[Source: ASOIF] At its first meeting of 2021, the Council of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF) today agreed to organise its General Assembly virtually on 8 June, due to the ongoing global pandemic. This year’s annual gathering of the ASOIF member federations will feature the election of three Council members.

During its virtual meeting, the Council agreed on proposing to the General Assembly amendments to the ASOIF statues, aimed at improving gender balance within the representation of International Federation (IF) delegates at the General Assembly. The draft wording states that if any member federation intends to send the maximum number of three delegates to the ASOIF General Assembly, then both genders must be represented.

In another move to continuously enforce good governance, the ASOIF Council discussed arrangements for the fourth ASOIF review of IF governance and endorsed the launch of a pilot study on organisational culture within IFs.

ASOIF President Francesco Ricci Bitti said on this occasion: “It’s important to have rules and regulations in place, but we all know that the behaviour and actions of people play a large role in how an organisation really functions. Our new pilot study on organisational culture is a complex exercise but we are convinced that the outcomes will be highly beneficial to our member federations.”

The Council also reviewed the latest developments in the final preparations for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and welcomed the COVID-19 countermeasures “Playbooks”, which also lay out the framework for IF operations at Games-time. ASOIF and its member IFs remain fully committed to delivering successful and safe Games in Tokyo. Everybody is working hard to find practical and fair solutions regarding the Olympic qualification process.

With the pandemic having accelerated the interest and participation in virtual simulations of IF sports and disciplines, the Council endorsed an esports project to explore strategic and business options for all IFs to engage with gaming/esports.

Finally, the Council welcomed the recent views expressed by the European Commission in support of the European Model of Sport. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted sport’s important contribution to society in social, health and economic terms as well as the need for solidarity within the sports movement. The Council stressed that the fundamental elements of the European Model of Sport – solidarity, revenue redistribution and sport autonomy – should be protected and that the public authorities should be mindful of the third-party sport event promoters’ impact on the European Model of Sport.

Host City: The theme of Host City 2019 is “Innovate; Reformulate; Co-Create” - what are your expectations of this event? 

Nellie Kim: To be an active participant in a big sports forum is, indeed, one of the greatest incentives to the person to continue developing their natural talents and enlarge the boundaries of their personal achievements. In this respect, all that relates to the organisation of big and inspiring events is a point of interest for us.

To share experiences and to hear about the innovative ideas of all the stakeholders in the sector – be they representatives of city councils, national governing bodies, business, potential, or actual sponsors, event organisers, technical experts and all the parties contributing to the success of major events – is vital for us as the world’s governing body for gymnastics. Learning from each other and sharing experiences is one of the key factors of becoming better and reaching higher.

Host City: As Chair of the Innovation Commission at FIG, what are you doing to bring new ideas, formats and disciplines such as parkour into gymnastics?

Nellie Kim: The idea about introduction of the parkour into the FIG programmes belongs to our President Morinari Watanabe who was personally involved in the development of the project.   

In his official report from May 2019 he stresses on the fact that the future belongs to urban sports, like cycling with BMX, basketball with 3x3, volleyball with beach volleyball, as well as skateboarding and climbing etc. So, gymnastics has come up with parkour. Urban sports are booming, and we must keep in pace with this process.

Parkour World Cups have already been successfully held in Chengdu, China, and then in Hiroshima, Japan, where it was part of the Urban Sports Festival that attracted a big crowd of spectators.

As for the proposals the Innovation and the Ambassadors Commissions which I am chairing, we have submitted to the attention of the FIG authorities a number of projects over the last few months, some of which are:

- Changes to the Olympic Games 2024 Qualification Programme;

- Live streaming from the Qualification stage of the FIG World Championships using our IRCOS system;

- The Innovation Commission is exploring possibilities to include new disciplines into the FIG programme.

Host City: How is the Ambassadors’ Commission helping FIG to engage young people in its events and their co-creation?

Nellie Kim: The most direct approach to this matter is of course, the Volunteer programme applied by many of our member-Federations. 

We, at the Ambassadors’ Commission also pay specific attention to the fact that there is no bigger inspiration for any child or young person than meeting their sport idols in person.  Meetings with young gymnasts and fans is only one of the long list of Gymnastics Ambassadors’ activities prior and during the World Championships since the programme was introduced in 2017.

The role of Gymnastics Ambassador has already been taken by legends like Nadia Comaneci, Kyle Shuffelt and Svetlana Boginskaia in artistic gymnastics; Alina Kabaeva and Maria Pertova in rhythmic gymnastics, Alexander Moskalenko and Irina Karavaeva in trampoline, to name but a few. I was nominated as Ambassador of 2^nd European Games, which will be held in Minsk in June 2019.

