Chinese, Swiss Officials Strengthen Ties -- NOCs News

(ATR) The IOC is not the only Olympic body Chinese Premier Xi Jinping is meeting with on the sidelines of the Davos World Economic Forum.

Xi facilitated a meeting between newly appointed Chinese National Olympic Committee president Gou Zhongwen and newly elected Swiss Olympic president Jürg Stahl according to a release. The meeting produced a Memorandum of Understanding on Jan. 16 encouraging the two NOCs to share knowledge.

Beijing is hosting the 2022 Winter Olympics and Lausanne is hosting the 2020 Winter Youth Olympic Games. Both NOCs will share information "with regards to construction of sports venues, the use of training facilities and the sustainable organization of major sports events," according to a release.

A Swiss Olympic spokesperson did not return requests for comment from Around the Ringson whether a potential Swiss 2026 Winter Olympic bid was discussed, and if the Chinese NOC would be offering strategic knowledge on the bid process.

Charges Coming for Kenyan Sporting Officials

Prosecutors in Kenya have recommended charges for officials connected to a corruption scheme related to the Rio Olympics.

Kenya’s Director of Public Prosecutors recommended Sports Minister Hassan Wario and his Principal Secretary Titus Ekai be charged with corruption, according to reports from Kenya. The charges against the two are for abuse of power leading to the disappearance of $1.92 million relating to the 2016 Olympics.

Six other Kenyan sports ministry officials were named in an ethics investigation from the scheme, and have stepped aside as the cases go through the Kenyan court system.

Charges for Ekai stem from his failure to report that salaries and stipends for Rio 2016 exceeded the guidelines set out. Also, Wario and Ekai oversaw the addition of six unauthorized sports ministry and Kenyan National Olympic Committee (NOC-K) members to the official Kenyan Games delegation. The expenditures for the unauthorized additions totaled $151,500, according to local reports.

The corruption charges are not the only scandal facing the Kenyan delegation at the 2016 Olympics. NOC-K officials have been charged with mismanaging funds meant for athletes at the games as well as the theft of more than $200,000 in Nike apparel meant for athletes.

Kenyan Olympic officials say they have contacted the IOC for help in curbing the sport governance issues the country faces. The IOC told ATR last Augustthey are monitoring the situation but the NOC could face a suspension for autonomy issues.

French NOC Elections

Candidates for the French National Olympic Committee (CNOSF) elections must submit candidacies by April 11.

The election will be held on May 11. So far only one candidate, current president Denis Masseglia, has declared for the election. Masseglia has told French media that if he were elected this would be his last term as CNOSF president.

Reports from L’Equipe say that David Douillet, current politician and former Sports Minister, could emerge as a potential candidate.

Written by Aaron Bauer

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