World rowing is changing its face, it is also getting a facelift. But he keeps the same language. In Chungju, South Korea, Denis Oswald found a successor as president of the International Rowing Federation (FFSA). Jean-Christophe Rolland, 45, Olympic champion in two at the Sydney Games in 2000, will soon take the reins of power. A Swiss leaves, a Frenchman arrives.
The battle promised to be close. A three-way match between Jean-Christophe Rolland, the Australian John Boultbee and the Canadian Trica Smith. The first, supported by Denis Oswald since the start of the campaign, set off first. He was said to be a favorite. But the last few weeks had seen the Australian catch up. He even told himself, during the world championship in Chungju, that he had taken the lead. “The Australians tried everything to reverse the trend, even to the point of intervening their embassies to influence the vote,” suggested a person familiar with the matter, on the eve of the election.
A few days before the election, several articles in the German press had criticized Denis Oswald's desire to push a "young Frenchman with no leadership experience" into the presidency. A campaign behind which some believed to guess the hand of Thomas Bach, the German candidate for the supreme function of the IOC, direct rival of the Swiss.
Monday morning, the election left no room for doubt. Jean-Christophe Rolland was elected in the first round. He obtained 117 votes out of the 179 votes cast, or around 65% of voters. John Boultbee collected 50, Trica Smith only 12. A form of plebiscite. “A strong message,” said the Frenchman. This score exceeds my expectations. A new adventure begins for me. I will have to face the challenges of tomorrow. The world is moving, our sport must stay in the race. »
An engineer at EDF, Jean-Christophe Rolland has come into contact with the realities of sport-business by supporting, in recent years, the French company's partnership with the London Olympic Games. He will soon leave his London base to go to Lausanne, headquarters of FISA.
But the Frenchman will have to wait before grabbing the keys to the house. President of FISA for twenty-four years, Denis Oswald will extend his mandate until July 2014. A transition that the Swiss lawyer, also a candidate to succeed Jacques Rogge at the head of the IOC, desired and imposed. “This interlude of around ten months will allow Jean-Christophe and myself to ensure a healthy transmission of witness,” explained the outgoing man. I will also take the opportunity to introduce him to the key people in the international sports movement, in particular within the IOC. »
With the election of Jean-Christophe Rolland as head of FISA, France now has three presidents of international federations in an Olympic sport. The Lyonnais joins Yvan Mainini, president of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) since 2010, and Bernard Lapasset, at the head of world rugby (IRB) since 2008. With Denis Masseglia, former president of the FFSA, at the head of the CNOSF for more than five years, and now Jean-Christophe Rolland, French rowing has never been so well represented at the top of power.
Photo credit: avironfrance.asso.fr
