Read the English version below.

Der Belgier Harald Vervaecke, Secretary General of the International Life Saving Federation (ILS) hat heute einen Brief an alle Mitglieder der Global Association of International Sports Federation (GAISF) geschrieben. Es ist ein seltener Akt des Widerstands in der vom IOC mit harter Hand geführten olympischen (und auch nicht-olympischen) Welt.

Die GAISF-Mitglieder treffen gerade in Lausanne ein, wo am Montag das sogenannte IF Forum und am Dienstag die GAISF-Generalversammlung stattfinden. Auf dem GAISF-Treffen soll die Auflösung des einst so stolzen und wichtigen Gremiums und die Angliederung an SportAccord beschlossen werden, den bisherigen Business-Arm von GAISF.

Absurd. Wahnsinn. Dubios.

Harald Vervaecke kämpft dagegen – und damit automatisch auch gegen die IOC-Gottheit Thomas Bach. Denn so wird es in Lausanne gelesen.

Es gibt etliche außerordentliche bemerkenswerte Details im Brief von Vervaecke. Zum Beispiel diese Feststellung:

The IOC is not the official organ that represent the Sports.

The IOC is a Global Multi-Sport Games Organiser. The Olympic Games are the largest multi-sport event in the world in terms of worldwide interest and importance (though not in participation).

Das ist auch deshalb so bemerkenswert, weil das IOC und seine Verbündeten es ja zum Beispiel gerade bei der Lobby-Arbeit zum „europäischen Sportmodell“ es so dargestellt haben, als würde Breitensport ohne Olympische Spiele und die IOC-Vermarktung nicht existieren.

Das ist eine der großen Unwahrheiten der Gegenwart, wahrscheinlich müsste man das sogar als bewusste Lüge kennzeichnen.

Harald Vervaecke geht in seinem Brief in einigen Punkten indirekt auf die Recherche ein, die ich vor einer Woche auf Play the Game (World sports federations may give up their own independent platform) veröffentlicht habe – erstklassig belegt mit Videos und zahlreichen internen Dokumenten.

Thread
Something exclusive, as text and video: my contribution to the planned dissolution of @gaisf_sport and the role of the IOC, IOC member Ivo Ferriani and other officials – read @PlaytheGame … and here are video clips about it …
/1https://t.co/IzwJOPisfL

— SPORT & POLITICS (@JensWeinreich) November 18, 2022

Darin hatte ich enthüllt, dass GAISF-Präsident Ivo Ferriani (auch IOC-Mitglied) intern damit droht, mit allen olympischen Sportverbänden (Sommer ASOIF und Winter AIOWF) auszumarschieren und die Spaltung durchzuziehen, sollte die Wahl verloren gehen.

Darin hatte ich auch enthüllt, dass Ferriani sich ständig auf Gespräche mit seinem Boss Thomas Bach beruft und u.a. den Top-Funktionären künftig zusätzliche Kompensationen in Aussicht stellt.

Das war bislang in der GAISF-Familie nicht bekannt und sorgt zurecht für Irritationen. Mein Text und die Videos wurden in der IOC-Zentrale aufmerksam studiert.

Es wäre mindestens ein eindeutiger Interessenkonflikt, nah an Korruption – jemand kämpft unter dubiosen und intransparenten Umständen für die Auflösung eines Welt-Dachverbandes und darf künftig finanzielle Kompensationen in der neuen Rolle erwarten.

Harald Vervaecke beweist Mut, der selten ist in diesen Kreisen. Das Imperium wird sich an ihm rächen. Aber zuvor schafft es Vervaecke möglicherweise, die 2/3 Mehrheit für die Auflösung von GAISF am Dienstag in Lausanne zu verhindern. Seine Chancen sind gering. Die Szene wird traditionell von Opportunisten und anderen Feiglingen dominiert – und natürlich von den olympischen Verbänden und den vielen Vollstreckern von Bachs Gnaden. Ferriani ist nur einer von denen.

Einige Highlights aus dem Schreiben:

it is better to dissolve the company SportAccord which has little or no rules and is quite controversial rather than to dissolve the GAISF which has a proven record.

It has grown over the last 100 years to be the global platform and thus Parliament of Sport

The IOC is not the official organ that represent the Sports. … The IOC is a Global Multi-Sport Games Organiser. The Olympic Games are the largest multi-sport event in the world in terms of worldwide interest and importance (though not in participation).

How can a group of four people that were supposed to only organise Conferences define themselves nowadays to be “modern and more efficient” than GAISF and think they can represent all International Federations? If GAISF is dissolved next week, then SportAccord only will consist of ASOIF and AIOWF, thus two people. Is this good governance?

Ivo Ferriani is coming forward with a dissolution of the GAISF. But what will come in place? International Federations are now forced to make a decision. We repeat and repeat: noting tangible is put on paper to replace the GAISF. The whole approach is to be categorised as poor governance. The announcement of the intent to dissolve the GAISF is anything but transparent and not in the spirit of closely working with GAISF Members.

