Qatar reconsiders SportAccord sponsorship after Vizer speech

DOHA, Qatar (AP) The Qatar Olympic Committee is reconsidering its sponsorship of a major international sports convention following the blistering attack on the IOC by the head of the conference.

Marius Vizer, head of SportAccord, criticized the International Olympic Committee and its president, Thomas Bach, in a speech at the opening of last week's convention in Sochi, Russia.

Vizer, whose umbrella body represents Olympic and non-Olympic sports federations, called the IOC system ''expired, outdated, wrong, unfair and not at all transparent.''

The Qatar committee says ''we do not support the comments made by Marius Vizer and have therefore made the decision to reconsider our convention sponsorship accordingly.''

The committee is one of six second-tier ''silver partners'' of the convention.

It says it is ''fully supportive of the IOC and of the leadership of its president.''