HomeInternational Olympic CommitteeINTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE: No surprises, lots of ideas as IOC Presidential candidates comment on presentations in Lausanne

INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE: No surprises, lots of ideas as IOC Presidential candidates comment on presentations in Lausanne

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≡ IOC PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION ≡

Seven candidates running for the presidency of the International Olympic Committee made their pitches directly to the IOC membership in a completely private session on Thursday morning at Olympic House in Lausanne.

Each candidate had 15 minutes; no media were present and there was no broadcast of the event. The candidates did speak briefly afterwards to the assembled reporters, which was live streamed on the IOC’s YouTube channel, in the order of the presentations.

There were no revelations in any of the 10-minute discussions with about 60 news media in a briefing room at Olympic House. Some highlights:

● Prince Feisal Al Hussein (JOR)
Al Hussein opened with condolences and hopes for the downed plane near Washington, D.C. which was reported to have members of the U.S. Figure Skating community.

He noted that one of the challenges for the IOC – and many other organizations – is that “the youth in particular have lost their faith in global institutions, and the IOC is a global institution. So we need to regain both the trust and the sense of relevance with the youth of this world. They are our future leaders.”

He noted that he would have preferred a more open format for the presentations, with questions and answers, but “the rules are the rules.” He said his presentation went well and he wanted to give the assembled members a chance to get a feel for his leadership and his three-point program for the future of the Olympic Movement.

On boxing and the Los Angeles 2028 Games, he hopes there will be a new federation to govern the sport, as it needs to be on the program, but did not endorse World Boxing specifically. On Russia, he said “There is nothing I would like more than to have the whole world at the Olympic Games,” but also that violations of the Olympic Charter still require sanctions.

● David Lappartient (FRA)
The head of the Union Cycliste Internationale said his presentation was to give the members the spirit of his manifesto and how he can provide the leadership to ensure the future: “I hope I convinced my colleagues that I can be a real leader for the IOC.”

He said the major issue in front of the IOC is the “instability of the world” at present, as well as climate change and digitalization; “it’s becoming more and more difficult.” He noted the Los Angeles wildfires as a signal of how climate change impacts the world. Digitalization, he said, will continue to change the world and offers the opportunity to reach a much larger audience, and “bring the world together; this is what we want, this is our vision.”

Asked why so many people had to fly to Lausanne for this one-day meeting, he explained that he didn’t set the rules for the program, but that this is a once in eight or 12 years event to elect an IOC President. He observed that the members needed “to feel if the different candidates, they have the capacity to lead the organization, if they have the leadership.”

On Russia, he said the National Olympic Committee is suspended due to a breach of the Olympic Charter, but that it must be returned – eventually – and not simply expelled. Asked about Africa and a future Olympic Games, he was optimistic, saying “Africa deserves the Olympic Games.”

● Johan Eliasch (GBR)
“I believe in the magic of sport to unite, and bring hope; hope that anything is possible. And in a world of division and disruption, we need hope more than ever before.”

The head of the International Ski & Snowboard Federation, Eliasch emphasized his experience noteworthy success in business – he developed the Head sporting goods concern worldwide – as well as in political matters, and “I know what it takes to lead, and drive change.”

Although only an IOC member for a few months, he stated, “I am standing because I have a proven track record and experience to deliver. …

“This is not a popularity contest. We have been very successful, but we have to recognize we face many challenges. Therefore, this choice will have a profound impact on the Olympic Movement for years to come. It has to be the most qualified person for the job.”

On Russia, he said that the IOC’s “Individual Neutral Athletes” program had worked well in Paris, because “no athlete can choose where they were born, and athletes should never be weaponized for political purposes” and sees the same process to be maintained for the Milan Cortina Olympic Winter Games in 2026.

He reiterated his “strong voice on sustainability, at the forefront of my agenda,” an issue on which he has been resolute, and that the IOC in the future must ensure “no carbon impact on anything we do.”

On sponsorship: “this area is changing very fast. Activations, people expect more here; we need to make sure we deliver, that these partnership are value-added for us.”

● Juan Antonio Samaranch (ESP)
He began with “hope for the best” on the airline crash in the U.S., and “it puts everything we do in perspective.”

Samaranch, whose father was a transformational IOC President from 1980-2001, said the IOC today is working in two parts:

“We are an extraordinarily big, large and efficient NGO [non-governmental organization]. We distribute most of the money we generate in our business through the International Federations, the National Olympic Committees and the organizing committees, top the base of the world sports pyramid.

“This is an NGO; it means diplomacy, it means politics, it means management, managing the Games … a bloody complex structure, and difficult, and we are pretty good at that.

“The second, we need a powerful business machine to generate the necessary revenues to feed the NGO.”

