(ATR) Elections held at National Olympic Committees this week could have a major impact on the composition of the International Olympic Committee.
The greatest threat to the current makeup of the IOC will be the elections for the Australian Olympic Committee due to take place on Saturday, May 6. Current AOC president and IOC vice president John Coates is facing his first challenge for the presidency since his inauguration in 1990.
Coates is being challenged by Danni Roche, field hockey Olympic gold medalist in 1996, who is campaigning for the AOC presidency on a platform for change. She reportedly wants to repair bridges with the Australian Sports Commission and is pledging to invest more on athletes and sports development. Roche would also not take a salary.
If Roche’s campaign proves successful at the AOC general assembly on May 6, Coates ex-officio role as an IOC vice president would cease to exist. Coates currently serves as first vice president of the IOC, chair of the Coordination Commission for Tokyo 2020 and chair of the working group of IOC vice presidents reviewing the Olympic bidding process.
Named an IOC member in 2001 by virtue of his presidency of the AOC, Coates holds one of 15 seats reserved for NOC leaders. IOC spokesman Mark Adams says that without the AOC presidency, the IOC duties for Coates would come to a screeching halt.
"I can confirm his membership is related to his position in the AOC and he would lose all functions if he lost that position," Adams tells Around The Rings.
NOC elections will be much less stressful for fellow IOC member Paul Tergat of Kenya when the NOC-K chooses its next leaders on May 5.
Tergat will run uncontested for the presidency of NOC-K after outgoing president Kip Keino was not cleared to stand in the election, according to reports from AllAfrica.
The election will be held on May 5 in Nairobi. Elections will be contested for a total of 11 positions.
Ice Hockey Championships Begin
The 2017 World Ice Hockey Championships will be hosted by neighbors Germany and France and begin May 5.
The championships feature 16 teams divided into two groups based on world rankings from the 2016 world championship. The four best teams from each group advance to the playoff round on May 18 while the worst team in each group is relegated to Division I in 2018.
France’s capital Paris and Cologne, Germany will stage the matches in the joint project. Group A will play its matches in Cologne at the 18,500 capacity Lanxess Arena while Group B teams will square off on the ice in the 14,500 capacity AccorHotels Arena in Paris.
The men’s Ice Hockey World Champions will be crowned on May 21. The final matches will be held at the larger venue in Cologne.
Diamond League Heads to Doha
The International Association of Athletics Federations 2017 Diamond League begins Friday, May 5 in Doha, Qatar.
The world’s best track and field athletes will begin the reformatted Diamond League Series at the Qatar Sports Club stadium, each seeking to earn points that would help them qualify for the Diamond League Finals.
Under the new system, athletes earn qualification points in each of the first 12 events that would earn them sports in the finals where $100,000 in prize money is up for grabs. The new championship format includes a total prize pool of $3.2 million.
The first event of the annual series will feature a lineup of Olympic medalists and world champions. Around the Rings will be on the scene providing coverage of the Diamond League from Doha.
FIBA Congress Meets in Hong Kong
The International Basketball Federation will hold its mid-term congress in Hong Kong this week.
The two-day meeting will consist of workshops on how to increase National Federation development, FIBA’s new competition system for 2017 and beyond and updates regarding the federation’s media and broadcast partnerships.
The congress will also discuss the growing discipline of 3x3 basketball which it hopes can one day be added to the Olympic program.
Written by Kevin Nutley
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