International judo federation president Vizer, whose SportAccord
organization represents Olympic and non-Olympic sports federations
and organizers of multi-sports games, said Bach interfered with the
autonomy of sports bodies.
"After becoming SportAccord President, I always tried to develop a
constructive collaboration with the IOC and with President (Thomas)
Bach," Vizer said at the opening of the SportAccord convention in
Russia's Black Sea resort of Sochi.
"Unfortunately, it never became reality," he said.
"Mr President, stop blocking the SportAccord strategy in its mission
to identify and organize conventions and multi-sport games. Do not
try to create a theory around which sports are and are not eligible
for multi-sport games," he said.
The IOC has had an uneasy relationship with Vizer, who took over
SportAccord in 2013 and instantly attempted to set up his own
international multi-sports event, the United world Games, which
never materialized.
The IOC, which usually holds an executive board meeting during
SportAccord, has scrapped its meeting this time, leaving the
convention without one of its highlights.
It has also stopped bid cities for the 2022 winter Olympics from
attending the event, robbing it of another attraction.
"Do not try to impose upon the organizers of SportAccord events
guidelines on how to distribute funds generated and earned by
ourselves," Vizer said.
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"Do not interfere in the autonomy of the sport organizations."
Vizer also rejected the IOC's Agenda 2020, a set of reforms approved
in December, to make the Games more attractive and relevant to fans,
bid cities and sponsors.
"The Agenda 2020 hardly brings any real benefit to sport, to
International federations, or athletes," he said.
The Agenda 2020 is the brainchild of Bach, who put the reforms in
motion after being elected to his post in 2013.
"My impression is your opinion you have exclusively for you," German
Bach, a lawyer by profession, said after the end of Vizer's speech.
"What we need altogether is credibility. This credibility we can
only achieve if we have unity in our diversity," Bach said.
(Editing by Ed Osmond)
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