Bangkok Hosts 2018 Sport Accord -- Monday Memo

(ATR) The annual sports federations convention includes plenty of sidelines intrigue.

Guardar

(ATR) The 16th edition of SportAccord plays out this week in Bangkok, Thailand. It’s the first time the convention and conference have been held in Southeast Asia.

The convention is formally open from April 17 to 19, while federation-related groups hold meetings on the sidelines.

The Bangkok Convention Center, on the 23rd floor of one of the city’s skyscraper hotels, is the venue for the feds conclave.

"Uniting A Global Audience: Marketing and Sponsorship for the Future" is the theme of the conference schedule April 18 to 19.

World Games Elects Leadership

Jose Perurena is seeking a new term as president of the World Games Association at the group’s annual meeting April 16 in Bangkok. The IOC member in Spain is unopposed for a second four years at the helm.

Recognized Federations April 16

The three dozen sports that form the Association of Recognized International Federations meet for their general assembly on April 16. ARISF is led by International Powerboating Federation Raffaele Chiulli. ARISF is the in-between association for sports that are on the cusp of joining the Olympics, summer or winter.

Summer Federations Wade into Governance

As federation after federation run afoul of challenges -- whether scandalous bribery allegations, chronic doping or inept management -- it’s all a matter of finding good governance to right the ship. The Association of Summer Olympic International Federations takes on the next phase of its governance review of the 28 member federations at its Bangkok meetings this week.

The International Weightlifting Federation faces ongoing consequences from doping. AIBA, the International Amateur Boxing Association, is heading toward an end-of-the-month deadline to furnish a substantial document answering IOC concerns about governance.

The ASOIF Council meets privately April 16, while the general assembly April 17 is open. ASOIF President Francesco Ricci Bitti will preside.

Winter Federations Huddle

The seven federations of the Association of International Olympic Winter Federations meet April 17. Gian Franco Kasper, ski fed president and IOC member, will lead the meeting.

For the first time in 25 years the International Biathlon Union will not be represented by Anders Besseberg at the group’s annual meeting. He stepped down as president in the wake of an Austrian police raid on the federation headquarters last week. He has yet to face any charges, but the investigation is said to center on allegations the IBU chief was bribed to conceal Russian doping issues. Besseberg denies receiving any money.

Bach to Bangkok

IOC President Thomas Back arrives in Bangkok April 16. While meetings of the IOC Executive Board are no longer part of SportAccord, Bach and other IOC colleagues will meet with the federations in joint sessions on April 18. He will leave later this week for a visit to India, a country angling to make an Olympic bid in 2032 or beyond.

GAISF Closes the Week

The cycle of SportAccord week will come to its customary close on Friday, April 20 with the annual meeting of the 100+ members of GAISF, the Global Association of International Sports Federations.

Led by FIBA secretary general and Swiss IOC member Patrick Baumann, GAISF is the umbrella group which formed SportAccord in 2003. GAISF, along with the Summer, Winter and Associated federation associations, owns the SportAccord convention.

25 Years at #1: Your best source of news about the Olympics is AroundTheRings.com, for subscribers only.

Guardar

Últimas Noticias

Utah’s Olympic venues an integral part of the equation as Salt Lake City seeks a Winter Games encore

Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation chief of sport development Luke Bodensteiner says there is a “real urgency to make this happen in 2030”. He discusses the mission of the non-profit organization, the legacy from the 2002 Winter Games and future ambitions.
Utah’s Olympic venues an integral part of the equation as Salt Lake City seeks a Winter Games encore

IOC president tells Olympic Movement “we will again have safe and secure Olympic Games” in Beijing

Thomas Bach, in an open letter on Friday, also thanked stakeholders for their “unprecedented” efforts to make Tokyo 2020 a success despite the pandemic.
IOC president tells Olympic Movement “we will again have safe and secure Olympic Games” in Beijing

Boxing’s place in the Olympics remains in peril as IOC still unhappy with the state of AIBA’s reform efforts

The IOC says issues concerning governance, finance, and refereeing and judging must be sorted out to its satisfaction. AIBA says it’s confident that will happen and the federation will be reinstated.
Boxing’s place in the Olympics remains in peril as IOC still unhappy with the state of AIBA’s reform efforts

IOC president details Olympic community efforts to get Afghans out of danger after Taliban return to power

Thomas Bach says the Afghanistan NOC remains under IOC recognition, noting that the current leadership was democratically elected in 2019. But he says the IOC will be monitoring what happens in the future. The story had been revealed on August 31 in an article by Miguel Hernandez in Around the Rings
IOC president details Olympic community efforts to get Afghans out of danger after Taliban return to power

North Korea suspended by IOC for failing to participate in Tokyo though its athletes could still take part in Beijing 2022

Playbooks for Beijing 2022 will ”most likely” be released in October, according to IOC President Thomas Bach.
North Korea suspended by IOC for failing to participate in Tokyo though its athletes could still take part in Beijing 2022