“I know the job.” Juan Antonio Samaranch’s strong conviction to accelerate changes in the IOC
Víctor García
February 4, 2025

Regardless of the content of his words, if there is one thing that stood out in the presentation of Juan Antonio Samaranch (Barcelona, Spain; 1959) last week at the 143rd IOC session, it was his conviction, determination and responsibility in them, first and foremost in response to the unfortunate news of the terrible plane crash that had just taken place in the United States. In a way, as a member of the IOC, he represented the entire Olympic family in expressing that feeling of sadness and was a clear example of what kind of leadership and charisma he would have if he is elected as the new president of the International Olympic Committee in March.

In addition to that memory, before taking questions from the press, Samaranch wanted to contextualize that he has been surfing global economic challenges for more than two decades, with his company present in three continents, and that as an NGO, the IOC has the mission to raise funds to be able to distribute it to NOCs and International Federations so that this money reaches the base of sport correctly, not just the top of the pyramid. In fact, the first question he answered was about this “universality” that currently exists and which he himself defends without room for doubt so that the IOC can be approached in a different way.

EMPOWERMENT OF IOC MEMBERS

Related to this “universality”, one point he wanted to make clear is the horizontality with which he sees the future of the IOC. There can be no more global view than that of listening to all IOC members equally in order to make decisions. And, if he is elected president, they will all see how the processes to evolve the IOC will be accelerated. “We have a good foundation, but yesterday’s recipes are no longer valid in the face of new challenges” and he urges to take ‘greater speed’ in progress in order to continue to lead the sport globally. “It is our obligation,” he said.

Speaking of “recipes from the past”, when asked if his surname can help him or weigh him down, he brilliantly solved the answer by praising his father as a “personal reference” that he has had since he was a child, but -again- contextualizing that the world he left 25 years ago has nothing to do with the current one and that beyond inspiring changes, nothing in particular of what he did could be taken to the current situation. Although his father is remembered as one of the best presidents in the history of the IOC, he prefers to part ways professionally, remembering him more as an inspirational father figure. His family sensibility blends perfectly with reality, his purpose and reading of an important moment in the history of the International Olympic Committee. There is no room to mix anything up.

Forceful and firm, he also expressed his opinion that what makes an Olympic Games “so special” every four years is that it captures the attention even of people who do not normally follow sports. Therefore, contrary to the vision of another candidate, Morinari Watanabe, for example, he considers it essential to preserve the unique and unequalled essence of the Olympic Games compared to the world championships of the different international federations – whether Olympic or non-Olympic sports.

EXPERIENCE AND SUCCESS IN HIS GLOBAL BUSINESS

“I have been inside the International Olympic Committee for more than 25 years, I have been in the organization of events since then, even in times like the pandemic; I know well all the administration of the IOC. I know this job and I know well how to solve problems and the challenges of the future. Experience is one of my qualities in this complex position. And I also have my day-to-day in my global [financial, banking] business, so I also have the critical view of how the real world works,” was his final plea, which in itself explicitly sums up how prepared he is to be IOC president if elected.

For those who were seeing Juan Antonio Samaranch for the first time, the appearance of this candidate is that of a person with a clear global vision, aware of where the IOC is fed for its proper functioning and fluent in interpreting specific situations – such as the accident – that leave the IOC in good stead. All this in a wrapper of security, confidence in the work, solvency for how he has played his role in the last three decades both inside and outside the IOC and a “passion” and “knowledge” about the position he is running for that makes him special over many of his rivals.

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