Emphasis on leadership, sustainability, youth engagement and digitalisation as International Olympic Committee (IOC) presidential candidates present plans for global sports

Zawya

31-01-2025

The seven candidates running to become the next President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) are hoping that with their 15-minute presentations at the Olympic House on Thursday, 30 January, they have been able to convince the IOC membership of their capabilities to lead the biggest sports organisation in the world.
Although they were unable to read the room during the in-camera meeting, especially as their audience was barred from asking questions, the candidates appeared satisfied with their campaign pitches.
BEHIND CLOSED DOORS There will be no other opportunities for presentations before the election scheduled for 20 March in Greece. Speaking to the media after giving their presentations behind closed doors, some of the candidates believe the current election process requires a review.
Prince Feisal Al Hussein of Jordan, who was the first to appear before the press, said: 'If I'm President, I think I would have more flexibility in the rules… We are part of a global sports community and the world has the right to know who is running and what they stand for.'
Below are excerpts from the candidates' interaction with the media at the Château de Vidy, the historical building next to Olympic House, where the presentations took place.
HRH PRINCE FEISAL AL HUSSEIN
PRESENTATION: It was an honor to deliver my speech to my fellow IOC members, where I laid out my vision for the future blueprint of the Olympic Movement centered on consensus leadership. My speech was structured around three strategic imperatives that are in my manifesto; inspiring imagination, ensuring integrity and developing inclusion.
EXPERIENCE DEALING WITH HEADS OF STATE, AN ADVANTAGE?: Absolutely, yes. I think I've learned from the experience of not just learning how to deal with people, but by consensus. At the end of the day, all leaders are human beings, and the ability to find a common ground upon which you can build an understanding is a key benefit from the experience that I've had just being who I am.
DEALING WITH THE IOC'S BIGGEST CHALLENGE: One of the things we have to face and we have to deal with literally focuses on the issue of integrity. When you see the global community, the youth in particular have lost their trust in global institutions, and the IOC is a global institution, so we need to regain both the trust and the sense of relevance with the youth of this world. They are our future movement. And I think this is one of the key areas I would focus on as IOC president.
CONFIDENCE IN WADA DESPITE WITHDRAWAL OF US FUNDING: It's not for me to comment on the policies of the United States. We (the IOC) are an institution that helped establish WADA and I think it has been doing a terrific job in dealing with the issue of doping. We've seen such a large reduction of doping incidents in the Olympic Games, and I think this means that they have been effective, and we will continue to support that.
DEALING WITH BOXING AHEAD OF LA28: I would love to see boxing back on the programme. It is one of the oldest Olympic sports, and I just hope that we can find a global Federation that can take on that responsibility of organising boxing in LA.
RUSSIA'S RETURN TO THE OLYMPIC MOVEMENT: There's nothing I'd like more than to be able to have the whole world at the Olympic Games, I think that's what our objective is. But I also recognise that there are certain limitations and concerns. Right now, to my understanding, the exclusion of Russian athletes is based on a violation of the Olympic Charter. As President of the IOC, my role and responsibility is to uphold the Olympic Charter. And as long as nobody is in violation, then there is no reason for sanctions. And I would very much like to find a mechanism where we can reintroduce Russia. The world is stronger when we are all together. And I think that is what the Olympic Games does.
MR DAVID LAPPARTIENT
PRESENTATION: I hope that I have convinced my colleagues that I can be a real leader for the IOC.
RUSSIA'S RETURN TO THE OLYMPIC MOVEMENT: Russia shouldn't be indefinitely suspended by the IOC. This is a country of sport, so our objective would be to have them come back into the fold. However, there are reasons why the IOC suspended the NOC of Russia… So it is obvious then that these subjects should be dealt with before decisions can be taken.
