The organising committee of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games revealed on Friday that 26 international federations (IFs) are bidding for inclusion, with sports ranging from American football, baseball and karate to surfing, bridge and flying disc. 

Tokyo 2020 said the additional events must “serve as a driving force to promote the Olympic Movement and its values, with a focus on youth appeal,” and “add value to the Games by engaging the Japanese population and new audiences worldwide, reflecting the Tokyo 2020 Games vision.”

Since the IOC’s approval of Olympic Agenda 2020 last December, hosts of the Games are able to propose one or more additional events to add to the sports programme – much like the process employed by the Commonwealth Games Federation.

Applications for the additional events opened on 8th of May with a deadline of 8th June. The long list of 26 applicants was revealed after an Executive Board meeting on Tuesday 12th June.

The applicant IFs represent the following sports: air sports; American football; baseball softball; billiards; bowls; bowling; bridge; chess; dancesport; floorball; flying disc; karate; korfball; netball; orienteering; polo; racquetball; roller sports; climbing; squash; sumo; surfing; tug war; underwater sports; waterski and wakeboard; and wushu.

The applications will now be reviewed by the seven Japanese members of Tokyo 2020’s “Additional Event Programme Panel” and a shortlist will be announced on 22 June 2015.

The shortlisted will then submit further details and make a presentation to the Additional Event Programme Panel, who will then propose its recommendations to the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee, which will decide on the events to be proposed to the IOC. 

The final decision will be made the IOC at its 129th Session in Rio in August 2016.

The Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF) president Francesco Ricci Bitti on Monday told SportAccord – the union of federations for both Olympic and non-Olympic sports – that it is not necessary for Olympic sports.

According to a report by Olympic news site Around the Rings, Ricci Bitti wrote to SportAccord president Marius Vizer and ASOIF’s members on Monday, describing SportAccord as “redundant and confusing" and confirming that ASOIF will suspend its participation in ASOIF meetings. 

The move is a reaction to Vizer’s outspoken verbal attack on the International Olympic Committee at SportAccord Convention in April.

Since then, nine international federations have suspended their association with SportAccord, with the International Triathlon Union the latest to do so.

“If we could find a positive side to what happened in Sochi, it is that you have triggered a clarification process that was both necessary and long overdue regarding the relationship between our associations vis-a-vis our common members,” Ricci Bitti told Vizer in the letter.

The letter goes on to make it clear that ASOIF members do not need SportAccord membership.

“What has never been felt necessary or desirable by the preponderance of our association is for there to be an additional ‘umbrella’ organisation that pretends to speak, often without consultation, on behalf of our members collectively. 

“To put it plainly, the reality is that the concept of a second collective umbrella organisation is considered redundant and confusing and unwanted by our membership.”

ASOIF will continue to work with other groups of international federations, the letter says, “because we acknowledge a need for all of us to work together in some specific activities that can bring added value such as the SportAccord Convention where ASOIF, as a major shareholder, is ready to play its full part."

Ricci Bitti’s letter also asks SportAccord Convention, which is a distinct organisation to SportAccord, “to confirm that it will respect the role of the shareholders by following principles of good governance including their participation in the decision-making process through appropriate engagement and consultation."

ASOIF will no longer participate in the SportAccord Council, Ricci Bitti said, withdrawing the participation of its two members “pending a full formal review leading to clarification and agreement on the future role, mission and constitution of SportAccord."

As relations between SportAccord and Olympic sports federations continue to deteriorate, SportAccord’s president Marius Vizer has requested meetings with the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF) and the president of the International Olympic Committee, Dr. Thomas Bach. 

The meeting requests are a response to a letter from ASOIF president Francesco Ricci Bitti sent Vizer yesterday, in which he said ASOIF was suspending relations because SportAccord is not necessary for Olympic sports.  

“In order to define the way forward and relieve pressure from the IFs, I have decided to confirm meeting dates with ASOIF and have launched a meeting proposal with President Bach, a meeting which I believe needs to be held for the benefit and the unity of the Sports Movement,” Vizer said in a statement. 

HOST CITY contacted ASOIF’s director Andrew Ryan, who confirmed that a meeting with Vizer is being considered. 

“We have had a response proposing dates; we’ve got to now see which dates we can find time to get together,” Ryan told HOST CITY.

“We suspended our relations with them and now we have to sit together and discuss what the future holds. 

“The letter makes the ASOIF position very clear; we can’t in any way make it more clear. At the moment there’s nothing more to say. Everything that needs to be said was put in the letter yesterday.”

Whether IOC president Bach will want to meet with Vizer, who criticised him publicly a month ago at SportAccord Convention in Sochi, remains to be seen. 

"We read Mr. Vizer's comments and press release in the media. The IOC President has responded directly to this letter before making any public comment," and IOC spokesperson told HOST CITY.

In his statement, Vizer said “I look forward to open and honest discussions which are for the benefit of sport. I hope to have positive discussions which will lead to tangible solutions.”

Since SportAccord Convention, ten summer Olympic sports federations and their primary representative body, ASOIF, have suspended their engagement with SportAccord.

Despite the exodus of Olympic sports federations, Vizer said the number of applications for SportAccord membership has actually increased over the last month. 

