IOC, SportAccord Represented at World Skateboarding Summit

(ATR) SportAccord and IOC representatives are slated to speak at the inaugural World Skateboarding Summit.

Hosted by the World Skateboarding Federation, the summit is scheduled for May 22 – 24 at the Conrad Hotel in Istanbul, Turkey.

The event will focus on the sport’s Olympic prospects. Christian Wassmer, IOC head of international federation relations, and Vlad Marinescu, SportAccord general director, will be on hand to talk with attendees about the future of the sport in relation to the Olympics. The framework for an internationally agreed upon format, scoring system, and a unified network of qualifying events is also on the agenda.

Marinescu tells Around the Rings that he believes skateboarding belongs within the governance of roller sport federation FIRS.

"FIRS is a long time member of SportAccord, an experienced international federation. It's the right organization to lead the push for skateboard at the Olympics.

"Unity is key."

Other notable speakers include Alistair Menzies, board chairman of Skateboard Scotland; Cyrille Harnay, president of the International Downhill Federation; Dr. Jack J. Lesyk, Ph.D., CC-AASP, Director of Ohio Center for Sports Psychology; and Mike Jacki, former president of USA Gymnastics and USA Ski and Snowboard.

Organizers hope the event will fuel the formation and growth of local and international skateboarding federations.

"This summit will be hugely beneficial to those in the industry looking to understand the requirements and implications of skateboarding in the Olympics," Tim McFerran, WSF president, said in a release.

"We have some of the top speakers from the IOC and Sport Accord to help guide and educate the skateboarding industry. We will be hosting international federation and local federation representatives as well as industry leaders from around the world."

"We are looking forward to a meaningful dialogue and exchange of ideas," he concluded.

Written by Andrew Murrell

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