With Thomas Bach, the word favorite has rarely been used so well. The German lawyer, Olympic fencing champion in 1976 in Montreal, is leading the race to succeed Jacques Rogge at the head of the IOC. In the lead even before the campaign opened, he seems to have lost none of his lead, despite the entry into the battle of five other candidates.
Inducted into the IOC in 1991, this veteran of the Olympic movement headed the legal and anti-doping commissions within the institution. He has also participated very actively in recent years in negotiations on television rights. Aged 59, this polyglot (he also speaks English, Spanish and French) currently holds the position of vice-president.
His campaign took him to Berlin in the middle of the week. Thomas Bach met the foreign press there. And adopted, once again, a very presidential attitude. In his remarks, two themes: doping and the Olympic program.
On the first, the German expresses himself with surprising realism. “We must set realistic objectives, such as a control network as tight as possible, to deter any crime, and never lose sight of the ultimate goal which is the protection of clean athletes,” suggested Thomas Bach, specifying that the doping would never completely disappear from the sporting landscape. Each positive case shows that the fight is working and that it is being carried out seriously, but also that we have no right to breathe, because the fear of sanction will never be strong enough to ensure that no one Don't think about taking drugs. »
According to him, efforts must focus on research “to increase the duration during which a substance can be detected. » Thomas Bach also takes a position on the sanctions in the event of a positive test, proposing to increase the suspension from 2 to 4 years from the first offense.
The German candidate also speaks in a very presidential manner when the conversation shifts to the question of the Games program. Without tongue in cheek, he argues that wrestling, in competition with squash and baseball/softball for a place in the 2020 Games, has the best chance of winning on September 10 in Buenos Aires. “I have the impression that the International Wrestling Federation (FILA) heard our message perfectly,” he says. This sport now has a new president, a new program and new ideas. This is why I think the fight has a good chance of surviving the vote in September. »
Cautious, Thomas Bach assured that he was wary of rumors and predictions. He uses his memories as a top athlete to suggest that a victory is never achieved before the end of the competition. But recalls, with a smile, the anecdote of the world fencing championships in 1977, in Buenos Aires, where the election for the presidency of the IOC will be played next month: "In the team event, we were led 7-1 in the final, before coming back to 8-8 and winning by number of touches. »
According to our information, Thomas Bach would have secured a large number of votes among the African members of the International Olympic Committee.
