Who Elected THESE Guys?

[RichardGraham]

Hi Folks,

Keep the conversation civil. Personally, I'm disgusted.

http://www.gazette.com/sports/inline-57596-sports-olympic.html

[zipyaj]

Elected????


Not sure, but it reads to me like Rather Than Inline Hockey.

According to the Associated Press on June 14th, Capsules of the seven sports bidding for inclusion in the 2016 Olympics and making presentations Monday to the IOC executive board: (the) Roller Sports Bid presented by the International Roller Sports Federation (FIRS), but features only inline skating street races rather than skateboarding or rink hockey, which appeared as demonstration sport at the 1992 Barcelona Games.

sources:
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?section=oly&id=4258063
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/more/06/15/oly.bids.ap/


USARS/FIRS has been on record for about six years now, in anything and everything connected to a possible Olympic inclusion of roller sports, that their inclusion did NOT include inline hockey. There are at least three threads on this discussion forum from past years that have born this out.

For any player who thinks that olympic participation is highly necessary to make our sport legitimate, USARS and FIRS do not hold to your allegiance.

Trying to keep costs for Olympic host cities in check, FIRS didn't make figure skating, hardball hockey or inline hockey part of its proposal. (In common?) ... hampered by limited worldwide participation, minimal revenues from sponsorships and a lack of media coverage... hmmm?

[RichardGraham]

Hi Jay,

Yeah, that inline speed skating -- sure gets a ton of media coverage... not!

[DCbullets14]

I think that this could be a good thing for inline hockey. Yeah it sucks that inline hockey was not included in the proposal but at least there is a legitamate chance that there will be a form of inline skating in the olympics. It seems to me that the next logical step would then be the inclusion of inline hockey in later years.

[rhhof]

You know what really grinds my gears!?

These folks..."The national governing body" have kept, or hopefully kept tabs on everyone that participates in these events...Be it Roller Hockey, or speed skating or whatever...Between the WIHA, AIHL and every tournament that they have ran just this year, please dont tell me there was not less than a few thousand different people involved just on the playing, coaching and officiating side. There was no media or internet coverage of any of it and this is just here in the USA for there events, and they do host somewhere in the neighborhood of what 20 every year, plus WIHA and AIHL

Now take it to the international level in which they have been competing since what 1992?! Canada, Finland, France, Sweden... I mean c'mon the FIRS doesn't really care either? what gives?! Inline hockey has a bigger scale nationally and internationally - Even if they site things from other organizations and get off there horse once and use NARCh as an example (not to start another debate)...as Phil Collins once said, "but seriously" Narch has consistanly had well over 300 teams at their finals for the past 6-7 years now with over 400 for a couple years as well - They also have encompassed teams intheir competetions from many other countries including the aformentioned Canada, France and a lot of teams from central and south America and even England...I could go on - but the AAU's junior olympics does the same, though not a great a number of teams, its the point, the promotion, the media...they have done all that

Again, What Gives!!

[calihockey]

The Iranian election advisory counsel volunteered to review the election. While noting some irregularities, they felt the fact that ballots were never printed was not sufficient grounds for declaring an invalid election...

Seriously though, Inline Hockey needs an international body like FIFA that solely advocates Inline Hockey. Until this happens Inline Hockey does not have the opportunity to get into the Olympics. I think with the media exposure the Olympics can bring would definitely help future growth of the sport internationally as well as its ability to be marketed to sponsors for future international tournaments as well as pro leagues.

[J88]

I agree with calihockey. Ice Hockey is not represented by an INTERNATIONAL ICE SPORTS FEDERATION. Inline hockey can not be considered a roller sport. Being considered a roller sport, they you have inline hockey and roller hockey (quads) under the same umbrella. Why would the Olympic committee want to take on two "hockey" events in the summer Olympics. But I think we also don't need IIHF to run it either. We need our own international governing body. Not to start another USARS-USA Inline fight. We need a UNITED STATES INLINE HOCKEY. Not under a roller sports federation. Not under and ice hockey federation.

