Tension between competitors who have spoken out on several issues in sport in recent months has re-emerged after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Athletes’ Commission criticised a new athlete-led group following its launch recently.
In a statement, the IOC body said it was “disappointing” that the Global Athlete organisation “seems to believe that none of us care about athletes and that none of us do a good job for athletes if we are part of the Olympic Movement”.
The IOC Athletes’ Commission also claimed there remains “many unanswered questions about universality, accountability and funding”.
Global Athlete director general Rob Koehler revealed that the new organisation was “not a threat” and would welcome any “dissenting voices or criticism”.
Koehler, who suddenly resigned as deputy director general of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) last year, admitted that Global Athlete had not consulted the athlete bodies at the IOC and WADA before it launched.
Olympic cycling champion Callum Skinner, one of the leaders of the group, told the press that the IOC Athletes’ Commission was largely an extension of the IOC “that maybe pushes their end goals more than the athletes”.
Global Athlete claim to be completely independent of National Anti-Doping Organisations, sport and Government and is largely being funded by non-profit FairSport.
The group has pledged to give athletes from across the sporting world a voice and aims to “repair the disconnect” between competitors and leaders of global sports bodies.
It claims to not just focus on doping matters and would also tackle issues such as athlete welfare, harassment and ensuring that athletes receive Olympic revenues or prize money.
