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

South America’s CONMEBOL backs FIFA President Infantino for fourth term

Published

24 hours ago

April 10, 2026

Kunle Solaja

South American football’s governing body (CONMEBOL) gave Gianni Infantino its backing on Thursday, should he decide to run for reelection as FIFA ‌president for a fourth term.

While Infantino has yet to confirm whether he will run for the 2027–2031 term, CONMEBOL’s council said in a statement that it “unanimously expressed its support” for the 56-year-old’s ⁠leadership ahead of a potential bid.

“President Gianni Infantino, thank you for your continued commitment to the development of South American football and for the leadership exercised at a global level,” CONMEBOL President Alejandro Dominguez said.

“We deeply value your closeness to our region and your vision to continue growing the game worldwide.”

CONMEBOL ‌is ⁠the first federation to express support for Infantino’s re-election.

The Swiss took office in 2016, taking over from Sepp Blatter, and was re-elected unopposed in 2019 and again ⁠in 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 expanded to ⁠32 teams.

Infantino’s tenure has also drawn some criticism over issues such as governance and calendar congestion.

-Reuters

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Governing Bodies

FIFA opens disciplinary proceedings over Islamophobic chants in Spain-Egypt match

Published

3 days ago

April 8, 2026

Kunle Solaja

A big screen displays a anti discrimination message inside the stadium during the match REUTERS/Albert Gea

FIFA has started disciplinary proceedings against the Spanish soccer federation (RFEF) over Islamophobic and xenophobic chants during a ‌friendly between Spain and Egypt on March 31, the global soccer body said on Tuesday.

At the RCDE Stadium near Barcelona, the home ground of LaLiga ⁠club Espanyol, Spanish supporters chanted “who doesn’t jump is a Muslim” during the World Cup warm-up match, which ended in a goalless draw.

“FIFA has opened disciplinary proceedings today against the Spanish FA for the incidents in the friendly against Egypt,” FIFA said ‌in ⁠a statement.

Spanish police launched an investigation into the chants last week.

Spain winger Lamine Yamal condemned the chants as disrespectful and intolerable in an ⁠Instagram post.

The Egyptian Football Association also condemned the chants as an entirely unacceptable “repugnant act of ⁠racism,” and added that the acts of a small group of spectators would ⁠not affect the close relations between the Spanish and Egyptian federations.

-Reuters

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Governing Bodies

Adamu Targets Lasting Legacy as CAF Acting General Secretary

Published

4 days ago

April 7, 2026

Kunle Solaja

Samson Adamu (right0 in his inaugural appearance as the acting General Secretary of CAF.

The newly appointed Acting General Secretary of the Confederation of African Football, Samson Adamu, has declared his ambition to leave a lasting legacy as he assumes one of the most influential administrative roles in African football.

Adamu was named to the position on Sunday, March 29, 2026, during a CAF Executive Committee meeting held at the Giza Palace Hotel in Cairo. His appointment, proposed by CAF President Patrice Motsepe, received unanimous ratification from the committee.

Speaking shortly after his elevation, Adamu expressed both gratitude and determination. “I am elated by this appointment. I am determined to serve African football with humility, integrity, and professionalism,” he said.

His emergence is historic, as he becomes the first Nigerian—and indeed the first West African—to occupy the position in the 69-year history of CAF, a development widely seen as a significant milestone for the region’s growing influence within continental football governance.

Adamu’s journey to the summit of African football administration reflects a career shaped by innovation, passion, and administrative excellence. Fifteen years ago, he initiated the globally acclaimed COPA Lagos Beach Soccer tournament in Nigeria’s commercial capital, Lagos. The event attracted top teams from around the world and set new benchmarks in organisation, marketing, officiating, and fan engagement.

The success of COPA Lagos played a pivotal role in Nigeria earning the hosting rights for the 2016 CAF Beach Soccer Cup of Nations, further cementing Adamu’s reputation as a forward-thinking sports administrator.

He later joined CAF in Cairo, rising through the ranks from Director of Competitions to Director of Tournaments and Events, positions in which he oversaw the planning and execution of several major continental championships.

Adamu also carries a rich administrative lineage. He is the son of Amos Adamu, a towering figure in Nigerian and international sports administration. Dr Adamu served as sole administrator of the then Nigeria Football Association in the early 1990s and later as Director of Sports Development in the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports.

He was also a central figure in Nigeria’s hosting of the 8th All-Africa Games in 2003, after securing a seat on the CAF Executive Committee in 2002 in Bamako, Mali, and earning re-election during the 2004 Africa Cup of Nations in Tunisia. His influence extended globally when he was elected into the FIFA Executive Committee in 2006, alongside serving as Director General of the National Sports Commission.

With such a formidable background and personal track record, expectations are high that Samson Adamu will bring fresh ideas, administrative stability, and a renewed sense of purpose to CAF’s operations at a time when African football is seeking greater credibility, growth, and global competitiveness.

His tenure, though currently in an acting capacity, is already being closely watched as a potential turning point in the evolution of football governance on the continent.

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