THE OLYMPIC GAMES IN AFRICA: The IOC is on the five continents. Sport is universal, and African athletes are exceptional, but Africa has until today, never hosted the Olympic Games, they of course, are going to have the Youth Olympic Games. I suggest that the Olympics should take place in Africa, not fixing a specific date. But the idea is, nonetheless, that during this coming mandate or two mandates, we would like Africa to host the Olympic Games, because Africa deserves the Olympic Games.
BIGGEST CHALLENGE: One of the challenges will be the instability of the world. It's becoming more and more difficult, and sure we'll have some crises to face in the future. This is why we need to source strong leadership. Climate change is also an issue. We also saw what happened in the winter time in Los Angeles, and it's also the result of climate change. Another key challenge will be digitalization. The world is completely changing, disrupting. But what I also tried to explain this morning is how we can turn all these challenges into opportunities. We have opportunities to bring the world together. This is what we want. This is our vision. This is the ideal of the Olympic movement. We can also properly address the issue of climate change. This is what Paris has done. We also have the potential Olympic Esports Games, that's also a way to interact with the younger generation. We can also reach a wider audience with digitalization.
MR JOHAN ELIASCH
TRACK RECORD: In a world of division and disruption, we need hope more than ever before. I'm standing because I believe that I have a proven track record and experience to deliver. I have successfully run large international corporations, led important commercial and political negotiations across business, sport, media and entertainment, foreign affairs, technology, and a lot of areas. I've been very active in climate action, preserving millions of acres of rainforest. In the last four years, I've led the transformation of the International Ski and Snowboard Federation. We oversee more than half of the medal events in the Olympic Winter Games. So I think that's a perfect and perfect trip for the presidency. I know what it takes to lead and drive change. This is not a popularity contest.
RUSSIA'S RETURN TO THE OLYMPIC MOVEMENT: The individual, neutral athletes programme works very well. And I think it's very important, because no athlete can choose where they were born. And the athletes must never be weaponized for political purposes. So I believe in this programme, and that we should make sure that also for Milano-Cortina, this is something that all the winter federations will adopt.
WHAT NEEDS TO CHANGE: Of course, we have to put the athletes front and centre. And we need to make sure that they have the best experience before, during, and after the Games. We have a very fast-changing landscape when it comes to digital, and we have to stay ahead of the curve here. We have a responsibility and a very strong voice when it comes to sustainability and this is an area which is very close to my heart, so this will certainly be at the forefront of my agenda. We also need to make sure that we uphold the magic of the Olympic Games. There is a lot of competition from other events and other sports and we need to make sure that we're the best.
ENGAGING SPONSORS: Well, sponsorship is much more than just sticking your name to something. It's about partnership. And this area is also changing very fast. Activations, people expect more here. We need to make sure that we deliver, that these partnerships are value-added for our sponsors. We have an incredible brand. But in today's day and age, we also have to make sure that these partnerships are as attractive as possible.
BALANCING FUTURE OLYMPICS IN AFRICA, INDIA OR THE MIDDLE EAST WITH SUSTAINABILITY COMMITMENTS: Here, for instance, the proposed rotation scheme of the Winter Olympics is very important. We have infrastructure in place to deliver the events. We need to make sure that we find solutions with the IFs to make sure that the capacity of investment is kept up. So we don't have to retrace what already exists in places where it's not going to go. Now, with the Middle East, with Africa, with India, it is essential that we are very strong and committed to no carbon impact on anything that we do.
MR JUAN ANTONIO SAMARANCH
THE IOC: I understand our organization as two different parts. On one hand, we are an extraordinarily big, large and efficient NGO - we distribute most of the money we generate in our business through the International Federation, National Olympic Committees and the organizing committees to the base of the world's sports pyramid. So this is an NGO. Second, we need a powerful business machine to generate the necessary revenues to feed the NGO. So I have thrown my hat in the ring because I have significant experience on both sides. I've more than 25 years of experience in critical roles throughout the Olympic movement, and I've more than 25 years of experience in critical roles with my own company in the finance industry.
