Federations Roundup - FIFA's Release of ISL Documents Delayed; FINA's Best of 2011

FIFA: "Legal Hurdles" Delay ISL Documents

Documents believed to link members of world football’s governing body to the infamous ISL marketing scandal will stay under wraps a bit longer than expected.

Sepp Blatter announced Tuesday that "legal hurdles" will delay their publication past the FIFA president’s previous target date.

"FIFA has been working intensively over the past few weeks with its lawyers and legal team to be able to publish the ISL file at the next meeting of the FIFA Executive Committee in Japan on 17 December 2011. It was my strong will to make the ISL file fully transparent at this meeting," the Swiss said in a statement.

"I have now been advised that as a result of the objection of a third party to such transparency it will take more time to overcome the respective legal hurdles. This does not change my stance at all. I remain fully committed to publishing the files as soon as possible as an important part of my many reform plans for FIFA, which include handling the past as well as preparing the future structure of the organization."

The case relates to the scandal involving FIFA’s former marketing agency International Sport and Leisure and dates back to the presidency of Joao Havelange, who resigned from the International Olympic Committee days before he was expected to face the wrath of an IOC Ethics Commission report this week in Switzerland.

The forthcoming documents from FIFA are expected to reveal whether Havelange or other FIFA officials took kickbacks from World Cup television deals.

Also under investigation are Brazilian Football Confederation president and 2014 World Cup chief organizer Ricardo Teixiera, African football boss Issa Hayatou and CONMEBOL president Nicolas Leoz.

New Triathlon Board Member

The International Triathlon Union tells Around the Rings that Ahmed Nasser of Egypt is set to replace the late Li Xin of China on the federation’sExecutive Board.

Nasser, a member of Egypt’s first modern pentathlon Olympic team at the 1984 Los Angeles Games and the founding president of its triathlon NGB, becomes the ITU’s first Egyptian – and first Arab – EB member.

"We are delighted to welcome Ahmed as the newest member of the Executive Board," says ITU president Marisol Casado.

"I’m confident have his presence will be felt immediately, particularly in developing triathlon in Africa and the Arab community."

Xin, who died in October, was due to serve until the next ITU elections in October 2012. Nasserwill instead finish out the term.

FINA Names Best of 2011

The international aquatics federation has arrived at its nine best athletes of the past year.

FINA chose Ryan Lochte and Melissa Franklin for the swimming discipline, Qiu Bo and Wu Minxia for diving and Filip Filipovic and Alexandra Asimaki for water polo.

Thomas Lurz and Keri-Anne Payne were selected as the best open water swimmers and the team of Natalia Ishchenko and Svetlana Romashina for synchronized swimming.

The athletes were chosen by FINA’s member federations and aquatics experts.

USA Versus the World

In a battle of USA versus the world, the world wins 30-22.

That was the result when Team USA's top six fencers took on the world's best in each of the sport's three disciplines on the sidelines of last weekend's FIE Congress in Philadelphia, Penn.

The bout included Olympians Tim Morehouse and Soren Thompson of the U.S. as well as the Italian trio of Andrea Cassara, Paolo Pizzo andElisa Di Francisca.

The occasion marked the first time the U.S. has hosted the fencing congress.

Written by Matthew Grayson.

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