Blatter ends stint on IOC

The head of global football organization FIFA, which has been caught up in a wide-ranging corruption scandal, had informed the International Olympic Committee (IOC) he would not retain his position in that organization.

"He does not deem it to be appropriate to stand for re-election for eight years knowing that after seven months his term would come to an end," IOC President Thomas Bach said on the final day of the committee's assembly in Kuala Lumpur.

FIFA President Sepp Blatter was one of several IOC members who had been due for re-election. He had been a member of the IOC since 1999 and would have had to retire next year anyway because he will be reaching his 80th birthday. He did not attend the Kuala Lumpur meeting.

The IOC gained two new members Monday: Nenad Lalovic of Serbia, head of wrestling's world governing body, and Diagna Ndiaye, president of Senegal's national Olympic committee. Fourteen others were re-elected for eight year terms and Gunilla Lindberg of Sweden was re-elected to another four-year term on the IOC's executive board

As for FIFA, the body will elect a president at a special meeting set for February after Blatter announced he would resign. He later said he had "offered up his mandate," leading some to wonder if he was, in fact, considering running for re-election.

se/sms (AP, AFP)