Governing Bodies
IOC APPROVES BRISBANE AS PREFERRED HOST OF 2032 OLYMPIC GAMES
Brisbane has taken a huge step towards securing the hosting rights for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) confirmed the Australian region as its preferred candidate.
The IOC is set to open exclusive negotiations – or “targeted dialogue” – with Australian officials over staging the Games in 11 years’ time following the Executive Board’s decision to approve a recommendation from the Future Host Summer Commission during its remote meeting today.
insidethegames exclusively revealed that Brisbane would be installed as the IOC’s non-binding preferred bidder.
Kristin Kloster Aasen, the chair of the Future Host Summer Commission, said work would begin with Queensland officials “immediately” and results on the discussions will be presented to the Executive Board “in due course”.
Kloster Aasen suggested Queensland need only to submit documents and the required guarantees needed to host the Games before the commission is in a position to formally recommend Brisbane as the host for the 2032 Olympics and Paralympics.
While the Norwegian said it was “not a done deal”, it now appears all-but certain that Australia will host the Games for the first time since Sydney staged the event in 2000.
It is thought unlikely that the vote – where the IOC membership will be asked to green light a single candidate – will come at the Session planned to take place prior to the postponed Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games
Kloster Aasen cited the “very advanced Games concept”, the masterplan being proposed by Brisbane, Australia’s “high level” of experience in hosting major events and the “strong support” for the bid from Government officials as the main reasons for the recommendation.
“This is an important next step in an ongoing dialogue with the Future Host Commission,” said AOC President and IOC vice-president John Coates.
“We are very clear that we must continue to work hard in outlining our vision for a successful Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2032.”
Today’s confirmation will come as a disappointment to countries, including Qatar, India, Indonesia, China, Germany and Hungary, who had expressed an interest in staging the Games in 2032.
The Future Host Commission chair said the German Olympic and Sports Confederation had earlier this month opted against entering what it calls the continuous dialogue phase with the group, but did not refer to any other possible bidders.
Brisbane is set to be the first city awarded a Summer Olympic Games under the IOC’s new process for selecting the host of its flagship event.
The IOC in 2019 established Future Host Commissions, which identify and recommend venues for the Games and enter into dialogue with prospective countries and cities over staging the Summer and Winter Olympics.
This has led to the previous approach of pitting competing cities against one another to host the Olympics for a given year and then announcing the winner seven years in advance being abandoned.
The old bidding system created “too many losers” among rejected host cities, who often spent millions of dollars on promoting their campaign and often never bid again, IOC President Bach has claimed.
The IOC will undoubtedly face criticism about a lack of transparency since Coates, head of the AOC and a close ally of Bach, chaired a working group in 2019 that examined changing the process for selecting a host city for 2032 onwards.
Bach insisted today that Coates had no input in the recommendation that the Future Host Commission begin exclusive talks with Brisbane over staging the 2032 Games.
The IOC President also rejected criticism regarding the new system, which sees a small group of members propose host cities to the ruling Executive Board.
Bach claimed the new process is “more low-cost, helps prevent any undue interference, makes it less political, and makes it more and more sober”.
He said the previous system “also led to governance problems” and saw candidates publicly attacking each other as part of their campaigns.
“This was not the best procedure, neither for the future of the Games nor the reputation of the IOC,” Bach said.
-insidethegames
Governing Bodies
Sanusi set for record-extending tenure as Nigeria’s football politicians assemble in Asaba
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
Speculations gathered ahead of the 2024 Annual General Meeting of the Nigeria Football Federation holding in Asaba on Friday have it that tenure elongation for the General Secretary, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi, is a major item on the agenda.
Neither formal confirmation nor denial has been issued since one of the leading newspapers in Nigeria, ThisDay dropped the hint.
The agenda of the meeting is also not made public. Dr, Sanusi is the longest-serving General Secretary in history having been in office from 30 March 2015 making 3,476 days or nine years six months and four days.