EMPOWERING IOC MEMBERS We must empower the members and ensure governance led by members and not by a selected few.
CHANGES In the 12 years of President Bach, we had to deal with so many complications and so many threats and managed to get the organization to move and evolve at a rapid pace. But that rapid pace of change that we implemented is no way near what is coming. I think we have a very important base, a very solid base, from the past, but the recipes of yesterday will not make it in the future.
LEGACY OF HIS FATHER, HELP OR HINDRANCE: My father left office 25 years ago and, as his son, I appreciate his legacy very much. His example is always with me, but the recipes of today have nothing to do with a presidency that ended years ago. Bear in mind, he joined the Olympic Movement more than 60 years ago.
PRESENTATION: I felt very good in the room, because I have something interesting to say, something I am passionate about. And I was so happy to have the opportunity to share that with my fellow members. So, it's for them to decide. But my presentation is clear. I have a very clear programme. My manifesto is very much action-based and it leaves very little room for future surprises.
BIDDING PROCESS FOR OLYMPIC GAMES HOSTS: I think that we need to produce not a more traditional, but a better, new model that is more aligned to the current times, that would include a final decision in a significant participation of all IOC members.
MEDIA: I told my fellow IOC members this, 'let's refocus our relationship with the media. They are not our enemies. They are our allies.' You (the media) shape the opinion of the world on the Olympic Games. This I intend, if I become IOC President, to maintain and you can hold me accountable for that if I am there.
MRS KIRSTY COVENTRY
THE OLYMPIC DREAM: My journey started as a nine-year-old girl watching the 92 Barcelona Olympic Games and just setting myself a dream and then finally realizing that dream in Athens getting to stand on the podium and win my first Olympic medal. In Athens, I won three medals and finally in my last event got to win the gold even though Zimbabwe was in a difficult situation. But when I got home to Zimbabwe, it was a time of three or four days of peace, so I really got to see the power of sport.
TODAY'S NINE-YEAR-OLD: The nine-year-olds in today's world are not watching a television screen, they're holding a phone and that phone is going to be their starting point to connect with us through online streaming platforms, and it's going to be our chance to engage with them and ensure that we're inspiring them, and to take it even further, we're going to be developing and promoting applications that are going to allow them to train anywhere and everywhere in the world. And this is the world that we live in today, and let's embrace it and walk that road together.
SUPPORTING AFRICAN ATHLETES: We need to find more ways of directly impacting and getting revenue to athletes before they become Olympians. That is generally the toughest thing most athletes find. From my own journey it was easy to get sponsorship once I'd won a medal. But getting to that medal was tough.
BACKING FROM BACH?: I have known President Bach since I came into the IOC, and I think being a fellow athlete, we share a lot of commonalities, a lot of common ideas and philosophies. But in this race, he's the President. He has a vote, but he doesn't vote, he chooses not to vote, and I do very firmly believe that he is being very fair to all candidates.
BEING A MOTHER OF A SIX-MONTH OLD AND A CAREER WOMAN: First and foremost, I want to be the best candidate to win, not just because of my gender or from where I come from. And I believe I've got a lot of expertise to bring to this role, to leading the organisation.
IT TAKES A VILLAGE TO RAISE A CHILD: When I was stepping into my ministerial role seven years ago, I was pregnant with my first baby girl and had to quickly learn how to navigate and be a woman with a career as well as a mom and a wife and everything else. And it can be done. I'm very lucky to come from Africa because culturally we know and we firmly believe that it takes a village to raise a child.
PROTECTING WOMEN ATHLETES: As a female athlete, you want to be able to walk onto a level playing field always. It's our job as the IOC to ensure that we are going to create that environment, and that we are going to not just create a level playing field, but we're going to create an environment that allows for every athlete to feel safe. Along the road. We're going to learn lessons, and we're going to get stronger and we're going to make better rules and regulations.
