On a cloudy winter day, last Thursday (30), in Lausanne, Switzerland, seven candidates presented proposals to occupy one of the most coveted positions of the sport: the presidency of the IOC (International Olympic Committee).
Each had 15 minutes to try to convince the voters, the members of the IOC, a list of 110 names with former athletes, royalty members, an Oscar winner, FIFA president and Brazilians Bernard Rajzman of the silver generation of Volleyball in Los Angeles-1984, and Andrew Parsons, chairman of the International Paralympic Committee. By the rules, nothing has been recorded or transmitted. Those who vote could not ask questions. Then the candidates spoke to journalists.
The election for German successor Thomas Bach is on March 20. Depending on those who win, the way the Olympic Games are today will change.
Sebastian Coe, Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr. and Kirsry Coventry are favorite. COE is an Olympic Athletics Champion, has been chairman of the London-2012 Organizing Committee and has the title of Lord. At the head of the World Athletics, the International Sport Federation, led the range of Russians and would have created disaffected by rewarding with gold medalists in Paris-2024. On the participation of transgender athletes in Olympics, defends the “integrity of female sport”.
Samaranch Jr. says he trusts his 25 -year experience in the Olympic movement. His father chaired Coi for 21 years, including Barcelona-1992, Legacy Example Games. It also sees protection from women athletes as a priority, as well as Coventry. Zimbabwe sports minister and Olympic swimming champion won points after the presentation. It is seen as Bach’s favorite, and may be the first woman to lead the IOC in 130 years of existence.
Competent, it would be renewal amid managers European white men. I started to cheer for her. At the press conference, facing machismo demonstration, was the only candidate pinned by reporters and had to hear a disallowance from a woman who questioned how she would be president with a six -month -old baby at home. Coventry was educated. I would have told this journalist to ask the same to men.
Another postulant is Johan Eliasch, president of the International Ski and Snowboard Federation, which advocates to limit winter games to a fixed group of cities and the participation of Russians as neutral athletes. If elected, Prince Feisal Al Hussein of Jordan does not rule out taking the summer games of July and August, changing the calendar for more countries to apply. David Lappartient chairs the Cycling Federation and wants games in Africa for the first time. Morinari Watanabe, who runs the Federation of Gymnastics, has the bold idea of hosting Olympics in five cities of the five continents at the same time.
It is a dispute where the arrival line has no clear winner. Those ending first will deal with the Los Angeles-2028 organization in a country chaired by Donald Trump, risks to sports amid global warming, geopolitical issues, wars, doping, artificial intelligence, etc. Blea responsibility and privilege keep the most coveted brand on the planet alive: the Olympic rings.
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