Eight IF Presidents to Attend Olympic Summit - Federation Focus

(ATR) The leaders of eight International Federations are on the list of the 24 participants for the ninth Olympic Summit on December 12.

The meeting, which will be held remotely via videoconference, brings together leading representatives of the Olympic Movement.

This year the discussions are to focus on Tokyo 2020, Beijing 2022, the fight against doping, Olympic Agenda 2020 and virtual sports and gaming.

FINA president Julio César Maglione, FIG president Morinari Watanabe, FIFA president Gianni Infantino, World Athletics president Sebastian Coe, FIS president Gian-Franco Kasper, ISU president Jan Dijkema and IIHF president René Fasel are scheduled to attend as leaders of IFs.

Fasel, however, may have to miss out as he announced on Tuesday that he has tested positive for Covid-19.

UCI president and chair of the Esports and Gaming Liaison Group David Lappartient is an invited guest.

Francesco Ricci Bitti, the president of ASOIF, Ivo Ferriani, the AIOWF president, and GAISF president Raffaele Chiulli are three of the five invitees from recognized organizations..

IOC president Thomas Bach chairs the summit, which meets behind closed doors.

The IOC says it will issue a press release after the Olympic Summit providing information on the discussions.

World Triathlon Executive Appointments

Debbie Alexander of South Africa has been appointed as the first vice president of World Triathlon.

Newly re-elected federation president Marisol Casado made the decision after consulting with the executive board. All of the board members supported the move.

Alexander has served on the board for the last eight years. She is the president of Triathlon South Africa, vice president of Triathlon Africa, and a member of the International Paralympic Committee Governing Board.

Shin Otsuka of Japan was Casado’s choice to serve as the financial & marketing vice president, with the full support of the Board.

Otsuka has been a member of the World Triathlon Executive Board since 2004, and was elected as vice president in November with the highest number of votes.

JUDOFEST 2020 Closes the Year

The International Judo Federation plans to end 2020 with a day-long online festival of the sport.

JUDOFEST 2020, set for December 27, will feature top athletes, coaches, highlight programs, and panel discussions on a variety of judo-related topics.

Panels will include topics such as Judoka on the Olympics and Judo in a Pandemic.

The first annual JUDO AWARDS will also be handed out, with special awards voted on by the public to recognize top athletes, ippons, and initiatives.

The IJF says more information is coming soon.

USA Weightlifting Hosts Largest Virtual Olympic Competition

USA Weightlifting takes the template for hosting virtual competitions a step further.

Originally intended to be a live event in Atlanta from December 3-6, the American Open Finals were moved online after a surge in COVID-19 cases in the United States.

Despite the entire USAW workforce being forced to work from home, the event ran smoothly and had a remarkable 994 entries across the four days of competition.

USA Weightlifting CEO Phil Andrews saluted his staff after they successfully hosted the largest virtual Olympic competition in the build up to Tokyo 2020.

"I’m in awe of the way my team once again navigated the challenges presented to them and we are lucky to be able to count on our wonderful volunteers, members, and athletes," Andrews said in a statement.

"While we have become accustomed to hosting virtual events throughout 2020, this was the first competition where we were without access to our office computer system."

All of the lifts were broadcast live and free on TeamUSA.org and technical officials helped to run the event from nearly 90 computers across the United States, each officiating from their homes.

USAW also hosted a virtual vendor village alongside the competition.

"This has undoubtedly been a difficult year for sponsors with many organizations affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and we are grateful for their continued support," Andrews added.

As part of the event, Team USA athletes secured their pathway to the final qualification events for the rescheduled 2020 Olympic Games.

Federation Focus is presented by the International Weightlifting Federation. Click here for more on the IWF.

Written by Gerard Farek

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