The vote was expected to be without surprise. It turned into a plebiscite. Robin Mitchell (photo above) was elected on Thursday 20 October in Seoul, on the second day of the General Assembly, as President of the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC). The Fijian leader, who had been acting since 2018 and the forced withdrawal of Sheikh Ahmad al-Fahad al-Sabah, was the only candidate for the top job. He received 97.25% of the votes cast. Robin Mitchell, 76, will preside over ANOC for a four-year term until 2026. Also the only candidate in the running, Qatari Joaan bin Hamad Al-Thani, only 36 years old, was elected for a four-year term as First Vice-President of the Olympic organization. The President of the Qatar National Olympic Committee, he received a slightly lower score of 93.79% of the vote. Prior to the vote, several delegates at the Seoul EXCO requested that electronic voting not be used, as the two candidates had no competition. But their request was ignored, even though the result was known in advance.
