Summer Feds Examine Revised Role Under IOC Reforms -- On the Scene

(ATR) ASOIF closed out a busy week in Sochi with an informal closed-door discussion on the future of the Summer Games.

Held Thursday at the SportAccord Convention World Sport & Business Summit, the session was broken into three parts. Olympic Games executive director Christophe Dubi spoke first, addressing how the roles of the international federations in planning the Olympics will change under Olympic Agenda 2020 reforms.

"In [ASOIF president Francesco Ricci Bitti’s] words, it will place the international federations, rather than a counterpart of the IOC in the Games delivery, make them an arm of the IOC in the delivery," ASOIF executive director Andrew Ryan told Around the Rings.

"The role of the federation is more important [than before] in the delivery of the Games," Ricci Bitti confirmed.

Federations are expected to take a more active role in planning their Olympic events rather than leaving things up to the local organizing committees.

"This is a shift in paradigm," said Ryan.

"This is an historic review which will change the position of the Olympic federations in the Olympic movement and the Games forever."

The federations then had a chance to interact with the organizing committees from the next two Summer Olympics, a time that included a briefing on venue planning and construction. Members were asked to raise general problems with specific Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 issues being saved for future one-on-one sessions.

It was a stark contrast to last year when warning bells were sounded regarding the lack of progress on the Rio Games.

"Obviously, the climate is very good now [in Rio] … This year, we are very satisfied with the progress, and we are ready. It seems we are so close to the Games to be flexible because there are always some problems that are not completely solvable," said Ricci Bitti.

"Both sides are adjusting ourselves to make the Games successful."

On Tokyo, the federations addressed the venue master plan with some federations able to discuss measures taken to save money under the Olympic Agenda reforms.

"Being five years away, the key was the venue master plan because Tokyo has taken Agenda 2020 very literally," Ricci Bitti said with a smile.

Some suggested venue changes that have caused unrest include cycling’s proposed move to Izu and the possibility of basketball in Saitama.

Written by Nick Devlin in Sochi

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