The International Olympic Committee (IOC) will be presided over by the German Thomas Bach until June 2025, when he will complete the maximum period allowed in this position. The new IOC president will be chosen by 104 of the 111 members (the 7 candidates in the current elections do not vote) that make up the Olympic movement in a vote that will take place in March and whose winner will be elected by simple majority. Now, what is known about the distinguished personalities who hold the future of international Olympic sport in their hands?
Those in charge of electing the new president are the IOC members, who represent the five continents, plus a representative of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), namely the Kenyan based in the USA Mr Yiech Pur Biel. Among the committee members, some have been managers in the sports field throughout their careers, while others have been Olympic athletes, including medalists in international competitions. They are united by their passion and love for sport, and their enthusiasm to continue to evolve it as a driving force for individuals and international society.
WHERE ARE THE CURRENT MEMBERS OF THE IOC FROM?
The 111 IOC members represent more than 80 countries. The geographical distribution is as follows:
– South America: 8 members
– Central America / Caribbean: 6 members
– North America: 5 members
– Africa: 17 members
– Europe: 44 members
– Asia: 20 members
– Oceania: 7 members
– Middle East: 5 members
The countries with the largest representation in the IOC are the United States (organizer of the next Olympic Games, LA2028), the United Kingdom and France, with 4 members each. They are followed by Japan, Sweden, China and Germany, with 3 representatives each. In terms of continents, Europe dominates with 42% of the representation, followed by Asia and Africa, which are close to 19% each. Adding those from the American continent, a similar figure is also obtained.
ORIGIN OF THE PRESIDENTS
The session to elect the new IOC president will be held between 18 and 21 March 2025 in Athens. Let us recall the 7 candidates, who, for obvious reasons, will not be able to participate in the voting (in alphabetical order): Prince Feisal Al Hussein of Jordan, the British Sebastian Coe, the Zimbabwean Kirsty Coventry, the French David Lappartient, the Swedish Johan Eliasch, the Spanish Juan Antonio Samaranch and the Japanese Morinari Watanabe.
Two candidates from Africa, one from Asia and four from Europe. So far, of the nine presidents in the history of the IOC (since 1894), eight have come from Europe (Greece, France, Belgium (twice), Sweden, Ireland, Spain and Germany) and one from North America (USA).
On March 21, we will know more details of who will succeed Germany’s Thomas Bach, who will leave the bar high for any of his predecessor, who will take over definitively in June 2025.