Many of our greatest champions from the past also visit clubs and conduct workshops in various countries across the globe to promote gymnastics and to inspire young people. 

Big attention should also be given to continue promoting Gymnastics as the base for all other sports. This means Gymnastics like it existed in the schools in the past and helped children to develop basic body skills, discipline and healthy habits for the rest of their lives.

At the same time our ”Gymnastics for All” division caters for people of any age, from toddlers to old age, giving them the chance to enjoy organised classes and even take part in a massive international event called Gymnaestrada which is held every four years and attracts tens of thousands of people from all over the world.

Host City: And how is FIG raising the profile of women and disabled people through its events?

Nellie Kim: At the 2018 FIG Congress the decision was taken to have at least 30 per cent women amongst elected authorities, and this was a big step forward.  Because of the specifics of our sport, the majority of our athletes are female, and it is only very logic to apply their experience and knowledge after they have ended their sports career.  In this respect our FIG Women’s commission is very active. It has recently organised the Women in Leadership Forum held right after the FIG Council meeting in St. Petersburg, Russia in May.  To add to all this, our President Mr Watanabe is the President of the IOC “Women in Sport” Commission.

As for Gymnastics for people with physical impediments – several of our national member-federations develop this discipline. Here again, in charge is our “Gymnastics for All“ commission which comes up with projects encouraging the progress of Disability gymnastics and promotes the best practices in the field. The FIG President wanted to move even further and has asked our commission to study the problem and look at the possibilities for gymnasts with disability to participate at the Paralympic Games.

Host City: The FIG World Championships in Glasgow in 2015 were hailed as a new benchmark in event presentation. What is FIG and its host cities doing to reach even greater heights?

Nellie Kim: Yes, the World Championships in Glasgow demonstrated several novelties which became a norm in the organization of major gymnastics events across the world in that the entertainment flavour of the competitions was strongly interwoven with the traditional technical requirements of our sport.  The scale of Glasgow 2015 World Championships was possible due to the enormous support from the UK Sports Governing Bodies, the Glasgow City Council and British Gymnastics.

However, not many countries in the world enjoy and can rely on such enormous financial support, marvellous venue, logistics in place and professional expertise in every respect, as they were demonstrated in Glasgow 2015. 

To draw the most rational and applicable ideas, the FIG conducts a “Transfer of knowledge” meetings from one Local Organizing Committee to the next. However, I must stress the fact that the organization of each World Championships is a prerogative of the relevant National Federation. Sadly, many of our member-federations have the enthusiasm, the ideas and the knowledge, but do not enjoy the above-mentioned attributes for success.

Nellie Kim is speaking at Host City 2019, which takes place in Glasgow on 26-27 November. View the full agenda and speaker line up

[Source: ASOIF[] The General Assembly of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF) convened today at SportAccord in Gold Coast, Queensland (Australia), and elected Marisol Casado (International Triathlon Union), Ingmar De Vos (International Equestrian Federation) and Morinari Watanabe (International Gymnastics Federation) as Council members for a four-year term of office. Whilst Marisol Casado was re-elected for another term of office, Ingmar De Vos and Morinari Watanabe will replace José Perurena (International Canoe Federation), whose mandate had also come to an end, and former FIBA Secretary General Patrick Baumann who tragically passed away last autumn. During a moment of silence, the General Assembly remembered Patrick Baumann and his outstanding contributions to sport and the Olympic Movement.

Marisol Casado was elected President of the ITU in 2008 and became an IOC Member in 2010. She is also a Council member of GAISF. Ingmar De Vos was elected President of the FEI in 2014. An IOC Member since 2017, he is also a GAISF Council member and GAISF representative on the WADA Executive Committee. Morinari Watanabe was elected President of the FIG in 2016. An IOC Member since 2018, he is also a member of the Tokyo 2020 Executive Board.

The future of global sport and the role of International Federations (IFs) were key topics on the agenda of the General Assembly. ASOIF’s report on the “Future of Global Sport”, launched in February this year, received very positive reactions during the meeting. A number of member federations stated that the report recommendations had gained momentum within their organisations and will be discussed at their upcoming Executive Board meetings.

ASOIF President Francesco Ricci Bitti said: “The future of global sport, the role of IFs and their governance are all intertwined. By examining these three aspects at the same time, we aim to strengthen our member federations and help them tackle current and future challenges in a fast-evolving world. I am very glad to hear they have started to make use of the report findings in their daily work and implement some of the recommendations.”

