IOC president Bach: 2022 Winter Olympics, World Cup won't clash
International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach insists there won't be a clash between the 2022 Winter Olympics and World Cup, the BBC reports.
Bach is quoted as saying "there would be no winners" if the two events are held concurrently. The summer timing of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar has been repeatedly questioned given the region's extreme heat.
Last month, talks at FIFA headquarters in Zurich resulted in support for January or February 2022 as possible dates for the World Cup. The 2014 Winter Olympics ran Feb. 7-23.
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Bach says he has received a guarantee from FIFA president Sepp Blatter that "there will be no clash." For several reasons, Bach said, conflicting dates for the two major competitions would be problematic.
"A clash would be bad for the international audience who would have two major sports programmes broadcast worldwide, so the public's attention would be divided," he said.
"Also for the sponsors, there are some that are common to FIFA and the IOC. To manage these two kind of programmes at the same time would be very difficult, so in the end there would be no winners.
• IOC unveils proposals on Olympic bidding reforms
Bach was speaking ahead of next week's IOC vote on his "Agenda 2020" Olympic reform program. Among the 40 proposals to be voted on in Monaco is one that would change the bidding process to better fit host cities' "sporting, economic, social and environmental long-term planning needs."
Under other proposals, some Summer Olympics events could be held outside the host country, such as in the Winter Olympics.
- Mike Fiammetta
