LAUSANNE (INSIDE THE GAMES) — The incumbent president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) will officially step down as a member of the organisation following the transfer of leadership to his successor in June, the organisation formally announced on Wednesday.
It already was a well-known fact that Thomas Bach, who won Olympic gold in fencing in 1976, will conclude his 12-year tenure as chief of the IOC this year. The transition will take place on 23 June, after the election of a new president on 20 March in Costa Navarino, Greece.
Bach became the ninth president after being elected on 10 September 2013 and secured a second four-year term on 10 March 2021. “The IOC Executive Board today agreed to accept the resignation of IOC President Thomas Bach as an IOC Member, effective after 23 June 2025,” the organisation stated.
The 71-year-old had the option to remain an IOC Member until the age of 80, having first joined in 1991, but chose not to, making it public this past Summer during the Paris 2024 Olimpic Games. A total of seven candidates are in contention to replace him in the upcoming vote at the IOC session.
Among them vying for the prestigious position are: World Athletics President Sebastian Coe and multiple Olympic swimming champion Kirsty Coventry, who serves as Zimbabwe’s sports minister. Also running is Spaniard Juan Antonio Samaranch, son of the former IOC President.
The list of contenders further includes International Cycling Union (UCI) President David Lappartient, Prince Feisal Al Hussein of Jordan, International Gymnastics Federation leader Morinari Watanabe, and Johan Eliasch, a multimillionaire and head of the International Ski Federation….PACNEWS