It easily drowned that of his closest rival in tenure – Sani Toro whose tenure from 21 December 1993 to 3 May 1999 is merely 2020 days or five years, six months and 12 days.
Thus, no one had enjoyed a longer period in office than the incumbent, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi. It is speculated that the tenure will be extended as NFF has reported that all delegates have arrived in the Delta State capital by Thursday evening.
The NFF Annual General Assembly, the first of which took place 90 years ago in Lagos on 19 February 1934, is the biggest assemblage of football administrators and stakeholders in the country.
In one such meeting on 24 July 2008 in Makurdi, the football body changed its name from NFA to NFF.
This year, according to a press release by the NFF, the plenary will have in attendance, the chairmen and secretaries of football associations in the 36 States and the Federal Capital Territory, chairmen and secretaries of the Nigeria Premier Football League, Nigeria National League, Nigeria Women Football League and the Nationwide League One, as well as chairmen and secretaries of the referees’ association, players’ union and coaches’ association. This group of 88 makes up the Congress.
They are joined by the members of the NFF Executive Committee and the management team as well as former NFF Presidents and General Secretaries.
The Minister of Sports Development, John Owan Enoh, is announced as the special guest. Nigeria’s Member of the FIFA Council, Amaju Melvin Pinnick is also expected as well as a representative of the West African Football Union (WAFU B).
The Governor of Delta State, Sheriff Francis Oborevwori will declare the General Assembly open.
Venue is the Unity Hall of the Delta State Government House.
Governing Bodies
Like in Egypt, former Nigerian Olympian, Sadiq Abdulahi wants Tinubu to declare ‘State of Emergency’ in Sports
Former Nigerian tennis player and Olympian, Prof. Sadiq Abdulahi has called for drastic action to arrest the decline of Nigeria in global sporting events.
The former tennis player who is now a professor in the United States declared that the “failure to win a medal at the regular 2024 Paris Olympics, the few medals at the Paris Paralympic and the fallout at the National Youth Sports Festival has exposed the deep problems facing the sport’s sector.”
He wants Nigeria to have the same approach that the Egyptian president has taken while reacting to the country’s performance at the Paris 2024 Olypics.
Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi ordered a comprehensive evaluation of sports federations that participated at the Paris Olympic Games, following a mission report submitted by the country’s sports minister.
According to Prof. Abdulahi, the National Sports Federations charged with the preparation of elite athletes have failed to do their job despite the cry for funding from the government.
“Federal Government cannot adequately fund all the Olympics sports. It is impossible.
“By declaring a state of emergency, new people, new approaches and new funding models will be identified. More importantly, the Federal Government will redefine grassroots sports development.
“We will lay sustainable foundation for sports development.”
Continuing, he called for the return of the National Sports Commission (NSC) which enabling decree was abolished through Decree No. 7 of 1991, but came back through presidential proclamation under Sani Abacha before it was abolished again.
The original NSC was established in 1964 as National Sports Council before the promulgation of Decree 34 of 1971 which legalised it as the apex Federal Government agency to control, regulate and organize sports.
“The FG may now bring back the National Sports Commission or the National Sports Authority. Our emerging national economy with the full participation of the private sector can support this new beginning. I hope this helps.”
RELATED STORY: President Al-Sisi orders sports system overhaul
Governing Bodies
CAF gives Yoruba and Arabic interpretations of ‘OLA’ the Super Cup 2024 Official Match Ball
The Confédération African of Football, CAF, has given the linguistics interpretation of OLA, the confederation’s official match balls produced by Puma which has also unveiled a special edition for the Super Cup duel holding on Friday in Saudi Arabia.
According to CAF, OLA, symbolizing the dynamic and energetic nature of African football, means “wealth,” “honour,” and “respect” in Yoruba and “rise” and “success” in Arabic.
The OLA ball stands out with its vibrant design and cultural significance. “OLA”
The ball is a mix of black and gold, representing power and sophistication. The ball will be the centrepiece of the eagerly-awaited match between the two giants of African football.
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