The statement released Monday by the WBSC said the letter in question from Nuzman, who is also President of Rio 2016 and the Brazilian Olympic Committee (COB), read: “You can count on my support to reinstate the sports [starting with] the 2020 Olympic Games Program.”

Carlos Nuzman said he has always backed wrestling to stay on the Olympics sports program for 2020.

It goes on to say that support was offered to the bid “in the name of the Brazilian Olympic Committee and [Nuzman's] own”, and wished “success to CBBS in the new Olympic cycle.”

However, Nuzman released a statement claiming the quotes were a “misunderstanding” and he continues to support wrestling to be included in the 2020 Olympics.

Speaking to insidethegames, Nuzman reiterated where his allegiances lie and said that he did not explicitly offer his exclusive support to the baseball-softball bid for reinstatement to the Olympic sports program.

“About this, I sent a note yesterday, it was a misunderstanding with our national federation, because since the beginning I’ve supported wrestling,” he said. “It was a misinterpretation. I have nothing against baseball, softball or any other sports, but I think we have to keep wrestling in the Games, that’s my opinion.”

Nuzman exclusively revealed to insidethegames in March that he was supporting wrestling to retain its place on the Olympic sports program and insisted Tuesday that this has not changed.

The WBSC release in question included a joint-statement from International Baseball Federation (IBAF) President Riccardo Fraccari and International Softball Federation (ISF) President Don Porter, who serve as co-Presidents of the confederation thatwas officially formed just last month in Tokyo.

“We are proud and honored to have the support of such a highly respected, knowledgeable and popular sporting leader like Carlos Nuzman in the campaign for Olympic inclusion,” they said. “His support helps us highlight that our 65 million, and growing, athletes are well-dispersed and highly competitive across the globe, and the excellent results in Brazil, as well as in other countries building traditions like Australia, the Netherlands and Italy, unquestionably help us underline our sport’s appeal, expansion and universality across strategic bases in the world.”

“We are optimistic that the time is right for baseball and softball to be re-introduced to the Olympic Games, and we are excited to get support from sports leaders like Carlos Nuzman, who are passionate and knowledgeable about sport, and Olympic sport in particular.

“We are confident that the inclusion of baseball and softball in the Olympic Games in 2020 would inspire a new generation of interest and participation in sport through baseball and softball, and enhance and expand the Olympic experience for hundreds of millions of baseball and softball fans of all ages and backgrounds in developing and established sporting nations and continents.

“We are honoured to have the opportunity to be considered by the IOC for possible reintegration on the Olympic sports programme, and will continue to work closely with the IOC in the best interests of the athletes and the Olympic Movement to meet the criteria for inclusion in the Olympic Games in 2020.”

The statement claiming Nuzman’s support for the baseball-softball bid has since been withdrawn from the “PlayBall2020″ website, and the WBSC chose not to comment on the conflicting comments from the Brazilian lawyer.

It is currently unclear whether the WBSC will eventually make a formal response to the comments made by Nuzman.

Contact the writer of this story at james.crook@insidethegames.biz. Inside the Games is a blog of the London Organizing Committee that helped put on the recent Summer Olympics. This article is reprinted here with permission of the authors of the blog.

The 60-year-old Puerto Rican will bid to become the second IOC President from the Americas – and only the second from outside Europe – after Avery Brundage, a United States citizen, who held the post between 1952 and 1972.

Richard Carrión is chairman of the IOC Finance Commission.

Carrión follows German IOC member Thomas Bach and Ng Ser Miang of Singapore in declaring his intention to seek the most powerful position in world sport.

At least two further IOC members – C K Wu of Taiwan and Ukraine’s Sergey Bubka – are expected soon to throw their hats in the ring.

The outcome of only the second such election in 33 years will be decided on September 10 at the IOC Session in Buenos Aires.

