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“My dream is to have this election in Ancient Olympia, to remind everybody where the Games started, 2,800 years ago.
“Every eight or 12 years to organise the election of the IOC president in Ancient Olympia, this is something that is feasible. I think that overall it would give positive vibes to everybody in the Olympic Movement.”
That was Hellenic Olympic Committee President Spyros Capralos (GRE) in an interview with Agence France Presse in April of this year, referring to the forthcoming election of the new head of the International Olympic Committee president in 2025 and his hopes to have the 143rd IOC Session in Olympia.
So much for dreams.
The Associated Press reported Wednesday that “officials from the Hellenic Olympic Committee say the IOC session will be held at a coastal resort in the Messinia region, south of Ancient Olympia.”
The reason is the lack of large-enough facilities in Olympia to host the event, which is expected to draw more-than-usual media interest due to the IOC Presidential election. The Session is scheduled for 18-21 March in 2025, with a large field of candidates and an actual election, rather than the confirmation of Games sites now used.
Some activity at Olympia may be part of the Session program, but not the Session itself.
Nektarios Farmakis, the governor of the western Greece region, said in a statement the choice was a missed opportunity and
“For all of us, the land of the Olympics, Ancient Olympia is not just a museum of old values. It is a living place of deep spiritual significance, a beacon that draws visitors from all over the world.”
In fact, an IOC Session has never been held at Olympia. Six prior Sessions have been held in Athens: 1906, 1954, 1961, 1978, 2004 (attached to the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad) and in 2021, held mostly online due to Covid-19.
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