Association of Olympic winter sports joins exodus from Marius Vizer’s SportAccord

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FILE - In this Monday, April 20, 2015 file photo, Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, toasts with Marius Vizer, head of IFJ and SportAccord Convention president, during a reception in Sochi, Russia. The head of umbrella body SportAccord has issued Thursday May 21 2015 a 20-point plan for discussions with the IOC, including the introduction of prize money for Olympic athletes. Marius Vizer also seeks a 50 percent share for all federations in the IOC\'s new Olympic television channel, and wants all non-Olympic federations to be allowed to demonstrate their sport before or after each games in the host city. (Alexei Druzhinin/RIA Novosti, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File)

LAUSANNE, Switzerland – The association of Olympic winter sports has joined the exodus from umbrella organization SportAccord following Marius Vizer’s attacks on the IOC.

The Association of International Olympic Winter Sports Federations notified Vizer by letter on Wednesday that it decided “with great majority to suspend collaboration with SportAccord with immediate effect and until further notice.”

The letter was sent by AIOWF President and IOC member Gian Franco Kasper, who is also a vice-president of SportAccord.

The association represents the seven sport federations in the Winter Games: biathlon, bobsled, curling, ice hockey, luge, skating and skiing.

The Association of Summer Olympic International Federations, which represents the 28 sports in the summer games, suspended its ties with SportAccord last month after Vizer criticized the IOC in a speech at Sochi, Russia.

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