[skooled]

This subject is definately the way forward for our sport worldwide. The only problem is that the game in some areas of the world has been left to the entrepeneur, which is not always good. too many associations, to many tournaments. You would have to narrow some of that down to even start taking this idea seriously. tournament companies would need to either be bought out, merge or disband (or just play under one "hat") then all band under either FIRS or IIHF for a period of time, to iron out the bugs of being one sport, otherwise the union could become quite unholy and throw us back to the stone ages.

[ACCCT2]

This subject is definately the way forward for our sport worldwide. The only problem is that the game in some areas of the world has been left to the entrepeneur, which is not always good. too many associations, to many tournaments. You would have to narrow some of that down to even start taking this idea seriously. tournament companies would need to either be bought out, merge or disband (or just play under one "hat") then all band under either FIRS or IIHF for a period of time, to iron out the bugs of being one sport, otherwise the union could become quite unholy and throw us back to the stone ages.

FIRS and the IIHF don't give 2-hoots about the game (the IIHF is only staying in it for sponsorship monies and what MIGHT miraculously happen somewhere WAY down the road). And actually, "tournament companies" are not the problem here, as they DO service and provide value to a very vital part of the inline game at the "grass roots" level, especially for little kids. IMO, "tournament companies" are only a problem when they (and "they" alone) essentially want to both 'be' and undemocratically 'run' an NGB (much like "they" wanted to with the ill-fated RHA fiasco). An exclusively 'inline hockey' NGB is definitely the ONLY thing that's going to be able to champion the sport's "Olympic" aspirations, but unfortunately, certain key people, entities and "tournament companies" clearly AREN'T willing to work to this otherwise attainable end unless THEY ALONE get to "make the rules" and run the NGB. So here we are...puck-putzing FOREVER.:(

[DannyG]

… Inline Hockey needs an international body like FIFA that solely advocates Inline Hockey...


...ice Hockey is not represented by an INTERNATIONAL ICE SPORTS FEDERATION...We need a UNITED STATES INLINE HOCKEY...under [neither]a roller sports federation...[nor] under an ice hockey federation.


...An exclusively 'inline hockey' NGB is definitely the ONLY thing that's going to be able to champion the sport's "Olympic" aspirations...

...and therin lies the solution to a lot of things. I personally am not hung up on the olympic thing, but an independent entity that has ONLY inine hockey as its purview would indeed be able to re-grow the sport, provide the necessary support for such growth, and make honest, fair decisions regarding the governance of the sport that is not really around today.

Such an entity would eliminate every problematic criticism about USAHIL (really USA Hockey only intersted in ice, let's face it, eh?), as well as AAU (really only interested in the growth and development of it's membership, and not the sport itself).

Over the next three months, I am going to work on this. I'll let you know what I come up with.

[skooled]

Well this is something that will take time, commitment, and talent. I for one would love to see it come to fruition. Even if it was done slowly. But how difficult is it going to be to get players to come to a new association? we HAD an inline only NGB until about 3 years ago in australia. but our branch of FIRS, Skate Australia some how brought it under their wing. This lost the sport alot of players (if not more than half) and alot of rinks.

[ACCCT2]

...and therin lies the solution to a lot of things. I personally am not hung up on the olympic thing, but an independent entity that has ONLY inine hockey as its purview would indeed be able to re-grow the sport, provide the necessary support for such growth, and make honest, fair decisions regarding the governance of the sport that is not really around today.

Such an entity would eliminate every problematic criticism about USAHIL (really USA Hockey only intersted in ice, let's face it, eh?), as well as AAU (really only interested in the growth and development of it's membership, and not the sport itself).

Over the next three months, I am going to work on this. I'll let you know what I come up with.

I'm game for any GOOD (and "democratic") idea. Let us know what you come up with.;)