On the topic of IF governance, ASOIF members agreed on the procedure of the third governance review, to be conducted between late 2019 and early 2020, with the declared objective to see at least 26 of the 28 full ASOIF members score 120 points (out of a maximum of 200 points). In order to support this process, the ASOIF Governance Support and Monitoring Unit (GSMU), established in late 2018, will continue to help IFs achieve progress in good governance.

The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games Organising Committee shared their plan for their one-year-to-go celebrations on 24 July this year and reported that they had released lately their competition schedule (session by session) to the general public. The recent launch of the ticketing sales website was hailed a success as well, with already more than two million ID registrations clocked by 31 March 2019. Tokyo 2020 also promised to collaborate closely with the IFs regarding the upcoming test events which will be important to fine-tune operations for Games time.

The Paris 2024 Olympic Games Organising Committee presented their new Event Delivery Model to leverage IF expertise for an optimal and cost-efficient Games delivery. They have already started to work closely with the ASOIF Olympic and Multi-Sports Games Consultative Group (AOMSG) and the IOC Sports Department and will also closely consult with each IF on their expectations for the Games’ delivery throughout the preparations.

During the report from the International Olympic Committee (IOC), ASOIF member federations were informed about the preparations for the Dakar 2022 Youth Olympic Games, strengthening the solidarity funding model for athletes, and the IOC’s Gender Equality Project. Based on the recommendations from the project, ASOIF has proposed to establish a new advisory group which will specifically focus on the topics of gender equality and diversity.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) updated the General Assembly about the latest status of the investigations related to Russia, ongoing governance reforms within the organisation as well as WADA’s work on a strong Compliance Monitoring Program and the 2021 Code and International Standards framework.

The General Assembly also approved the Olympic revenue distribution model for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

[Source: ASOIF] After almost 12 months’ work, the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF) today launched its report on the “Future of Global Sport”. The document aggregates the views of thought leaders and decision-makers from sport, business and government. It addresses political, social, technological, legal and economic influences, all of which are impacting International Federation (IF) decision-making and the model under which sport will be managed going forward. It also provides a historical overview of the foundations that underpin organised sport as we know it today and delves into the challenges currently being faced. The report concludes by laying out a vision for the future of sport over the next 20 years including key recommendations for the IFs and for ASOIF itself.

ASOIF President Francesco Ricci Bitti said on the occasion of today’s launch: “ASOIF has invested significant resources in this project and we believe the results will help IFs to better understand, anticipate and react to the changes and trends confronting them. In fact, some of the outlined future scenarios may serve as a wake-up call. This report invites us all to challenge our thinking at ASOIF and encourage our members to challenge their own.”

Key findings of the Future of Global Sport report include:

• IFs must demonstrate an exemplary standard of governance in order to maintain the confidence of the media, governments, business and the public at large while also protecting the integrity of their sports;

• IFs will need to develop a more proactive, creative, commercially driven and collaborative mind set, re-evaluating their role and strategies in favour of increased partnership with the private sector;

• IFs will need to embrace “digital” in earnest, transforming their business models, organisational designs and operational cultures;

• Today’s sporting event model will evolve so that true partnerships entailing closer cooperation and balanced risk-sharing among and between stakeholders, including business and government agencies will be a requirement;

• Athletes with sufficient following are gaining influence in today’s disintermediated media landscape and will need to be offered greater incentives to compete in established events;

• In order to attract new people to participate in and consume their sports, IFs must adapt their strategies to a changing society and to how, in future, people will discover and consume content;

• If they adapt, IFs will remain widely accepted as unique bodies effectively capable of governing and administrating their sports on a worldwide basis as custodians of the rules, training of judges, managing the events calendar and coordinating and funding global development initiatives etc; and

• It will become increasingly important to have an effective “umbrella” organisation working to promote and defend the Olympic IFs’ collective common interests given the range of major common challenges that IFs share but can never be expected to address individually.

Following-up on these findings, the report concludes with a blueprint for IFs to adapt and take advantage of the opportunities presented by today’s disrupted and competitive sporting landscape. This consists of ten recommendations for IFs related to two equally important themes of governance and entrepreneurialism.

The report will also provide ASOIF with guidance and a basis for prioritisation, particularly in relation to its work on establishing a solid future role for IFs, as the involvement of both public authorities (governments) and private business interests in sport continues to grow.

Click here to read the full report.

I’d like to welcome you all to Glasgow and Scotland for Host City 2017.

This is the third consecutive year that Host City has been held in Glasgow and I am delighted to see how it has grown.

