ROWING ΚΩΠΗΛΑΣΙΑ KOPILASIA COASTAL ΠΑΡΑΚΤΙΑ

Πέμπτη, 26 Μάρτιος 2009
Ο ΟΣΒΑΛΝΤ ΠΡΟΈΔΡΟΣ ΤΗΣ ΕΝΩΣΗΣ ΑΘΛΗΜΑΤΩΝ ΘΕΡΙΝΩΝ ΟΛΥΜΠΙΑΚΩΝ
Rowing’s president to head summer Olympic sports for another four years
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26/03/2009

FISA President Denis OswaldDenis Oswald, President of FISA, the International Rowing Federation, was re-elected to the presidency of the Association of Summer International Sport Federations (ASOIF) for another four-year term. The voting took place at Sportaccord in Denver, Colorado, during the association’s annual general assembly. Oswald was elected for the first time in 2000, following the sudden death of then ASOIF president Primo Nebiolo in 1999. Nebiolo had presided the association since its founding in 1983 and was also the long-time president of the international athletics federation IAAF. Oswald was then appointed to the IOC Executive Board and became Chairman of the IOC Coordination Commission for the Athens Olympic Games. Following the success of the Athens Games, Denis was re-elected, unopposed, to another four-year term as ASOIF president in 2005. In Denver yesterday Oswald was challenged for ASOIF presidency by Egyptian Hassan Moustafa, president of the International Handball Federation. Passing the chairmanship of the meeting to ASOIF Vice President Hein Verbruggen, former president of the International Cycling Union (UCI), Oswald left the room for this segment of the agenda. Moustafa stayed in the room and pulled out of the race at the last moment over a disagreement about what constituted a secret ballot. Since the founding of ASOIF, a “secret ballot” was understood as a ballot completed at the delegate’s table and submitted into a bag carried by appointed scrutineers and then counted. Moustafa requested that delegates bring their ballots to a separate table at the front of the room instead. Feeling uncomfortable with this sudden request, Verbruggen announced that the delegates should decide whether they felt this procedure was necessary. Moustafa insisted that Verbruggen decide himself or he (Moustafa) would step out of the election. Verbruggen said he did not have such power and demanded to ask the question to the assembly. At that point, Moustafa stepped out of the race for presidency. In accordance with the ASOIF constitution, three federations asked for a secret ballot even though there was only one candidate. This was carried out and Oswald won 19 votes in his favour, two votes against and five abstentions. In addition, Bob Elphinston, former Sydney Olympics Sport Director and current president of the International Basketball Federation FIBA, was elected to a two-year term on the ASOIF Council. He was joined by Sergey Bubka, Vice President of the IAAF and Olympic gold medallist in pole vaulting, Pat McQuaid, president of the International Cycling Federation UCI, and Goran Peterson, president of the International Sailing Federation who were elected to four-year terms on the ASOIF Council.