ASOIF's IOC Executive Board nominee has been a major topic of discussion in Olympic circles since current President Denis Oswald of Switzerland announced that he would resign from the position this summer at London 2012.

Italy's Francesco Ricci Bitti has already been confirmed as the sole candidate to succeed Oswald and he will be voted in as the new ASOIF President by acclimation at the General Assembly on Tuesday (May 22).

The ASOIF President would also normally take the organisation's seat on the IOC Executive Board as long as they are an IOC member, but Ricci Bitti, President of the International Tennis Federation (ITF), turned 70 this year and therefore his membership will expire in December.

It means that another IOC member will take ASOIF's IOC Executive Board spot and it was a key issue discussed by its ruling Council today.

It was initially proposed that the ASOIF Council would put forward a nominee for the IOC Executive Board that would simply be confirmed by the General Assembly.

However, Oswald ruled that the candidate will be decided entirely by the General Assembly, meaning that candidates will both be nominated and then voted upon at the gathering on Tuesday.

"The greatest authority at ASOIF is the General Assembly so it was decided by our Council that candidates for the IOC Executive Board position will be put forward during our General Assembly and elected solely by our 28 member federations," ASOIF director Andrew Ryan told insidethegames.

"The candidates will not be required to put themselves until the General Assembly itself.

"If there is more than one candidate, which there very well could be, there will be a vote during the General Assembly from our 28 member federations and the chosen candidate would then be nominated to the IOC to be approved to join its Executive Board."


The major beneficiary from today's move is International Boxing Association (AIBA) President C K Wu (pictured above left) of Taiwan, who is believed to be leading the way to claim the position.

The 65-year-old English-educated architect has been an IOC member for the past 24 years and is a close friend of Ricci Bitti.

But International Cycling Union (UCI) President Pat McQuaid of Ireland, who was likely to be the individual nominated to the General Assembly by the Council, has suffered a blow in his plans to take the position.

Nevertheless, McQuaid, the currently the ASOIF vice-president, will be a formidable candidate if he chooses to put his name forward, as he is expected to do.

International Triathlon Union (ITU) President Marisol Casado of Spain and International Basketball Association (FIBA) secretary general Patrick Baumann of Switzerland, both of whom are currently on the eight-member ASOIF Council, are thought to be the other key contenders.

But insidethegames understands that 11 IOC members have expressed a provisional interest in standing and therefore a plan is being devised by ASOIF to decide on the voting process should several candidates stand for the position, including a system where there are 11 spots on the ballot papers.

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