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≡ THE BIG PICTURE ≡
Just a couple of days after International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach (GER) told the IOC Session in Paris that he would not agree to any extension of his term, a detailed set of election regulations was posted on the IOC’s Web site, laying down a series of rules and restrictions on anyone wishing to run for President.
The decision will be made at the 143rd IOC Session in Greece next March, and the deadline for declaration of candidatures is coming up on Sunday, 15 September.
On Monday, a letter from IOC Ethics Commission Chair Ki-Moon Ban (KOR) – the former United Nations Secretary General – appeared on the site, which offered key technical interpretations of the election rules that could have major impact on the election of the next IOC President:
● “[T]he IOC President must be a member of the IOC at the time of the election and during the entire duration of their term as IOC President.”
● “The Olympic Charter does not grant the IOC President any exception regarding the end of their IOC membership because of either the age limit or the loss of the function for which the member was elected, namely as an active athlete, or as a president or holding an executive or senior leadership position within an NOC or [International Federation].”
● “An IOC member reaching the age limit of 70 will lose their IOC membership, unless the member is proposed by the Executive Board and elected by the IOC Session for a four year extension; the Olympic Charter provides for such an extension only once.
“Similarly, an IOC member elected in relation to a function who loses this function during their term as an IOC member, including as IOC President, will automatically lose their IOC membership, and as such end their term of office.”
Who does this impact? Remembering that the next IOC President’s first term will be from 2025 to 2033, among those who are considered possible candidates:
● Pierre-Olivier Beckers-Vieujant (BEL): The head of the IOC’s Paris 2024 Coordination Commission, Beckers – the former head of the supermarket giant Delhaize Group – is 64 and would reach 70 in 2030, short of the end of a first term.
● Sebastian Coe (GBR): Coe is an IOC member by virtue of his role as President of World Athletics, but his term – and his IOC membership – will end in 2027. Moreover, he is 67.
● Ingmar De Vos (BEL): Only 61, De Vos’ IOC membership is also tied to his position as the head of the Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI). He was initially elected in 2014 and re-elected in 2018 and 2022, so he will conclude his FEI mandate for certain in 2026.
● David Lappartient (FRA): Riding a high profile after the success of the Paris 2024 Games, Lappartient is the head of the UCI cycling federation and the CNOSF, the French National Olympic Committee. However, his IOC membership – from 2020 – is tied to his role as the UCI President; he will be up for election in 2025 for a third and final term, which would end his IOC membership in 2029, short of the 2033 term of the next IOC leader.
● Juan Antonio Samaranch, Jr. (ESP): Samaranch is a long-time individual member, elected in 2001. He is 64, but could have his term extended to complete an eight-year presidency through 2033.
The Ban letter is clear that one, four-year age extension can be granted, and an IOC member by virtue of their position with an International Federation could be elected as an individual member after being elected President in order to comply with the rules.
Three of the five possible candidates noted above are heads of an International Federation; of the nine IOC Presidents, only one – Sigfrid Edstrom (SWE-Athletics: 1942-52) – came from an IF. All others had ties to the IOC from its formative days, or to National Olympic Committees.
The letter does not appear to impact other favorites, such as individual members Kirsty Coventry (ZIM: 40), who has been deeply involved in the Bach years in multiple roles, or Aruban lawyer Nicole Hoevertsz, 60, the head of the IOC’s Coordination Commission for the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
The IOC is expected to publish the list of declared candidates next week, although the Ethics Commission will be asked to do further vetting to certify those actually eligible.
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