Online Reporter
THE electoral positioning for the International Olympic Committee’s highest seat went through a decisive phase last Thursday in Lausanne, Switzerland, as the seven candidates vying to replace Thomas Bach presented their programmes with Sebastian Coe, Kirsty Coventry, and Samaranch leading the way in their media interactions.
The event functioned as an oral exam of sorts in which each of the aspirants had 15 minutes to differentiate themselves from their rivals and hopefully convince the audience in what might be the most stealthy and opaque election the organisation has ever staged in its history.
This was the only campaign event held before the final decision in Greece; the speeches were not broadcast, and all attendees were prohibited from bringing phones or electronic devices into the room.
These were not the only restrictions: voters could not ask questions of their seven colleagues competing for the position. At the very least, a peculiar process.
The rigidity eased during the next stage of the morning in the press room of the Olympic House, where the candidates then publicly presented their main objectives in individual 10-minute turns in front of about 60 journalists with the option to ask questions.
Although there were no major revelations, the staging served as a thermometer to take the temperature of an electoral pulse in which the first favourites are beginning to be defined.
The assembly was composed of about 100 IOC members.
In the struggle for the throne are two Olympic gold medallists, Coe and Coventry; Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr., son of a former IOC president; and Prince Feisal al Hussein, a member of the Jordanian royalty.
Four candidates currently lead Olympic sports organisations: Johan Eliasch (skiing), David Lappartient (cycling), and Morinari Watanabe (gymnastics). Coe, who leads World Athletics, organised the London 2012 Olympic Games and is widely considered the most qualified rival.
Additionally, it should be noted that three members of the IOC executive board, led by Bach, are Samaranch Jr., Prince Feisal, and Coventry. The latter, Zimbabwe’s 41-year-old Sports, Recreation, Arts, and Culture Minister, would make history as the first woman to lead the Olympic movement in its 130 years of existence.
She is considered by many as Bach’s favourite successor.
The programmes of the seven candidates present similarities on basic issues such as the need to maintain the neutrality and independence of the Olympic Movement, the convenience of giving more of a voice to athletes, the commitment to the fight against doping and in favour of equality, sustainability, and Olympic values, and the need to increase revenue.
Challenges also include the impact of climate change on the sports calendar, gender issues, or the full reintegration of Russia into the Games.
From these coordinates, the meeting confirmed that the podium with the most options in the forecasts is occupied by Coe, Coventry, and Samaranch.
The Spaniard, a 65-year-old banker from Barcelona who has been an IOC member for a quarter of a century, more than any other candidate, represented in his speech the traditional Olympism mannerisms: impeccable and calm oratory, an ability to relate, and effectiveness in thesis exposition.
Samaranch showcased his experience in diplomacy, finance, and management, fully aware that this trajectory is one of his great attractions and more needed than ever in these complex moments in world sport, in which a healthy relationship with money and business seems essential to finance Olympism.
It is here where his capabilities shined, independently of Coe and Coventry’s special aura, thanks to their respective successes as former athletes.
The Catalan presented himself to the media sure-handed yet apparently devoid of the ego that seemed to permeate from some rivals. In terms of leadership, he argued that IOC members must be empowered so that decisions are not made by only a few chosen ones, hoping to distance himself from the structure drawn by Bach.
His interest in the reshaping of old organisations was already a characteristic associated with his father, the ground-breaking IOC leader that preceded the former German fencer. Whenever asked about Samaranch Senior, far from showing fatigue, he used his answers to mark distance and as a springboard to elevate his programme.
He did so, arguing that old formulas are no longer valid, that the obligation now is to accelerate changes.
According to some Olympic sages, his profile, which combines tradition, experience, and boldness, could benefit from the fierce struggle between frontrunners Coe and Coventry.
At 68 years old, Coe, the oldest, displayed the confidence of someone who perceives himself a winner, mixing flattery with irony throughout his interaction and promising a new glorious era, maybe steering in that direction to counteract his reputation as a sometimes too ambitious figure, bordering on arrogant.
Olympic champion, organiser of excellent Games in London 2012, and president of World Athletics, the strongest federation that exists, enhance his curriculum, a firm background that could be winning over the assembly’s voters.
Additionally, he supported a message of empowering IOC members and protecting women’s sport that is also giving him momentum.
Seductive in his presentation, the Briton set his sights on future generations and the need to engage young people, a niche that most rivals are focusing on.
This is undoubtedly one of the great challenges facing the Olympic movement, and one that Coe has shown determination to bet on. In this sense, the promise of proper management in technological matters could add value to his candidacy.
The former athlete only changed his tone when asked about his position regarding rivals like Samaranch, whom some are beginning to see as a tougher opponent than expected.
“I have no idea,” he replied regarding his chances before telling the story of how Sir Keith Mills had been puzzled by the fact that London had just won the right to host the 2012 Olympic Games, “because everyone I spoke to said they voted for London. Probably there’s the hidden answer,” he quipped. If Bach fears anything, it’s a victory for long-time foe Coe. Therefore, the idea that is chewed in some circles is that Coe’s greatest rival is not Coventry, but Bach himself.
Minister of Sports in Zimbabwe and double Olympic champion in swimming at the Athens 2004 Games, Coventry has been part of the IOC since 2013, when she was elected within the quota reserved for athletes. For many, she has the ideal profile to become a unique president, as she would be the first woman, the youngest person, and the first African to hold the presidency. This presentation card decisively reinforces her programme, though she shied away from it last Thursday.
With a relaxed and cheerful demeanour, Coventry highlighted the camaraderie that exists among the aspirants, emphasising their shared experiences and values as athletes.
However, the reluctance came when she was asked about the general opinion floating in the air that says she is the favourite of the current IOC chief. “I think Bach has been very fair with all of us,” she responded diplomatically.
Another controversial issue weighing on her is related to the women’s sports categories, after the controversy that arose in Paris around the boxing tournament, considering that Coventry, along with Samaranch, was part of the Executive Commission that allowed Imane Khelif and Lin Yuting to compete and win the Olympic title in Paris. If in recent weeks she has maintained some discretion on the matter, in her speech she was much more frank in asking for protection for women’s sport.
Coe sets the course in this regard, yet the Zimbabwean did not hesitate to join the cause.
The upcoming presidential elections could redefine the policies maintained by the organisation regarding the participation of athletes with differences in sexual development (DSD) and transgender athletes in the Olympic Games.
Among the seven candidates, Coe advocates a strict approach by stating that only biological women should compete in the female category.
Eliasch moved along the same line, stating that the organisation should be guided by scientific facts and not by cultural trends. Both believe that having gone through male puberty creates differences that can provide a competitive advantage.
So far, these have been the most forceful positions, as the other rivals limited themselves to demanding protection for women without defining a concrete formula: Samaranch believes that the IOC should eliminate the ambiguity of the current guidelines, while Watanabe and Prince Feisal Bin al-Hussein did not even mention the gender issue in their speeches.
The debate arose at the last Olympic meeting during the women’s boxing competition, a discipline that is not going through its best moment within the framework of the Olympic Games, as there is currently no governing body recognised by the IOC to assume the organisation of this sport within Olympism. Moreover, if the situation is prolonged more than necessary, boxing could be excluded from the Olympic programme for Los Angeles 2028.
With this background, the only presidential candidate who addressed the issue on Thursday was Prince Feisal.
The 61-year-old Jordanian aspires for boxing to stay on course in the Games after the IOC revoked the recognition of the International Boxing Association for governance issues in April 2023 and assumed its organisation during Paris 2024. — Agencies/Sports Reporter.