EventScotland has a strong heritage with this conference and, with so much happening in Scotland over the coming years; it is fitting to have so many of the world’s foremost event practitioners meeting in this great city ready to discuss high-impact events

International context

Having spent the last few weeks at home recovering from a new hip I have had lots of time to think, reflect and cogitate about the world sporting events landscape.

Unfortunately, several key words and phrases have stood out on more than one occasion:

• Governance – lack of leadership
• Transparency
• Athlete welfare
• The lack of desire to move with the times
• Doping
• Corruption
• Geo political instability
• A fragile world economy
• Terrorism
• Global warming
• Brexit
• Lack of bids for Olympics
• Bidding confusion over Rugby World Cup 2023

to name but a few.

I find all of this very sad and, whilst it may well be a reflection of where we are, the lack of positive dialogue in terms of what high impact events can achieve is woeful.

Challenges

Whilst we have many challenges I genuinely believe that we need to celebrate success much more and ensure that we articulate and communicate to the public, politicians, media and more importantly athletes and fans how important this sector is for the world’s economy.

Take this city, Glasgow. On the back of the 2014 Commonwealth Games, the Hydro entertainment venue is ranked second or third in the world and the local vicinity is a contemporary and vibrant place to work, live and play, supporting 2,500 new jobs with some of the finest restaurants and cafes in Scotland.

I hope that the next two days gives us all the opportunity to both share our wisdom, and also reinvigorate and celebrate all that is great about our global events industry – one that, if we are not careful, is in my view at risk.

We need to articulate the special DNA of High Impact Events:

• Create moments no one can ever take away
• Inspires others to achieve, perform and learn
• Create impact across global governments that no other sector can, from a 360-degree perspective such as sport, creativity, health, education, economy, tourism, young people, etc.
• And more importantly than ever contributes to the wellbeing of the community, the city, the country and our global wellbeing; and last but not least, makes people smile and have fun!!

Thank you for coming to Scotland and enjoy the conference. I am delighted to announce that we are working with Host City to further grow the event in Glasgow and Scotland next year and see this city as future the home of a world class conference for global event cities and events.

Thank you and enjoy the two days.

Paul Bush OBE is VisitScotland’s Director of Events, leading the EventScotland Team, Business Events and Industry Development.  EventScotland takes a strategic lead in the Scottish events industry and is responsible for working with partners to attract, bid for and secure major sporting, cultural and business events.

Over the past decade this has brought some of the world’s biggest event properties to the country, including The Ryder Cup and Commonwealth Games in 2014, World Gymnastics Championships 2015, World Orienteering Championships 2015 the MTV Music Awards on two occasions and future events such as European Championships 2018, Solheim Cup 2019 and Euro 2020 Football.

Having been on the Commonwealth Games Scotland Board for four years as an independent non-executive Director, he was appointed Chairman in May 2015.

Paul was Chef De Mission for The 2006 Scottish Commonwealth Games team of 245 athletes and officials who secured a total of 29 medals. He was awarded an OBE in the 2007 Queen’s New Year Honours List for Services to Commonwealth Sport.

Paul Bush OBE is Chairman of Host City 2017, the largest meeting of cities and sports, business and cultural events, which took place in Glasgow on 27-28 November.

(Source: ICSS) Against the backdrop of growing global concern regarding ownership and investment structures surrounding professional and even amateur sports clubs, leading sport integrity and policy experts ICSS INSIGHT have launched a major independent study into the legal, financial and integrity aspects of sport club ownership.

As a first and crucial step in the project and to develop much-needed research in the area of financial integrity and club ownership in sport, ICSS INSIGHT and the International Association of Lawyers (UIA) have also announced a partnership to work together on the first phase of the major three-part global study.

The first phase of the three-part study will analyse current legislation and regulations in place that apply to club ownership and investment structures in world football. 

Over the coming months and as part of its ongoing efforts to champion the highest standards of governance and financial integrity in sport, ICSS INSIGHT will partner with other leading international academics and institutional partners for the second (financial) and third (integrity) phases of The FITS Global Study on the Legal, Financial and Integrity Aspects of Club Ownership.

Results of the first phase of the three-part study will be announced by the ICSS INSIGHT and UIA at the second edition of the FITS FORUM, which is due to take place in spring 2018, with the overall and final results of the FITS study to be finalised at the end of 2018.

The study is part of the Financial Integrity and Transparency in Sport (FITS) Global Project – an initiative launched by ICSS INSIGHT (formerly ICSS EUROPE) in November 2014 to identify and address the emerging threats facing the financial integrity and transparency of sport and bring together stakeholders from all areas of the sports industry to drive long overdue reforms.

