GAMES

Just weeks after announcing a revamped Ethics Committee aimed at combating corruption as part of his road map to reform, FIFA President Sepp Blatter has criticised one of the body's two independent chiefs.

Earlier this week, Joachim Eckert, a German judge, was quoted as telling a news magazine that Blatter needed to play his part in cleaning up the organisation or he would no longer be acceptable as its leader.

But in what can only be construed as another embarrassing episode in his Presidency, Blatter made it clear he was not happy with the comments of a man whose praises he was singing back in July.

"A judge should not say anything," Blatter told Germany's Sport Bild newspaper.

"I have never experienced it that a judge makes a comment about an ongoing case; he only says something when he makes the judgement."

In the same interview, Blatter said he did not agree with a suggestion made by the former President of the German Football Association, Theo Zwanziger, now an FIFA Executive Committee member, that there should be a maximum age for serving as an FIFA administrator.

Blatter has no problem with restricting the period of tenure he and his colleagues can have in office – but draws the line when it comes to how old they can be.

"I'm in favour of limiting the length of time officials can serve but against an age limit," said the 76-year-old, who is unlikely to bid for a fifth Presidential term in 2015.

"Age has nothing to do with skills – there are 70-year-olds who are still very young in their head."

A draft revision of FIFA's statutes includes a proposal to impose an age limit of 72 on officials at the time they are elected.

It would also limit any FIFA President to two four-year mandates and Executive Committee members to three four-year terms.

By Andrew Warshaw

Source: www.insidethegames.biz

A new television channel showcasing Olympic sports, such as handball and cycling, is to be launched later this year in the hope of capitalising on the success of London 2012.

Independent television production company Highflyer is finalising plans for the new round-the-clock sports channel, London Legacy, devoted to 24 minority sports, that is due be on air in November.

While the channel will initially only be available through pay-television broadcaster BSkyB, Highflyer said it is seeking wider distribution in a bid to tap into the 51.9 million people in the United Kingdom who watched at least 15 minutes of the London Games on the BBC.

Yorkshire-based Highflyer recently lost its long-time contract to produce horse racing for Channel 4, which was awarded instead to IMG. 

John Fairley, the chairman of Highflyer, claimed that at least one Olympic sponsor had already agreed to back the new channel, which will show sports from grassroots level up to elite standard and will cost £5.5 million ($8.7 million/€7 million) to launch. 

"The amount of athletics on the main channels has been very small, especially when you think of all the disciplines within the athletics, but the [London 2012] Games have changed all that," said Fairley.

"There is this enormous opportunity...and no sign that any of the main broadcasters is going to pick it up and run with it.

"The London Olympics has brilliantly demonstrated the huge desire amongst the British public to watch sports which don't normally get the showcase on British TV that they deserve.

"The number of participants in these sports is already very high – a sport like judo has more than 40,000 [in the UK], many of them women and many of those under 16.

"London Legacy TV will satisfy the appetite to see more of these sports that the Olympics has created as well as encouraging people to take part in them."

The channel will showcase the sports at every level, from grassroots up to elite standard.

Among those to back the idea is London Mayor Boris Johnson.

"I am very excited by the prospect of a new London-based Olympic and minority based sports channel as proposed by Highflyer TV," he said.

"As well as creating a lasting legacy for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, such a channel should raise interest in Olympic sports, and consequently participations rates and sponsorship funding in them too, whilst also giving a much needed platform to our younger athletes."

By Duncan Mackay in London

Source: www.insidethegames.biz

Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki has ordered an inquiry into the country's disappointing performance at London 2012, where the team won 11 medals, including two gold.

It was actually the third best performance since Kenya made their Olympic debut at Melbourne in 1956 but represented a sharp decline from Beijing four years ago when they finished third in the athletics medals table with 14 medals, including six gold.

This time Kenya's only gold medallists were Ezekiel Kemboi, who won the 3,000 metres steeplechase, and David Rudisha (pictured), who produced arguably the performance of the whole Games by setting a world record as he claimed the 800m. 

"We are proud of Kenya's position as a leading sporting nation," said Kibaki.

"Let us never take that for granted."

Since the end of the Games details of deep divisions between the National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOCK) and Athletics Kenya have emerged with the athletes unhappy at being forced to attend a pre-London 2012 training camp in Bristol and at one point allegedly threatening to quit rather than compete in the Olympics.

"The Bristol training was the cause of all the problems," said Julius Kirwa, Kenya's head athletics coach.

Kirwa claimed that NOCK officials tried to dictate athletes' training schedules and tried to sideline the coaches, who he claimed are now being unfairly blamed for the relatively poor performance in London.

He claimed that the only reason the athletes did not walk out of the camp in Bristol was because of the intervention of Kenyan Government official Wilson Lagat, who persuaded them to stay.

"I don't know why they [the athletics coaches] should be blamed yet they are the same ones who took the team to the Beijing Olympics," said Kirwa. 

"The athletes had decided enough was enough and packed to leave for home but I should thank Lagat for his visit since I had tried a lot to keep people together."

Kibaki claimed that personality clashes should not be allowed to undermine Kenya's teams performances in future. 

"They must, therefore, at all times put the needs and aspirations of the sporting fraternity above any other consideration," he said.

Kenya's Sports Minister Paul Otuoma promised a full report into what happened during London 2012.

"We shall not hide anything," he said.

"When the report is prepared we shall release it to the public to know what really happened.

"We will have to make hard decisions to avoid a repeat [of what happened in London]."

By Duncan Mackay

Source: www.insidethegames.biz