IOC to get new chief after the Paris 2024 Games — president
In a surprising announcement, IOC President Thomas Bach has revealed his intention to step down from his role, ending speculation about a potential term extension.
The decision paves the way for a new leader to emerge and steer the Olympic movement towards a successful future. / Photo: Reuters
IOC president Thomas Bach told a meeting of members Saturday that he will not change the rules to stay in office and that the Olympics will be “best served with a change in leadership.”
Bach has led the International Olympic Committee since September 2013 and his 12-year presidency was to expire next year — a term limit introduced as part of reforms passed after the Salt Lake City bidding scandal 25 years ago.
But speculation has grown since last October that Bach could stay on after IOC members asked him to consider changing Olympic Charter rules that would otherwise end his leadership.
The 70-year-old Bach ended any doubt about his plans on the penultimate day of the Paris Games, noting that governance had to be respected “in order to safeguard the credibility of the IOC.”
The IOC now needed a new leader, he said, who could navigate an increasingly digital and politically pressured world while building strong relations with emerging powers in the “ever more influential so-called Global South.”
“New times are calling for new leaders,” Bach said in a speech where he paused to hold back tears. “I, with my age, am not the best captain. I know with this decision I am disappointing many of you.”
An election will be scheduled for the March 18-21 IOC meetings in Greece.
Possible candidates
The IOC membership comprises invited members including royalty from the Middle East and Europe, a current head of state — the Emir of Qatar — former diplomats and lawmakers, industrialists, and leaders of sports bodies and athletes.
The likely candidates include several members of the IOC's executive board, including vice presidents Nicole Hoevertsz of Aruba and Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr. of Spain, whose father was IOC president for 21 years until leaving in 2001 after the Salt Lake turmoil.
Board members Prince Feisal al Hussein of Jordan and former Olympic champion swimmer Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe are likely entrants in the race.
The IOC never had a woman as president in its 130-year history. One of its members, Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, was the president of Croatia for five years until 2020.
Sebastian Coe, the head of track and field's governing body World Athletics, has long been seen as the most qualified contender.
Coe was a two-time Olympic champion in the 1,500 meters, led the organizing committee of the 2012 London Olympics and is a former lawmaker in the British parliament.
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