There are seven of them. One woman and six men. Four Europeans, two Asians and one African. Seven candidates selected by the IOC Ethics Commission to enter the race to succeed Thomas Bach at the head of the Olympic body.
Applicants had until Sunday, September 15 to submit their candidacy. On Monday, Lausanne revealed the casting in a brief press release, sent at lunchtime. The election is to be held during the 143rd session, from March 18 to 21, 2025 in Greece, for taking up the position a few weeks later, at the end of June.
Seven candidates, then. Six of them were expected, even if most of them had not really expressed their ambition, at least publicly. Their names were regularly cited, in the media or within the Olympic movement. In alphabetical order: the Jordanian Feisal al Hussein, the Briton Sebastian Coe, the Zimbabwean Kirsty Coventry, the Frenchman David Lappartient, the Spaniard Juan Antonio Samaranch, the Japanese Morinari Watanabe.
The seventh in the race surprised everyone, including the best informed: Johan Eliasch, the president of the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS). A billionaire with dual British and Swedish nationality, he was for a long time president of the Head group.
With such a group, trying to designate a favorite is for the moment a purely journalistic exercise. The campaign is only just beginning. It will be short until the election, only six months almost to the day, with a step announced as decisive: a major oral presentation of all the candidates in front of the members of the IOC, planned for the end of January in Lausanne.
No real favourite, then. But no candidate already beaten in advance, even if Johan Eliasch's odds are undoubtedly the highest, the FIS president being the least senior in the house, since he became a member of the IOC during the last session, at the end of July in Paris.
First in alphabetical order: Feisal al Hussein. The Jordanian prince ticks a lot of boxes. He is an individual member, having joined the IOC in 2010. He sits on the Executive Board. The body specifies this in its candidate profile: aged 61, he "may be re-elected as an IOC member until he reaches the age limit of 70 in 2033.» Discreet but powerful, wealthy and well-surrounded, he aims to become the first president from the Asian continent.
Sebastian Coe, the most high-profile of the lot, has never made a secret of his ambitions. His candidacy was expected. It surprised no one. But it faces two obstacles. The first is his status: he is a member of the IOC in his capacity as president of World Athletics. A presidency that he will abandon in 2027, at the end of his third and final term. Annoying but not insurmountable, the Briton could be proposed for a change of status and become an individual member. The other obstacle is more problematic: Seb Coe is 66 years old. He will reach the age limit of 70 in 2026, just one year after a possible election for eight years as president of the IOC. Another concern: his decision to award bonuses to the Olympic champions of the Paris 2024 Games has drawn criticism from part of the movement, including the presidents of the international federations.
Kirsty Coventry, the only woman in the race, does not have to worry about these rules of the Olympic Charter. The former swimmer just turned 41 years old. She joined the IOC in 2013 as part of the Athletes' Commission, and was extended eight years later as an individual member. She is said to have the support of Thomas Bach. Enough to win? Not sure.
A surprise guest, Johan Eliasch seems destined to play a minor role in the campaign. Too young in the house, he is contested in his own family, the FIS, for his positions on the calendar and marketing rights. Born in 1962, he will have reached the age limit of 70 in 2032, before the end of a possible first eight-year term at the head of the IOC.
David Lappartient was an expected candidate. But the Frenchman, already president of the UCI and the CNOSF, gave himself until the last moment to make up his mind. Last Tuesday, he informed the members of the board of directors of the French Olympic Committee that he had to meet Thomas Bach and then make his decision by Thursday, September 12 at the latest. It seems that his meeting with the German has removed his last doubts. David Lappartient announced his candidacy for the board of directors of the CNOSF in a letter dated September 16, including FrancsJeuxgot a copy. "Throughout my career, my passion and constant commitment to sport and the Olympic movement have always guided me with the firm desire to act to carry out the projects in which I believe, he wrote. Today, this candidacy represents an important opportunity to continue serving these causes that are dear to me.”
An individual member who joined the IOC in 2001, Juan Antonio Samaranch is probably the most influential candidate within the Olympic movement. As vice-president of the body, he knows exactly how to pull the right strings. His network is solid. But it is not certain that the members of the body want to see a second Samaranch take up residence in the presidential office.
Finally, Morinari Watanabe also aims to become the first Asian to preside over the IOC. His age – 65 – would not allow him to extend an initial eight-year term with a second four-year lease. President of the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG), the Japanese has gained influence in recent years. But his nationality is not necessarily an advantage at a time when Japanese companies – Toyota and Panasonic – are leaving the IOC.
