Bad timing? In the middle of the Lamine Diack trial, where corruption and embezzlement have been pronounced in all forms since last week, the Association of International Summer Olympic Sports Federations (ASOIF) published Tuesday January 16 its third study on governance in the sports movement. It reveals almost general progress by international bodies.
One figure summarizes the trend: 26 of the 28 international federations members of the ASOIF obtained at least 120 points (out of a maximum of 200) in this passing exam carried out every two years.
The federations were tested between November 2019 and January 2020. The questionnaire included 50 indicators, covering five areas: transparency, integrity, democracy, development, and finally control mechanisms. Each indicator counted for 4 points.
The result of the investigation carried out by ASOIF was expected in April, but the COVID-19 pandemic delayed its publication.
For the first time in three editions of the study, the scores of each of the international federations are made public. The result is a ranking, also unprecedented, where the good and bad students are not necessarily those who were most expected.
At the top of the list, a group of six international federations lead the pack, with scores close to excellence: badminton (BWF), equestrian (FEI), football (FIFA), cycling (UCI), rugby (World Rugby), and tennis (ITF).
At the other end of the bench, a group also made up of six international bodies brings up the rear: swimming (FINA), judo (IJF), weightlifting (IWF), surfing (ISA), baseball/softball (WBSC), and skateboarding (World Skate). The last three appear in the study as associate members of the ASOIF, their discipline being present at the Tokyo Games as an additional sport.
Francesco Ricci Bitti, president of ASOIF, sums up the trend: “ Much progress has been made in recent years. Clearly, the development is very positive, even if there are still gaps between the best and the weakest. »
Among the good points noted by the 56-page study, supervised by the London consulting firm I Trust Sport, progress towards real transparency. No fewer than 25 international federations publish an external audit at least once a year.
Another figure revealing progress: 15 of them offer an email box to collect testimonies from whistleblowers.
Everything is fine, then. With one nuance: parity. The IOC can campaign tirelessly for gender equality in the Olympic landscape, the facts reveal a reality very far from the ambitions of Agenda 2020.
The proof: only one international federation today has more than 40% women on its executive committee. Eight of them have less than 15% female representatives in their main decision-making body. Can do better, then.
But the IOC also remains far from parity, with four women on its executive board, for eleven men.
Another weak point of the Olympic movement: immobility. Several Olympic federations, including FINA, are chaired by leaders who have been in place for at least two decades. The ASOIF study reveals that nine of them have still not modified their statutes to limit the duration of the presidential term.
« We support term limits, suggests Francesco Ricci Bitti. To be credible, a sport must rely on good governance. " An evidence.