As chairman of the IOC’s Finance Commission and a prominent member of its Marketing Commission, Carrión has been a key figure behind the commercial success that has enabled the Movement to glide with feathers largely unruffled over the recent prolonged period of international economic turbulence.

His stature as a business leader, moreover, extends far beyond the Olympic Movement, as illustrated most strikingly by his position on the Board of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, an institution at the heart of the US banking system.

Carrión also heads the Banco Popular de Puerto Rico, whose parent company, Popular Inc, is listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange.

Interviewed exclusively by insidethegames, Carrión highlighted his role in successfully shoring up the Movement’s financial position during Rogge’s 12-year Presidency.

“The President said to me very early on, ‘I would like a fund to protect the Olympic Movement if the Games were cancelled,’” Carrión confided.

“Then we had $100 million (£66 million/€77 million) in the Olympic Foundation [the Movement's permanent fund, or rainy day money].

“Now we have $900 million (£596 million/€696 million).”

But he also delivered a strong warning against complacency.

“Our place in the world is not guaranteed,” he cautioned.

“The only thing inevitable is that we will have change between now and the end of the term of the next IOC President.

“We must have a leader who knows how not just to manage the coming change, but also make it work for the IOC and the Movement…

“We have a lot at stake in this election.”

To read full exclusive interview click here.

Contact the writer of this story at  david.owen@insidethegames.biz.  This article is from Inside the Games, which is a blog of the organizers of the London 2012 Summer Olympics.  It can be viewed at http://www.insidethegames.biz/.

The Iranians had competed at an event against the U.S. and Russia in New York City’s Grand Central Terminal last Wednesday (May 15) in a match dubbed ”The Rumble on the Rails.”

Iran's trip to Los Angeles was being billed as "United4Wrestling" before the visitors decided to unexpectedly return home after their match in New York City last week.

The Iranians had come out on top 6-1 against the U.S. in an event attended by Nenad Lalovic, President of the International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles (FILA), and were supposed to travel to Los Angeles for another match today.

But instead, they have returned to Tehran, arriving there Saturday morning.

They reportedly claimed that they had security fears and were concerned that American officials could not guarantee their safety in Los Angeles.

“That’s a total fabrication,” said Craig Sesker, a spokesman for USA Wrestling, told the Los Angeles Times. “The only thing I know is that they made a schedule change and decided to return to Iran.”

USA Wrestling instead hosted Russian and Canadian teams in a “United 4 Wrestling” event at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena.

The event featuring the Iranians had been hailed as an illustration of how united the world’s wrestling community are behind its attempts to save its place on the Olympic program.

The U.S. and Iran have had no diplomatic relations with each other following the Iran Revolution in 1979 when Ayatollah Khomeini replaced Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi’, who had assumed power following a coup orchestrated by the CIA.

The U.S. has enforced a trade embargo on Iran since 1995, and in recent times there have been regular disputes between the two countries over Iran’s rights to follow a nuclear program.

But in February, a few days after the International Olympic Committee Executive Board controversially decided to recommend that wrestling be removed from the list of core sports after Rio 2016, Americans joined Iranian competitors in Tehran to protest about the decision, with members of the U.S. freestyle wrestling team even shaking hands with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Wrestling is Iran’s biggest and most popular sport, with several million registered participants, and is their most successful Olympic discipline.

Of the 15 gold medals Iran has won in the Olympics since they made their debut at Paris in 1900, eight have come in wrestling, including three at London 2012.

The determination to save wrestling’s Olympic place led to the Iranians agreeing to visit the U.S. for the two-match series.

Even an appeal from the U.S. State Department for the Iranians to compete in Los Angeles failed to persuade them to change their minds about cutting short their trip.

“Iran’s obligation to save wrestling as an Olympic sport has been fulfilled at this juncture by its decisive victory and the presence of its representatives at the United Nations headquarters in line with the plans of the International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles,” said a statement from the Iran Wrestling Federation.