LORD SEBASTIAN COE
PRESENTATION: I enjoyed this morning's process. I hope I was able to communicate my love for the movement. It's something that I genuinely feel I've been training for for the best part of my life, or at least since the age of 11, when my father bought me my first pair of running shoes. I hope I was able to convey that, but I'm also hoping that I was able to convey the core pillars of my manifesto, my commitments and my pledges.
SUSTAINING IOC REVENUE: The world has changed and we do have to change with it - I've been in the sports marketing world for 30 years. Primarily we do need to adopt an audience first approach, which is in essence, to give them what they want, when they want it, and where they want it. Above all, for National Olympic Committees of all shapes and sizes, of some of the smaller International Federations, to enjoy that with a barrier-free physical and digital experience.
BIGGEST CHALLENGE FOR THE IOC: The biggest challenge faced by the International Olympic Committee is no different, and it is not unique from any National Olympic Committee, any sporting organization, any club, private or public. It is how do you continue to excite and engage with young people, and how do you utilize, optimize fully the use of cutting edge technology? And we talk a lot about technology, we actually run the risk of sounding a little bit analog, because I don't think there's anyone in this room that hasn't recognized that the organizations they work in, they deliver services in, have gone through that digital transformation. But I do think that engaging, exciting and challenging tomorrow's generation is going to be critical, because it's that cohort that is ultimately going to be your future sponsors, your future thought leaders, your future governments, your future politicians. And we need to create amongst that group of people a lifelong bond for sport. So even if they don't remain in sport as coaches, administrators, communicators, we at least have the opportunity for them to assume leadership roles wherever they are, and really fundamentally understand the nature of sport, and it is only that way that we will raise sport to the top of government agendas. Engaging with young people is the key to unlocking so many of the other interdependencies.
ELECTION RULES: I've been in politics for a long time. I've found it a fairly unproductive process to pick a fight with the returning officer in the process. The rules are the same for everybody. I do think we need to review them, and I'm sure that whoever succeeds in March will want to look at that amongst other things too.
MR MORINARI WATANABE
OLYMPIC GAMES IN FIVE CONTINENTS: I propose to stage the Olympic Games in five cities on five continents at the same time. It would allow the IOC to offer the best possible conditions for each sport, to reduce the financial burden on host cities, to offer greater potential for broadcast and commercial opportunities, sustainability with reduction of travel, and alleviate other hosting problems like governmental restrictions and war.
POTENTIAL OF SPORT: Paris 2024 was a historic success, thanks to all the athletes, thanks to the leadership of President Thomas Bach and thanks to the excellent work of the Paris Organizing Committee. However, I believe that we should not be satisfied and that we must build on the success of these Games. Because, in contrast to the spectacular Olympic Games, the situation of the NOCs is far from strong. As FIG President, I have visited 162 countries. I have seen with my own eyes the situation of our sport in each country. As a result I saw the reality. Economically, these countries are not wealthy. In many countries, their relations with the government are not good. The presence of sport in each country is not high enough. I used to be a gymnast myself. That's why I believe sport has even greater potential. To unleash that potential I propose that the Games be held on all five continents at the same time.
WORLD SPORTS ORGANISATION: I also envision upgrading the IOC into a World Sports Organization, like the World Health Organization. If the IOC continues and expands its activities, it would remain independent of politics and uphold the barriers of democracy, transparency, and gender equality. As a World Sports Organization we must contribute to society. We must make a new business for sports. My vision is not focused on only the Olympic Games. We must see a wider view for sports. Sports can contribute to society. I believe the 21st century industrial revolution will be driven by sports and healthcare. So, which organization is best placed to lead this transformation globally? It is the IOC.
BICAMERALISM: I am proposing a two-chamber system; a House and a Senate because many IOC members have very good ideas, even non-IOC members. We must take these ideas and listen to these opinions to develop sports. We have to be open. There are many professionals, athletes, royalty, politicians, lawyers, bankers, and many others. If we work together, we can do anything. Let's open the door to a new era.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of International Sports Press Association (AIPS).