New Leadership at the Helms of Sailing, Hockey Feds

(ATR) World Sailing selected Kim Andersen to replace Carlo Croce and the International Hockey Federation chose Narinder Batra to lead for the next four years.

World Sailing held its election on Sunday, Nov. 13, at the end of its week-long general assembly in Barcelona, Spain. The election was closely contested between Andersen and incumbent president Croce, needing a second round of voting to determine the winner. Former World Sailing president Paul Henderson decided not to participate in the second round.

Andersen told Around the Rings prior to the election that the federation needed stronger leadership to help increase global participation, which has fallen in the past few years.

"World Sailing is at a crossroads, and in order to take the right path, we must be more proactive in addressing our challenges," Andersen told ATR.

"And this is the leadership that I would provide. With my experiences in international business as well as sailing, I believe I have the ideal combination of professional capabilities and personal interest to ensure that our sport grows as it should."

Andersen now has the opportunity to prove his ability to right the ship and says one of his priorities is to reestablish the sport’s prominence in the Olympic Movement.

"Having seen our status in the Olympic Movement decline in recent years, and the loss of our Paralympic status, now is a pivotal moment to ensure that sailing remains relevant and well-represented in the Olympic Games going forward, and is reinstated in the Paralympics," he says.

Batra Receives Strong Majority in FIH Election

Narinder Batra easily defeated counterparts David Balbrinie of Ireland and Australia's Ken Read in Saturday’s election to replace International Hockey Federation president Leandro Negre. He received 68 votes to his competition’s combined 42 on the last day of FIH's Hockey Revolution conference in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

The victory makes Batra the first president of an Olympic International Federation from India, a country that has become well known for its hockey prowess under Batra’s leadership of the National Federation. The country is now ranked sixth in the world and has hosted a major tournament each of the last four years.

Batra must now vacate his leadership of Hockey India where he became an active member in 2009 as the treasurer. He also served as the secretary general before being elected to president in 2014.

Batra will immediately take over as president of FIH after leading Hockey India to record gains in 2015, posting earnings of $16 million -- $6 million more than the FIH, according to Batra. He will now seek to have the same impact on the International Federation as it moves forward to the Tokyo 2020 Games.

"The FIH office is well-oiled machinery," Batra says. "People involved in the FIH have been doing a remarkable job in terms of tournament and calendar. I would like to focus on increasing revenue and reach."

Written by Kevin Nutley

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