11 December 2007

 

 

 

To:       Council Members

 

Ladies and Gentlemen

 

Selection of Events for the 2012 Olympic Sailing Competition

 

We are all aware of the reaction in the past weeks to the ISAF decision on the selection of the ten events for the 2012 Olympic Sailing Competition.

 

There have also been various external communications and assertions made regarding the IOC position on the events on the Olympic programme and the ISAF procedure in determining the ten events.

 

As the Council members who made the decision on the events for the 2012 Olympic Sailing Competition, it is important that you are fully briefed on the facts, which is the intent of this letter.

 

Some of these external communications challenging your decision on the events have made reference to the IOC position in respect of the sailing events on the Olympic programme and referred to the following documents:

 

1.      Review of the Olympic Programme and the Recommendations on the Programme of the XXIX Olympiad, Beijing 2008 – August 2002, and the

2.      IOC Olympic Programme Commission Report – 24 May 2005

 

In these external communications, there is misunderstanding on the objective and intent of these two documents, which is clarified below:

 

1.      “Review of the Olympic Programme and the Recommendations on the Programme of the XXIX Olympiad, Beijing 2008 – August 2002”

Online at:  http://multimedia.olympic.org/pdf/en_report_527.pdf

 

The “Review of the Olympic Programme and the Recommendations on the Programme of the XXIX Olympiad, Beijing 2008 – August 2002”

was prepared in response to a request by the IOC President that the Olympic Programme Commission undertake a General Review of the Olympic Programme and undertake a Review of the Programme of the XXIX Olympiad, Beijing 2008.

 

The review and recommendations was prepared by the Olympic Programme Commission Chairman, Franco Carraro, and submitted to the IOC Executive Board in August 2002.

 

Amongst other matters affecting the Olympic Programme, the report made recommendations on sports currently on the Olympic Programme – Athens 2004, as follows:

                             (i)      exclusion of sports currently in the Olympic Programme (Baseball, Modern Pentathlon, Softball);

                           (ii)      further review of sports currently in the Olympic Programme (Boxing);

                         (iii)      exclusion of disciplines currently in the Olympic Programme (Canoe-Kayak – Slalom, Equestrian – Eventing, Wrestling – exclusion of one discipline, Athletics – Racewalk Events);

                          (iv)      the events/athlete quotas of sports currently in the Olympic Programme (Sailing – reduction in athlete quota an number of events, Swimming – synchronised swimming team event, Shooting – reduction in athlete quota an number of events; Rowing – light-weight events, Badminton – mixed doubles event);

                            (v)      and a recommendation for further reductions in the number of events.

 

This report was considered by the IOC Executive Board in August 2002 and subsequently the IOC Session in November 2002. There was no formal approval given to this document, it was just noted.

 

2.   “IOC Olympic Programme Commission Report – 24 May 2005”

Online at:  http://multimedia.olympic.org/pdf/en_report_953.pdf

 

The IOC Session in November 2002 in Mexico City noted the “Review of the Olympic Programme and the Recommendations on the Programme of the XXIX Olympiad, Beijing 2008 – August 2002”. As an outcome and in response, the IOC Session in November 2002 approved the principle of a systematic review of the Olympic Programme and mandated the Olympic Programme Commission to lead the process. The conclusion of this process was the “IOC Olympic Programme Commission Report – 24 May 2005”.

 

One of the key missions of the Olympic Programme Commission was to set up a regular and clearly defined process by which the Olympic Programme would be reviewed after each Olympic Games. In order to fulfil this mission, the Olympic Programme Commission developed a set of criteria to be used in assessing the strengths and weaknesses of each sport and the value that each sport adds to the Olympic Programme. Following consultation with the International Federations (IFs) and other key stakeholders, the final list of 33 criteria was proposed to the IOC Session, which approved it in August 2004 in Athens.

 

In September 2004, each International Federation was requested to complete the questionnaire and returned it to the IOC Sports Department, who had the responsibility to verify all responses and request further information or clarification where necessary.

   The report was published in May 2005. Subsequently, at the IOC Session in July 2005, the IOC voted to remove baseball and softball from the Olympic Programme of the XXX Olympiad in 2012.

 

I trust the above clarifies the objectives of these two documents.

 

 

Now to brief you and clarify the situation in respect of the challenges and assertions regarding the IOC position on events and the Council voting procedure:

 

IOC Position on Events on the Olympic Programme

 

The IOC has entrusted responsibility to each International Federation to determine the events on each sport’s programme, and recommend as such to the IOC.

