Blatter Blasts IOC
FIFA president, and IOC member, Sepp Blatter says FIFA is more immune to criticism than the IOC, saying the IOC has no transparency.
Speaking to a media roundtable in his Doha hotel suite, Blatter said FIFA is "far more transparent than the IOC".
The FIFA president is in Qatar this week for the Asian Football Confederation congress and AFC Asian Cup that kicks off Friday.
"We are into the international reporting standard. Our accounts are open to everybody," he said.
In contrast; "the IOC does it like a housewife who receives some money and spends some money."
Blatter said the reason for the IOC’s lack of transparency is that the world’s supreme sporting body is detached from the sports world.
"The IOC has no transparency because transparency is through the 36 Olympic sports, they must be transparent because the IOC is like the guardian of all sports for the Olympic Games in the Summer Olympics and the Winter Olympic Games, but otherwise the IOC is a club.
"We are individual members. We are not members by our Olympic committee or members by any other entity. Now, I am a member for football because 15 international federations have the rights to be a member there. But of the 115 members of the IOC only 45 are directly linked with sport. Fifteen are from the international federations. Fifteen are from the athletes.And 15 are from the national Olympic committees. All the others – 70 members – are individually appointed."
He also said the IOC is a redoubt for royals.
"If you want to know where in the world princes, princesses and kings [are], you go to the list of IOC members and you will find them."
Operator for Tower
The Olympic Park Legacy Company is seeking an operator for the ArcelorMittal Orbit, a 375-foot tall tower next to the Olympic Stadium.
Interested companies have until Jan. 28 to express interest in bidding to OPLC. The winning company will be announced by June.
During the Games, the company will run the tower for LOCOG, while following the Olympics, it will be charged with the tower’s upkeep and operations.
According to an OPLC statement, the tower contains two observation decks and "is expected to be one of London's most spectacular visitor attractions".
Construction began in November. It is expected to be completed by early next year.
Schoolchildren Test Annecy’s Freestyle Venue
French youngsters are getting an early taste of Annecy 2018.
Students from three area middle schools donned their skis Thursday for a field trip to Semnoz, the bid’s proposed venue for freestyle skiing and snowboarding.
The visit came as part of an ongoing initiative in the Haute-Savoie region aiming to introduce Alpine and Nordic skiing to residents at a young age.
"Our commitment to encouraging young people to take part in sports and our dedication to making our mountains more accessible have guided our public policy for many years now," Christian Monteil, president of Haute-SavoieGeneralCouncil, said in a statement.
Monteil, also chair of the bid’s supervisoryboard, added: "With such an exceptional natural setting, sports and outdoor activities are second nature for us. That's what we're going to show with Annecy's bid for the 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Games."
Korean Broadcasters Promise TV Time to Bid
PyeongChang 2018 is guaranteed national exposure in the bid race’s final run.
A sponsorship agreement signed Thursday with the Korean Broadcasters Association will ensure the bid receives play on various news, entertainment and cultural programs across the KBA’s 38 members.
"I am very pleased to add our support to help bring the 2018 Winter Games to Korea for the very first time," KBA president In-Kyu Kim said in a statement.
"We look forward to working with the bid committee over the next six months of the campaign as public excitement increases about the 2018 host city decision."
The IOC will vote July 6 in Durban to award hosting rights to either PyeongChang, Munich or Annecy.
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Written by Ed Hula IIIand Matthew Grayson.
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