Bill Scherr, the former chief executive of the United States Olympic Committee who is heading the Committee for the Preservation of Olympic Wrestling, claimed that the Iranians had not appeared to feel threatened at any time during their visit to New York.

“The event in Los Angeles was secondary,” Scherr told the Los Angeles Times. “Maybe they accomplished what they came to do.”

Contact the writer of this story at duncan.mackay@insidethegames.biz. Inside the Games is an online blog of the London Organizing Committee that staged the 2012 London Games. The blog continues to cover issues that are important to the Olympic Movement. This article is reprinted here with permission of the blog editors.

After incidents during the Serie A match between AC Milan and Roma on Sunday, where Mario Balotelli and Kevin-Prince Boateng were victims of racism chants, Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) President Joseph S. Blatter underlined his fight against racism in an video interview with FIFA.com.

Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) President Joseph S. Blatter underlined his fight against racism in an interview with FIFA.com.

FIFA.com: What was your reaction when you heard about the incidents in Milan?

Joseph Blatter: I think lessons have not been learned. It is incredible, that we had such incidents especially in the Italian Serie A in the San Siro between AC Milan and Roma, a very important match. The referee had to stop the match for a few minutes in order to bring back calm. This is bad, because we are just holding this task force against racism. In two weeks, we have our FIFA Congress, and we will have a resolution, that will be binding for everybody.

What is surprising and is not understandable for me, is that the Disciplinary Committee of the Italian Football Federation has taken a decision, not even 24 hours after the event, by just imposing a fine. They have not made any investigation of what happened. And just to give a pecuniary sanction is not valid, that is not acceptable. You will always find money. What is 50.000 Euros for such an incident? I’m not happy and I will call the Italian Federation. That’s not a way to deal with such matters.

FIFA.com: How does this incident strengthen your fight against racism and discrimination?

Joseph Blatter: I think it’s good for us and for the FIFA Congress, when we will present this resolution. In this resolution, there are foreseen sanctions. And these sanctions must be applied all around the world. That’s why we need the Congress’s decision. That will bind together all the 209 associations. I’m looking forward to that and I do hope, that there we will be no other incidents until May 30, when we will deal with this matter in Mauritius.

FIFA.com: How can you reassure players and fans, that FIFA is strengthening the sanctions?

Joseph Blatter: It must be a decision by the congress, which is then binding for everybody. This is very important. So let’s wait those few days going to the Congress and I appeal to everybody for a little more discipline and respect.

To watch the video interview with Blatter, visit http://www.fifa.com/aboutfifa/organisation/video/video=2078921/index.html.

This story first appeared in the blog, The Sport Intern. The editor is Karl Heinz-Huba of Lorsch, Germany. He can be reached at ISMG@aol.com. The article is reprinted here with permission of Mr. Heinz-Huba.

Speaking to insidethegames at the Paris-Sorbonne University after announcing his candidacy at the birthplace of the modern Olympics in the French capital, the 64-year-old former sailor said he believed Africa would host a Games in the not too distant future – something he will have a hugely influential say in if he is elected as the next IOC President.

Thomas Bach, pictured left with Ng Ser Miang, has spoken of a potential German bid for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

“I was in Dakar and the Africans asked me about a bid from Africa,” Ng, who was also chair of the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games, explained. “Africa is the second biggest continent in the world, the second most populous continent in the world, great countries, great cities. The sports leaders and political leaders are passionate. I believe there will be a bid from Africa. I believe in my lifetime I will see a Games and take part in a Games in Africa.”

The next Olympics and Paralympics that an African city could potentially bid for is the 2024 edition, with South Africa being tipped to bid to stage the first ever Games in the continent.

So far, the United States has had ten expressions of interest from cities looking to bid, including Los Angeles and Philadelphia, and a joint bid from San Diego and the Mexican city Tijuana – which cannot go any further forward because it is against the Olympic Charter.

