This time, it's finally here: after twelve years at the helm of the International Olympic Committee, Thomas Bach officially hands over the reins to Kirsty Coventry this Monday. The German leaves Lausanne with a sense of accomplishment and the pride of having overseen the historic Games in Paris. The unanimous tributes have been pouring in for several days about his vision and legacy. A look back at two terms that left a lasting mark on the Olympic Movement.
To change or be changed
In his first year in office, Thomas Bach worked on developing Agenda 2020, the strategic roadmap for the future of the Olympic Movement, adopted in December 2014. The watchword: change, or be changed. Sustainable development, gender equality, good governance… The IOC President's vision finally came to fruition at the Paris 2024 Games, whose closing ceremony remains the highlight of his twelve years at the helm of the IOC. "The circle was complete. We adopted the Olympic Agenda in 2014 and there we saw the Games we had imagined. (…) The Games of a new era, the youngest, most urban, most inclusive and most sustainable in history.
« We managed to bring together athletes from 206 territories, including a team of refugees. At that moment, I felt like I had won the gold medal.", confided the Olympian at the beginning of the year. Bringing people together will remain one of the key words of his time at the head of the IOC. When the Republic of Korea hosted the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, President Thomas Bach invited representatives of the Southern and Northern delegations to Geneva so that they could sit down together., recalls Ban Ki-moon, President of the IOC Ethics Commission. They eventually agreed to create a unified team, uniting the two Koreas, and to march together at the opening ceremony, under the flag of the Korean peninsula. "A moment in history, symbolic of the power of the Olympic Movement and the scope that Bach wanted to give it.
An Olympian in the service of Olympians
Among the tributes paid to her, that of Jessica Fox, IOC member and three-time Olympic champion, is particularly significant. Eleven years ago, I had the honor of being among 11 Olympians to travel to Lausanne to participate with you in the consultation process for Olympic Agenda 10. You valued our voice and the diversity of our experiences. It was a defining moment that inspired me to take on athlete representation roles in my sport and in my country. As a competitor in Rio, Tokyo, and Paris, I felt firsthand the transformative impact of the Olympic Agenda 2020 reforms. The Paris Games were remarkable in this regard. I felt the Games were a distinctly successful Games, marked by progress. But even more so, there was a sense everywhere that the Olympic spirit was spreading and thriving. We felt the whole world coming together because of us. "In this sense, the Refugee Olympic Team, which first appeared at Rio 2016, will remain a strong marker of the Bach presidency, which has made it possible to offer more opportunities to athletes.
Despite the challenges posed by the Russian doping scandal, Covid-19 and the war in Ukraine, the president leaves home with certainties. Interest in hosting the Olympic Games has never been higher. This is a clear signal of the success of our reforms. ", he insists, referring to the new process for awarding the Games, based on dialogue, with simplified specifications to reduce costs and make the Games more sustainable. The lights are also green on the economic front since 7,5 billion dollars are assured for the period 2025-2028, and already 6,9 billion for 2029-2032, thanks to broadcasting rights and Olympic partners. He will no longer be at the helm during the first edition of the Olympic Games of eSports, in 2027, but the event, essential for the Olympic Movement in terms of connection with the younger generation, will be another line to his credit. " I look to the future of the Olympic Movement with confidence, he asserts, because I know he is in good hands. "And also because he has been for the past twelve years.
