Lobbyists dictator - sports corrupts?

Rene Fasel, one of the main lobby of the World Hockey Championship in Minsk, has been implicated in a corruption scandal previously.

Rene Fasel is the most powerful winter sports executive in the world. Not only is he president of the International Ice Hockey Federation and president of the Association of International Olympic Winter Sports Federations, but Fasel is the chairman of the coordination commission that monitors, advises and approves planning and organization of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics.

Zurich, Switzerland newspaper SonntagsZeitung reported May 10 that a company run by a childhood friend of Rene Fasel received more than $1 million from 2004 to 2008 from Infront Sports and Media, the International Ice Hockey Federation’s broadcast and marketing agency. Infront president Philippe Blatter is the nephew of FIFA president and IOC member Sepp Blatter.

An English translation of the German-language newspaper said Fasel’s friend since kindergarten, identified only as Y.S., is principal of a company called Proc AG which received payments on “business contracts, especially to national and international winter sport federations.”

IIHF president Fasel, an IOC member since 1995, is a 59-year-old Swiss dentist and former hockey referee. He denies any involvement in the alleged kickback scheme.

Fasel told reporters at the world hockey championship in Bern, Switzerland that he “helped a longtime friend with offering his services to Infront,” but denied receiving any commission or bonus.

The Ethics Commission nonetheless notes that Mr René Fasel declares in his public statement that “there has never been any consulting agreement between myself and Infront. I have, however, helped a long-time friend to offer his services to Infront, and I have privately supported him in the implementation of his mandate. For example, I have helped him with opening doors in the Asian market to get access to the Asian sports network. Today, I realise that this likely was a case of poor judgment. For this I apologise.”

“Mr René Fasel did not deny this position during his hearing. Nor did he deny that, between September 2004 and September 2006, there was a consulting contract between Infront and the company Proc AG set up by his friend. He also admitted being a close friend of the person in question, and having in the 1990s created business relationships with him in the area of real estate investing.

The Ethics Commission observes that, based on the information provided to it, and in particular the hearing of Mr René Fasel and the documents he provided, as IIHF President he was personally involved in the various marketing contract negotiations, particularly with Infront.

Based on this evidence, the Commission holds that, by helping a person with whom he was friends to offer his services to the company responsible for exploiting the television and marketing rights of the IF of which he is President, and thereby obtaining substantial financial advantages for him, Mr René Fasel was in breach of the Rules Concerning Conflicts of Interests Affecting the Behaviour of Olympic Parties and his conduct was likely to tarnish the reputation of the Olympic Movement,” - said in the IOC report.