Governing Bodies
IN THREE WEEKS, NATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEES TO KNOW NEW DATES FOR TOKYO 2020
BY LIAM MORGAN
A decision on when the postponed Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games will be held is expected to be made within the next three weeks, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) told countries on a conference call today.
insidethegamesunderstands International Federations were given a similar timeline during a call with the IOC yesterday.
The IOC discussed the new dates for the Games, postponed until no later than the summer of 2021 amid growing international concern over the coronavirus pandemic, with National Olympic Committees (NOCs) today.
The timing of the Games is the most pressing issue for a taskforce established by the IOC and Tokyo 2020 to navigate the complicated challenges stemming from the postponement.
Confirming the exact dates for the first Olympic Games to be postponed in history will also pave the way for other key areas to be addressed, including venues and qualification.
IOC President Thomas Bach said earlier this week that there are “thousands” of questions following the decision to delay the Games, none of which can be answered until the new dates are set.
insidethegames understands the majority of the 33 Federations on the Tokyo 2020 programme prefer the rearranged Games to be staged between July and August, although some suggested dates in April and May.
The prospect of a spring Olympics in Japan has been mooted and while this would require rescheduling of other sporting events, it potentially could avoid the high summer temperatures in Tokyo, which had forced organisers to invest in heat countermeasures for the Games.
insidethegameshas been told some Federations raised concern over high temperatures in the Japanese capital when discussing the possibility of rescheduling the Games for a similar window as had been planned this year.
IOC member John Coates, head of the Coordination Commission for Tokyo 2020, has suggested the organisation is working with Federations to potentially find a window in July and August next year.
Coates told insidethegamesthat he expected a recommendation on the precise timing of the Games to be put to the IOC Executive Board by the end of April.
New Zealand Olympic Committee chief executive Kereyn Smith said the organisation “looks forward to learning the exact date of the Games”.
“Our athletes have reacted extremely well to the postponement of the Games and having a date to work towards will allow them to carry out the meticulous planning and the training required for an Olympic Games performance,” Smith added.
IOC President Thomas Bach also held a conference call with IOC members yesterday.
Bach had previously sent a letter to the entire IOC membership, detailing the process which led to the announcement of a delay until 2021 because of the COVID-19 outbreak on Tuesday (March 24).
“In light of this situation, the IOC had to take decisions quickly, sometimes even every day, responding to a constantly evolving environment,” Bach wrote.
“I hope I can count on your understanding that because of the fast-moving developments, we could not always give you all the background information on a timely basis.”
To read the full letter sent by Bach to IOC members, click here.
-insidethegames
Governing Bodies
Nigeria becoming an epicentre of global badminton as Francis Orbih enters the Badminton World Federation Council
Laurels on the courts and now glory in the boardroom sums up the mark that badminton is making in Nigeria.
The President, Badminton Federation of Nigeria (BFN), Francis Orbih, has been elected as a council member of the Badminton World Federation (BWF).
The election took place during the BWF Annual General Meeting on Saturday in Xiamen, China.
Orbih emerged victorious over top contenders from other African countries.
He will join Cameroon’s Odette Assembe Engoulou on the council, while Chipo Zumburani (Zimbabwe) and Hadia ElSaid (Egypt) missed out.
An elated Orbih expressed his gratitude to fellow badminton presidents across the globe for their trust and support.
He said, “I am deeply honoured by the trust placed in me by my peers across the badminton world.
“I look forward to quality representation, driving development initiatives, and strengthening badminton’s global reach over the next four years.”
Orbih also acknowledged the support of the Federal Government of Nigeria, particularly the National Sports Commission (NSC), which he said played a significant role in his successful bid.
“The Chairman and the Director General of the NSC monitored the entire process. I’m grateful for their involvement and confident Nigeria will benefit from this,” he stated.
He further appreciated the BFN board members and the Nigerian badminton community for their prayers and continued belief in his leadership.
“From the day I declared my intentions, the board members of BFN have been supportive, and I promise not to disappoint them,” Orbih concluded.
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A former member of the FIFA Council, Mamoutou Toure, has been released from jail in Mali after almost two years in detention for alleged corruption, Malian media reports said on Wednesday.
Toure, president of the Malian Football Federation since 2019, was released after 622 days in prison on Tuesday.
He served on the FIFA Council, world football’s all-powerful decision-making body, for four years until last month when he lost his seat after failing to contest new elections.
The 67-year-old was arrested in August 2023 on allegations of embezzling $28 million of public funds but was granted a provisional release order by the Malian courts, reports said.
He was accused of misconduct during his time as the National Assembly’s financial and administrative director from 2013-2019.
Toure denied all charges and, during his time in jail, was last August re-elected as Malian Football Federation president for a second consecutive term, with his supporters claiming he was a victim of a conspiracy fuelled by detractors.
While in jail, he received a letter of support from FIFA president Gianni Infantino. However, as of last month, Toure is no longer a member of the FIFA Council or the Confederation of African Football’s executive committee.
-Reuters
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The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has denied reports of an outstanding debt to former captain Christian Chukwu and has challenged anyone with verifiable documents to prove otherwise.
Chukwu, a former national team captain and chief coach, died last Saturday.
The Nigeria Football Federation decried statements in a section of social media that the football-ruling body was indebted to the deceased.
Reacting to one statement on social media that claimed NFF owed the 1980 Africa Cup of Nations-winning team captain the sum of $128,000, NFF General Secretary, Dr Mohammed Sanusi, said: “There is no record in the NFF of any outstanding indebtedness to ‘Chairman’ Christian Chukwu.
“During the first term of the Board headed by Amaju Pinnick, a committee was set up to diligently peruse the papers of coaches who were being owed, even from previous NFF administrations.
“That committee was given the clear mandate to verify all debts and ensure that the coaches being owed were paid immediately. I am aware that the ‘Chairman’ was in the employ of the NFF between 2002 and 2005, before he was relieved of the post following the 1-1 draw with Angola in a FIFA World Cup qualifying match in Kano in August 2005. There is certainly no record of indebtedness to him in the NFF.”
Sanusi challenged anyone with genuine and verifiable documents of NFF indebtedness to any coach, who has worked with any of the National Teams over the past two decades, to come forward and tender those documents.
“As a credible organization that is very much alive to its responsibilities, if we are confronted with any genuine document of indebtedness to any coach, we will offset the debt immediately.”
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