Ivo Ferriani Sets Out his Vision for Bobsleigh and Skeleton

(ATR) The new bobsleigh federation president tells Around the Rings he is relishing the challenge of growing the global appeal of bobsleigh and skeleton.

In an exclusive interview, Ivo Ferriani, newly elected president of the International Bobsleigh and Tobogganing Federation, FIBT, talks about plans to increase TV and sponsorship, track safety and developments for the Innsbruck 2012 Youth Olympics and Sochi 2014 Winter Games.

"We must give more identity to our federations and work for all countries," the Italian begins, in setting out plans to breathe new life into his sport.

Working in conjunction with international agency Infront, which handles the worldwide media rights and sponsorship for FIBT, he plans to generate much wider TV exposure for bobsleigh and skeleton. FIBT will also work more closely with the Swiss-based company on raising sponsorship revenues.

"I am sure we can do much better, and more. We will work proactively with our partners to do that," said Ferriani.

His pledge to increase the appeal and visibility of bobsleigh and skeleton was part of the "Slide into the Future" program for change that helped the Italian get elected as president. He defeated Robert Storey by 22-20 votes in elections at the federation's congress in Lake Placid last Sunday, ending the Canadian's 16-year reign as FIBT chief.

"He did great things, bringing into our sport many good ideas," Ferriani said. Storey played a key role in getting women’s bobsled and skeleton into the Winter Olympics.

"I have a different vision," he added. Ferriani wants the FIBT to be more transparent and accessible to its 60-plus member federation. "It's very important to have a very strong organization with clear internal rules. The international federation must serve its member federations, they must know what is happening," he said.

To this end, he plans to put together a "really efficient and effective operational office" to bring better governance to the FIBT. The location for an office to complement the work done at its base in Lausanne has yet to be identified.

Ferriani is planning a series of meetings with national federations and FIBT partners, including Infront, to hammer out fresh strategies. A new approach to marketing and sponsorship is in the works, to improve the financial welfare of the federation and better meet the demands of its members and athletes.

Ferriani talked of tweaking sport formats to enhance the attractiveness of bobsleigh and skeleton for television to bring them to a bigger audience, but declined to go into great detail. Reducing the number of runs in the finals on the World Cup circuit and changes to team competition are among ideas.

Changes would only come after consultation with member federations and the input of broadcasters and sponsors, he emphasized.

Also on his radar is expanding participation levels of bobsleigh and skeleton in Asian nations such as China and Korea, as well as Africa.

Safety of Athletes a Priority

Achieving his ambitious targets will be aided by FIBT's close relationship with the International Luge Federation, led by Josef Fendt.

"I have a fantastic relationship with the FIL," Ferriani, who was chief organiser of the bobsleigh and skeleton events at the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Turin.

Ferriani meets with Fendt next week, one of many meetings he has lined up over the coming weeks as he sets about making an early impact as FIBT president. "We want to find a way to optimize costs and programs, decide on new tracks and how they can be built," he said.

One of the top agenda items is track safety.

He said the death of Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili at the Vancouver Olympics "was for me a personal tragedy".

Kumarishtavili died when he lost control of his sled and was hurled into a trackside metal pole on curve 16 of the course in a practice run accident on the eve of the Games. His death sparked major concerns about the safety of the sliding track but luge officials claimed it was safe.

"I knew him personally. That has given us the need to have the best safety conditions now. We are working closely with the FIL," Ferriani said.

Preparations for Innsbruck and Sochi

The federation's input into preparations for the Innsbruck 2012 Youth Olympic Games and Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics are other projects the Italian is keen to get up to speed on.

Talks with Innsbruck YOG officials are taking place on Saturday.

"For us, it is a great moment to have skeleton and bobsleigh in this great event. We will put in place a taskforce to make sure we have the best conditions for our young athletes," he said.

"Innsbruck is the best track to organize a Youth Olympic Games. The existing track is in order to safely hold this event."

In Sochi, construction has not begun on the new bobsleigh track for the 2014 Games. In upcoming meetings with Sochi 2014 leaders - the first at the beginning of October - Ferriani aims to provide "my experience and knowledge" gained from working at the Turin Games and as a technical director of the Italian national bobsleigh team to ensure the track is built to the highest standards.

"Sochi will hold a great Games for sure. They have a lot of energy and with our help all the better," he said.

Global Ambitions

Ferriani plans to make his presence felt at venues in the 2010-11 World Cup season. He will attend three of the four North American events, which are staged in Whistler, Calgary, Park City and Lake Placid.

He dismisses reports suggesting that the future of North American events on the World Cup circuit is now in doubt with no Canadians or Americans now represented on the FIBT executive committee.

"That is absolutely untrue. We are working for everybody. The program in North America will be much stronger than now," he countered.

Since his election as FIBT chief, Ferriani has already met with the US federation and track managers from Whistler and Calgary to set out his vision.

But Ferriani's ambitions extend globally.

He is hoping a fresh injection of sponsorship and TV revenue will help to pay for more races to be staged on a greater variety of tracks to generate a bigger buzz for bobsleigh and skeleton worldwide. He targets additional races in Latvia, Russia and Japan among other countries. And he views a proposal for a new track in Poland as a "concrete opportunity for our sport.

"We must create a new energy and excitement around the tracks," he said. "This will be a huge challenge. We must put in place strong sponsors to help fund these races."

With reporting from Mark Bisson.

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