Life as a candidate for the IOC presidency is not easy. Always between two planes, surfing time zones, switching from English to French like changing shirts. The six applicants, the German Thomas Bach, the Taiwanese Dr. CK Wu, the Singaporean Ng Ser Miang, the Ukrainian Sergei Bubka, the Swiss Denis Oswald and the Puerto Rican Richard Carrion, are announced in Abidjan this weekend. The reason: the Elective General Assembly of the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ACNOA), organized in the Ivorian capital. The first three, Thomas Bach, Dr. CK Wu and Ng Ser Miang, were present, and very visible, from the opening of the debates.
Two months before the election of Jacques Rogge's successor, scheduled for September 10 in Buenos Aires, the event does not lack interest. Certainly, the vote for the next president of ANOCA is seriously lacking in suspense. Lassana Palenfo, the Ivorian general, is the only candidate for re-election. Barring an earthquake, he will therefore inherit a third term. But the presence in Abidjan of representatives of the 53 member countries of the Association largely justifies the trip to Africa.
CK Wu understood this, probably even better than the others. The Taiwanese president of the International Boxing Federation (AIBA) looks after African leaders and makes no secret of his links with the continent. He explained it to FrancsJeux : “This is the seventh time in less than ten years that I have visited Africa and in particular a French-speaking country. The welcome received is always as warm. In the 25 years that I have been a member of the IOC, I have established excellent relationships with my African colleagues, present and past. Africa is a continent that is particularly close to my heart as I believe in its immense potential. The IOC must treat all continents equally and concentrate its efforts on those who need help the most. If I am elected on September 10, I will ensure that Africa is helped by the IOC as much as possible. My program places education at the center of everything and it is a message that touches a continent as young as Africa. Together, we must take the Olympic movement beyond Olympism and make the IOC a unifying body that generates peace in the world. »
Unlike Europe (Oswald, Bach, Bubka), Asia (Dr. CK Wu, Ng Ser Miang) and America (Carrion), Africa is not represented in the election of Jacques Rogge's successor at the head of the IOC. Where will African voices go? They could be quite scattered. But with such a speech, CK Wu could well get a lot.
Photo: Doctor CK Wu, here with the President of the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa, Intendant General Lassana Palenfo, during the ANOCA General Assembly currently being held in Abidjan, Côte d 'Ivory
