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(ATR) The International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) announced a new ethics foundation, although some questions remain about its independence.
FIG shared plans for creating its "Gymnastics Ethics Foundation" to handle addressing issues of harassment and abuse in the sport. The federation said the project was born out of "the wake of the sexual abuse cases in the USA," according to a release.
The foundation was one of the "flagship projects" of FIG President and recently-nominated IOC member Morinari Watanabe. The foundation is still subject to approval by FIG at its next congress in Baku, Azerbaijan this December. If approved, FIG expects the foundation to be up and running by Jan. 1, 2019.
"Our aim is to become a role model for good governance and compliance in the world of sport," Watanabe said in a statement about the foundation’s creation. "Such a structure will allow us to better protect the athletes as well as the federations of each country."
An FIG spokesperson told Around the Rings the foundation’s board would be comprised of five to seven members from different backgrounds:
"-Two to four personalities who are not active, honorary or former members of the Founder’s (FIG) authorities and who have no direct link to the sports movement;
-One athletes’ representative (President or member of the Founder’s Athletes’ Commission);
-One lawyer with a certified knowledge of Swiss law;
-One member of the Founder’s Executive Committee or a honorary or former member of the Founder’s Authorities," the spokesperson said.
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IPC President Wants Tokyo to Repeat Rio Passion
The president of the International Paralympic Committee, Andrew Parsons, would like Tokyo 2020 to repeat the passion experienced in Rio de Janeiro but does not expect to suffer "the financial horror" of the preparations for the Brazilian event.
Parsons spoke to Around The Rings while visiting an association of Paralympians in Brasilia, his hometown.
The Brazilian sports leader and journalist will complete his first year at the head of the IPC next month. He has developed an intense agenda in a short time, especially linked to the organizers of the Paralympic Games of the Japanese capital.
Around The Rings: What positive aspects of Rio 2016 would you like to see repeated in Tokyo 2020? Which negatives would you like to avoid?
Andrew Parsons: One of the stand-out features of a fantastic Games in Rio was the passion and atmosphere created by the crowds. The stands were packed with whole generations of families who supported every single athlete. If we could bottle this up and take it to Tokyo I would be delighted, as would the athletes.
What I do not want to see repeated in Tokyo is the financial horror show that we experienced in the lead-up to Rio 2016. To be told in the weeks leading up to the Games that there was little to no funds left to organize the Paralympics due to various reasons was an absolute nightmare. I am confident that Tokyo 2020 will not have the same problems and the build-up to the Paralympics will be a lot calmer and less stressful.
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Japan Explores Tokyo 2020 Daylight Saving
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe instructed members of the Japanese Parliament to explore a proposal that would implement daylight saving time ahead of the 2020 Olympics.
Tokyo has been roiled by a deadly heat wave this summer, which has killed nearly 100 people across Japan. The deaths have brought a new level of concern for athlete and spectator safety during outdoor competition during the Games.
IOC organizers say Tokyo is not the first Summer Olympics host to deal with extreme heat, and precautions are being tested. These include special pavements to reduce the temperature of roads for the marathon and triathlon events, cooling stations, and extra indoor areas in venues.
Abe met with Tokyo 2020 President Yoshiro Mori today according to reports from Japanto discuss the proposal. Mori said that the organizing committee is in favor of daylight saving timeand proposes moving clocks forward two hours to delay sunrise in Tokyo.
"Japan happens to be the only country amongst the major developed nations that do not implement daylight saving time so we do need some kind of an occasion or opportunity to get started on this," Mori was previously quoted as saying about the idea. "Before we run out of time, the government needs to take this issue seriously to consider daylight saving time."
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Written by Aaron Bauer and Miguel Hernandez
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