Toronto, St. Petersburg, Rome, Baku and Doha are other potential 2024 bidders, while Ng’s fellow IOC Presidential candidate Thomas Bach claimed in January that there is a possibility his nation, Germany, could mount a bid, although this has yet to materialize.

Paris is also considered a strong contender for the competition as a bid would come exactly 100 years after it last hosted the Olympics in 1924 and Ng said he would expect a strong bid from the city.

“I think Paris is a great city,” he told insidethegames. “In 2005 [when Paris lost to London in the final round by just four votes] they entered a very strong bid for 2012. I believe if Paris bids again it will be a wonderful bid and a very strong bid as well.”

Ng was cautious, however, to speculate on where the Games may go to in 11 years’ time, perhaps choosing to now focus on his own bid race for IOC Presidency.

“The decision for every city is different,” he added. “There will be unique propositions from each of the cities we have to look at. I believe that there will be other cities entering into the race for 2024 and we all look forward to a strong competition for 2024.”

The IOC is due to select a host city for the 2024 Olympics and Paralympics in 2017.

Contact the writer of this story at emily.goddard@insidethegames.biz. Inside the Games is an online blog of the London Organizing Committee that staged the 2012 London Games. The blog continues to cover issues that are important to the Olympic Movement. This article is reprinted here with permission of the blog editors.

“This is of more concern for us than choosing a Summer Games host city for 2020” Heiberg says, “protecting the interests of the IOC for the next eight years or more. What do we need to do to ensure we make the right choice?

Singapore's Ng Ser Miang, right, shakes hands with International Olympic Commitee President Jacques Rogge. Ng wants to succeed Rogge and become the first Asian to head up the IOC.

“I support wholeheartedly the principal that we should change the process for the election – that the members and the candidates should be able to speak openly together beforehand: for each of the candidates to outline their manifesto, what ideas they have, and for the members to be able to ask questions. This should happen at the Forum in July, with then the candidates making formal presentations at the session in September.”

Heiberg, president of the organizing committee of Lillehammer’s 1994 Winter Games, alarmed at potential threats looming for the IOC in the immediate future: the move towards ‘universal games,’ already created by European Olympic Committees under the presidency of Patrick Hickey, and similar expressed ambitions within SportAccord and, under the new leadership of Sheikh Ahmad of Kuwait, within the Association of National Olympic Committees.

“This trend has to be resisted by the IOC,” Heiberg says, “and it will require an iron fist in a velvet glove. There is no space in the calendar, such moves would dilute the available pool of sponsorship money, would exhaust the athletes. The new president will have the task of holding together the Olympic Movement, there are so many challenges there within the IFs and NOCs that will have to be tackled. We have to protect the existing pattern including the competitors.”

Heiberg added that the new president will also have to uphold Rogge’s policy of zero tolerance on drugs and illegal betting, that these must be a basic platform for any candidate. “What we need is an election process that enables us properly to know and to trust the candidate we elect.”

What Heiberg does not articulate, yet implies, is that the IOC wants someone with the willfulness of Juan Antonio Samaranch: someone who, by a combination of  intuition, reading the tea leaves and sheer personality, is predominantly one step ahead in the game of administrative politics, which permanently bedevil the Olympic world.

On the issue of a salaried presidency, Heiberg, a voluntary commission chairman throughout his involvement, considers that no individual would request this, but that if members approve the policy in session, it would be accepted by an elected candidate. The same policy, he suggests, might be applied to leading commission chairmen such as finance, marketing and television negotiations.

This article by David Miller first appeared in the blog, The Sport Intern. The editor is Karl Heinz-Huba of Lorsch, Germany. He can be reached at ISMG@aol.com. The article is reprinted here with permission of Mr. Heinz-Huba.