Key findings from the first independent report of the Financial Integrity and Transparency in Sport (FITS) Global Project include:

• Only an estimated 25% of professional football clubs in top leagues around the world produce publically-available financial reports
• Only an estimated 40% of national associations are financially viable without the help of FIFA
• There are vast and significant ‘dark spaces’ in the finances of football, which must be addressed to protect clubs, players and leagues from the growing threat of organised crime.

Speaking in Toronto on 30^th October in front of legal experts and international law firms from around the world at the 61^st UIA Congress, Emanuel Macedo de Medeiros, ICSS INSIGHT CEO, said:

“Incredible sums of money are being invested in the acquisition of sporting clubs around the world. Investment in sport is welcome, but it must be clean and transparent.

“Whilst there are positive exceptions, there is very little due diligence and effective oversight. The existing regulations are simply too short and too poor to respond efficiently to the mounting challenges posed by a fast growing, globalised, financially sophisticated and increasingly complex industry.

“As the first FITS study highlighted, plenty of ‘dark spaces’ exist in the finances of football and the wider sports industry. This must change if we are to safeguard sport from the growing influences of corrupt and unfit investors, money launderers and organised crime.

“To help drive this positive change, ICSS INSIGHT is launching this major three-part independent study under the banner of the FITS Global Project. On behalf of ICSS INSIGHT, I look forward to working closely with the UIA and all other partners over the coming months to progress the first phase of the study, which will explore the current legal landscape relating to club ownership and investment structures in football.”

Speaking of the new collaboration with ICSS INSIGHT as part of the FITS Global Project, Mr. Pedro Pais de Almeida, President of the UIA (Union Internationale des Avocats), said:

“It is a great honour and responsibility for the UIA to partner with the ICSS INSIGHT and to be at the front line of the preparation of a most awaited and welcome “Global Study on the Legal, Financial and Integrity Aspects of Club Ownership in Football”.

“The UIA have always been in the forefront of integrity and governance issues and our members from all over the world will be pleased to be involved and contribute in the preparation of this important study that will certainly be a strong contribution towards important and urgent changes in a leading global business such as the football industry.

“In addition, it will also be a great opportunity to be involved with all the other partners including universities, financial entities, institutional partners and other.”      

For more information about ICSS INSIGHT and integrity products and services the ICSS offers to help safeguard sport, please visit www.theicss.org

[Source: SIGA] The Sport Integrity Global Alliance (SIGA) today announced a stellar line-up of global sport experts for the upcoming SIGA Sport Integrity Forum in Lisbon, Portugal on 26 July.

The second edition of the Forum will bring together more than 100 leaders from the world of sport, government, finance, business and civil society to address the most pressing governance and integrity issues facing the sports industry.

Following the huge success of the first ever Sport Integrity Forum in London earlier this year, this edition will feature lively, interactive and highly-informed panel discussions from the following influencers and experts:

Cindy McCain - Founder, the McCain Institute

Michael Robichaud - Senior Vice President, Global Sponsorships, MasterCard

David Luna - Senior Director, US State Department / Chairman, OECD Task Force on Countering Illicit Trade

Hans Erik Tuijt - Director, Global Sponsorships, Heineken

Michael Hershman - Group CEO, ICSS

AG Burnett - Chairman, Nevada Gaming Authority

Brian Lewis - President, Caribbean Association of National Olympic Committees (CANOC)

Pedro Machado - Partner, PwC

Joao Paulo Almeida - Director General, National Olympic Committee of Portugal

Densign White - CEO, International Mix Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF)

Ian Smith - Commissioner, eSports Integrity Coalition (ESIC)

The SIGA Council said:

“Following our first ever Forum earlier this year, it is clear that urgent reform and collaboration is needed more than ever to tackle the serious governance and integrity issues facing sport. There is a huge amount of work to be done. And it is for this very reason that we are again bringing together high-profile, leading experts to collaborate and share intelligence, new innovations and solutions to benefit the entire global sports movement.”

Additional panellists and keynote speakers will be added to the highly influential line-up that will highlight the issues and challenges ahead, sparking lively cutting-edge discussions on the following five big themes:

Good Governance in Sport: From Rhetoric to Effective Reforms;

Following the Money! The Pathway into Financial Integrity in Sport;

Sports Betting Integrity: Global Solutions to Global Threats;

Youth Development and Protection of Minors in Sport; and

Sports Business, Brand Value and Reputation.

The SIGA General Assembly will take place the day after the Forum at Palácio Foz, Lisbon, Portugal on 27 July.

