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athletes saying that they are not happy with the services they get and created
their own structures like you have in the track and field. Most top athletes
nowadays have their own manager, their own doctor; their own physiotherapist,
their own trainer, and they have no more real links with their federation. It is also
the danger of rich clubs and team sports. They do not want to play anymore in
national leagues against weaker clubs, and it is the project that, fortunately, has
failed until today of the richest club of football in Europe that would create their
own league.
And the fundamental problem of that is that the money generated by these
competitions would not flow back to the basis any more. In a normal sport
system, the money generated by the top flows back, for a part, to the grassroots
clubs, and that helps in supporting the recruitment of young athletes and the very
poor clubs at the grassroots level. In these breakaway links, the TV rights and
the sponsorship would remain within these rich clubs, and there would be a very
big divide between the basis and the top.
All of this has led, of course, to litigation. Athletes are not happy. They do not
trust their ruling bodies any more, and they sue them and go to court. It makes the
fortune of lawyers, but it is not good for the sport. And the International Olympic
Committee has then decided to create the International Court of Arbitration for
Sport, where disputes can be resolved in a very efficient and simple way.
Finally, the fourth challenge is the one where we absolutely have to achieve a
real universality in sport and at the Olympic Games. We have universality in the
Games today in that we have 200 countries in the world. That is true. But, when
you look at reality, there is still a very big gap, a very big divide between North
and South. And I will give you some figures. In the winter Games, Europe wins
85% of all the medals. And that is not good for sport. In the summer Games,
Europe wins 55% of the medals. In the summer Games, you have 200 countries
participating. Only 60 can win a medal and around 140 will not win a medal and
have never won a medal, ever.
So, what we need to do absolutely, out of justice and in the interest of sport
itself, is to do the outmost we can to raise the level of the developing countries.
Because this divide is growing and growing, and it is not fair. It is a denial of
justice and it is against the natural interest of sport. It is not an easy task.
The International Olympic Committee is doing that with the help of Olympic
Solidarity. Olympic Solidarity is a fund by which we redistribute the television
money and the sponsorship money to the National Olympic Committees around
the world with a special emphasis on the developing countries. We have achieved
already good results, but more has to be done. And what we definitely also need
to have is to have an association with the governments. The Sports Movement is
not rich enough to solve all the problems. But, with the help of the governments,
we might have a far better result. And today, a lot of governments give support
for sport for other countries within the normal bilateral support schemes. The
problem is that all these different supports are not co-ordinated. And, of course,
each government is a bit jealous of its own sovereignty and its own decisions. And
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