Vizer Appeals to Bach as Reports Suggest Russia to Pull The Plug on SportAccord

By Christian Radnedge

Marius Vizer has appealed for peace talks with International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach following from his controversial comments last month, unhealthy as it’s reported that Russia has cancelled the agreement to host the SportAccord convention for the next three years.

Although the Romanian president of SportAccord stands by the stance he took last month in Sochi when he accused the IOC of running a system that was “expired, health outdated, prostate wrong, unfair and not at all transparent”, Vizer clearly understands the need to quell the escalating fallout.

His opening speech caused a great number of Olympic sports federations rushing out of SportAccord, with rowing becoming the 12^th sport to suspend its membership on Wednesday.

Now, an unconfirmed media report has said that the agreement for Russia to host the convention for the next three years has collapsed because of the situation, having hosted it in the previous two years.

In a statement Vizer said: “To define the way forward and relieve pressure from the international federations, I have decided to confirm meeting dates with ASOIF [association of summer Olympic sports] and have launched a meeting proposal with president [Thomas] Bach, a meeting which I believe needs to be held for the benefit and the unity of the sports movement.”

“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.

“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. There is a need to move the dialogue and debate to society, which is the contributor and beneficiary of the biggest sporting events, while at the same time the consumer of sporting values and goods, and I am ready to do so.”

SportAccord an amalgam of 100 federations and organisations was formed 13 years ago with the first convention being held in Madrid in 2003.

A spokesperson for the organisation told iSportconnect: “We are working on the information available to us which was made public by president Vizer in his opening speech on April 20.

“We are working on this basis [that next three conventions will be held in Russia] and should that position change, we will issue any relevant press release or information pertaining to that.”

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