[Source: SIGA] A series of high profile delegates, headed by European Athletics President Svein Arne Hansen, today called for active and sustainable sports governance reform at the inaugural SIGA Sport Integrity Forum.

The Forum was held in the historic Chartered Accountants’ Hall – the headquarters of SIGA member, Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW). Representatives from over 100 organisations from the international sports community attended, with high profile delegates from sport (international federations, clubs, leagues, national governing bodies and regional confederations), government, international and regional organisations, civil society and the commercial and professional services sectors.

Hansen began the high-profile Forum with a keynote address in which he described the corruption and doping scandals seen across a number of sports in recent years as “betrayals of sport’s values and of the trust of millions of people, young and old.”

Read Host City’s exclusive interview with Svein Arne Hansen here

He went on to highlight the significant progress that has been made both by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) and European Athletics in integrity and good governance. Hansen concluded: “I see SIGA as being from the sport movement and that it and European Athletics have common interests. Therefore, I want to wish you all the best with your project and I hope to work with you in the future.”

Hansen also took advantage of his address to reveal that he is asking that in future “we will store the doping control sample for any European record for a minimum of 10 years to allow for retesting when technology improves.”

The Forum’s three panel discussions on good governance in sport, financial integrity and sports betting integrity featured prominent and influential leaders from the world of sport, united in their belief that all of sport’s stakeholders should work in partnership to bring about real and lasting reform.

The debate was geared towards identifying solutions to the problems sport currently faces and the role SIGA can play in supporting organisations implement reform. Speakers included Lars-Christer Olsson (Chairman, EPFL), Nick Bitel (Chair, Sport England), Kimberley Morris (General Manager, FIFA TMS) and Thierry Pujol (CEO, Française des Jeux) among others.

Speaking after the Forum, the SIGA Council said: “The first ever SIGA Sport Integrity Forum has been a great success and a significant step forward. We enjoyed three panels of very high quality with excellent interventions from the audience. But this Forum would not have been such a success without the contribution and efforts of everyone involved. SIGA as an organisation is completely reliant on the expertise and contribution of its members. We are built on the principles of collaboration and partnership as we recognise that real change is only possible if we work together.

“The panel discussions today highlighted the scale of the work that is ahead of us but they also reinforced the need for an organisation like SIGA to act as a bridge and bring together like-minded organisations from across the sports industry. SIGA is here to stay and we are committed to bringing about real change. Today we have shown that we can talk the talk but now we must walk the talk.”

The Forum was concluded by Chairman of the International Cricket Council Anti-Corruption Unit, Sir Ronnie Flanagan, and Caribbean Association of National Olympic Committees (CANOC) President Brian Lewis who expressed their support for SIGA and called on sports organisations to adopt SIGA’s Universal Standards.

Read Host City’s exclusive interview with Svein Arne Hansen here

As this Olympic Year 2016 comes to a close, we see that sport is one of the few things with the power to unite all people in an increasingly fragile world. Sport is an anchor of stability for so many people, regardless of background, nationality or belief. For me, this is the underlying reason that explains the success of the Olympic Games Rio 2016. Like no other event in 2016, it brought the entire international community together in celebration, with athletes from all 206 National Olympic Committees as well as the first-ever Refugee Olympic Team. It was a rare moment of unity and solidarity for all humankind. We saw new records, great emotions, fair-play and sportsmanship. The participation of the Refugee Olympic Team sent a strong signal of hope to the millions of refugees in the world. The world’s best athletes set a powerful example that it is possible to engage in peaceful competition. For all these reasons, the Olympic Games Rio 2016 will be remembered as the marvellous Games in the Marvellous City. 

This unique power of sport to unite all of humanity is one of the most important things that the Olympic Games can give us in our troubled times. In a world where mistrust and uncertainty are on the rise, sport is a source of joy and inspiration for so many people, giving us hope that our shared humanity is stronger than the forces that want to divide us.

Half the world’s population tuned into Games coverage, making Rio 2016 the most-consumed Olympic Games in history, when one takes into account broadcast and social media. The explosion of social media platforms in recent years meant that more people than ever followed these Olympic Games via social media, with 7.2 billion views of official video content. An international survey has found that these Olympic Games are strongly associated with positive attributes such as “excellence”, “friendship” and “respect”, among many others.

With this global visibility comes responsibility for the world of sport. Because of the unifying power of sport, there are high hopes and even higher expectations for sports organisations from the general public – and rightly so. The role of sport in society is more relevant today than ever before. Consequently, sports organisations everywhere, need to justify the trust that people have placed in sport.

