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IF elections: men-only, autocrats, power struggles, manipulations and removal boxes

Part 1: A third of the presidential posts in summer Olympic IFs will be filled by December. So far, it's been a man's world: two fake presidents, five incumbents, three new bosses and the big question of whether Alisher Usmanov, who is sanctioned in three dozen nations, will lead the FIE again.

,   and  Jens Weinreich
15 min read
(Collage: SPORT & POLITICS)

These weeks, there will be a major upheaval in the international summer sports federations that are united under the umbrella of ASOIF and form the programme at the Paris Olympics and the Los Angeles Games in 2028. There have already been 11 elections (real elections, appointments, confirmations of office and fake elections). At least one election, the extremely thrilling one in the World Fencing Federation FIE, one confirmation of office (World Squash) and one decision in golf (IGF) are still pending until mid-December.

On the first of December, Indian Jay Shah will take the lead at the International Cricket Council (ICC) and, at 36 years of age, will become the youngest president of a world federation with an Olympic label (even if it is only a guest status for Los Angeles).

You won't find this overview anywhere else. The IOC and ASOIF websites barely mention these elections and new presidents. ASOIF can't even manage to provide the correct current numbers of the full and associate members of the IF. What do they actually do in Lausanne for the millions they receive and spend from the IOC?

This small but useful service is designed to bring some order and light into the chaos. Here we go! Part 1 today, Part 2 on 21 November.

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THE INQUISITORJens Weinreich

First, a few facts and figures

  • The IOC currently has 30 summer sports federations on the list of what used to be called core sports, plus five more federations in the Olympic programme for Los Angeles 2028. World boxing should join these 35 in spring 2025, it can be assumed.
  • The IOC currently lists 7 winter sports federations in its list of core sports, as well as one federation (International Ski Mountaineering Federation/ISMF) in addition for the 2026 Winter Olympics. Incidentally, the umbrella organisation of winter sports federations, which does not even have its own website, has recently changed its name to WOF (Winter Olympic Federations) and no longer AIOWF – hardly anyone noticed this, so I am telling you.

The following is a brief overview of these 35 + 8 = 43 federations according to the IOC counting method and two others: DanceSport (WDSF), which was Olympic this year with Breaking and is already saying goodbye again, and World Boxing. I no longer take into account IBA, which has finally lost its status as an Olympic boxing federation.

  • In the summer sports federations, there were and will be 14 presidential elections this autumn, until mid-December.
  • In 2025, another 11 elections and/or confirmations of office will be added, plus one election in winter sports (FIS). In addition, the tenth IOC president will be elected in March.

One super election year after another.

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  • It's a man's world. Only 4 of 45 summer and winter sports federations are led by women: Petra Sörling (Sweden, ITTF), Annika Sörenstam (Sweden, IGF, mandate until 31 December 2024), Zeena Wooldridge (World Squash) and Regula Maier (Switzerland, ISMF).
  • It's an old man's world. For example, the average age of the 5 Italians leading IFs: … is almost 70 years. Rapidly increasing.
  • The 45 presidencies are spread across 29 nations. In addition to Italy (5), France (4), the USA (4), Great Britain (3), Sweden (3), South Korea (2) and Switzerland (2) have several IF presidents.

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