SportAccord Convention Will Pass Torch to Olympic Capital in 2016

(ATR)Lausanne will take on the daunting task of hosting the 2016 SportAccord Convention, April 17-22.

SportAccord Convention announced the Swiss city would host the event in a statement on Tuesday that included comment from IOC President Thomas Bach.

"What better place could SportAccord Convention have chosen to hold its annual event than Lausanne, a city which is made for sport," Bach said.

"For a century now, Lausanne has been the IOC's home. More than thirty international sports federations and sports organisations have also found in Lausanne the ideal setting to develop and strengthen the place of sport in society."

Marc Vuilleumier, Lausanne's Municipal Councillor in charge of sport echoed Bach's sentiments and added, "2015 marked the IOC's centenary in our city and last July we became the host of the 2020 Winter Youth Olympic Games.

"The SportAccord Convention will once again witness the entire world of sport gather here, for the first time since we hosted the second convention in 2004.

"Lausanne truly is the 'Olympic Capital,' today more than ever."

As was the case with the 2014 edition of SportAccord, no meeting of the IOC Executive Board is planned. Prior to 2014 the EB had met during the opening days of the convention.

SportAccord Convention touts the annual event as a "unique opportunity for key decision-makers from sport and industry to meet, network, and strategically shape global, regional and national agendas."

The release from SportAccord says 2,000 representatives of the IOC, NOCs, and IFs are expected to gather at the convention next year, which will take place at Lausanne'sSwiss Tech Convention Center.

Dubai had been tipped as the 2016 host, but stepped down as the host for the convention in October.

While Gian-Franco Kasper has been leading SportAccord since the resignation of former president Marius Vizer in August, ASOIF leader Francesco Ricci Bitti has presided over the SportAccord Convention.

"We are delighted that Lausanne has taken up the baton once more and will be hosting the next SportAccord Convention,"Ricci Bitti said on Tuesday.

"As a major event in the international sporting calendar, Lausanne provides a favorable location for sport and business leaders to meet, given its strong commitment to sport and industry.

"With the warm hospitality shown to visitors and delegates in 2004, we can expect to deliver a Convention that meets the needs of our stakeholders, partners and delegates."

SportAccord is the umbrella body for the world's IFs and also organizes the annual SportAccord Convention.

Kasper told ATR last monththat further negotiations between the IF umbrella organization and SportAccord Convention will pick up in Jan. and Feb. 2016.A merger between the two organizations could now potentially take place in April at the next SportAccord General Assembly.

Written byNicole Bennett

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