Outside of Rio 2016, we saw the growing relevance of sport in society in a number of different areas during this landmark Olympic year. It began with the very successful Winter Youth Olympic Games Lillehammer 2016, where the spirit and energy of the next generation of young athletes set the tone for the rest of the year. There was unanimous support for the Refugee Olympic Team from the UN Secretary-General, the UN General Assembly and from many heads of state and government. In a further expression of the close cooperation between the IOC and the UN, a resolution with consensus from all the Member States reaffirmed the UN’s recognition of the autonomy of the IOC and the role of sport as an important enabler of sustainable development. The first global conference on faith and sport held at the Vatican at the initiative of Pope Francis brought together the UN Secretary-General and the IOC with faith leaders to discuss the promotion of common values. The launch of the Olympic Channel gave the sports movement a digital platform to spread our messages and values to young people everywhere. Making the magic of the Olympic Games available 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, we already have more than 382 million video views of Olympic Channel content across all of its social media pages.

So as 2016 comes to an end, we have many reasons to celebrate a successful Olympic Year. At the same time, there are no reasons to be complacent.

In sport, the success of today means nothing for tomorrow. As an athlete, I learned that your performance will ultimately be judged by how you rise to the occasion. The success of today only gives you the strength to address the challenges of tomorrow.

This is the same approach that the Olympic Movement will take to tackle the challenges that lie ahead in 2017. There are many challenges on our agenda, so we cannot afford to stand still. We need to rise to the occasion in the New Year.

The most immediate challenge is the shocking findings of the recent McLaren report on doping and manipulation in Russia that have caused damage to the credibility and integrity of sport. Two IOC commissions have been set up to coordinate our response. They will respect the due process and give all sides a fair chance to be heard. Following this, the IOC will take all appropriate measures and sanctions.

We will continue and extend the work of Professor McLaren. Since his mandate did not include a full re-analysis of all samples, we will re-examine all 254 urine samples collected from Russian athletes at the Olympic Winter Games Sochi 2014. We will do the same with all the Russian athletes’ samples from the Olympic Games London 2012. It is only fair for the credibility of the Olympic Games and for peace of mind of the athletes that we take these extra measures.

The latest developments underscore the urgent need for a strengthened, centralised anti-doping system under the leadership of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) that is independent of sports organisations and governments alike. This is why the IOC will continue to call for a more efficient, more transparent and more robust anti-doping system, as unanimously supported by all stakeholders at the most recent Olympic Summit.

Another priority on our agenda is the preparation for the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018, which will be the first of three consecutive Olympic Games to be held in Asia. The many test events in PyeongChang this winter will be an important milestone on the road to what will be exceptional Olympic Winter Games in 2018.

The implementation of Olympic Agenda 2020 remains an ongoing priority, with more than 90 per cent of the expected deliverables completed or ongoing. The IOC has already implemented all good governance measures that were called for under Olympic Agenda 2020 and we expect other sport organisations to follow this lead. Another major step towards the realisation of Olympic Agenda 2020 will come in 2017 at our Olympism in Action Forum in Lima, Peru, where the role of sport in society will be addressed under the key themes of credibility, sustainability and youth.

Even though Tokyo was selected as Host City for the Olympic Games 2020 before the adoption of Olympic Agenda 2020, it is one of the first organisers to benefit from the new focus on flexibility, feasibility and sustainability. Following these principles has already helped Tokyo 2020 to realise significant overall savings, which we will continue to pursue with the local partners. In fact, the budget of the Organising Committee is privately funded, which means zero cost to the public purse.

With the excellent candidatures of Los Angeles, Budapest and Paris, we can already say with confidence that the world can look forward to outstanding Olympic Games 2024, whichever city is chosen as host. All three cities submitted projects fully in line with Olympic Agenda 2020 of how the Olympic Games can best fit into the long-term vision for the sustainable development of their cities. It is also clear that without the new flexibility under Olympic Agenda 2020, there would be no Candidates Cities at all for the Olympic Games 2024.

On a more long-term perspective, we need to recognise that the current candidature process produces too many losers. Therefore, we need to study ways to reform the candidature process beyond 2024, to ensure that the best host city is selected for the Olympic Games while minimising the losers.

Following the successful launch of the Olympic Channel, our focus must now lie on growing the audience and our reach. In 2017, efforts will concentrate on developing localised versions of the Olympic Channel, offering region- and language-specific content on linear and digital platforms. A significant milestone in this process was just recently announced with the new linear Olympic Channel in the US, set to launch during the second half of 2017.

The success of the Olympic Games Rio 2016 has shown us what it is possible when the world comes together in peace and solidarity as it did at the Olympic Games. So it is with this firmly in mind that we look towards 2017 with a renewed sense of purpose.

