Lausanne: The 10th Olympic Summit convened by the International Olympic Committee *IOC) on Saturday voiced serious concerns over proposals from FIFA for a biennial World Cup and the impact on the world-wide sport event calendar. It was noted that, until Saturday, there has been neither any information nor consultation with other International Federations, Continental Associations of NOCs or the IOC.
The Summit discussed the ongoing coordination of all stakeholders for the international event calendars, with the Summit noting the importance of all sports having the opportunity to promote and develop their respective sports, for the wider benefit of a diverse global sports landscape.
“The attendees voiced serious concerns over proposals from FIFA for a biennial World Cup and the impact on the world-wide sport event calendar. It was noted that, until today, there has been neither any information nor consultation with other IFs, Continental Associations of NOCs or the IOC,” the IOC said in a release.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who was one of the inviteesexplained that the ongoing discussions in FIFA were broader in scope than a biennial World Cup, and that what had been presented so far was only the preliminary results, which are still under discussion within FIFA. He offered to engage with the Olympic Movement in these discussions.
The Summit welcomed the World Anti-Doping Agenc’ (WADA)’s wide-ranging governance reforms that were agreed by its Foundation Board last month. These reforms will increase the representation within WADA of athletes, independent members and National Anti-Doping Organisations, while also maintaining the unique and successful 50-50 partnership between the sports movement and governments of the world. This latest round of reforms will ensure t’at WADA’s governance model is effective and reflects international best practice.
(IANS)