On the Record: Judo President Aims for SportAccord, United World Championships

(ATR) International Judo Federation President Marius Vizer is ready to run for the presidency of SportAccord – and push for the creation of a new mega-event.

Vizer is the first to officially declare for the post of the organization that represents 100+ international sport federations and organizations, Olympic and non-Olympic. Current president Hein Verbruggen has signaled his intent to leave office when his term ends in May at the SportAccord convention in St. Petersburg, Russia.

The IJF president tells Around the Rings if he is elected he will work to create what he calls the United World Championships. The event, every four years, would incorporate the world championships of every Olympic sport (and others) into one giant festival in one place (or two or three countries).

Around the Rings: Why are you interested in the SportAccord presidency?

Marius Vizer: I think that the organization was managed very well but I think that there is more potential in SportAccord. I have a vision and a strategy which can transform the SportAccord into a great organization which can deliver and serve the support of the national federations, international federations, Olympic committees, to create a commercial structure from that which can serve and benefit the development of the sport.

I have a vision and a strategy and if the international federation are ready to vote for me, for our project which can change substantially their lives and activities. I’m ready to be the president, but I want to be elected only in case the international federation is ready to follow this strategy.

My idea is to propose to the international federations, Olympic and non-Olympic, to host together their world championships, to have a global event, to organize together every four years to hold an event called the United World Championship.

This event is to be organized in big countries or in two, three countries in partnership, without requesting specific investment in the infrastructure.

I think there is enough money on the market which can be attracted to the sport the question is who takes this money, the culture, the arts, the science, the sport.

Why not us? We have lots of potential in the sport. Creating this new concept in the sport we give this also to the new generation to be involved and take part in a global event.

Because if all of the sport together by solidarity will support this idea will be keepers and big opportunity of resources for the national federations, for the international federations and the Olympic committees.

I think that event and resources played and generated from that event we can support the national federation which is very important and I consider them the engines of the sport.

And it’s also an opportunity to finance the base of the sport. So let’s say that for Olympic Games we’re in a common project the IOC, NOCs and the international federations, and they take the creme de la creme, and have the biggest most prestigious events in the world with the most spectators in the world in the sport.

But don’t forget that today we live in a recession and we don’t know what is best for sport in the future. We have to remember what is the best finance for the sport, the national federations.

They grow the children, educate the children, the basic staff of the federation, the logistics people, they are all personalities and leaders in Olympic committees, in ANOC and even in IOC.

ATR: I would imagine that there would be some people who say that this concept, this idea is creating another version of the Olympics. How would this be different from the Olympics?

MV: Nothing can be ever compared or even compete with the Olympic Games. The Olympic Games, the Olympic Movement, the Olympic Spirit.

The intention to create a commercial event that can finance the base of the sport, the national federations that can bring more revenue.

ATR: Do you think you would need to have the participation of every Olympic sport for this to succeed? Would it be possible that athletics would say that they don’t want to participate, or swimming, for example?

MV: I don’t want to comment on that. I have made the proposal to all international federations Olympic and non-Olympic to join this event. It can even be called Sport Festival or United Sport Championship to have an experimentation where all the sports not only the Olympic sports, but there are a lot of other sport that today don’t belong to the Olympic Family. It’s an opportunity for all of themto expose their value and presentation in a global event in partnership with Olympic Sport, which is a great opportunity to increase the value of all these other sports and also it’s a kind of solidarity between us.

ATR: You could not have this event in an Olympic year; you’d have to have it one of the other years?

MV: It’s excluded. It’s a matter to be discussed with the International Federations, the IOC, the Olympic Committees, the National Federation to have our strategy and structure to put in place for this event. I would make the year after the Olympic Game let’s say 2017 or 2018 not disturbing in any way the Olympic strategy or qualification and more than that it’s a requested to be criteria of the Olympic Qualification in the different sports which are the Olympic Sports.

ATR: The European Olympic Committees have just created the European Games and they had some difficulty getting federations to agree to it because of the schedule, because everything is very busy and very hard to stage a new event. Would you have the same kind of problems with this event too? Trying to find the place and the schedule to make all of this happen at the same time?

MV: I think it’s a question of willing and of wishing. It depends on the common decisions of the international federations after I give them the vision and strategy. I look at the attractive opportunity and it’s their choice to decide yes or not. I would like to be the SportAccord president and to implement this project. Otherwise I am too focused and too involved in judo in the moment and to judo in the future.

So I would be interested to go for the presidency if the people are interested in this project. And regarding the European Olympic Games I think some of the other continents have their own games. So it’s good for Europe to have their own games, and I think most of the international federations are looking positive to this initiative and this possibility.

ATR: Some people have asked the question about SportAccord, why have SportAccord anymore? What is the purpose? Is it just to have a convention every year? Or does SportAccord have something more important, something larger to do?

MV: Some of the people they consider the SportAccord as a convention. But at the same time we have the international federations, we have a lot of occasions where we meet together with the IOC or just with us. I think on that way for SportAccord it does not make sense to continue.

I don’t want to say a bureaucratic organization, but I think the SportAccord has to be most efficient organization which can generate business and the revenues for the national and international federations.

ATR: I know the current president is interested in martial arts games, is interested in beach games, under the SportAccord banner in the different categories in sport.

MV: The problem is the continental Olympic committees organize similar activities. We have created confusion between the different indoor, outdoor beach games organized by the continental Olympic committees and events organized by SportAccord.

I think SportAccord if it wants to organize sport events, has to be a global event, otherwise we divide too much of sports.

Today is the period of globalization in the world and the sense is to go in the direction of the globalization..

ATR: So that would be in line with your idea for the World United World Championship.

MV: Starting United World Championship is not meant to create a new sport event just a matter to convince all international federation every four years or every six years in the same place at the same time their world championships but in a global package.

ATR: Have you already communicated with your colleagues at the international federations about this idea?

MV: I have talked to some of them.

ATR: And they say? They like it or they need to have more information?

MV: They say yes. All of those people I have consulted they say yes, they find it interesting, they find it attractive. And they find that important for the activity and future of international and national federations.

Reported by Ed Hula

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