Ingmar De Vos elected as the next ASOIF President

Francesco Ricci Bitti, the outgoing President of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF), backed his successor Ingmar De Vos to provide “brilliant” leadership after the latter’s election was confirmed during yesterday’s General Assembly.

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De Vos, the sole candidate for the Presidency from 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2028, received unanimous support among voters.

De Vos, President of the FEI, the global governing body of equestrian sports, told ASOIF Members: “Thank you for your trust. It’s a big honour and I know I have very big shoes to fill.

“I would like to thank our President for all the work he has done and continues to do… and I hope to be able to build on this legacy for the future of ASOIF.”

Focusing on the build-up to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Ricci Bitti said: “Paris presents a great opportunity for a fantastic Games in iconic locations. We are very confident that 2024 will be a great Olympic year.” 

However, one issue that is yet to be resolved is the amounts ASOIF International Federations will receive from this year’s Olympics. ASOIF Executive Director Andrew Ryan said:

“We know the percentage [split between the IFs themselves], but we don’t know what the total amount will be as that will be dependent on the outcome of the Games.” 

FOUR NEW MEMBERS APPROVED

Ricci Bitti added that the revenue-share model in place with the IOC would need to be reviewed, especially in light of the Olympic programme increasing to 36 sports for the Los Angeles 2028 Games.

“The point we made to the IOC very firmly was that we want to review the system,” Ricci Bitti said. “The new situation is dynamic, so it [the revenue- share agreement] needs to be more flexible in the future.

“Hopefully, there will be satisfactory distribution for Paris, and hopefully we can start working on a new system for LA28.” During the General Assembly, the overwhelming majority of ASOIF Members also approved four new Associate Members: the International Cricket Council, the International Federation of American Football, World Lacrosse and World Squash.

Meanwhile, 28 Members backed the exclusion of the International Boxing Association (IBA) as an ASOIF Member, with one abstention. Ricci Bitti, who described the development as “sad”, added that the exclusion was in line with ASOIF’s constitution after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) last week dismissed an appeal by IBA against the IOC’s decision to withdraw recognition of the organisation. 

“We had no choice,” said Ricci Bitti, who expressed hope that an “alternative organisation” will take responsibility for boxing’s global governance. “Boxing is a very important sport,” he added.

The General Assembly also heard discussions about the implications of the expanded LA28 sports programme on areas such as athlete quotas, Olympic qualification systems and Games optimisation. Additionally, in-person reports were delivered from the IOC, the Dakar 2026 Organising Committee for the Youth Olympic Games, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the International Testing Agency (ITA).

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