SportAccord is the union of Olympic and non-Olympic international federations.

“SportAccord continues and will continue to provide services to empower the International Federations and to defend their interests,” Vizer said.

It was with profound sorrow that I learnt of the tragic helicopter crash yesterday which claimed the lives of three of France’s sport icons, swimmer Camille Muffat, 25, sailor Florence Arthaud, 57, and boxer Alexis Vastine, 28. 

Two of them were Olympians. All three of them, just like all athletes around the world, embodied the values of peace. Each of them has moved us, thrilled us and made us proud. They have filled our hearts with emotion. Beyond their sporting performances, they were committed to giving back to society what sport had given them.

We will never forget the youthful vitality of Camille Muffat, 400m freestyle Champion at the London Olympics, the accomplishments of Florence Arthaud, winner of the 1990 Route du Rhum transatlantic race, and the passion of Alexis Vastine, Beijing Bronze Medallist who was looking to win Gold in Rio.

The entire sports community mourns this great loss. Along with the teams of the World Olympians Association and Peace and Sport, our thoughts are with the families and loved ones of the victims.

Joël Bouzou

President of World Olympians Association

President and founder of Peace and Sport

The President of the Jordan Olympic Committee (JOC), HRH Prince Feisal Al Hussein, has launched a national communications initiative to boost sports participation among Jordanians.

Concerned over the Kingdom of Jordan’s collective health and what it describes as “the continuous threat of our young people falling victim to damaging and anti-social distractions”, the JOC has launched a series of initiatives under the banner of “Living Sport” with the aim of making sport play a part in the lives of all Jordanians.

 “We, in the Olympic Movement, truly believe in the power of sport to make a positive difference, and the Jordan Olympic Committee is taking responsibility, alongside like-minded organisations, in making that difference,” said HRH Prince Feisal Al Hussein, President of the Jordan Olympic Committee.

The programme was launched on Thursday during celebrations held in Al Hussein Sports City in advance of Olympic Day (23rd June). The JOC was joined by representatives from all 34 sporting federations under its umbrella, as well as 200 school children who took part in activities promoting Living Sport and the Olympic values.

The programme is set to run indefinitely. “There is no end date to sport making a difference to the lives of our citizens and so Living Sport has no end date,” said Prince Feisal.

A one-month campaign will be launched every year on Olympic Day to address key health and social issues. Specially created JOC committees will promote sport as universal and without barriers to participation, and organized in an environment-friendly way through green initiatives.

Living Sport will target six to 11 year olds through an “Ambassador” initiative, steering children away from anti-social distractions by bringing fun into sport.

Through the JOC News Service, sporting successes will be celebrated, bringing a sense of collective national pride. The JOC is also taking steps to make sport more marketable and attractive to all non-participants, from fans to sponsors. 

“Living Sport is a long-term programme which will be at the heart of all JOC activity and operations, and which will evolve as needed through time to remain relevant to all that we do,” said Prince Feisal.

The International Rugby Board (IRB)’s elite international Rugby Sevens events have attracted an unprecedented level of interest from potential host nations. 

As the expression of interest deadline closed on February 28, 25 Unions formally confirmed their interest in hosting a round of the HSBC Sevens World Series from the 2015/16 season. Fourteen Unions are also interested in hosting the men’s and women’s Rugby World Cup Sevens in 2018.

The level of interest underlines the global appeal of the newest Olympic sport. IRB Chairman Bernard Lapasset said: “This unprecedented response truly reflects the enormous prestige and appeal of Rugby Sevens in the global sporting market place ahead of our Rio 2016 Olympic Games debut.

“The submission features a blend of interest from every continent and includes existing and emerging Rugby markets. It reaffirms Rugby Sevens as a young, exciting and thriving sport that is reaching out, engaging and inspiring new audiences around the world.

"International Rugby Sevens is truly competitive, showcasing great skill and speed to full, vibrant stadia and strong and ever-growing global broadcast audiences and that is why we believe that Rugby Sevens will be a great fit for the Olympic Games and also why the Olympic Games will be great for Rugby.

“We look forward to collaborating with each interested party as we look ahead to the next phase of the process.”

The deadline for tender submissions for Unions interested in hosting Rugby World Cup Sevens 2018 need to submit tenders by 5 December 5 2014, with the IRB Council selecting the winning bid at its May 2015 meeting.

The deadline for formal tender submissions for hosting a Sevens World Series tournament is set for 27 June, 2014 and the 2015/16 Series hosts will be selected by IRB EXCO in October 2014.

The dual process follows a detailed strategic review of Rugby World Cup Sevens and the Sevens World Series hosting models and key overall considerations include growing hosting and participation opportunities for the 119 IRB Member Unions, tournament format, increasing Sevens-related global commercial model values, and for the series specifically, the number of events in the calendar. 

The full list of Unions that have expressed an interest to tender for IRB Sevens World Series 2015/16 is: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, England, Fiji, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Kenya, Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, Russia, Scotland, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, USA, Wales. 

The list of Unions that have expressed an interest to tender for Rugby World Cup Sevens 2018 is: England, Fiji, France, Hong Kong, Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, Scotland, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, United Arab Emirates, USA, Wales.