By Christian Radnedge

SportAccord president Marius Vizer closed the 2015 convention by insisting that his controversial comments had been “constructive” for the world of sport.

Vizer’s speech on the opening day in which he criticised the International Olympic Committee, its Agenda 2020 review, and even its president Thomas Bach who was in attendance, had overshadowed this week’s event.

But even though he made an apology to the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations this week, in the convention’s closing press conference he stood by his frosty words on the first day in Sochi.

“When somebody is the voice of the sport, to bring his voice, it doesn’t mean that it’s war or an earthquake. It’s just an opinion,” he said.

“It’s the expression of a sport life, activity or experience which hopefully is positive and constructive for the sport.

“I’m sorry that Russia is making such a big effort that it’s happened that’s my voice, not the voice of the sport. My voice was just expressed in this environment with our big hosts.”

Even though his speech produced a strong reaction from international federations, 26 of whom signed a joint letter of disapproval, Vizer saw no problems going forward.

He said: “In my opinion, it was something constructive. I did something, my voice, for the sport. I give a message that in my opinion was not destructive. It was always constructive. The fact of the message, it was for some of the people viewed as destructive. They made the right decision for their opinion.

“SportAccord will remain the house and the partner of the international federations. Those ones who want to stay and understand our vision, our activity and hopes, they are welcome. We don’t oblige people. We don’t oblige organizations. We are open to do right and to support sport.”

The SportAccord convention will return to Russia next year but in the meantime and indeed outside of Olympic time, the international Judo federation president maintained that the business of sport should be worked on every day.

“Don’t forget that 24 or 25 of the international sport Olympic summer federations depend totally on the IOC dividends” Vizer explained.

“Everyone has to understand that sport cannot exist only every four years. Sport must exist daily, weekly, monthly, yearly. Sport is a chance for hundreds of millions of people for recreation, discipline, for innovation in society, for a better life.

“And don’t take back this hope, this chance, for ego, for ambition, for billions which stay in the bank and millions of athletes are suffering for ego, power, and control of the world of the sport.” 

“Nobody has this right, ever.”

ASOIF Suspension of Membership Ratified

ASOIF’s General Assembly ratified the decision to suspend the body’s partnership with SportAccord in the wake of Vizer’s opening day speech.

The ASOIF Council had initially taken the decision to suspend their association with SportAccord before the General Assembly met on Wednesday.

The suspension was upheld and ASOIF will now review SportAccord’s mission, management, activities and governance before moving forward and taking a review of whether to resume their partnership.

2024 Bidders in Attendance

The SportAccord Convention today attracted potential bidders for the 2024 Olympic Games with delegates from France, Germany, Italy and USA all attending the conference in Sochi.

The bidding process is yet to get underway but the cities of Paris, Rome, Hamburg and Boston are all expected to submit their bids to host the summer Games in 2024.

All bids will be submitted to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) by 15 September, with the host city being confirmed at the IOC session in Lima, Peru, in 2017.

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Sports marketing company Infront Sports and Media has sealed three new agreements with members of the Asian Football Confederation.

Infront will handle the international media rights for the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF), doctor the Lao Football Federation (LFF) and the Football Association of Thailand (FAT).

Full story HERE.

NBA superstar LeBron James opting out of his contract with the Miami Heat could cost the south Florida franchise US$100m according to an expert.

Mike Ozanian, order a staff member for Forbes, asthma has said that the value of the Heat has increased 112% to $770m from $364m since James arrived in Florida in 2010.

In the same period, view the average value of an NBA team has risen by 73%. If the Heat had risen by this percentage they would be worth $630m, $140m less than what Forbes valued them in January 2014.

As Orzanian wrote: “James helped increase the team’s revenue to $188 million from $124 million from the 2010-11 season to the 2012-14 season mainly by leading the team to four NBA Finals, and higher sponsorship and ticket prices.”

He goes on to add: “Yes, just because James has added $100 million in value does not mean if he departed South Beach the Heat’s value would fall by the same amount.

“Except for this: James has made the Heat must-see TV from no-see TV.”

In 2008, the Heat signed a $20m a year broadcast deal with Fox-owned Sun Sports.

Since then, ratings doubled during James’ first season with the Heat.

