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≡ IOC PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION ≡
Polished and enthusiastic, Jordan’s Prince Feisal Al Hussein talked with reporters for an impressive hour and 45 minutes on Thursday in the sixth of seven IOC Presidential Candidate forums organized by the International Sports Journalists Association (AIPS).
And among his thoughtful and thorough answers was his take on his campaign, with just two weeks to go:
“For me, it’s about becoming a better person. To be honest, my wife, earlier today, said, ‘you know, you’re a far better person now than at the start of this race.’ And coming from my greatest champion and my worst critic, that to me has made it all worthwhile.
“I’m a better person as a result of that. And I’ve got a good chance.
“I really feel that the momentum is growing, it’s building up. A lot more people are coming up and talking to me. I believe, based on the numbers that we’re hearing, I’ll be in the last four. I think I can get to the last three, and depending on who I am up against, there is a real chance, I think, for me to win.
“And I’m in it to win it. I’m not in it just for the sake of appearing and I think I can contribute to making the IOC a better place.”
Al Hussein, now 61, who was educated in the U.S. (Brown University) and Britain (London Business School), also gave a remarkable insight into the campaign process:
“It’s not going to get any lighter. The pressure is on. There are seven good candidates that are out there, and it’s impressing the members, on who they feel and the direction they feel that the Olympic Movement has to go.
“That requires both reaching out and also listening to what the members are telling me. … Somebody asked me, ‘are you nervous, are you stressed?’ And I said, no, this actually has been a good experience for me. …
“The issue is not so much is not that I have concerns, but I had to be in a position where I could actually come up with potential solutions. So it focused me very much to get that through. And what I wanted in the manifesto is to make sure my passion, my feeling is reflected in that manifesto. So the best compliment I got in writing the manifesto, and it took a lot longer – I went through 16 versions before I finally agreed on the final one – but the best compliment I got was, ‘this is you.’ And that’s what I’ve always tried to do, to show me genuinely, what I think, how I act, how I feel. So it’s a reflection on me.
“And actually one of the other candidates said, ‘we finally saw the true Prince, what he stood for, what he’s interested in.’ And so that’s been great.
“Then I had the opportunity, in Lausanne, to present. A number of new IOC members haven’t had a chance to interact with me and so it was an opportunity for them to both listen to me and see the passion that I try to portray in why I am in this race. And I’ve gotten very good feedback from that, and a lot of encouragement.
“So, it’s been a fascinating journey. I think it’s been excellent for me, regardless of what the outcome is going to be. I’ve contributed … I want to make a difference. All of us in the IOC, I think, want to make a difference, and this is an opportunity. Regardless of the outcome, I’ve contributed, I haven’t sat on the sideline and just critiqued everything.
“I tried my best. If I succeed, then I’ve got my work cut out for me. If I don’t, at least I’ve done it and I hope whoever does become President will look at it and say, ‘you know what, actually, Prince Feisal had some good ideas. Maybe I should really think about them.’ And that a contribution to the dialogue and discussion. I think that was important.
“So I’m excited with the last two weeks coming. I have probably, in the last four months, spoken to more, and spent more time talking with IOC members than I had in the previous four years. … And I think that, for me, is a win in and of itself, because I got the time.
People say, ‘oh, well, campaigning must be tough.’ Actually, for me, it was fascinating. I learn from people. I got to listen to different views, different concerns. And each one of them had something different to contribute to the discussion. And I think I’m a better person as a result of that.”
Al Hussein was asked about the current issues, of course:
● On athlete participation from aggressor countries:
“What sports can do, in a post-war conflict, or even in a pre-war conflict, we can try and bring communities together, we can try and raise signs together to celebrate the joint humanity. We can look at how we can build a better and more integrated and a more peaceful society, and that’s part of what the Olympic Movement is all about.
“Sports can also play a role, post-conflict, which is again to rebuild, and that is, rebuild physically, rebuild mentally, re-build the society that they had, most importantly on top of that, is to rebuild hope. I think the Olympics is all about hope. It’s the opportunity that people can have to participate, to dream about participating. …
“Will we be able to solve wars? No, that’s what the politicians are there for, that’s what the United Nations is there for, that’s what other international organizations are there for. But we can play a role in peace-building, and that’s a role I think we should be taking on, and being realistic. We can’t solve all of it, but we can contribute, in particular to build a more peaceful society.”
● On athlete prize money from the Games:
“Prize money, in the Olympic Solidarity model, is usually the purview of the National Olympic Committees.
“National Olympic Committees, quite often do, in Jordan, we do the same thing. If people achieve greatness, they will get monetary compensation for it. And for one simple reason: at the end of the day, people get to see their flags being raised. And that’s why I think it’s the responsibility of NOCs to encourage and support their athletes when they do succeed, because of the national pride that it generates.”
As far as the IOC and prize money, he explained:
“[For the IOC to pay prize money] I think it’s difficult. We believe in equality, we believe in fairness. How do you value a gold medal, in a 100 m race, whether it’s swimming or running, vs. archery? Or badminton? There is, I think, an inequality in terms of what people value, as Olympic medals.
