Worst elections ever for World Sailing

In the report, Chaos rising for World Sailing election, it was revealed how actions were afoot to compromise the election for World Sailing officers and unseat incumbent president Kim Andersen. In this report by Dan Ibsen, he digs into the accusations and statements surfacing just days before the World Sailing presidential election:

All tricks are apparently used here only a few days before the presidential election in World Sailing is to take place, where Kim Andersen is up against three candidates in the opposition. The election vote starts on October 9.

The question is how the latest developments with new accusations against Kim Andersen will affect the presidential election.

The background to the allegations should probably be seen in the fact that the majority of Asian countries are likely to support Kim Andersen instead of two of his rival candidates, Gerardo Seeliger (Spain) and Quanhai Li (China), whom the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Vice President Ser Miang Ng, Singapore prefers as WS president.

In an article from Inside the Games on October 5, it appeared as if the IOC was officially expressing ‘ethical concerns’ over two of World Sailing’s presidential candidates, Kim Andersen and Scott Perry (Uruguay), respectively.

In relation to Kim Andersen, Ser Miang Ng points to the three ethical complaints against him, and in relation to Scott Perry, that he has an entry ban in the USA (cf. Norwegian Seilmagasinet due to relation to Saudi Arabia which is linked to Al Quada).

Ser Miang Ng expresses that choosing one of them could damage WS’s reputation, also in relation to the IOC.

The source of the ‘exclusive’ story on Inside the Games is based on an email sent by IOC Vice President Ser Miang to the WS Election Committee. He has previously been linked to presidential candidate Gerardo Seeliger and the WS Ethics Officer who drafted the report on a complaint against Kim Andersen, which triggered a warning to Kim Andersen.

Ser Miang is the former Vice President of the International Sailing Federation (now World Sailing), and currently sits on the World Sailng Ethics Commission. In this email to the WS Election Committee, Ser Miang has, among other things, brought a number of quotes from the IOC’s Chief Ethics and Compliance officer.

The IOC was very quick to deny the accusations against Kim Andersen in a statement on October 6:
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The IOC Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer was very surprised to see in a press article quotes from a private email written to an IOC member, who was seeking personal advice.

It is confirmed that this message was not the statement of an official position by the IOC Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer. As it was specified in the email, “the IOC Ethics is not in a position to interfere in an IF’s election process.
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So perhaps this case will also be the subject to internal discussions in the IOC in relation to IOC Vice President Ser Miang Ng, but perhaps also IOC Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer Pâquerette Girard Zappelli.

Sources close to the IOC say that IOC President Thomas Bach has been very dissatisfied with these actions, which is the reason for the quick reaction and the statement on the IOC’s website.

WS condemns the action of IOC Vice President
World Sailing also issued a statement on October 6 from the World Sailing Election Committee, which strongly dissociates itself from Ser Miang’s action, which they condemn:
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It has come to the attention of World Sailing that Mr. Ser Miang Ng, IOC Member from Singapore and member of World Sailing Ethics Commission, has been interfering in the internal elections and politics of World Sailing. These actions are deemed unacceptable and condemned by World Sailing.

For an individual to misuse their position in order to intervene in the election and politics of an autonomous International Federation goes against all good governance practices.

In discussions and reference statement by the IOC and ASOIF, World Sailing understands that these actions were taken by the individual alone and do not reflect the views of the IOC or the Olympic Movement.

World Sailing prides itself on being an open and transparent organization, one with well governed processes that are in line with ASOIF and IOC guidelines. The actions by this individual are an attempt to compromise the World Sailing Election Committee and the elections themselves.
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With Kim Andersen finding the need to file complaints to the WS Ethics Commission about Ser Miang Ng and Dieter Neupert, a declaration by Patrick Singleton, Executive Officer of the World Olympians Association, shares his observations on these efforts.

This has developed to the worst elections ever in WS/ISAF/IYRU history, which is very sad, and I fear the situation will only get better when all the old sour men have stopped their meddling in the efforts today by younger sailors on how they want the sport to develop, and which people are to be in WS top management.