Olympic infighting heats up again
Marius Vizer, in 2013, won’t back down from his critical comments about the
The battle between two major figures in the world of Olympic sport shows no sign of letting up.
About a month ago that Marius Vizer, chief of the umbrella SportAccord organization, openly criticized the International Olympic Committee for what he called mismanagement and a lack of transparency.
Taking on the IOC President Thomas Bach was risky, and Vizer has paid dearly.
SportAccord, which represented scores of federations for sports such as boxing, weightlifting and track and field, has seen many of its members jump ship in recent weeks.
On Tuesday, the Assn. of National Olympic Committees worldwide delivered another blow.
Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, president of ANOC, issued a statement distancing himself from Vizer and saying: “The Olympic movement is strongest when it is united.”
He went a step further, asking SportAccord to open its books so that outsiders might see how its monies are distributed.
Through all of this, Vizer has refused to back down, issuing a 20-point proposal that calls for, among other things, paying prize money to Olympic athletes and sharing ownership of a planned IOC television channel.
Vizer has requested a meeting with Bach to discuss his ideas.
Twitter: @LATimesWharton
Get our high school sports newsletter
Prep Rally is devoted to the SoCal high school sports experience, bringing you scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
