC and USOC need to take a very strong stance on how unacceptable that was," she told delegates at the New York conference organized by the International Center for Sport and Security.

US president Barack Obama snubbed the opening ceremony of the 2014 Winter Games over Russia’s anti-gay law, a move Rice backed. She said "not to engage" in the ceremony that might highlight a leader [Putin] staking out a claim makes sense".

She applauded the IOC and U.S. Olympic Committee for applying pressure to force Russia not to impose the law during the Games.

"I think it is fair game to ask whether a country is putting others in a dangerous situation by their policies," she said.

"But I would hope, and it is fair to ask, whether a country is using the Olympics for a kind of nationalism with which the IOC would be uncomfortable."

Rice was also asked about FIFA’s crisis which has seen Sepp Blatter and Jerome Valcke suspended along with UEFA chief Michel Platini and 14 football officials and corporate executives indicted on corruption charges in the U.S.

"I don’t follow FIFA in great detail. But FIFA has appointed a reform commission. That’s the right step," she said. "It will maintain its independence and report on what needs to be done. Hopefully we will never have this kind of situation again."

Rice added: "People will be investigated, some prosecuted, some found guilty, others not. That’s the process and it should play out.

"But the image of sport when something big likes this happens is a real problem."

FIFA ExCo Member Dodges Media

U.S. Soccer chief Sunil Gulati, who sits on FIFA’s ruling body, was another much-anticipated speaker at Securing Sport. His interview with renowned U.S. political pundit James Carville was a a huge disappointment for anyone expecting insights on the developing FIFA scandal.

He faced only one question about FIFA in a 30-minute interview.

Asked to update the conference on the FIFA crisis, the Gulati quickly ran through what had happened since seven arrests were made on the eve of the May FIFA Congress.

Gulati talked about FIFA going through "turmoil" and it being a "tumultuous" period for world football’s governing body.

But he failed to elaborate or go into any detail and repeatedly refused to speak to media after the session, doing little to defend FIFA’s image.

Reported by Mark Bisson

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