Neumannová only obtained the post after the bodies involved in hosting the event effectively ruled that the original committee president, former sportsman and youth ski trainer Roman KumpoÅ¡t, had fallen down on the job. The institutions, including the Liberec municipality, recalled KumpoÅ¡t after singling him out for mismanaging the championship’s funding strategy and investments. Currently, KumpoÅ¡t is defending himself as an innocent, aggrieved party, claiming the interests of lobbyist groups at the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (MÅ MT) and of Josef Jindra, Neumannová’s former sports marketing manager, were behind his dismissal. He said one motivation was access to the event’s marketing budget, which is around Kč 250 million (€ 9.02 million).
Neumannová was reportedly installed after the MÅ MT conditioned a supplementary Kč 700 million subsidy for the International Ski Federation (FIS) spectacle on the replacement of KumpoÅ¡t. The Senate approved the extra funding July 25 and Neumannová was elected the next day.
High profile stars are typical to lead such events. “In European countries it’s normal for an important sports event’s organizational committee to be run by a famous sportsperson of that country. Without doubt, Neumannová fulfills this requirement,†said Jan Kocourek, deputy minister responsible for sport, youth and informatics.
Read the full article at www.cbw.cz.
Source: Czech Business Weekly
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