Skip to content

Jens Weinreich

After many years, Jens is still fascinated by the horrors of global sports politics. He focusses on: Olympic crime; sports rogue states; mega-events (bids, finances); countering Olympic propaganda.

Twitter Website Berlin, Germany
Olympic family: Long-time allies Lamine Diack (convicted), Sheikh Ahmad (convicted), Thomas Bach. (Photo: ANOC)

Olympic powerbroker Sheikh Al-Sabah sentenced to prison

Sheikh Ahmad Al-Sabah has been sentenced to prison. Our author has observed the Kuwaiti Sheikh for many years and has been threatened by the Sheikh’s aides several times. He describes the methods that brought Ahmad to power and the implications of the conviction for Al-Sabah and the Olympic system.

Members Public
Gian Franco Kasper. (Photo: IOC / Benoît Fontaine)

RIP Gian Franco Kasper

An incomparable era is coming to an end. In 97 years of the FIS, there have only been 5 presidents, 70 years of which two Swiss men determined the course of events in their federation. In these 97 years, the Catholic Church has had 8 popes, at least. An obituary for Gian Franco Kasper (1944 - 2021).

Members Public
The playbook that keeps Thomas Bach in power at the IOC

The playbook that keeps Thomas Bach in power at the IOC

Thomas Bach has been re-elected as IOC President for a final term without any opponents or opposition. Using Bach’s doctoral thesis as a departure point, Jens Weinreich describes how constantly planning for the future has provided Bach with an unprecedented hold on power in the Olympic system.

Members Public
How dependent sports federations are on the Olympic revenues

How dependent sports federations are on the Olympic revenues

Most of the international Olympic sports federations are financially heavily dependent on their share of the revenues from the Olympic Games. The IOC traditionally does not publish how it will distribute the revenues from the Olympic Games among the 28 permanent summer sports federations.

Members Public