The Founding Working Group (FWG), established under the aegis of the IOC in March 2011, conducted their fourth meeting in Lausanne, which was chaired by Rogge (pictured) and attended by representatives from governments, betting operators and other organizations, including the United Nations, who were represented by Wilfried Lemke, special adviser to the Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

The FWG has called for a universal monitoring system based on the one in place during the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Among prominent IOC members who attended were the two candidates to replace Rogge as President, Thomas Bach and Ng Ser Miang, along with Germany’s Claudia Bokel, head of the IOC Athletes’ Commission.

The FWG called for the establishment of an Olympic Movement monitoring system based on the one in place during London 2012 that would be made available to the International Federations during major competitions to share information regarding suspicious betting activity.

The FWG also called on national sports betting regulatory authorities to strengthen ties between themselves as well as with sports organizations and betting operators.

“Irregular and illegal betting attacks the very foundations of sport, and our efforts to combat the threat require the commitment of a number of important partners, specifically Governments,” said Rogge. “The setting up of a common sports monitoring system still needs to be discussed by the Olympic Movement, but the work undertaken by the Founding Working Group is paving the way forward and we have made significant progress since our first meeting in 2011.”

The FWG called on sports organizations worldwide to use all existing tools and measures to raise awareness of the issue as well as the ethical standards and risks involved.

They also recommended that national authorities implement educational programs aimed at informing stakeholders of the dangers of match-fixing and other activity designed to manipulate sports events.

On the topic of legislation, the FWG urged governments and sports organizations to adopt rules designed to combat irregular and illegal betting at all levels.

Countries that have not yet done so should pass appropriate legislation, the FWG demanded, a process that should be facilitated by the convention against the manipulation of sports competitions currently being drafted by the Council of Europe.

Contact the writer of this story at tom.degun@insidethegames.biz.  To follow him on Twitter click here. Inside the Games is an online blog of the London Organizing Committee that staged the 2012 London Games. The blog continues to cover issues that are important to the Olympic Movement. This article is reprinted here with permission of the blog editors.

Andrew Wiggin's choice to play for Kansas created controversy on social media.

Wiggins made the announcement in his high school gym this past Wednesday of what college he would play basketball for.  Only one local reporter was invited to the ceremony.  Wiggins had to choose between Kansas, Kentucky, Florida State and North Carolina.  His parents are both graduates of Florida State and he has an older brother who plays basketball for Wichita State, which is less than three hours from Kansas’ campus in Lawrence.

With a minimum of pomp and circumstance, and with his parents in the audience, Wiggins announced that he decided to attend Kansas this fall and play for the Jayhawks.  His decision immediately made Kansas a favorite to reach next year’s Final Four, in what will likely be his only year of college before heading off to the National Basketball Association (NBA).

With no television cameras, no hats and only one local reporter present at the Huntington Prep gym, Andrew Wiggins‘ understated approach to announcing his choice of college was an unusual but refreshing departure from what might have been expected of the best high school basketball prospect since LeBron James. Not understated? The reaction on Twitter trolls, who lashed out after Wiggins picked Kansas over Kentucky, Florida State and North Carolina.

Several of those fans, most of whom tweeted encouragement and good luck to Wiggins before his decision, responded with vitriol after he selected the Jayhawks at 12:12 p.m. Many of them are college students themselves. There’s a handful of NSFW language in here, and no shortage of offensive, odious gestures toward a high school senior. Also, guys, it’s “tear.”

One of the many tweets that quickly appeared on Twitter reads: “I would love nothing more than a nice ACL tare for Wiggins” — Jonathan Rose (@JonRose014) .

Setting aside the obvious spelling issue in the above message, it was one of hundreds of irate messages sent as supporters of other schools vented their frustrations.  All of this over an 18 year old who has not attended a single college class or played a minute of college basketball.

Also last week it was reported that a University of Florida assistant football coach, speaking at a Gator booster function near Jacksonville, told the audience that Nick Saban of Alabama is “the devil himself” as he unfavorably compared working for Saban, which he did a few years ago, to Florida head coach Will Muschamp.