The deciding power is in the hands of the Executive Committee of a business entity. The International Federations are bye-passed.

The GAISF Members need more than ever to have an autonomous platform like the GAISF to represent their interests. The GAISF is as relevant as ever and must continue to represent all its Members. The GAISF must closely work together with the IOC, but also with all other Sport Organisations.

SportAccord is a company, is not relevant and can easily be dissolved.
I am writing as our collective voice matters: we should keep the GAISF and dissolve SportAccord.

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English version:

A rare act of resistance: Harald Vervaecke’s furious letter to all sports world federations

Belgian Harald Vervaecke, Secretary General of the International Life Saving Federation (ILS), today wrote a letter to all members of the Global Association of International Sports Federation (GAISF). It is a rare act of resistance in the Olympic (and also non-Olympic) world run with a heavy hand by the IOC. GAISF members are just arriving in Lausanne, where the so-called IF Forum will take place on Monday and the GAISF General Assembly on Tuesday. The GAISF meeting is expected to decide to dissolve the once proud and important body and affiliate it to SportAccord, the previous business arm of GAISF.

Absurd. Insane. Dubious.

Harald Vervaecke fights against it – and thus automatically against the IOC deity Thomas Bach. Because that is how it is read in Lausanne.

There are several extraordinary remarkable details in Vervaecke’s letter. For example, this statement:

The IOC is not the official organ that represents the Sports. … The IOC is a Global Multi-Sport Games Organiser. The Olympic Games are the largest multi-sport event in the world in terms of worldwide interest and importance (though not in participation).

This is also remarkable because the IOC and its allies, for example, in their lobbying for the „European sports model“, have presented it as if grassroots sport would not exist without the Olympic Games and the IOC marketing.

This is one of the great untruths of the present, and should probably even be labelled a deliberate lie.

In his letter, Harald Vervaecke indirectly addresses some points of the research I published a week ago on Play the Game (World sports federations may give up their own independent platform) – well documented with videos and numerous internal documents.

In it I revealed that GAISF President Ivo Ferriani (also an IOC member) was internally threatening to march out with all Olympic sports federations (summer ASOIF and winter AIOWF) and go through with the split if the election was lost.

In it, I had also revealed that Ferriani constantly refers to talks with his boss Thomas Bach and, among other things, holds out the prospect of additional compensation for top officials in the future.

This was not known in the GAISF family until now and rightly causes irritation. My text and the videos were studied carefully at IOC headquarters.

It would at least be a clear conflict of interest, close to corruption – someone fights for the dissolution of a world governing body under dubious and non-transparent circumstances and may expect financial compensation in the new role in the future.

THREAD
In the Olympic world, letters like this are BREAKING, extraordinary.
It is about the planned and highly dubious dissolution of @GAISF_sport … opposition comes from Harald Vervaecke, Secretary General @ils_life_saving. The best and smartest document I know about this!
/1 pic.twitter.com/4AwbSFyJnD

— SPORT & POLITICS (@JensWeinreich) November 27, 2022

Harald Vervaecke shows courage, which is rare in these circles. The empire will take its revenge on him. But before that, Vervaecke may manage to prevent the 2/3 majority for the dissolution of GAISF on Tuesday in Lausanne. His chances are small. The scene is traditionally dominated by opportunists and other cowards – and of course by the Olympic Federations and the many enforcers by Bach’s grace. Ferriani is just one of them.

A few highlights from the letter:

it is better to dissolve the company SportAccord which has little or no rules and is quite controversial rather than to dissolve the GAISF which has a proven record.

It has grown over the last 100 years to be the global platform and thus Parliament of Sport.

The IOC is not the official organ that represent the Sports. … The IOC is a Global Multi-Sport Games Organiser. The Olympic Games are the largest multi-sport event in the world in terms of worldwide interest and importance (though not in participation).

How can a group of four people that were supposed to only organise Conferences define themselves nowadays to be „modern and more efficient“ than GAISF and think they can represent all International Federations? If GAISF is dissolved next week, then SportAccord only will consist of ASOIF and AIOWF, thus two people. Is this good governance?

Ivo Ferriani is coming forward with a dissolution of the GAISF. But what will come in place? International Federations are now forced to make a decision. We repeat and repeat: noting tangible is put on paper to replace the GAISF. The whole approach is to be categorised as poor governance. The announcement of the intent to dissolve the GAISF is anything but transparent and not in the spirit of closely working with GAISF members.

The deciding power is in the hands of the Executive Committee of a business entity. The International Federations are bye-passed.

The GAISF Members need more than ever to have an autonomous platform like the GAISF to represent their interests. The GAISF is as relevant as ever and must continue to represent all its Members. The GAISF must closely work together with the IOC, but also with all other Sport Organisations.

SportAccord is a company, is not relevant and can easily be dissolved.
I am writing as our collective voice matters: we should keep the GAISF and dissolve SportAccord.

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