Oswald Wins Re-election, USOC Under Fire by Summer Federations

Denis Oswald won another term as ASOIF president after a chaotic election in which members accused each other of a lack of trust.

The voting took place at the annual general assembly for Association of Summer International Federations, being held at Sportaccord in Denver.

Hassan Moustafa, the handball federation president and Oswald's only challenger, withdrew his name because voters would be allowed to vote at their seats instead of casting their ballot one by one at the podium.

"He has no confidence in the confidentiality if you vote at your table," said Verbruggen, who presided over the election because Oswald had left the room.

Moustafa said he only wanted transparency.

Election rules said if there was only one candidate, the vote could be by acclamation unless two federations objected. Three objected, so ballots were distributed.

Nineteen members voted for Oswald, two opposed and five abstained.

Oswald has held the presidency since 2000.

Moustafa's tenure with his own federation is in doubt after a string of allegations relating to match refereeing and other irregularities.

Oswald said he would look into the voting procedures for a secret vote that would satisfy Moustafa's concerns.

"We are not cheaters here," Oswald said. "We have to trurst one another at least a little bit, that we can fill in voting slip without others looking over their shoulders."

Sergey Bubka, senior VP of the IAAF; Pat McQuaid, Göran Petersson, president of the International Sailing Federation, and Bob Elphinston became new council members, replacing Verbruggen, Lamine Diack, president of the International Association of Athletics Federations and Francesco Ricci Bitti, president of the International Tennis Federation.

Bubka received 21 votes and McQuaid and Petersson received 19 apiece.

Elphinston was unopposed in running for Els van Breda Vriesman's vacated seat, and will serve the two years remaining on her term. He received 25 votes with one abstention.

Rafael Martinetti, president of the International Wrestling Federation, received 10 votees and Klaus Schorman, president of the International Modern Pentathlon Union, received six.

USOC Faces Federations Fire

ASOIF put the U.S. Olympic Committee's feet to the fire Tuesday over revenue sharing, prompting the USOC to appeal for calm while continuing to work toward a solution.

The ASOIF Assembly unanimously approved a motion that it will take to the IOC executive board Wednesday. The motion would give the USOC "immediate notice of its intention to terminate its contract with the USOC and to start negotiations for a new one."

The IF membership, which is a stakeholder in the negotiations but not a party to them, was spurred to act after colleagues made speeches filled with anger and resentment.

"I'm furious," said Hein Verbruggen, the cycling federation president and ASOIF vice president.

He said Peter Ueberroth, the former USOC chairman, has given the impression that the U.S. deserves its current take of about 12.75 percent of U.S. television revenue and 20 percent of TOP sponsor revenue because of its market share.

"The argument is, well, it's nonsense," Verbruggen said. "It's not true. It is fake."

He said the USOC made $300 million under the agreement in the last quadrennial and stands to make $400 million in the next quad, the same as the other 204 NOCs put together. The IFs would make about $450 million.

"I feel we've been taken by the nose for three years by the USOC," Verbruggen said. "That's why I am angry."

The current contract dates back to 1996 and the international federations began asking for a new deal three years ago.

Marius Vizer, president of the internatioal judo federation, said the contract is a "bad example of fair play and promotion of Olympism. The IOC and sport cannot be slaves to the contract that has been signed at a time that has nothing to do with present days."

"This is not about the federations being greedy," added Bob Elphinston, international basketball president. "We all have increased obligations and responsibilities in developing our sport globally."

Denis Oswald, the ASOIF president, said Ueberroth met once with the three IOC negotatiors - Oswald, Gerhard Heiberg and Mario Vasquez Rana -- in Beijing, but refused to meet a second time. He said Ueberroth did not acknowledge receipt of the IOC group's proposal.

With Ueberroth retired as USOC chairman, the IOC wanted to meet with new chairman Larry Probst and Acting CEO Stephanie Streeter in Guadalajara, Mexico, but the USOC reps had conflicts.

"We are in a situation where we have not seen any gesture form the American side to come in our direction," Oswald said.

The USOC Offers Its Side to the Story

Hold on, said the USOC, which hastily convened a group of reporters Tuesday to hear its side.

"We have a fresh team, we have some fresh thinking and we do have meetings set up the next two days," said Bob Ctvrtlik, the USOC's vice president for international relations. "We're looking for a long-term solution. It's probably not best to do it in an emotional or pressured environment. It's not easy; it is complicated, and I think we all need to do that in a nice and calm manner."

Probst and Streeter arrived in Denver on Tuesday.

Streeter told Around the Rings she was looking forward to her first meetings with the IOC on the issue and hoped to find a solution on "a long-term basis."

Ctvrtlik and Robert Fasulo, chief of international relations, are also on the U.S. team.