 

The IOC Executive Board session in August 2002, considered the “Review of the Olympic Programme and the Recommendations on the Programme of the XXIX Olympiad, Beijing 2008” and noted the recommendation to reduce the athlete quota and number of events for sailing. The “Review of the Olympic Programme and the Recommendations on the Programme of the XXIX Olympiad, Beijing 2008” was then presented to the IOC Session in November 2002, who noted it but took no action. As mentioned earlier, the outcome of the IOC Session in November 2002 was to undertake a systematic review of the sports on the Olympic Programme. This systematic review was introduced through the “IOC Olympic Programme Commission Report – 24 May 2005”. The IOC Session is responsible to include or exclude sports on the Olympic Programme. The IOC Session in November 2002 postponed any decision on the exclusion of sports until after the 2004 Olympic Games.

 

The IOC Executive Board is responsible to finalize any change or exclusion of disciplines and events already on the Olympic Programme. Therefore, subsequent to the IOC Executive Board session in August 2002 and the IOC Session in November 2002, the IOC had a discussion with ISAF regarding the reduction of one medal and the recommendation from the Programme Commission that “reductions could be made through the exclusion of keelboat sailing”. During these discussions, ISAF advised the IOC that the removal of the keelboat events would have a negative impact on the Paralympics, where the keelboat was used across all Paralympic events, and therefore the shore installations would still be required. To respond to the IOC’s desire to attract the sport’s heroes to the Olympics, ISAF advised that many of the big sailing names tend to participate in the keelboat event. 

 

At their meeting in February 2003, the IOC Executive Board discussed the programmes for the XXIX Olympiad and XXX Olympiad. The result of the IOC Executive Board meeting was that ISAF secured no change for the XXIX Olympiad, Beijing 2008 and retained eleven events and 400 athletes. ISAF agreed to reduce to ten events and 380 athletes for the XXX Olympiad, London 2012. The IOC Executive Board decision was confirmed by the IOC on 23 February 2003 and is available online at: www.olympic.org/uk/news/media_centre/press_release_uk.asp?id=745

 

Since the ISAF decision on the Olympic events in November 2007, the recommendation of the Olympic Programme Commission has been referred to in various external communications as though it was a policy of the IOC to recommend that if any events are to be removed from the Olympic Programme for sailing that it could be keelboat. This is not the case and as explained above, this statement was purely a recommendation in respect of the 2008 Olympic Games.

 

At the 2007 ISAF Mid-Year Meeting, the ISAF Council determined the possible list of events for the 2012 Olympic Sailing Competition. ISAF advised the IOC of the list of possible events to ensure there were no concerns from the IOC perspective. The IOC did not comment.

 

At the Council meeting on 9 November and prior to making the decision on the ten events for the 2012 Olympic Programme, the ISAF President was explicitly asked by a Council member if there was any IOC guidance which may affect the choice of events. The ISAF President responded that the IOC guidance was to achieve universality, nation participation, medal spread and media appeal. Be assured that if there had been any specific IOC guidance which was new to the table, you would all have been advised in advance of the Council meeting.

 

The ISAF President has met on several occasions with the IOC President, IOC Members and IOC senior staff, and has addressed the issue of events on the Olympic Programme.

 

Council Voting System

 

I am aware of comment and have received direct communication that the voting procedure used by Council was amended without due notice or consideration. Please be aware that effectively the Council voting system was not amended. Until the voting procedure was presented at the Council Meeting on 8 November, there was no previously approved voting procedure in place for use by Council in selecting the ten events for the 2012 Olympic Sailing Competition.

 

At the Council meeting of Thursday 8 November, David Lees - Chairman of the Constitution Committee and Chris Atkins - Chairman of the Events Committee events and equipment working party presented a voting procedure based on that used by the Events Committee. This was considered and amended in three ways based on several motions from the floor. Council then approved their voting system, on a vote of 31 in favour, 3 against and 1 abstention.

 

The ISAF President specifically asked Council to consider and decide the voting system on Thursday 8 November, to ensure all Council members would be satisfied on the voting system in place in due time before the actual vote was taken.

 

If any Council members were dissatisfied with the voting procedure between Thursday 8 November and taking the decision on the ten Olympic events on Friday 9 November, there was due time for this to be raised.

 

 

My intention with this letter is purely to ensure you are in possession of the facts. I would also like to refer you to the open letter circulated by Paul Henderson on Friday 7 December, which is attached.

 

I hope the above information is useful. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

 

 

Kind regards.

 

Yours sincerely



Arve Sundheim

Secretary General

 

 

Encs   Paul Henderson email dated 7 December 2007