The International Olympic Committee President Bach in a zoom meeting with the AIPS Young Reporters reiterated that the Biennial World cup is and would be a threat to other sports.
IOC president Thomas Bach responds to questions via Zoom while AIPS Young Reporter Sid Kohli takes notes.
IOC President Thomas Bach has labelled the possibility of a biennial FIFA World Cup “a mistake”, sighting the impact of such a proposal on the sporting calendar and athlete welfare.
Bach, addressing the AIPS Young Reporters undertaking a week-long programme in Lausanne, said: “Nobody I’ve been speaking to has seen a paper with a clear project. It is obvious to everybody that this [biennial World Cup] would have a very serious effect on the overall sports calendar for all sports.”
Bach expressed concerns around the knock-on effect the proposed biennial FIFA World Cup would have on marquee tournaments such as Wimbledon and the Tour de France while also raising issues around player welfare.
He said: “We have seen players who play in (football) leagues saying this will be ‘too much’ and be a risk to their health and well-being.”
FIFA is undertaking a feasibility study around the revision of the international calendar including the frequency of the men’s World Cup.
The study has drawn criticism from Aleksander Ceferin, president of European federation UEFA while Arsène Wenger, FIFA’s chief of global football development, has said he’s “100 per cent convinced” the proposal is the right solution for modern football.
Bach questioned FIFA’s motivation around a tournament schedule revamp.
He said: “With the ones supporting it – you only hear one reason – money. The promoters of this plan are making a mistake it they think organising a World Cup every two years means double the money for FIFA. It’s a mistake to think that you’ll get the same revenues if you organise it every two years. This will not happen.”
Source: AIPS Media
Photo Credit: Anna Szilagyi
