BIRMINGHAM, United Kingdom, April 09, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Belgium's Ingmar De Vos, who has served as the FEI President since 2014, has been elected unanimously as the new President of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF). The election took place today, 9 April 2024, at the 48th ASOIF General Assembly held in Birmingham (GBR) during the SportAccord World Sport and Business Summit. Ingmar De Vos ran unopposed and was elected by secret ballot for a term of four years. He will take up his new position on 1 January 2025.
"I am humbled by today's result and would like to express my deep gratitude to the Summer Olympic International Federations for their trust," the newly elected ASOIF President Ingmar De Vos said. "In January 2025, I will be taking over from Francesco Ricci Bitti, a hugely respected figure in the Olympic Movement. I would like to take this opportunity already to pay tribute to his leadership and achievements and thank him for his unwavering support, wise counsel, and great friendship. I am fully aware of the fact that I have big shoes to fill and during my mandate I will make it my mission to continue strengthening the role of the Summer International Sports Federations in the Olympic Movement, focus on an open and constructive dialogue with the IOC, further intensify the communications with and between our IFs, and develop a strategy for the future so that together we can keep contributing to the popularity, appeal, and sustainability of the Olympic Games."
Key Olympic officials congratulated Ingmar De Vos on his election.
"On behalf of the International Olympic Committee, I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to Ingmar De Vos on his election as ASOIF President," IOC President Thomas Bach commented. "We are looking forward to the continuation of the excellent cooperation between the IOC and ASOIF. The International Federations are a fundamental pillar of our Olympic Movement. Since its establishment in 1983, ASOIF has played a vital role in promoting and strengthening the IFs by bringing together the shared interests of each sports federation. In doing so, ASOIF has safeguarded the autonomy of sport and preserved the unity of the Olympic Movement in times when it mattered the most. In his new role, Ingmar De Vos will benefit from his experience as FEI President and an IOC Member."
"Having served as ASOIF President for almost 12 years, I know that Ingmar De Vos has the experience and stamina needed to lead our organisation," incumbent ASOIF President Francesco Ricci Bitti said. "I have had the pleasure to work with him not only at ASOIF, but also in other positions. Ingmar is highly experienced, solution-oriented and, most importantly, he has high human qualities. It is also great to know that he enjoys the full support of our membership - something which is key for success. This is a good day for ASOIF and the Olympic Movement."
"At the Belgian National Olympic Committee, we know Ingmar as a very reliable and hard-working official, who has great integrity and a heart for sport," Jean-Michel Saive, President of the Belgian Olympic & Interfederal Committee (COIB), stated. "We are very fortunate to be able to build on his expertise for key strategic decisions. I would like to congratulate Ingmar for taking on the key task to lead such a vital organisation within the Olympic Movement as its first Belgian President. I am convinced that he will serve as an excellent President for ASOIF. I wish him all the best."
Ingmar De Vos' biography
A Belgian native, Ingmar De Vos was born on 5 August 1963. He holds Masters degrees in political science, international relations, and international and European law from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (BEL).
He began his professional career as an advisor to the Belgian Senate. He joined the Fédération Royale Belge des Sports Equestres (Royal Belgian Equestrian Federation) as Director General in 1990 and from 1997 to 2011 served as the Federation's Secretary General.
De Vos was the co-founder of the European Equestrian Federation (EEF), where he served as Secretary General from 2010 to 2011.
In 2011, Ingmar De Vos joined the FEI as Secretary General.
On 14 December 2014, at the FEI General Assembly held in Baku (AZE), after three years as FEI Secretary General, the Belgian native was elected FEI President in a contested election by an overwhelming majority in the first round of voting. Four years later, at the FEI General Assembly in Manama (BRN) on 20 November 2018, he stood unopposed and was unanimously re-elected for another four-year term. On 13 November 2022, De Vos was re-elected for a third and final term in office by the FEI General Assembly in Cape Town (RSA). He ran unopposed as had been the case four years earlier.
Ingmar De Vos was elected as a Member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in September 2017 and is a member of the following IOC Commissions: Coordination Commission for the Games of the XXXIV Olympiad Los Angeles 2028 (2019 - ); Legal Affairs (2018 - ); and Gender Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (2019 - ). He is a member of the Belgian Olympic Academy and since 2017 he sits on the Board of the Belgian National Olympic Committee (BOIC/COIB).
Since 2016, he has been a member of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF) Governance Taskforce. In 2019 he joined the ASOIF Council.
He has been a member of the Executive Committee of SportAccord, the world sport and business summit, since 2021.
From 2018 to 2022, Ingmar De Vos served on the Foundation Board of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Since 2018, he is a member of the WADA Executive Committee.
In 2014, he was a delegate to the International Horse Sports Confederation (IHSC). He was the organisation's Vice President (2014-2019) and President from 2020 to 2022. He is currently IHSC Vice President.
Ingmar De Vos is a Gender Champion for the United Nations and is fluent in Dutch, English and French.
About ASOIF asoif.com
The Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF) was created in 1983 to unite the International Federations governing the sports on the programme of the Los Angeles 1984 Olympic Games. Since then, its membership has grown to 31 Full Member IFs and two Associate Member IFs.
ASOIF's mission is to unite, promote and support the Summer Olympic International Federations; to preserve their autonomy, while advocating for their common interests and goals; to act as an added value provider to the member IFs and the Olympic Movement at large.
ASOIF's role is to serve and represent the Summer Olympic IFs in the most competent, articulate and professional manner on issues of common interest in the Summer Olympic Games, Summer Youth Olympic Games and the Olympic Movement, and on any other matters deemed necessary by the IFs.
About FEI fei.org
The FEI is the world governing body for horse sport recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and was founded in 1921. Equestrian sport has been part of the Olympic movement since the 1912 Games in Stockholm.
The FEI is the sole controlling authority for all international events in the Olympic sports of Jumping, Dressage and Eventing, as well as Driving, Endurance and Vaulting.
The FEI became one of the first international sports governing bodies to govern and regulate global para sport alongside its six able-bodied disciplines when Para Dressage joined its ranks in 2006. The FEI now governs all international competitions for Para Dressage and Para Driving.
Media contact:
Malina Gueorguiev
FEI Communications
Manager, Governance Communications, Stakeholder and Media Relations
Malina.gueorguiev@fei.org
+41 78 750 61 33
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/89a627c7-48cc-41b1-ac09-068932a28bbc
