Kasper confirms interim chairmanship of SportAccord as Marinescu resigns as general director

Vlad Marinescu has resigned as SportAccord general director ©IJF

Gian-Franco Kasper has confirmed he is serving as ad-hoc interim chairman of the SportAccord Council until a new President is elected at an Extraordinary General Assembly, while insidethegames has learned that Vlad Marinescu has resigned from his position of general director.

Marinescu, who was appointed soon after the election of former-President Marius Vizer in July 2013, will remain in his post until handing over to a yet-to-be-appointed successor.

He is a close ally of Vizer and formerly worked alongside him at the International Judo Federation (IJF), so news of his departure following Vizer's resignation is no surprise.

This came after the official criticised the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and its President Thomas Bach at April's SportAccord General Assembly in Sochi, prompting 22 Olympic and seven non-Olympic sports to withdraw or suspended their membership.

The IOC, International Paralympic Committee, Commonwealth Games Federation and bodies recognising Summer Olympic, Winter Olympic and IOC Recognised sports all "disaffiliated their association", throwing the entire future of the body into doubt.

Russia also withdrew from hosting up to the next five editions of the SportAccord Convention.

There is no statutory provision for what to do when a President resigns but "according to good practice" it was expected that senior vice-president Kasper would take over on a temporary basis, and that has now been confirmed.

According to a letter sent today following a SportAccord Council meeting, obtained by insidethegames, the Swiss International Ski Federation President will "exercise the function of an ad-hoc interim chairman of the Council until the new President is elected at an Extraordinary General Assembly".

No date for this EGM has been confirmed, although it will "in principle" take place in conjunction with the IF Forum in November. which usually takes place in Lausanne in the first week of the month.

A letter sent to SportAccord members following the Council meeting today ©ITG

The letter to all members concludes by explaining how all stakeholders will continue to work on the "mission, roles and responsibilities of the new entity in collaboration with our law form [sic] over the coming weeks and months".

Association of Summer Olympic International Federations director general Andrew Ryan told insidethegames last week how they ultimately envisage this "new entity" undertaking a narrower breadth of roles as a likely replacement to SportAccord.

The primary responsibility of this body would simply be to organise the Convention, of which a process to select a 2016 post is currently beginning, it is thought, although other roles such as anti-doping support could be provided if stakeholders so wish.