Two former Olympic champions, a prince, and the son of a former Olympic president are among the seven candidates running for the position of the next International Olympic Committee (IOC) president. The current IOC president, Thomas Bach, will be succeeded by one of these candidates in the upcoming election in March for an eight-year term.
Among the candidates are Kirsty Coventry from Zimbabwe, the only woman in the race who is an IOC executive board member and a two-time Olympic gold medalist in swimming. Sebastian Coe, a two-time Olympic gold medalist in running, Prince Feisal al Hussein of Jordan, and Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr. of Spain, whose father was an IOC president until 2001, are also vying for the position.
Other candidates include David Lappartient, the president of cycling’s governing body, Morinari Watanabe, the head of gymnastics, and Johan Eliasch, the president of the International Ski and Snowboard Federation. The election for the IOC president is set to take place on March 18-21 in Greece near Ancient Olympia.
The candidates had to submit a letter of intent by a deadline set by Bach, who has reached the maximum 12 years in office and will step down next year. The formal list of candidates will be confirmed in January for the election where only IOC members are eligible to run, with votes cast by the 111-strong membership of the Olympic body.
The election campaign for the IOC presidency is marked by discretion and quirky limitations, such as candidates being prohibited from publicly endorsing their pick, publishing videos, organizing public meetings, or taking part in public debates. The ideal candidate for the IOC president should possess expertise in managing sports, understanding athletes’ needs, and diplomacy.
Sebastian Coe, a highly regarded candidate, faces potential legal hurdles due to age restrictions that may limit his term if elected. Coventry, the only woman in the race, brings government experience as the former sports minister in Zimbabwe. This election marks only the second time a woman has run for the IOC presidency, with the first being Anita DeFrantz in 2001.
Other candidates like Lappartient and Eliasch bring strong credentials from their roles in various sports organizations. The IOC presidency is a prestigious position overseeing a multi-billion dollar organization that runs the Olympic Games and employs hundreds of staff in Switzerland.