“And so, I think it is a challenge, and I don’t agree with that. It goes against the principles of Olympic Solidarity. And I think the current system, while maybe not perfect, is an effective mechanism.
“What I have proposed in my manifesto, is to look at what other ways that we can provide services … what can we do that will be of real value to athletes?”
● On transgender athletes in women’s sport:
“The underlying principle, and this is why International Federations are better positioned to answer the question, and that is fairness. Is there any significance, change or undue advantage given, for people who go through a transition, vs. people who don’t? I come from a sport – FIA [motor racing], I’m a Senate member in the FIA – and there, we have drivers. It is gender neutral. We don’t have male drivers and female drivers as such, it is just drivers.
“FEI, equestrian, does the same thing. They are riders. So I think, if there is no difference, or there is no undue advantage, that can be scientifically proven, then I don’t see why they should be excluded. I think the Olympic Movement is all about inclusion of all elements of society and all peoples.
“But if there is an unfair advantage, I think it should be treated in much the same way as we fought doping, because doping gave certain athletes an unfair advantage.“
Al Hussein took many questions about how he sees the future of the IOC and what he would do different from the administration of current chief Thomas Bach (GER)? He stressed more interactions with the IOC membership:
● “We need to include people more than is happening. I am excited about this election coming up. It’s the first time in six years that members will have a choice of how they want to see the future move. And that is not a ‘yes or no’: the last time, we had Milano Cortina and Stockholm, but in six years, we haven’t had an effective vote, and the involvement of the membership in deciding the future.
“There are seven candidates … and this, I think, is exciting. They will have a chance to decide on the future of the Olympic leadership, and that, I think, is a good and healthy position to be in.”
● “What are the other alternatives? Can we look beyond the traditional? In the job that I have as chair of the National Policy Council, the most frustrating thing that I come across is when people say, ‘well, that’s the way we’ve always done it.’ Because, yeah, it might be good, but it shouldn’t be an excuse to just continue doing something that might have worked 30 years ago, but is it really working as well right now.
“And I think I’d like to open that debate with the membership, to look at, can there be better ways that we can do things.”
● “I’d like to see people be engaging in debate. I want to see what all the opinions are, and it’s only through consensus that we can find a way to move forward. And I think that is what I am proposing in terms of the style of leadership.
“Involve people, get the different opinions. We can be more effective when we’ve had a chance to debate then when you don’t have a chance to debate. Right now, there’s not much debate in the Olympic Movement and that’s sad. I would far prefer to have a healthier debate, either within the Session, or with experts.
“Both of those are critical. It’s only through that that we learn from each other. It’s only through that we become a better organization. There is no monopoly on good ideas, and we need to use the collective potential. We have a very, very good, capable, smart membership that is being under-utilized at this point in time. So part of what I’m asking for … is to get everybody involved.”
He also wants to expand the IOC’s revenues, to provide more support for athlete development, especially at the NOC level. And in this context, he is concerned about the IOC’s TOP sponsorship program:
“What I would like to do, to focus on, is how to make the pie bigger. We lose three TOP sponsors in a year and that, to me, sent alarm bells. When I asked about it, they say, ‘well, you know, it’s after Tokyo, the Japanese aren’t interested.’ Well, one of them went to FIFA, another one went to World Aquatics. So they still believe in the power of sports, but they obviously, I feel, didn’t feel that they were getting what they needed from the IOC.
“So to me, one of the critical issues is, how can I make that pie bigger? … My feeling now is that the IOC has a cookie-cutter approach, one size fits all, and the world isn’t like that. We know the world isn’t like that. So we need better adaptation.”
(Al Hussein referred to Japanese corporations signing elsewhere, not to the three companies which left the TOP program – Bridgestone, Panasonic and Toyota – which have not signed deals with FIFA or Worlds Aquatics.)
He also noted that future Olympic and Winter Games will have to account for climate changes and that a change – possibly radical – in the calendar may have to be considered: “By opening the dates, we can allow for more countries to potentially host.”
Asked why he has put himself through all of this, he reflected:
“I have been brought up in a family where we were taught, service is our duty, and the importance to be able to provide a service. … It’s what you can do to make a difference. And my father used to tell us, ‘if you can make a difference, it is your duty and obligation to try.’”
Observed: Al Hussein was impressive, no doubt about it, in 105 minutes of discussions, without even a water break, with the interview taking place during Ramadan fasting period.
He made many of the same points as other candidates: more member involvement, the fight against doping, trying to better support small National Olympic Committees, more effective marketing and so on.
His calm, frank manner, personal warmth and his humanitarian work with his “Generations for Peace” effort and that he has the second-longest IOC tenure of the candidates – elected in 2010 – are all in his favor. It is easy to see why an IOC member would think, “well, I could certainly work with him.”
Can he win? He thinks so, and with two weeks left, that’s what counts.
¶
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