GAMES

Sports have been warned by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) not to join the Global Esports Federation (GEF).

The IOC’s Esports and Gaming Liaison Group (ELG), chaired by International Cycling Union President David Lappartient, has written to all to the summer and winter International Federations telling them they do not plan to recognise any organisation as the world governing body for esports.

The Singapore-based GEF was launched last December and is backed by Chinese technology company Tencent.

It was set up with the aim to "establish the credibility, legitimacy and prestige for esports" and build "an inclusive platform to bring together all the stakeholders from the esports industry to help shape the GEF mission and maximise the potential for esports and its participants".

The GEF has strong links to the Olympic Movement.

Its President is Chris Chan, secretary of the Singapore National Olympic Council, and its chief operating officer is Paul Foster, the IOC’s former head of protocol, events and hospitality.

At its launch, Chan set GEF the aim of Olympic Games inclusion, claiming they could help end the "misunderstanding" of esports, which continues to grow in popularity and has started to enter the Olympic Movement.

The GEF was set up as a rival to the South Korean-based International eSports Federation (IeSF), established in 2008 and whose mission it is to have esports recognised as a legitimate sport.

Since its launch, several Olympic sports have become members of the GEF, including archery, canoeing, karate, modern pentathlon, surfing, taekwondo and tennis.

The Olympic Council of Asia and the Commonwealth Games Federation have also signed agreements to work with the GEF.

The IeSF has not signed deals with any Olympic sports and instead channels its efforts into hosting the Esports World Championship, the organisation’s flagship competition where esports athletes represent their national teams.

The ELG - which also includes the Presidents of both the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF) and Association of International Olympic Winter Sports Federations (AIOWF), Francesco Ricci Bitti and Gian Franco Kasper, respectively and Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF) head Raffaele Chiulli - revealed it does not plan to work exclusively with one organisation.

"The IOC position is that it does not and is not planning to recognise an esports federation," the letter from the ELG, seen by insidethegames, said.

"We have strong existing relations with the different stakeholders in the esports and gaming community, such as games publishers, platforms, athletes and players.

"We will maintain these direct relationships rather than working through a third party.

"Both of the organisations who reference themselves as esports federations have representatives on the ELG and we will continue to welcome the contribution of these individuals, however the IOC does not endorse or recognise any specific federation as a representative body in this area.

"This is a position shared by ASOIF, AIOWF and GAISF, and as a result we do not encourage Ifs to enter into a formal relationship with these organisations."

The potential inclusion of esports in the Olympic Games is a contentious topic but the ELG claimed the IOC remains "committed to supporting IFs in this area of innovation and engagement".

The group plans to organise a video working session with the International Federations prior to presenting its annual report on esports to the Olympic Summit in Lausanne on December 12.

"[The IOC] is actively engaged in exploring the opportunities and initiatives to engage directly with this young digital community in order to promote participation in sport, engagement with the Olympic Movement and promotion of Olympic values," the ELG letter said.

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A Bill which could put the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) on a collision course with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has been unanimously approved by Federal lawmakers.

The United States House of Representatives in Washington D.C. today passed the "Empowering Olympic, Paralympic and Amateur Athletes Act of 2020", which grants Congress the power to remove members of the USOPC Board of Directors.

The Bill, which will now be sent to US President Donald Trump for signature before October 13, also means Congress can decertify national governing bodies in the country if they fail to adhere to the Act.

Although mainly focused on protecting athletes in the wake of the sexual abuse scandal at USA Gymnastics, the Bill has already caught the attention of the IOC, which strictly prohibits Government interference in its National Olympic Committees.

The IOC has previously raised concerns over the Bill, while USOPC chief executive Sarah Hirshland also warned of the consequences for the organisation and the country's athletes if it were to come into law.

The USOPC has since dropped its opposition to the bill, spearheaded by Senators Jerry Moran and Richard Blumenthal.

In a statement sent to insidethegames, the IOC said it would "study and discuss the national legislation in detail" with the USOPC "to learn about their evaluation of this law".

The parts of the act concerning the USOPC Board and NGBs could come into effect as early as October 13 of next year, raising the possibility of the IOC suspending arguably the biggest NOC in the world less than six months before the opening of the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing.

"Team USA athletes had a big win in the halls of Congress today with the passing of the Empowering Olympic, Paralympic, and Amateur Athletes Act," Hirshland said in a statement.

"It will cement increases in athlete representation in the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Movements, improvements in athlete safety protections, and bolster transparency and accountability in our system.

"The USOPC Board has already approved two of the most sweeping governance reform updates in recent history, and a third phase is before the Board this fall.

"This legislation codifies many of those reforms, with the USOPC now positioned to move quickly to address any outstanding provisions and support the work of the Commission.

"This Bill underscores the value and necessity of the athlete voice and engagement in building stronger, and better, Olympic and Paralympic movements for current and future generations."

The IOC has suspended countries including Kuwait and India over Government interference in the past, and its President Thomas Bach sent another warning to Italian officials this week because of a controversial sports law in the nation.

While it seems unlikely the IOC will move to suspend the US, parts of the Bill appear to contravene the Olympic Charter.

IOC rules state the IOC Executive Board can take action, including suspension, "if the constitution, law or other regulations in force in the country concerned, or any act by any Governmental or other body, causes the activity of the NOC or the making or expression of its will to be hampered".

The USOPC is the largest benefactor from the IOC among the 206 NOCs.

According to the latest IOC accounts, from 2018, the USOPC received $90.8 million (£70.4 million/€77 million) of TOP distributions in 2017 and $89.3 million (£69.3 million/€76 million) in 2018.

This compared with just $81.3 million (£63.1 million/€69 million) in 2017 and $80.3 million (£62.3 million/€68 million) in 2018 to other NOCs.

The Bill may also see the formation of a 16-member commission on the State of the U.S. Olympics and Paralympics in the near future,

It also requires the USOPC to give the US Center for SafeSport $20 million (£15.5 million/€17 million) in annual funding to do its work more effectively.

The act establishes safeguards designed to protect amateur athletes from abuse from coaches and other officials within Olympic and Paralympic sports.

Many of the reforms outlined in the bill have either been implemented or are in the process of being implemented by the USOPC, which came under fire following the sexual abuse scandal involving disgraced USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar.

insidethegames has contacted the IOC for comment.

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In 1915, there was nothing to suggest that Lausanne would become the epicentre of the sporting world. Today, the five interlocking rings welcome travellers as they arrive at the railway station – and this is by no means the only expression of the Olympic spirit in the city. While Lausanne, nestled on the northern shores of Lake Geneva, is now known internationally as the Olympic Capital, it owes this status to the resolve of a certain French baron who had fallen in love with the area, and to the terrible context of the First World War.

The IOC stands for non-discrimination as one of the founding pillars of the Olympic Movement, which is reflected in the Olympic Charter, Fundamental Principle 6:

THE INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE (IOC) ANNOUNCED TODAY THE COMPOSITION OF ITS COMMISSIONS FOR 2020. THE COMPOSITION HAS ONCE AGAIN SHOWN A YEAR-ON-YEAR PROGRESSION TOWARDS GENDER EQUALITY, WITH 47.7 PER CENT OF POSITIONS ACROSS THE 30 COMMISSIONS NOW HELD BY WOMEN, COMING FROM 45.4 PER CENT IN 2019.