French Olympic Committee president won't seek new term after losing IOC election
PARIS (AP) — David Lappartient, the head of the French Olympic Committee, won't seek a new term later this year after losing to Kirsty Coventry in the race for president of the International Olympic Committee.
Coventry became the first woman and first African to get the powerful position after beating out six other candidates on Thursday. Lappartient, who presides over cycling's governing body UCI, picked up just four of 97 votes.
He was elected to the helm of the French Olympic committee (CNOSF) in June 2023 and was in charge when Paris successfully hosted the Summer Games and Paralympics last year. Under his tutelage, France was also given the hosting rights for the 2030 Winter Olympics.
Lappartient has been a fast-rising and busy IOC member since joining the international body just three years ago. He already oversaw the preparation of a 12-year deal with Saudi Arabia for creating and staging the new video gaming Esport Olympics. It will debut in 2027.
Lappartient said on Friday in a letter to the directors and presidents of the French Olympic Committee's member federations that he was proud of his achievements, but that he wants to stick to his commitment to a two-year tenure.
Lappartient, who is eligible to seek a third term as UCI president from 2025-29, said it's difficult to combine that role with other responsibilities.
'While it has been possible to combine these commitments over these two years at the cost of a very substantial personal investment, I do not believe that it is desirable, apart from the exceptional circumstances of the last two years," he said.
Lappartient, who has been president of the UCI since 2017, was elected president of France's Olympic Committee as a replacement for Brigitte Henriques after she resigned unexpectedly. The next election will be held in June.
___
AP Olympics at https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Associated Press
3 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Germany picks experienced squad for Euro 2025 but leaves out two critics
RUST, Germany (AP) — Germany has retained 11 players who reached the 2022 Women's European Championship final for Euro 2025. There's no place for two prominent critics of coach Christian Wück. The 23-player squad announced on Thursday is captained by Bayern Munich's Giulia Gwinn, one of the returning players from the team which lost to England in the 2022 final. North Carolina Courage defender Felicitas Rauch and Eintracht Frankfurt forward Nicole Anyomi were in the 2022 squad but aren't this time. Both have previously criticized Wück for what they called a lack of communication around his decision not to pick them for earlier squads. Rauch was among 12 players included in a reserve list on Thursday. The 20-year-old forward Cora Zicai is considered one of Germany's brightest young players after scoring two goals in her three national team games. Germany starts its Euro 2025 campaign in Switzerland on July 4 with a group game against Poland followed by Denmark on July 8 and Sweden on July 12. Since the last Euros, Germany suffered its worst ever World Cup result in 2023 with elimination in the group stage, but rebounded to win the bronze medal at last year's Paris Olympics. ___ AP soccer:
San Francisco Chronicle
7 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
US Open underway with high expectations for Scheffler and a tough test for all
OAKMONT, Pa. (AP) — The first shot of the 125th U.S. Open on Thursday embodied so much of what this championship is about. Matt Vogt, an Indiana dentist who went through 54 holes of qualifying, sent his tee shot soaring into the rough at Oakmont. Vogt, who once caddied at Oakmont before moving on to root canals, managed to use the severe slope of the first fairway for his ball to tumble onto the green for a par. There are high expectations everywhere at the major known as the toughest test in golf — for Scottie Scheffler, the world No. 1; for Bryson DeChambeau, the defending champion; and for everyone to face an Oakmont course reputed to be the toughest in the land. 'Oakmont is relentless,' said John Bodenhamer, the chief championships officer at the USGA who sets up the course. 'There's no let up. It's a grind. That's the U.S. Open.' The USGA is particularly fond of Oakmont, a big reason why the U.S. Open returns to his course for a record 10th time. It has been on the minds of all 156 players — from Scheffler and Masters champion Rory McIlroy to the 15 amateurs, and for the 16 players, like Vogt, who had to make it through 18 holes of local qualifying and then 36 holes. Zac Blair had the first birdie of this championship, holing a putt from nearly 45 feet on the 10th hole after starting his round on the back nine. Alistair Docherty suffered the first of what figures to be plenty of crashes. From just short of the 10th green, it took him two hacks to get it out of the cabbage-like rough, the second chip rolling and rolling some 12 feet by the hole. That's what Oakmont does — thick, gnarly rough and some of the fastest putting surfaces around. The USGA pointed out on the eve of the championship that only 27 of the 1,385 players who have competed in a major championship at Oakmont finished under par. ___
Hamilton Spectator
10 minutes ago
- Hamilton Spectator
US Open underway with high expectations for Scheffler and a tough test for all
OAKMONT, Pa. (AP) — The first shot of the 125th U.S. Open on Thursday embodied so much of what this championship is about. Matt Vogt, an Indiana dentist who went through 54 holes of qualifying, sent his tee shot soaring into the rough at Oakmont. Vogt, who once caddied at Oakmont before moving on to root canals, managed to use the severe slope of the first fairway for his ball to tumble onto the green for a par. There are high expectations everywhere at the major known as the toughest test in golf — for Scottie Scheffler, the world No. 1; for Bryson DeChambeau, the defending champion; and for everyone to face an Oakmont course reputed to be the toughest in the land. 'Oakmont is relentless,' said John Bodenhamer, the chief championships officer at the USGA who sets up the course. 'There's no let up. It's a grind. That's the U.S. Open.' The USGA is particularly fond of Oakmont, a big reason why the U.S. Open returns to his course for a record 10th time. It has been on the minds of all 156 players — from Scheffler and Masters champion Rory McIlroy to the 15 amateurs, and for the 16 players, like Vogt, who had to make it through 18 holes of local qualifying and then 36 holes. Zac Blair had the first birdie of this championship, holing a putt from nearly 45 feet on the 10th hole after starting his round on the back nine. Alistair Docherty suffered the first of what figures to be plenty of crashes. From just short of the 10th green, it took him two hacks to get it out of the cabbage-like rough, the second chip rolling and rolling some 12 feet by the hole. That's what Oakmont does — thick, gnarly rough and some of the fastest putting surfaces around. The USGA pointed out on the eve of the championship that only 27 of the 1,385 players who have competed in a major championship at Oakmont finished under par. ___ AP golf:
