Promoters Cannot Run a Sport, Ricci Bitti Warns Skateboarding

(ATR) Skateboarding must form an umbrella Olympic body warns summer IF's leader.

Guardar

(ATR) Francesco Ricci Bitti, president of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations, issued a pointed blow to the world’s skateboarding officials.

Speaking to reporters in London, Ricci Bitti said the sport cannot be run by commercial interests, and that an umbrella body must be put together unifying the three rival federations hoping to bring skateboarding on the Olympic program. World Skateboarding Federation, International Skateboarding Federation, and the IOC-recognized International Federation of Roller Sports (FIRS) all lay claim to representing true Olympic skateboarding.

But Ricci Bitti said that negotiations are underway to create a uniting body for skateboarding before the final list of additional sports is ratified by the IOC next August. Tokyo 2020 proposed skateboarding, baseball/softball, karate, sport climbing and surfing as the sports that could join the Olympic Program in five years time.

"This is an interesting discussion because it is clear there is no international body," Ricci Bitti said. "So we have put this condition to the IOC that only a sport that has an umbrella can be recognized.

"If you have a sport run by promoters, it doesn’t work in the long term. Now that they have applied we need to work to make the governance more credible because they have many organizations.

He added: "some organizations have good skaters, some organizations have good organization and some are very developed. So now the IOC is working already to put this together."

The oldest organization of the three, FIRS, was the federation chosen to present to the additional sports program panel for Tokyo 2020 on August 7 to make the sport’s case for inclusion in the Games.

Written by Christian Radnedge

20 Years at #1: Your best source of news about the Olympics is AroundTheRings.com, for subscribersonly.

Guardar

Últimas Noticias

Utah’s Olympic venues an integral part of the equation as Salt Lake City seeks a Winter Games encore

Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation chief of sport development Luke Bodensteiner says there is a “real urgency to make this happen in 2030”. He discusses the mission of the non-profit organization, the legacy from the 2002 Winter Games and future ambitions.
Utah’s Olympic venues an integral part of the equation as Salt Lake City seeks a Winter Games encore

IOC president tells Olympic Movement “we will again have safe and secure Olympic Games” in Beijing

Thomas Bach, in an open letter on Friday, also thanked stakeholders for their “unprecedented” efforts to make Tokyo 2020 a success despite the pandemic.
IOC president tells Olympic Movement “we will again have safe and secure Olympic Games” in Beijing

Boxing’s place in the Olympics remains in peril as IOC still unhappy with the state of AIBA’s reform efforts

The IOC says issues concerning governance, finance, and refereeing and judging must be sorted out to its satisfaction. AIBA says it’s confident that will happen and the federation will be reinstated.
Boxing’s place in the Olympics remains in peril as IOC still unhappy with the state of AIBA’s reform efforts

IOC president details Olympic community efforts to get Afghans out of danger after Taliban return to power

Thomas Bach says the Afghanistan NOC remains under IOC recognition, noting that the current leadership was democratically elected in 2019. But he says the IOC will be monitoring what happens in the future. The story had been revealed on August 31 in an article by Miguel Hernandez in Around the Rings
IOC president details Olympic community efforts to get Afghans out of danger after Taliban return to power

North Korea suspended by IOC for failing to participate in Tokyo though its athletes could still take part in Beijing 2022

Playbooks for Beijing 2022 will ”most likely” be released in October, according to IOC President Thomas Bach.
North Korea suspended by IOC for failing to participate in Tokyo though its athletes could still take part in Beijing 2022