Orzanian described the current deal as “grossly undervalued by today’s standards” and added: “With James, the next deal could be worth between $80 million to $100 million a season.

“Without him? Your guess is as good as mine.”

British Cycling President Brian Cookson has unveiled his manifesto to become the next President of the International Cycling Union (UCI), with his main aim to restore trust and change a sport that has suffered from controversy in recent times.

In his ‘Restoring Trust, Leading Change’ manifesto, Cookson said he wants to rebuild trust in the UCI and transform anti-doping in cycling following the Lance Armstrong doping scandal.

Cookson also said he wants to grow the sport across the world, develop women’s cycling, overhaul elite road cycling and strengthen the sport’s credibility in the Olympic Movement.

Speaking about his pledges, Cookson said: “I believe the most important challenge for the new President is to restore trust in the UCI, and most importantly to rebuild people’s faith in the way that anti-doping is dealt with.

“We need to give people reasons to believe that the future will be different from the past. We must build a culture of trust and confidence.

“If elected, my first priority will be to establish a completely independent anti-doping unit, managed and governed outside of the UCI and in full cooperation with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

“This unit would be physically and politically separate from the UCI, responsible for all aspects of anti-doping, and report to a board totally independent from the UCI.”

Public feud with WADA ‘absurd’

Cookson, who was speaking at a press conference at the Hotel Radisson Blu Ambassador in Paris, just a few steps away from where the UCI was founded in 1900, also pledged to end the UCI’s public feud with WADA and other anti-doping agencies, calling the arguments ‘absurd.’

“It is absurd that a sport that has suffered so much from doping has been in open conflict with the very people it should be working in partnership with,” said Cookson.

Cookson is the only candidate running against current President Pat McQuaid who has been head of the UCI since 2006.

McQuaid has come under increased pressure following the Armstrong controversy, where the former Tour de France winner was stripped of his record seven titles and banned from cycling for doping offenses.

Voting for the new President will take place in September at the UCI Congress at the World Championships in Florence.

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Location: Central London with extensive travel

Closing Date: December 22, ed 2016

Overview:

We are recruiting for a Head of Media and Communications to work with the CEO, asthma Chef de Mission and CGE’s agencies and advisers, price ed to manage all aspects of communications and public relations in the run up to both the 2017 Commonwealth Youth Games in the Bahamas, and the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast.

CGE leads and manages the participation of Team England, who will be represented at The Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games by more than 400 athletes across 18 sports. Gold Coast 2018 will also showcase the largest ever Commonwealth Games para sport programme, with 7 different para disciplines integrated in to the competition schedule.

At the last Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, England topped the medal table with 174 medals. The challenge for our team in Australia will be significant and to create the right support team is critical.

During Games, the Head of Media & Communications will be ‘on the ground’ and be the main point of contact for all media and communications-related activity. They will coordinate a Games Time team of press officers to maximise and optimise the promotion of Team England and its National Governing Bodies (NGBs).

The Head of Media and Communications will be accountable to the Chief Executive. This is a full-time role, based in London with significant national and international travel. The successful candidate will receive a salary commensurate with their experience and expertise. This is a fixed-term role, initially until the end of June 2018.

NBC have said that they made a $250 million profit from their coverage of the Olympic Games in Rio.

Advertising sales were up over 20 percent from London 2012, said NBCUniversal CEO Steve Burke, also citing a “very good” long-term rights deals.

It comes after NBC received criticism from how they covered the Games, usually tape delaying key events. Their TV ratings were down from London in 2012, but they did enjoy more people than ever watching the Games digitally.

Overall, Burke acknowledged that London was the “high-water point” in primetime Olympics viewing, but added that he was optimistic about future Olympics, mentioning that advertisers were looking forward to returning. “We are not in any way concerned,” Burke concluded.

NBCUniversal paid $7.75 billion for Olympics rights from 2022 through 2032.

Despite the shift to people watching the Olympics digitally, Burke did not think OTT would change the nature of how people watch sport overnight.  “OTT sounds like a better business than in reality it is,” he said. He added that NBC wanted to make at least the same amount in OTT deals as in traditional pay TV deals. “I think OTT is happening. … But I think it’s a pretty challenged business model, and I’d be surprised if it flies out of the gate with a big number,” claimed Burke.

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