IAAF’s Coe, FIFA’s Infantino not on IOC members’ list

By Karolos Grohmann

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (Reuters) – The heads of world soccer’s governing body FIFA and world athletics’ IAAF were not included in a list of proposed new members for the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Friday.

While IOC membership for either is not automatic through the presidencies of the federations, previous FIFA and IAAF presidents, representing two of the most powerful sports bodies in the world, had seats on the IOC table for decades.

The IOC proposed a total of eight members for election at its session in Rio de Janeiro in August.

They include South African film producer Anat Singh, Italian Ivo Ferriani, who heads the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation, former Finnish racewalker and politician Sari Essayah, Indian Nita Ambani, owner of the Mumbai Indians cricket team, and Canadian Olympic Committee President Tricia Smith.

“These eight candidates… are a strong and varied group of individuals that are experts in their respective fields and will make great contributions,” IOC President Thomas Bach told reporters.

“They have been vetted by new criteria… these candidates will add extra strength and diversity to our already universal orchestra of IOC Members.”

Infantino was elected head of FIFA in February to succeed scandal-plagued Sepp Blatter and lead the federation out of its biggest graft crisis.

He could now potentially face an investigation himself over what German newspaper Die Welt said were possible ethics breaches.

Former double Olympic champion Sebastian Coe took over the IAAF last year as one of the biggest doping scandal in years unfolded and severely damaged the credibility of the IAAF, Coe’s predecessor Lamine Diack faced a bribery and embezzlement investigation in France.

Both Blatter and Diack had been IOC members for years until 2015. Blatter’s predecessor at FIFA, Joao Havelange, had been an IOC member from 1963 to 2011.

Diack’s predecessor, Primo Nebiolo, had also been an IOC member.

Several heads of smaller international federations, including weightlifting, boxing, badminton and skating are members of the IOC.

Both federations are at the heart of several investigations into alleged corruption and bribery, with the IAAF also dealing with a widespread doping scandal in which Russian track and field athletes could be banned from the Rio Olympics starting on Aug. 5.

The new members, if approved by the session, would bring the total IOC membership to 99.

(Editing by Ed Osmond)