Governing Bodies
IOC MAY ALLOW OPENING CEREMONY MINUTE’S SILENCE AS PROTEST SOLUTION FOR TOKYO 2020
BY MIKE ROWBOTTOM
A minute’s silence at the Opening Ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics is one of the options being considered within International Olympic Committee (IOC) circles as the debate intensifies over Rule 50, which currently forbids political protests made at any Olympic sites.
Taking part in a Panam Sports discussion on the topic, five-time Olympian and American cross-country skier Kikkan Randall, a member of the IOC Athletes’ Commission, said a worldwide consultation process had thrown up numerous “creative” solutions to the question of how best to allow athletes to demonstrate support for issues such as racial and social equality at the Games.
Under Rule 50 guidelines developed by the Athletes’ Commission, announced in January, competitors who demonstrate at the Games were threatened with disciplinary action.
Protests were defined in the guidelines as “displaying any political messaging, including signs or armbands”, “gestures of a political nature, like a hand gesture or kneeling” and “refusal to follow the Ceremonies protocol”.
But following a backlash, the IOC direction of travel has altered and the Athletes’ Commission is in the process of a widespread collection of views which will eventually be presented to the IOC Executive Committee meeting in October.
Randall, a Pyeongchang 2018 team sprint gold medallist, said: “One of our IOC Athletes’ Commission members has said – ‘could we do something together at the Opening Ceremony?
“‘Could we have a minute of silence, where everybody stands together in unity?’
“That could be a really powerful statement to the world.
“Is it something we can agree upon?”
Randall also sits on the Board of the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee, whose Athletes’ Advisory Council is one of several organisations to have called on the IOC to relax or abolish Rule 50.
IOC President Thomas Bach has refused to rule out allowing podium protests – although it is thought unlikely these will be allowed during the postponed Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games – and warned of the need to differentiate between what he called “divisive demonstrations” and suitable forms of protest.
Aliann Pompey, a four-time Olympian and Commonwealth gold and silver medallist over 400 metres for Guyana, has been conducting a separate consultation within her region as President of the Panam Sports Athlete Commission.
“Rule 50 has come to the forefront as athletes have begun wondering how they can communicate about social injustices and what our rights are, and everyone should have a place in that conversation,” Pompey said.
“We are getting feedback from all the 41 member nations in the region.
“What we found from that conversation was that the athletes formed along an entire spectrum.
“There were a few that thought the rule should be outright abolished.
“Some thought it should be left as it is.
“And some thought that the rule was fine but the way that it was interpreted needed to be fixed.
“After that discussion we left the athletes to continue to have further discussions within their countries and their sports.
“Based on that feedback we will try to quantify the viewpoints.
“It is a very diverse region.
“But we will then share those findings with the IOC.”
Reflecting on his participation in the iconic podium protest against racism during the 200m medal ceremony at the 1968 Mexico Olympics, bronze medallist John Carlos, who like gold medallist Tommie Smith had raised a black-gloved fist to the sky, commented: “All we wanted was an even playing field.
“Here we are, 53 years later, and we are still at ground zero.
“The question is when are we as a society going to wake up and act like the right people, the way we were intended to act on this earth?”
Asked about what he considered the most satisfying development from that protest, he responded:
“The fact that it was used as a blueprint.
“It made people have an understanding that, if something is wrong, you don’t wait around for someone else to fix it, you get off your fanny and try to resolve the issue.
“I think so many people have that vision now, that blueprint…”
-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.
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
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
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
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.”
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
The league title will be icing on Soname’s birthday cake on Sunday
As major global sporting events beckon, Morocco’s monarch launches the Kenitra-Marrakech High-Speed rail project
Nigeria Premier League attains a crescendo this weekend
- WOMEN'S FOOTBALL7 days ago
Naira rain falls on Nigeria’s Flamingos after a 4-0 defeat of Algeria
- OBITUARY4 days ago
NFF mourns the demise of former FIFA referee, Bosede Momoh
- Nigerian Football2 days ago
Financial rainfall awaits Nigeria’s Flamingos for every goal scored in Algeria
- U-17 AFCON7 days ago
Morocco crowned CAF U-17 AFCON champions after dramatic penalty shootout win over Mali
- U-20 FOOTBALL6 days ago
Nigeria begin CAF Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations title chase with Tunisian clash
- Nigerian Football6 days ago
Remo Stars maintain ‘7Up’ lead over Rivers United
- feature4 days ago
Ghana’s Cardinal, Appiah Turkson, listed as a possible Pope
- Nigerian Football2 days ago
Former WAFU President, Ogufere mourns Christian Chukwu