In a "scathing attack" on the IOC, SportAccord President Marius Vizer said that the IOC "is not transparent enough and blocks attempts for other multi-sports events," according to Karolos Grohmann of REUTERS. Int'l Judo Federation President Vizer, whose SportAccord organization represents close to 100 Olympic and non-Olympic sports federations and organizers of multi-sports games, said that IOC President Thomas Bach "interfered with the autonomy of sporting bodies." Vizer said, "I always tried to develop a constructive collaboration with the IOC and with President Bach. Unfortunately, it never became reality." The IOC "has had an uneasy relationship with Vizer, who took over SportAccord in 2013 and unsuccessfully attempted to set up his own international multi-sports event," the United World Games (REUTERS, 4/20). The AP's James Ellingworth wrote Vizer criticized the IOC's plans for an Olympic TV channel as a waste of money and complained that "cities bidding for 2022 Winter Games were prohibited from making presentations at the SportAccord conference in Sochi." Bach responded that Vizer's views were not representative of SportAccord's member federations and that the IOC had an "open dialogue" with them. Bach said, "Following many discussions I have had with many of your colleagues ... my impression is a little bit that your opinion you have exclusively for you. Many people have made constructive proposals, which are ending up in even closer cooperation between the IOC and the international federations." Vizer's speech "sparked an immediate backlash among some Olympic sports leaders," with IAAF President Lamine Diack withdrawing track and field's world governing body from SportAccord in protest. A group of 14 federation presidents, including FIFA President Sepp Blatter, "signed a letter contesting Vizer's comments and expressing support for Bach and the IOC." Shortly after Vizer's speech, Russian President Vladimir Putin "issued a call for unity." Putin: "I am convinced that in any sports movement, any confrontations or inability or lack of desire to hear one another really threatens the unity of the world sports movement" (AP, 4/20). AROUND THE RINGS' Nick Devlin wrote a letter signed by 14 int'l federations said, "We the undersigned members of the SportAccord Association are expressing to the SportAccord leadership our disagreement on the opinions expressed this morning by the SportAccord president during the opening speech which do not reflect the views of the international federations." Below the text "appear 14 signatures from leaders of FIFA, IAAF, FINA and FIBA," as well as the int'l federations for rowing, hockey, equestrian, archery, triathlon, modern pentathlon, shooting sport, badminton and canoe. Others "lining up to refute Vizer" included Association of National Olympic Committees President Sheikh Ahmad. In a statement, Ahmad said, "Olympic Agenda 2020 was conceived after a year of consultation with every stakeholder in the Olympic Movement and the values of democracy, transparency and integrity were reflected in the 40 recommendations that were presented" (AROUND THE RINGS, 4/20).
