Exclusive - Ricci Bitti Outlines Priorities as ASOIF President

(ATR) In his first interview as head of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations, Francesco Ricci Bitti tells Around the Ringsstrengthening sport unity and launching a new sport information service are two of his top goals.

The Italian IOC member, who was elected as ASOIF president at its general assembly in Quebec City last year, officially took over leadership from Denis Oswald on Jan. 1. The Swiss spent more than 12 years at the helm of the organization.

Asked about his main priorities, the head of the International Tennis Federation told ATR: "The Olympic Movement has reached an important moment in its history with many changes scheduled in the short term including the election of new presidents at the IOC, WADA and several Olympic international federations.

"The plans of these new presidents will need to be robust and clear in order for the sports movement to continue its progression united."

He added: "At ASOIF I will focus on all and any actions that will bind the summer Olympic sports even more closely together, strengthening them and harnessing the considerable expertise they now jointly possess for the enhancement of all of them."

Already under his leadership ASOIF has launched three new specialist commissions – Olympic and multi-sports, commercial, and technology – designed to enhance the benefits for the organization’s 28 members.

Their formation is linked to ASOIF’s International Sports Information System, or ISIS, which will bring together all competition results and information on a single platform. This aims to grow global media coverage and provide richer content than ever before.

"This initiative is complex and expensive and requires full support from the IFs," Ricci Bitti told ATR. "The new ASOIF Commercial and Technology consultative groups will principally support the development of this project while the Olympic and Multisport Games group will help ASOIF protect and develop the members interests in those areas."

Ricci Bitti is attaching huge importance to ISIS, which will go live in 2015.

"The demand for data is increasing very quickly, particularly in relation to sport," he emphasized.

"The advent of the ‘second screen’, for example, provides a much richer and ‘drilled-down’ experience for sports fans and ISIS will amalgamate competition and athlete information across many Olympic sports on a single, easily accessible technology platform open to all, 365 days per year.

"This will massively support media access to our data and thereby increase exposure for all our members."

Oswald, president of the International Rowing Federation since 1989, will formally handover to his successor at the ASOIF General Assembly during the 2013 SportAccord Convention in St. Petersburg, Russia this May.

Ricci Bitti, who will serve four years as ASOIF chief, is making it one of his goals to improve the financial welfare of the summer federations.

"The key common source of revenue that ASOIF is concerned with is the revenue share that members receive from the Olympic Games and this has risen quite dramatically since 1992," he noted.

"However, the IF dependence on this revenue has been falling over recent Games editions to about 35 percent although with an overall increase of more than 60 percent from the London Games, this trend will probably reverse somewhat over the next four years.

"It is important for ASOIF to look at other multisport Games events and ensure that the IFs are appropriately rewarded for what they put into making each Games a success."

In efforts to protect ASOIF members’ interests, Oswald spoke out on many occasions against plans driven by the European Olympic Committees for a continental Games. The EOC approved the European Games concept in December, with Baku handed the job of organizing the first edition in 2015.

Ricci Bitti said he shared the concerns of his predecessor.

"The reasons for ASOIF’s concerns about a new multisport event in Europe have been well-documented and is shared by all our members," he said.

Opposition from ASOIF members was voiced last year in Quebec City. The objections center on the logistics and impact of staging a European Games in an already crowded sporting calendar for the international federations.

"My door is always open to hold further talks between ASOIF and Pat Hickey," Ricci Bitti told ATR.

"The EOC has decided by a majority to continue the project, so we will have to see how we can work with that decision."

Reported by Mark Bisson

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