Winter Sports Nominate Ferriani for IOC Board

(ATR) Gian-Franco Kasper tells Around the Rings that bobsleigh chief Ivo Ferriani is the right man to replace him on the IOC Executive Board.

The Italian International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation president was proposed as the winter sports representative on the IOC’s ruling body at the Association of Winter Olympic International Federations general assembly at SportAccord.

Kasper, who is president of the International Ski Federation, step downs as an IOC member later this year due to the age rule. He is 74.

Speaking exclusively to ATR, Kasper denied there was any tense stand-off between ice hockey president Rene Fasel and others in the closed-door meeting.

Fasel was seeking a return to the IOC Executive Board, having served on it from 2008 to 2016.

Kasper would only say "some discussions" took place and that Fasel had withdrawn his candidacy.

"Mr Fasel was also interested but it was quite clear for me from the beginning that it should be up to Mr Ferriani," the FIS chief told ATR in Bangkok.

"Mr Fasel has been there. We had skating first, then we had hockey, now myself and it’s logical the next IOC [executive board] member will be Mr Ferriani. Why not a new one?"

"I didn’t propose him. I asked the committee who is the candidate, Ferriani was the candidate and we elected him."

The 58-year-old Ferriani only entered the IOC in 2016. He already serves on several IOC commissions, notably on the coordination team for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.

"Ferriani does a good job and he will do a good job, I have no doubt," Kasper said. "But he has first to be elected by the IOC. It is just a proposal from our side."

The IOC Executive Board is expected to rubberstamp the Ferriani proposal when it meets in Buenos Aires in early October ahead of the Youth Olympics.

Ferriani, who is nearing the end of his second term as IBSF president, will need to be re-elected at the federation's congress in June in Rome.

Reported by Mark Bissonin Bangkok.

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