Governing Bodies

ORIGINAL 125-YEAR OLD OLYMPIC GAMES DOCUMENTS SOLD FOR $8.8 MILLION AT AUCTION

Published

6 years ago

December 20, 2019

BY DUNCAN MACKAY.

The manifesto which led to the revival of the Olympic Games more than 120 years ago has sold for a record $8,806,500 (£6,764,543/€7,916,191) at an auction in New York City.

The historic artifact was expected to sell for between $700,000 (£535,000/€630,000) and $1 million (£770,000/€900,000), but ended up in the hands of a bidder for over eight times the estimate.

According to Sotheby’s which hosted the auction, it is the highest price ever paid for an item of piece of sports memorabilia, breaking the previous record set by a Babe Ruth New York Yankees baseball jersey that sold for $5.4 million (£4.1 million/€4.8 million) earlier this year.

The previous record at auction for a piece of Olympic memorabilia was the $1,466,574 (£1,132,239/€1,324,488) that a buyer paid for one of Jesse Owens’ four gold medals from Berlin 1936.

The 14-page document dates back to 1892 and was written by Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

The price skyrocketed as those present at the auction in New York participated in a lengthy 12-minute bidding war.

Sotheby’s has not announced who the bidders were or who eventually won the battle for the documents.

The 5,000 words hand-written document highlights why Coubertin wanted to bring the Ancient Greek tradition of Olympic competition back during an address he gave at the Sorbonne University in Paris two years before the formation of the IOC in 1894.

He outlined how he believed the Games could be a way to provide peaceful competition between countries.

“It is clear that the telegraph, railways, the telephone, the passionate research in science, congresses and exhibitions have done more for peace than any treaty or diplomatic convention,” Coubertin wrote in the manifesto.

“Well, I hope that athletics will do even more.

“Those who have seen 30,000 people running through the rain to attend a football match will not think that I am exaggerating.

“Let us export rowers, runners and fencers; this is the free trade of the future, and the day that it is introduced into the everyday existence of old Europe, the cause of peace will receive new and powerful support,” he wrote in the document.

“That is enough to encourage me to think now about the second part of my programme.

“I hope that you will help me as you have helped me thus far and that, with you, I shall be able to continue and realize, on a basis appropriate to the conditions of modern life, this grandiose and beneficent work: the re-establishment of the Olympic Games.”

The unique piece of history went missing for quite some time between the two World Wars.

Frenchman Marquis d’Amat went searching for it in the 1990s and eventually located it from a collector in Switzerland.

The sale set a personal record for the auctioneer, too, who has never hammered numbers quite this high in his 30-plus years of book and manuscript sales.

“It was a personal honor to serve as today’s auctioneer, as this marks my highest price on the rostrum in more than three decades at Sotheby’s,” Selby Kiffer, senior specialist in Sotheby’s Books and Manuscripts Department, said.

-insidethegames

Governing Bodies

FIFA bans former Guyana football official Alves for five years over harassment

Published

2 days ago

May 5, 2026

Kunle Solaja

FIFA’s independent Ethics Committee has banned former Guyana Football Federation (GFF) General Secretary Ian Alves from all football-related activities for ‌five years after finding he sexually harassed female staff members.

FIFA also fined Alves 20,000 Swiss francs ($22,000) after determining that he had breached provisions of the FIFA Code of Ethics relating ⁠to the protection of physical and mental integrity, abuse of position and general duties.

“FIFA has a strict stance against all forms of abuse in football,” the organisation said on Monday.

The decision followed a review of written statements from the victims, documents provided by the GFF, submissions from ‌Alves, ⁠and other evidence gathered during the investigation.

Alves stepped down from his position in 2024.

The ban came into force on Monday, when the terms of the ⁠decision were notified to Alves, and the full grounds for the ruling will be communicated within 60 days ⁠in accordance with the Code of Ethics, FIFA added.

The GFF did not immediately respond to ⁠a Reuters request for comment. Alves could not immediately be reached for comment.

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Governing Bodies

Infantino to seek fourth term as FIFA president

Published

6 days ago

May 1, 2026

Kunle Solaja

The 76th FIFA Congress - Vancouver Convention Centre, Vancouver, Canada - April 30, 2026 FIFA President Gianni Infantino speaks during the congress as the FIFA World Cup Trophy is seen REUTERS/Jennifer Gauthier

FIFA President Gianni Infantino said on Thursday that he planned to seek re-election for a fourth term in a bid to continue to lead the governing body of world soccer.

Infantino confirmed he would run for the 2027–2031 term in ⁠the closing moments of the FIFA Congress in Vancouver, which comes less than two months before the start of the World Cup.

The election will be held on March 18 in Morocco, which is set to co-host the 2030 World Cup.

Infantino said he was “honoured and humbled” to have the chance to run for a fourth term.

The Italian-Swiss took office in 2016, replacing Sepp Blatter, and was re-elected ‌unopposed ⁠in 2019 and 2023.

Infantino has pushed for the expansion of FIFA competitions during his tenure, with this year’s World Cup in North America the first to feature 48 teams, while the women’s tournament in 2023 has been ⁠expanded to 32 teams.

Infantino’s tenure has also drawn some criticism over issues such as high World Cup ticket prices and the decision to award the ⁠inaugural FIFA Peace Prize to U.S. President Donald Trump at the World Cup draw in December.

Earlier this month, the council of South ⁠American football’s governing body (CONMEBOL) said in a statement it would unanimously support the 56-year-old if he decided to seek another term.

-Reuters

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Governing Bodies

FIFA Congress Overshadowed by Whitecaps Supporters’ Protest

Published

6 days ago

May 1, 2026

Kunle Solaja

The supporters of Vancouver Whitecaps, a professional football (soccer) club in Canada, have staged a protest outside the FIFA Congress on Thursday, voicing fears that the Major League Soccer club could be relocated as uncertainty deepens over its ownership and long-term future.

The club is one of Canada’s most historic football institutions and has long been a central part of Vancouver’s sporting identity.

Around 100 fans gathered as delegates arrived for the annual FIFA meeting in Vancouver, chanting, singing and waving club flags in a show of solidarity. The demonstration comes just days after Vancouver Whitecaps FC revealed difficulties in securing a buyer willing to keep the club in the city.

The Whitecaps disclosed earlier this week that “stadium economics, venue access and revenue limitations” have complicated efforts to sell the club, despite a 16-month search for new ownership.

Season ticket holder Derek Hawksworth said supporters felt compelled to act amid growing fears of relocation.

“I wanted to come down given the threat of the team possibly moving,” he said. “It’s a rich history with the Whitecaps in North America… we want Vancouver to stay and not relocate. The history is here, and we want to continue with that history moving forward.”

The Vancouver Whitecaps are a professional football (soccer) club based in Vancouver, Canada. They currently compete in Major League Soccer (MLS), the top-tier league in the United States and Canada.

Concerns were heightened by reports that cities such as Las Vegas and Phoenix are leading contenders should the club relocate.

Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim has urged intervention, calling on the provincial government — which owns BC Place — to negotiate a “bridge deal” that would allow the team to remain while plans for a new stadium are explored. The club’s current lease at BC Place expires at the end of the year.

Despite the off-field uncertainty, the Whitecaps have been one of the standout teams this MLS season. They currently sit second in the Western Conference with 24 points from nine matches, just three points behind the San Jose Earthquakes.

For supporters, however, performances on the pitch offer little comfort as the future of their club hangs in the balance — a situation they hope global football leaders gathering in Vancouver will not ignore.

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