By Karolos Grohmann
MILAN, Feb 20 (Reuters) – International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry said on Friday she was unaware of world soccer body (FIFA) chief Gianni Infantino’s presence at the first meeting of The Board of Peace along with U.S. President Donald Trump, and said she would look into the matter.
Infantino, who is also an IOC member, took part in the meeting of The Board of Peace, established under Trump with a focus on Gaza’s reconstruction fund, and aimed at rebuilding the territory once Hamas disarms.
The FIFA chief appeared on stage with several politicians, sported a red hat with ‘USA’ on the front and the numbers 45-47, for the two non-consecutive presidencies of Trump.
Infantino also displayed the FIFA collaboration agreement with The Board of Peace, which includes building 50 mini-pitches near schools and residential areas in Gaza, five full-size pitches across multiple districts, a state-of-the-art FIFA academy and a new 20,000-seat national stadium.
“I wasn’t aware of that, that we had an IOC member front and centre,” Coventry told a press conference during the Milano Cortina Olympics.
“Now that you guys (journalists) made us aware of it we will go back and have a look at it,” she said. “The IOC Charter is very clear what it expects of its members. We will go and research into the alleged signing of documents.”
The Olympic Charter states that members must always act independently of commercial and political interests. They also cannot accept “from governments, organisations, or other parties, any mandate or instructions liable to interfere with the freedom of their action and vote,” the Charter says.
“I think from the IOC’s point of view we will continue to be politically neutral,” Coventry said. “That’s the only way for us as an organisation to ensure that we allow for there to be fairness on the field of play. That’s what we will continue to do as we walk into the future.”
Trump has met Infantino several times, with the United States co-hosting this summer’s soccer World Cup along with Mexico and Canada.
The U.S. President was also awarded FIFA’s inaugural peace prize in December for his efforts to promote dialogue and de-escalation in some of the world’s biggest hotspots, the soccer body said at the time.
Coventry, elected in 2025, has not yet met Trump, with the 2028 Summer Olympics to be held in Los Angeles.
(Reporting by Karolos GrohmannEditing by Christian Radnedge)
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