International Rugby Board (IRB) chairman Bernard Lapasset and International Judo Federation (IJF) President Marius Vizer are the two official candidates for the position, with one set to replace Verbruggen, the former President of the International Cycling Union (UCI) – who has held the position since 2004 – at the SportAccord International Convention in St Petersburg on May 31.

And despite the controversy surrounding Verbruggen, who is facing allegations that he was central to the cover-up that allowed American cyclist Lance Armstrong to dope during all seven of his Tour de France victories – an accusation he steadfastly denies, Schormann insists that he has done much good within SportAccord.

"I have been President of modern pentathlon for 20 years already so I know the movement under the leadership of Un Yong Kim when it was GAISF [General Association of International Sports Federations] and then by my former IF [International Federation] colleague Hein Verbruggen," he told insidethegames.

"My colleague [Verbruggen] has been in the movement a long time when he created the new format of SportAccord with quite a lot of different services that had not existed in the past.

"I'm very much aware what SportAccord has achieved in the last years – all these different kinds of exhibitions, forums for our discussions when we have our general assembly with Olympic and non Olympic sports and so I can say that I hope that this movement will go on in a proper way.

"It is very important after Hein Verbruggen we have a strong President to continue this SportAccord movement.

"This movement is another place for the international sports to grow, to have more understanding of the political sides, but not to be a concurrent to the IOC [International Olympic Committee] and the Olympic programme."


His final point here – that the IOC and SportAccord are and should be kept as two separate entities – is something, which he says, is of critical importance.

"This is for me the highlight that I have to say, I have a clear line, SportAccord is one thing and the other is the Olympics," he explained.

"But also important from my side as an international President from the Olympic Movement is that the interests of the IOC are not touched.

"It means the IOC should not in any way be influenced, and, I think that this was also the philosophy of Hein Verbruggen, everything should be independent and not coming into any conflict with the issues.

"This is one of the main goals we have to achieve."

Speaking to insidethegames about the two candidates vying for the top spot in SportAccord, Schormann admitted that while he has known Vizer for some time, Lapasset is a new character to the frame for him, owing mainly to the fact that his sport is only just joining the Olympic programme, with the rugby to be contested at Rio 2016.


He did say, however, that he is looking forward to getting to know Lapasset better and is interested in exploring his election manifesto in greater detail.

"I have known Mr Vizer for a much longer time," Schormann said.

"For a long while he has been a President of [the IJF] and sitting with me on ASOIF [Association of Summer Olympic International Federations], we've met in different locations during different Games, therefore I know Mr Vizer more than I know Lapasset.

"Lapasset I have spoken to three times.

"He was never in the Olympic Movement before, they are starting in 2016.

"I know Mr Vizer more deeply, I know his visions, I have listened to him give statements in ASOIF meetings, so of course I have a picture of him, but I have not a picture of Lapasset, only knowing now in the last moment that he came up as a candidate for SportAccord [President].

"So still I have to listen to him, speak with him.

"I am sure both candidates in the next 14 days will forward their ideas on what they want to enlarge, important issues, the services for all the sports, both Olympic and the majority in SportAccord which are not Olympic federations."

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