FIB has worked hard to get bandy into the Olympic Winter Games. At lot of work has also been done in the National Bandy Federations. Not least in Norway.
Now the Norwegian Bandy Federation has formed a proposal that was adopted unanimously at the annual meeting 2022. Now the proposal is forwarded for consideration at the Norwegian Sports Confederation.
International confederations with competitions on the Sports Program in the Olympics have representatives in legislative and executive power in the IOC – International Olympic Committee, and respective national confederation have majority power in all national Olympic committees. This also applies to the board of the Norwegian Sports Confederation/Olympic Committee.
The IOC is responsible for implementing the Olympic principles as the IOC decided on December 8, 2014 in its own reform program “Agenda 2020”. Lack of follow-up to that agenda still keeps bandy outside the Winter Olympics. The Federation of International Bandy, FIB, has thoroughly documented to the IOC that, according to the IOC’s own rules, bandy is well eligible for the Olympic Sports Programme.
The FIB should thus be entered into under statute 1.4.1 to rule 45 of the Olympic statutes. This shows that the IOC does not comply with the main principles of good governance and fair play. The Norwegian Bandy Federation expects the Norwegian Sports Federation to ensure that the IOC follows its own principles and regulations before an Olympic application is assessed. Bandy as only an Additional Sport (statute 1.4.2), outside the Sports Programme, gives FIB no legal and financial rights. The Norwegian Bandy Federation therefore requests that the following be adopted:
- Norwegian Bandy Federation does not support a Norwegian application for the Winter Olympics until the IOC Executive Board ensures fair play and good management of the Sports Programme. Norwegian Bandy Federation supports a Norwegian Olympic application when FIB and bandy is included under statute 1.4.1. to Rule 45 of the Olympic statues. Furthermore, in all areas it is treated in the same way as other international federations mentioned in statute 1.4.1.