"No one can say there haven't been substantial offers made in writing," Ctvrtlik said. "The prior leadership of the U.S. Olympic Committee as well as the current leadership has made a good faith effort and will continue to make a good faith effort to resolve this issue and any other issues that arise."

Ctvrtlik would not say if the USOC had a proposal it wanted the IOC to consider.

No changes to the contract could occur before 2021 because of current deals in place with sponsors.

If the IOC were to adopt the international federations' resolution to terminate the contract, what would the USOC do?

"It would be a very radical action," Ctvrtlik said with a smile. "We don't feel that would be a productive development."

Because of the Ted Stevens Amateur Sports Act, the USOC has the rights to all Olympic marks in the United States. That means the IOC TOP sponsors would not be able to market in the U.S. without the USOC's permission.

Verbruggen called this the USOC's "abuse of the signing off that they have." "Every time that you get the threats, 'Don't touch this, we might involve the Senate, you don't want the Senate involved. They might not allow the tax deductions for the American sponsors.' The truth is the American state pays zero to the USOC, and gives them the use of the rings, which, by the way, we own."

Klaus Schorman, president of the International Modern Pentathlon Union, said he simply wanted a resolution that followed the principles of fair play.

"Not any of us have interest to go into conflict," he said.

"We believe the IOC executive board is a very reasoned and rational, calm governing body," Ctvrtlik said.

Added USOC spokesman Darryl Seibel, "moving this thing into a spehre where lawyers are involved is in no one's best interests."

Verbruggen was glad to hear that the USOC had pledged to work toward a solution.

"Maybe it helped what we said," Verbruggen told ATR. "It took us four years to win this decision."

A Proposal From the IFs

In documents distributed Tuesday morning, ASOIF offered a "Proposal of the Olympic Movement" regarding revenue distribution for the short term (through 2020) and long term (to begin in 2021).

The short term proposals are retroactive to Jan. 1, 2005 and include each Olympiad until 2020. The first one calls for the USOC to contributeto the general cost of the Games and the Olympic Movement, at a current price tag of about $14 million. The second asks for payment of $12 million to ASOIF without conditions and $12 million to ANOC according to tems discussed by those two parties.

The long-term proposal asks the USOC to start negotiations immediately after the London Games to amend the current contract and establish a new formula of distribution of Olympic Games revenues that will take effect in 2021.

Process for Approval of New Sports

Oswald said at the IOC session in Copenhagen that the 26 sports currently on the London program will be considered the "core" sports and will be voted on in a bloc.

He wants the IOC executive board in August to determine which two of the seven contending sports will be considered for the 2016 Games. Those two sports would be voted on in a bloc, or would be voted on separately. However, the seven sports would not come up for an individual vote.

"The IOC members requested to be given some guidance," Oswald said. "The program has to be balanced, team sports, individual sport, combat sports, racket sports. Therefore it's easier for the sport department and the EB to select the two most convenient sports and make a proposal to the session.

"Hopefully at the end, we'll have 28 sports on the program."

In the future, Oswald said, the number of core sports may be 25, the number originally sought by IOC president Jacques Rogge, but he didn't want to leave just one off the list for this vote.

WADA Chief says "Whereabouts Rule" Essential

David Howman defended the controversial "whereabouts" rule in a question-and-answer period in which WADA's director general responded to questions given to him in advance.

Some prominent athletes are making complaints," Howman said. "There have been many athletes who say this is not a problem. Many athletes in many sports have been doing this for many years and are comfortable with it."

However, Patrick Baumann, international basketball federation secretary general, said the rule is "extremely oppressive and very difficult to justify."

He said the burden of proof has turned around. "We have to prove that our athletes are innocent. There should be some way WADA would allow us first to implement it over time and in a reasonable way, so we don't get into stupid fights."

Howman said every new rule takes adjustment, and it has only been in effect since Jan. 1.

He also said it was not possible to give athletes a two-week holiday from drug-testing.

Howman said that "creates an opportunity for athletes to dope because it is well known -- this is not just anecdotal -- the time they dope up is the time they have away from the sport."

Oswald suggested having athletes give their whereabouts only four or five days a week instead of seven. "There is no substance which disappears from the body within 24 hours as far as I know," he said. "I'm sure if they tried to dope on the three days, they would be caught on the Monday."

He said with fewer days, the athletes "would not have the feeling they are every day under scrutiny."

International Cycling Union president Pat McQuaid told the assembly that he "very rarely" comes to the defense of WADA, but had to in this case and said the seven-day rule is the only effective course.

Howman also said some micro-doping of EPO or testosterone patches can be out of the system in 24 hours.

"We're finding more and more cheating scientists helping cheating athletes," he said. "If they can see an opening, one or two days, they'll take it. We have to be careful the door's not open to allow more cheats to enter."

Written by Karen RosenFor general comments or questions, click here

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