FIVB will not give the three millions it promised the UN

By Philippe Maspoli, 24 heures

The International Federation of Volleyball FIVB shall not give the UN the three million dollars cheque promised in January 2005 after the tsunami tragedy of Christmas 2004.

A volleyball is still stuck in Adolf Ogi’s throat: “I regret what has happened because we had made promises”.

On 10 January 2005, former and very popular President of Switzerland Adolf Ogi, today the special counsellor to Kofi Annan for the sport for Development and Peace, was at the United Nations in Geneva to support a generous move of the FIVB in favour of the victims of the tsunami which had caused the death of more than 200 000 people on the Asian coasts on December 26, 2004.

A three million dollar donation (3.7 million Swiss Francs) should have served, under the UN aegis, to rebuild the schools and sports infrastructures. The sum is peanuts for the Lausanne-based FIVB which is believed to have a fortune amounting to 120 million francs.

Official turnaround
However, the cheque shall never be handed to the UN. This is official. The decision has been approved at the last meeting of the Board of Directors of the mighty sports federation and it is confirmed in the minutes we have been able to obtain: the FIVB gives up because the UN is not able to guarantee that the money shall be given to the volley players.

Adolf Ogi can not endorse this argument: “It has never been promised that this money would go for volleyball only. When donating money, it is impossible to make such conditions”.

The announcement in Geneva was widely reported by the media, and the article published on 11 January 2005 in24 heures speak in favour of the former Minister: “The FIVB dollars shall also be used to set up educational sports related programs (i.e. not only and not necessarily volleyball programs) in regions where about eight million volleyball players live”, read the lines written by our journalist.

The FIVB affirms that it will nevertheless help Asia: “We shall grant our financial support to volleyball directly in the amounts previously announced”, said spokesman Paul O’Neil.

Of course, this does not the same impact and the same degree of transparency as a donation without conditions. Jean-Pierre Seppey, the former FIVB Manager who had shaken hands with Adolf Ogi in front of cameras on 10 January, 2005 is angry: “It’s a shame. We had signed a contract with President Rubèn Acosta. All that confirms once again that Mr. Acosta is no longer worthy of the Olympic Movement and that his dictatorial regime needs be stopped”.

 Fight at the top
Since August 2005, Jean-Pierre Seppey is no more the General Director of the Federation. A key player in the unfortunate candidature of Sion to the Winter Olympic Games 2006 was abruptly sacked by Mexican President Rubèn Acosta who stands for re-election this autumn. The war is official between both men who mutually accuse each other of corruption. Jean-Pierre Seppey is now actively setting up a new movement called the International Federation of Beach Volleyball and Volleyball Associations (FIAVB).  

Is there a link between this conflict and the turnaround of the FIVB? Adolf Ogi doesn’t want to get into the fight between Seppey and. Acosta: “I have followed the relations with the UN Agency for development. At first, we just wanted to help destitute people when all of sudden no solution could be found. The UN is not to be blamed for that. As regards Rubèn Acosta, I think he shall keep his word and do something”