These incidents are just two more examples of people losing perspective on sports.  It is a sad commentary on human nature when scores of people lash out online over the decision of an 18 year old.  Seeing their favorite school win has become such an obsession for many people that they completely lose perspective.

Then, there is the case of Matthew Thomas, a star linebacker this past season at Booker T. Washington High School in Miami.  On national signing day, back in February, Thomas signed a letter of intent pledging to attend Florida State.  He now says that he was too hasty and signed under pressure from his mother and others.  He does not want to play for the Seminoles. He wants to attend either Georgia or Southern California.

Florida State officials, after learning of Thomas’ statement, announced that the school will not release him from his letter of intent.  This means that if he does not report to Florida State in August for pre-season practice, he will have to sit out a year and pay his own way for two years before he can accept a scholarship from any other school.  The stated reason for this decision was that it would “set a bad precedent” if the school agreed to let the young man change his mind.

Never mind that head coach Jimbo Fisher could suddenly have decided to leave Florida State for another job and would have had to pay little or no penalty.  Young men who sign letters of intent are essentially treated as indentured servants or as pieces of property.

As Florida State officials took a hard stance in the matter, hundreds of fans lit up social media sites with negative messages denouncing Thomas for his decision.

Words like “ethics” and “perspective” have become almost completely foreign to any discussion about college athletics, particularly big-time football and basketball.  When anyone takes a step back and examines these situations, it is difficult to understand how people can come to let the actions and whims of 18-to 20-year-old young men take control over their lives.

It is unconscionable for anyone to wish that a serious injury happen to someone simply because that person chooses to attend a school that is not the fan’s favorite.  Such people are not fans in any true sense of the word, although they certainly might qualify as “fanatics.”

There have been instances in Latin America where soccer stars have been attacked, and even killed, by someone irate about losing a bet because of a perceived poor performance by the player in question.  We read about those situations and shake our heads over the behavior of people in those “backward” nations.  It is perhaps only a matter of time until some unhinged fan does indeed injure or kill a young man because of something related to some game.

Our obsession with winning and need to lay blame when our team loses represents a really unpleasant side of our culture.  One can only hope that at some point sportsmanship and reason will come together when it comes to thinking about the games people play.

Greg Tyler is the Library Director at the United States Sports Academy. He has also taught courses at the Academy in sports law. He worked for years in youth sports as a coach, league administrator and as a soccer referee. He has a law degree and practiced law for a number of years. You can reach him at gtyler@ussa.edu.

“I’m thankful to PSG for giving me the opportunity to continue but I feel now is the right time to finish my career, playing at the highest level,” Beckham said in his post. “If you had told me as a young boy I would have played for and won trophies with my boyhood club Manchester United, proudly captained and played for my country over one hundred times and lined up for some of the biggest clubs in the world, I would have told you it was a fantasy. I’m fortunate to have realized those dreams.

“To this day, one of my proudest achievements is captaining my country. I knew every time I wore the Three Lions shirt, I was not only following in a long line of great players, I was also representing every fan that cared passionately about their country. I’m honored to represent England both on and off the pitch…

“…Nothing will ever completely replace playing the game I love, however I feel like I’m starting a new adventure and I’m genuinely excited about what lies ahead. I’m fortunate to have been given many opportunities throughout my career and now I feel it’s my time to give back.”

England’s Football Association confirmed today that Beckham will be retiring after only one season in the PSG.

“Despite the offer of an extended one-year deal at Paris Saint-German, the 38-year-old has played his last game, bowing out on a high after helping Carlo Ancelotti’s side win the French title for the first time in 19 years,” reports The Daily Mail.

Beckham spent six years with the Los Angeles Galaxy of Major League Soccer before this season, where he helped increase interest in the league. The Galaxy won two championships in Beckham’s final two seasons with the team. He then returned to Europe with his family.

“We’re never going to replace David Beckham,” Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena told the Los Angeles Times this week. “David Beckham is a global personality, and he was tremendous for our franchise, tremendous for the league.”

