Ng Lobbies for Asian IOC President; Economics of DC 2024

Ng: Asian President Would Benefit IOC

IOC Presidential Candidate Ser Miang Ng said the IOC would benefit from an Asian president.

Ng spoke to APF Singapore saying the IOC would benefit from a "different perspective" as Asia has begun to play a larger role in international sports.

"The IOC has become very global and I think for the IOC, it’s also important to have a different perspective, in this case, coming from a very important part of the world," said Ng in an interview.

"It’s important not just symbolically, but for the values they can bring to the table as well...which also means that you have different solutions, coming from different angles and different perspectives."

Ng, who hails from Singapore, is joined by C.K. Wu from Chinese Taipei as the two Asian candidates in the IOC presidential field.

Ng’s platform consists of curbing the costs of the Summer and Winter Olympics, allowing for more cities to potentially bid.

Ng has also called for a review of the bid process, as well as better risk assessments to help host cities.

"Organizing the Games is very complex, it’s huge...but definitely it’s time that we have a major review of this and see how we can move forward."

In addition to Ng and Wu, the other candidates for IOC president are Richard Carrion, Thomas Bach, Sergey Bubka, and Denis Oswald. A new president will be selected on September 10 in Buenos Aires.

Economist: DC Shouldn’t Host Games

While a group in Washington, D.C. is exploring the possibility of hosting the 2024 Summer Olympics, one economics professor gives a number of reasons why that would be a poor idea.

Victor Matheson, a professor of economics at College of the Holy Cross, told the Washington Post, "My basic takeaway for any city considering a bid for the Olympics is to run away like crazy."

One reason, he says, is the IOC does not have host cities’ fiscal health in mind.

"The problem is that the International Olympic Committee doesn’t want to host the Olympics in a city that’s saying, hey, we can do this on the cheap. The bids that make economic sense are the bids that have no chance of winning. And the bid that will end up winning won’t make economic sense."

According to Matheson, other reasons to exercise caution before bidding include the uncertainty of economic impact, spiraling costs, and oversold infrastructure benefits.

FIFA Seeks Solutions in Palestine

FIFA’s newly created task force aimed at improving the situation for football players in Palestine will hold its first meeting next Tuesday.

The meeting at FIFA HQ in Zurich is set to be attended by Israel Football Association president Avi Luzon, Palestinian FA chief Jibril Al Rajoub, FIFA vice president Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein, and the presidents of UEFA and the Asian Football Confederation, Michel Platini and Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter established the task force in July following the mandate he received during the 63rd FIFA Congress and his subsequent trip to the Middle East.

The group is set to analyze different bilateral matters including facilitating the movement of players, referees, and equipment in and out of Palestine.

"The ultimate objective is to improve the situation of football in the region, particularly so that FIFA can implement its mission of developing and promoting the game in accordance with the FIFA Statutes," FIFA said in a statement.

A media briefing is scheduled to take place at noon on Tuesday.

Reported by Mark Bisson, Aaron Bauer, and Nick Devlin

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