Marius Vizer
Marius Vizer, 2018
9th President of IJF
Assumed office
2007
Preceded byYong Sung Park
Personal details
Born (1958-11-07) 7 November 1958
Tinca, Romania
Alma materMilitary Academy
OccupationBusinessman

Marius Vizer (born 7 November 1958) is a Romanian former judoka and judo coach, and businessman. Since 2007, he has been the president of the International Judo Federation. Vizer also holds an Austrian passport.[1]

Judo

Between 1995 and 2001, he was President of the Romanian Judo Federation. Between 2000 and 2007, Vizer was President of the European Judo Union.[2] And between 2013 and 2015, he was President of the SportAccord.[3]

Since 2007, he has been the president of the International Judo Federation.[4][5]

After the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February, all 31 of the other international Olympic sports organizations temporarily suspended Russian and Belarusian athletes.[6] Vizer, a long-time close friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin, wanted to let Russians and Belarusians continue to compete as neutral athletes despite the invasion of Ukraine and subsequent Ukrainian pressure to suspend them entirely.[6] Ultimately, both national federations withdrew on their own accord, until June 2022 when they returned.[6] Ukraine boycotted IJF events beginning in June 2022 because the Russian team was allowed to compete in and entered competitions. Judo is one of the few Olympic sports which goes against the recommendation of the International Olympic Committee.[7]

Business

He settled in Austria as a judo coach. In the 1990s, Vizer started importing vegetables and fruits from Romania to Austria, especially apples, while he exported banana and orange wagons to Romania. He then organized Telebingo in Romania, in collaboration with TVR, until the National Lottery closed it.[8]

He was the owner of the football clubs FC Bihor, Olimpia Salonta and FC Sopron.[9]

Personal life

In 2015, Vizer married former Romanian singer Irina Nicolae after years of dating. They live in Budapest. On 2 February 2018, his wife gave birth to the couple's child, Scarlett-Maria.[10]

Vizer holds a 7th dan black belt in judo. He has a long friendship with Russian President Vladimir Putin for more than 25 years, and visited Putin in the Soviet Union.[11][12]

References

  1. ↑ Marius Vizer re-elected as IJF President for four years CV
  2. ↑ New EJU President Marius Vizer will take Judo to the next level
  3. ↑ "Marius Vizer announces his resignation from SportAccord". Los Angeles Times. 31 May 2015. Archived from the original on 8 October 2017.
  4. ↑ IJF President Marius L. Vizer re-elected in Rio
  5. ↑ Marius Vizer re-elected as IJF President for four years
  6. 1 2 3 "Most Olympic federations suspend Russian athletes, but officials go free".
  7. ↑ "Ukraine boycotts Olympic judo qualifier as Russians compete". 25 June 2022.
  8. ↑ "Îl revendicăm pe Marius Vizer" (in Romanian). Qmagazine. 10 June 2013.
  9. ↑ Şeful Judo-ului mondial
  10. ↑ "Irina Vizer, ex ASIA şi soţul ei, Marius Vizer, au devenit părinţi. Cum a decurs naşterea şi ce nume va primi copilul" (in Romanian). Adevărul. 2 February 2018.
  11. ↑ "El este romanul prieten la catarama cu Vladimir Putin! Marius Vizer il stie pe presedintele Rusiei de mai bine de doua decenii" (in Romanian). stirilekanald.ro. 4 December 2016.
  12. ↑ "Românul Marius Vizer e prieten cu Vladimir Putin, cel mai puternic om al lumii" (in Romanian). Libertatea. 9 March 2012.
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