Ng Ser Miang officially confirmed he is running for President of the International Olympic Committe.

The announcement from the 64-year-old here today in the French capital was made at the location where Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the Modern Olympics, held the historic Olympic Congress in 1894 in a gathering that led to the revival of Games in Athens two years later in 1896.

Coubertin was the longest serving IOC President, holding the position for 29 years from 1896 to 1925, and Ng is now hoping to become the latest successor and the ninth individual to hold the most powerful position in sport by taking over from incumbent Rogge when the Belgian steps down from the role in Buenos Aires on September 10 this year.

“I am inspired by the Olympic Movement and deeply believe in our Movement’s values and power to improve lives around the globe,” Ng, who said he would be a full time volunteer if elected, explained.  “The passion I feel for the Olympics is the same passion that fuels the dreams of young athletes, ignites the Olympic flame and breathes life into its ideals.”

Speaking exclusively to insidethegames earlier this month, Ng, who is the first vice-president of the IOC having been a member of the global sport body since 1998, warned that the next President faces a “daunting challenge” to build on the legacy of Rogge, but it seems the former sailor has every ground covered.

Plans to further youth development featured largely in his speech – something close to Rogge’s heart, evidenced in his setting up of the Youth Olympic Games which he created to educate young people about the Olympic values while introducing them to Olympism.

Indeed, Ng has already laid the foundations for such a philosophy when he worked alongside Rogge to set up the event as he served as President of the Organizing Committee at the inaugural competition in his native Singapore in 2010.

“We must harness the collective power of Olympism for the benefit of the world’s youth – and we must refocus our efforts on the education of youth through the values of sport, for they are tomorrow’s living Olympic legacies,” he insisted. “The Olympic Games are great exhibitions of sport and its eternal values. But, relatively few youths get to participate in the Olympic Movement. I want to change that. I was privileged to help organize and manage the first Youth Olympic Games in Singapore in 2010. I saw up-close, and first-hand the impact of sport and its values on young people. We need to place youth at the center of the Olympic Movement.”

Another key aspect of his speech was his desire to bring about greater empowerment of all IOC members and deeper collaboration with the entire Olympic family, using the “wealth of experience and knowledge” to share strengths and “better engage them with a common vision.”

“The Olympic Movement faces a new and rapidly changing world, bringing new challenges and opportunities for sport,” he explained.

“As a result, the IOC will require a leader with a universal perspective and an inclusive, cooperative leadership style.

“I am confident that working together with my IOC colleagues, we can build on the successful legacies of Presidents Rogge and Samarach to further strengthen Olympism’s influence and inspire the lives of youth around the world.”

“I humbly believe that I have the experience in consensus building, the understanding of the Olympic Movement, and a deep passion for Olympism that qualifies me to be that leader,” Ng added.

He also touched on the subject of integrity in sport, insisting he would fight the issue with education.

“We know that our Olympians are our greatest assets,” he said.  “In order to preserve and secure their health, safety and competitive excellence, we must protect the integrity of sport. We do this by enhancing our capabilities to fight doping, match-fixing, illegal and irregular betting and punish cheaters.”

His announcement brings the number of official candidates for the IOC Presidency, with Germany’s Thomas Bach, also an IOC vice-president, confirming he would be entering the race at a press conference in Frankfurt last week.

Head of the IOC’s Finance and Audit Commissions Richard Carrión from Puerto Rico, Ukraine’s International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) vice-president Sergey Bubka and International Boxing Association President (AIBA) C K Wu of Taiwan are also expected to announce their candidacies in the coming weeks.

The deadline for declaration of candidacies is due on June 10, three months before the vote at the IOC Session in Buenos Aires.

Contact the writer of this story at emily.goddard@insidethegames.biz. Inside the Games is an online blog of the London Organizing Committee that staged the 2012 London Games. The blog continues to cover issues that are important to the Olympic Movement. This article is reprinted here with permission of the blog editors.