Samaranch emphasized his “significant experience on both sides” of these issues, citing his long personal history of more than 25 years with the IOC and in sport, but also his successful career in “critical roles” in finance with his management firm, with clients on multiple countries.

He noted his desire to empower the IOC members, and not just a few – as has been seen in recent years – and insisted that “one of the key things in our lives is universality. Without universality, we lose a significant part of our reason to be.”

But the IOC must be ready to change dramatically in the years ahead:

“We managed to get the organization to move and evolve at a rapid pace and according to the times. What I’m trying to say is that rapid pace of change that we implemented is nowhere near enough to what is coming. The rate of change is going to continue to accelerate and our obligation is to continue accelerate our rate of change. … The recipes of yesterday will not make it in the future.”

He noted that the Olympic Games is unique is that it touches many non-sports fans and “we have to keep that specialty” and that with bids for events that spread sports everywhere, “I personally like and prefer more compact Games.”

● Kirsty Coventry (ZIM)
The only female candidate in the field and an Olympic champion swimmer, she said she told the members about the power of sport, starting as a nine-year-old, watching the 1992 Barcelona Games and being inspired.

That led to multiple medals and while Zimbabwe was going through political turmoil, it stopped for a few days when she returned from Athens in 2004 as Olympic champion in the 200 m Backstroke, “and I really got to see the power of sport.”

Now, she noted, nine-year-olds watch the Games on their phone instead of on television and this digital revolution is an opportunity to “engage with them and insure that we’re inspiring them.” Moreover, she wants to further develop applications which will allow young people to train with the best possible programs, anywhere in the world.

She also emphasized that as an athlete, sponsorship was a significant issue. Now, “we need to find more ways of directly impacting and getting revenue to athletes before they become Olympians.

“That is generally the toughest, most athletes find. I know in my journey, it was easy to get sponsorship once I won a medal; getting to that medal, that was tough.” She spoke during her presentation about developing programs to “better support athletes on their way to becoming an Olympians.” Also, help to athletes after their careers.

Asked about the widely-held view that she is the favorite of current IOC chief Thomas Bach (GER) to succeed him, she demurred, saying “I think he’s been very fair to all of us.” She explained, with considerable enthusiasm:

“I want to be the best candidate, not just because of my gender or where I come from. And I believe I have a lot of expertise to bring to this role to lead this organization.”

Coventry said that it will be important for the IOC “to stand up and collectively protect the female category” and wants to see one consistent policy across all of the International Federations to protect women’s sport adequately.

● Sebastian Coe (GBR)
Coe, the head of World Athletics, opened with “thoughts and prayers with those families” who had loved ones on board the AA 4253 flight that crashed. Beyond that:

“I enjoyed this morning’s process, I hope I was able to communicate my love for the Movement” and noted that he has “have been in training for this for the best part of my life.”

Emphasizing the “extraordinary opportunity to build another lustrous chapter in the future of this extraordinary Movement and everything that it stands for.”

He said that the IOC should be able to sustain its revenues into the future, but that “it will be in very different areas, it will be with a very different value proposition …

“Primarily, we need to adopt an audience-first approach, which is, in essence, to give them what they want, when they want it and where they want it.

“Above all, for National Olympic Committees of all shapes and sizes, of some of the smaller International Federations, to enjoin that with a barrier-free physical and digital experience.”

He emphasized the talent “in the room” of IOC members that can help to deliver the needed solutions.

Asked about the biggest challenge ahead, Coe said it’s the same for the IOC as for the IFs and NOCs: “it is how do you continue to excite and engage with young people? And how do you utilize, optimize, fully, the use of cutting-edge technology? …

“It’s that cohort that ultimately going to be your future sponsors, your future thought leadership, your future governance, your future politicians and we need to crate amongst that group of people a lifelong bond for sport.”

● Morinari Watanabe (JPN)
Seen as a revolutionary candidate, the head of the Federation Internationale de Gymnastique repeated his desire to hold the Olympic Games in a new format, with five host cities or areas on the five continents, each holding 10 sports, in a 24-hour format.

He said that this approach would create the “best possible conditions for athletes” and also for broadcasters and sponsors, since one city or region would not be overwhelmed with the sheer size of the Olympic Games.

His motivation for proposing is because of his view that sport must support society. “The presence of sport in each country in the world is not so high,” he explained, and by creating an Olympic Games in every time zone, sport’s importance will be elevated.

He also sees the IOC morphing into a “World Sports Organization,” free from politics that can “contribute to society” and to “make new business for sport.”

Watanabe wants to champion more cooperation between the IOC and the International Federations, and in his five-continent concept for the Games, the IOC itself could not organize such an event and more shared cooperation will be needed.

This was the only presentation that will be made to the IOC membership; none will be made in March. The election is scheduled for 20 March 2025 at the 144th IOC Session, in Costa Navarino, Greece.

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