SportAccord, the annual world sport and business summit, has today (December 19) announced Martin Gibbs as its new permanent managing director.
Gibbs, who has both British and French nationality, was initially appointed as acting managing director in mid-October after the departure of Nis Hatt, who had spent 10 years at the organization.
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SportAccord has said the appointment is “one of several concrete steps taken … since the dissolution of the Global Association of International Sports Federations [GAISF] was voted by its members in late November.”
Gibbs has extensive leadership experience in sports administration and also as an adviser to sports bodies on governance and strategy. He will be based in Switzerland.
He previously served as chief of staff and then director general at the UCI, cycling’s international governing body.
Ernst & Young (EY), the professional services firm, is currently handling the liquidation of the GAISF umbrella organization and the integration of that body’s activities and responsibilities into SportAccord.
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By GlobalDataSportAccord has claimed it is also “working on terms of reference for a new membership commission,” which will be in charge of the membership process through which international federations can apply to join the Alliance of Independent recognized Members of Sport (AIMS).
The dissolution of GAISF, 55 years after it was formed in 1967, was approved at an extraordinary general assembly (EGA) of the organization.
70 members voted in favor of dissolving the body and 22 against.
A second, separate EGA then took place just after the first during which members voted on the terms of the dissolution of the body (such as the appointment of EY).
The EGA was called in mid-October, after GAISF president Ivo Ferriani sent out a letter asking for this step to be taken, with international federations now to be given more of a stake in the running of SportAccord instead (of which Ferriani is also the president).
Multi-sport games involving non-Olympic International Federations will pass to the Association of IOC Recognized International Sports Federations (ARISF) and the AIMS.
The remaining assets will be distributed, with 40% given to the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF) and 20% each going to the Association of International Winter Sports Federations (AIOWF), ARISF, and AIMS.
