Kasper, President of the International Ski Federation (FIS), will replace fellow Swiss René Fasel, head of the International Ice Hockey Federation, with the latter claiming he had decided to step down after 12 years at the helm ahead of AIOWF.

But Fasel has claimed he will not relinquish his position on the Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), a position which comes with the position as head of AIOWF.

The 70-year-old Kasper, FIS President since 1998, has served on the IOC Coordination Commission for Salt Lake City 2002, Turin 2006, Vancouver 2010 and Sochi 2010 and was chairman of the Coordination Commission for the inaugural Winter Youth Olympics in Innsbruck in 2012.

Kasper insisted to insidethegames it had been a pre-planned peaceful and planned transition process in the best interests of the organisation, although the change of leadership caught most IOC members and senior officials by surprise. 

"I was asked by the majority of our members since Sochi 2014 and they thought that I should take over and today my predecessor Mr Fasel decided to stand down himself," he said. 

"It was thought that I would offer the most for winter sports and the Winter Games."

René Fasel insisted he was happy to step down after 12 years at the helm
©Getty Images



Fasel also claimed the decision had been taken in the best interests of the Olympic Movement.

"I have served for 12 years and it was a good opportunity and Gian-Franco wanted to do it," he told insidethegames. 

"This decision keeps the team together, because we are only seven sports you know so that is very important, and with an Olympics just gone, it appeared a good time to step down.

"I am staying on the Executive Board of the IOC.

"That is not unusual, it was the same with Patrick Hickey, who is on the Board despite being vice president of the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) behind President Sheikh Ahmad Al Fahad Al Sabah, and it has been seen on other occasions as well.  

"The same thing happened in 2002 when I took over from [International Skating Union President] Ottavio Cinquanta but did not replace him on the Executive Board until 2008.

"I still have a lot to offer and I think the most important thing is to keep the group united.

"There were some discussions beforehand this time but it is not a bad solution and there are absolutely no bad feelings.

"It is ice and snow - we are very similar."

Kasper is 70, the compulsory retirement age for IOC members elected after 1999, and is due to step down at the end of this year.

But it likely the IOC will raise this retirement age to 75 at its Extraordinary Session in Monte Carlo on December 6 and 7, which may than pave the way for Kasper to replace Fasel, 64, on the Board.

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