Wishing everyone a very happy and prosperous New Year,

Thomas Bach

IOC President

[Source: IOC]

FIFA Secretary General Fatma Samoura on Monday acknowledged that FIFA is a damaged brand that it has not focused enough on grass roots or women’s football, but insisted that the new leadership will be stronger on discrimination, despite the closure of the anti-racism task force.

Samoura joined FIFA from the United Nations in June. “There were many surprises, good and bad,” she said at Soccerex Global Convention, citing FIFA’s “incredibly committed and highly educated staff” as a positive revelation.

“On the bad side, there were some habits that needed changing. There are some cultural behaviours that we have already started acting on, for example: not really focussing on the development of football at the grass roots level; putting women’s football at the centre of our core business.

“Through the FIFA Forward programme we are really trying to prioritise those two things.”

She began her first major public speech as FIFA Secretary General by admitting she was “new to the administration side of football,” and that attending such events will be important for her in “establishing relationships”.

“I bring another perspective derived from 25 years in the UN system, mostly in crisis and complex emergency situations,” she said.

“In the midst of turmoil, gunfire and confrontation, the only time people would stop warfare was when it was raining or when there was a football game – including during Ramadan and Christmas.

But despite this power, football is still not universally accessible, she said.

“This has given me a desire for an even bigger women’s game and for women to play a greater role in administration. Men and women, young and old, well off and not so well off, have a role in the game.”

“Stronger on discrimination”

FIFA has been widely criticised for closing down its anti-racism task force, with Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein, President of the Jordanian Football Association calling the move "incredibly worrying".

Pressure group Kick it Out said in a statement “This comes at a time when there is clear evidence that discrimination, prejudice and hate are on the rise in developed societies, particularly in Europe but also in different forms across the world.”

Samoura’s speech at Soccerex Global Convention in Manchester followed a welcome address from Andrew Burnham, the frontrunner to become the first Mayor of Greater Manchester, in which he challenged her justify the closure of the anti-racism task force.

“It had a very specific mandate, which it has fully fulfilled” Samoura responded. “Its recommendations have now turned into a programme and a strong one.”

Asked by host David Davies if the problem is one of perception, she replied “We can live with perception, but what I can tell you that we are taking very seriously our role as the governing body to fight discrimination.

“As an example, we have a monitoring tool and we act when this comes to bullying and facing strange and extreme behaviours in the stadiums.

“We have several cases of disciplinary measures against several clubs and teams which have been accused, and based on solid legal grounding we have taken them through this disciplinary committee, which has taken very strong sanction against them.”

Despite the closure of the task force, she said “the new leadership will be stronger, not only on racism but any kind of discrimination – including any violation of human rights.

“We need to be firm. The zero tolerance policy is at the top of the new FIFA administration’s agenda.”

“Reputational damage”

Assuring stakeholders of the integrity of the organisation will be crucial to its continued success under the leadership of new president Gianni Infantino.

“It’s clear to me that fans and our member associations have all great expectations for FIFA,” said Samoura. “They are counting on Infantino to fundamentally change the way we do business.”

She cited the creation a Chief Compliance Officer position within FIFA, as “an example that is now being replicated by all the confederations.”

The development of the game at grass roots level will be driven by the new FIFA Forward programme, which consists of investments via member associations.

“The goal of FIFA Forward is to have a high impact programme with broader participation, better teams and leagues and a more attractive sport.

“In the end, this is all about making the difference and reducing the gap between dreaming about the World Cup and participating in the World Cup.”

Historically, investments intended for grass roots development have not always reached their intended recipients.

“We really want to put in place a monitoring and controlling tool, because the Forward programme is about a lot of money to national associations. It’s about US$5m – for clubs in England that’s nothing, but where I come from that’s a lot of money and we need to ensure that those resources are really well channelled,” the Senegalese diplomat said.

“I had a very comfortable position at the UN. I was convinced by Infantino that it is time for change. Yes, our brand has suffered a lot of reputational damage.

“My appearance here today is testimony to how we would like to restore trust and confidence. We have already started really working with commercial affiliates who still believe in the brand of FIFA, giving certainty that we are the partner of choice.

She insisted that the worst is over for FIFA, despite ongoing criminal investigations into several senior figures that led the organisation.

“We are putting the past behind us.” she said. “Let’s get the investigation done while not repeating the mistakes of the past.”

“We want to have the best administration by recruiting the best people we can find. In terms of governance and accountability, we have to reach the highest standard.

“I am ready to take these challenges. I count on everyone’s support to make the FIFA mission a successful one.”