May 29, 2013 (St Petersburg, RUS) – The 11th International SportAccord Convention  formally opened May 27 in St Petersburg (RUS), expecting some 2,000 delegates over the course of the event.

In his speech during the official Opening Ceremony, IOC President Jacques Rogge addressed the many experts from the world of sport, including leaders of International Federations, Organisers, sponsors, broadcasters and rights-holders by looking ahead to the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games. He praised the preparations and thanked the Organising Committee for their dedication and the authorities for their steadfast support.

Alongside the convention and conference, the International Olympic Committee Executive Board and the different Associations of the International Federations are convening including SportAccord,of which FIS President Gian Franco Kasper is a member of the Council,  ASOIF (Summer Olympic Federations), AIWOF (Winter Olympic Federations), as well as ARISF (IOC Recognised Federations) and Multi-Sport Games Organisers including the World Games and Master Games.

A key annual meeting between the IOC Executive Board and AIOWF took place on Wednesday focusing on the upcoming Sochi 2014 with great anticipation. It was followed by an informal exchange of common issues between the Olympic Summer and Winter International Federations.

In the coming days the public spotlight will be on the eight candidate sports vying to be added on the 2020 Olympic programme in addition to presentations from the three candidate cities for the 2020 Summer Games — Madrid, Tokyo and Istanbul.

Meanwhile, FIS Secretary General and SportAccord Steering Committee member Sarah Lewis is taking the opportunity to meet with the Sochi 2014, Lillehammer 2016 and PyeongChang 2018 Organising Committees, whilst FIS Marketing Manager is using the opportunity to meet existing and potential new partners.

The busy week in St. Petersburg comes to a close on Friday, 30th May with the unveiling of the Sochi 2014 medals and the SportAccord General Assembly, at which a new President of the organisation will be elected.

Learn more about SportAccord and this year’s Convention theme, “Examining the Health of Sport”, here.