Latest news with #JuanAntonioSamaranch
Boston Globe
11-05-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Ruth A. Davis, a State Department barrier-breaker, dies at 81
As a college junior on a study-abroad scholarship in France, she had met idealistic people her age from postcolonial Africa who wanted to be leaders in their societies. Initially aspiring to a career in social work, she returned from overseas determined 'to be on the ground in Africa as the nation-building process began,' she told an interviewer with the American Foreign Service Association. 'What better way to do this than as a US diplomat?' Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up She joined the Foreign Service in 1969 and spent the first decade of her career doing consular work - processing visas and looking after American citizens and interests abroad - in Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of Congo), Kenya, Japan, and Italy. Early on, she was showcased in an Ebony magazine article as a Black woman who had broken into the predominantly white diplomatic service. Advertisement As consul general in Barcelona from 1987 to 1991, Ms. Davis helped plan US participation in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and lobby successfully for the 1996 Games in Atlanta. She befriended Juan Antonio Samaranch, the International Olympic Committee president, and found a palace in Barcelona where Atlanta civic and business leaders could entertain Olympic dignitaries and decision-makers in high style. Advertisement 'We decided very early on that it would come down to personal connections,' Andrew Young, who was Atlanta mayor at the time, later told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. 'Everybody knew [Ms. Davis] and liked her, and she moved every day in Barcelona political and business circles.' Her work in Spain was followed by stints as ambassador to the small and newly democratic West African nation of Benin and as principal deputy assistant secretary for consular affairs. From 1997 to 2001, she was the first Black director of the Foreign Service Institute, the State Department's chief language and training school, where she helped create the School of Leadership and Management. By many accounts, including her own, leadership training had not been a consistent focus within the State Department. She helped start the school in 1999, but she said it was not until retired General Colin Powell became secretary of state two years later that management and leadership training - from beginners to more seasoned personnel - became more frequently required, beginning to foster a 'cultural shift in the expectations of the department's workforce.' Ms. Davis was the first Black woman to become director general of the Foreign Service, overseeing personnel issues for the State Department's then approximately 36,000 employees from 2001 to 2003. After Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, she said the calamity underscored the urgency to hire more minorities into the Foreign Service - people who could serve as a powerful rejoinder to America's enemies as they sought to portray the country as weak and troubled. Advertisement 'Foreign policy is not a spectator sport,' she said in 2002 to the civil service organization Blacks in Government. '[That] is a message that is particularly important for minority audiences. Foreign policy is a part of our life as well. By being involved in foreign affairs, we strengthen America.' In addition, she brooked little tolerance for Foreign Service officers who pushed hard for safe and comfortable posts without having served for at least eight years in hardship assignments. Those making requests for London, Paris, and Rome, she said, would automatically get less luxurious postings. Ms. Davis, who received a blizzard of professional honors, was promoted to career ambassador in 2002. She retired in 2009 as senior adviser in the Bureau of African Affairs. In later years, she worked with groups promoting women's economic empowerment and advocating for more minorities in the diplomatic service. 'She was a real trailblazer, but also was widely known as a mentor to so many people,' said Tom Yazdgerdi, a longtime State Department officer who is now American Foreign Service Association president. Ruth Amy Davis, the elder of two sisters, was born in Phoenix on May 28, 1943, and grew up in Atlanta, where her father was a mail carrier and her mother taught elementary school. To the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, she recalled traveling by car with her parents in the South and 'seeing the pain in my father's eyes when we were told we couldn't use the bathroom or when we had problems finding motels at night.' She was a 1966 sociology graduate of Spelman College, the historically Black women's college in Atlanta, and received a master's degree from the University of California Berkeley. She protested on picket lines to start a Black studies program at Berkeley and was involved with community organizing groups in the Bay Area. Advertisement Her sister is her only immediate survivor. In her overseas career, Ms. Davis embraced the beauty of various cultures - becoming an opera aficionado in Italy, for example - and confronted complicated historical legacies. In Benin, she visited the country's port city of Ouidah, which had played a central role in the transatlantic slave trade. Before boarding ships that took them to the Americas, enslaved people were forced to walk in circles around a tree - variously called the Tree of Oblivion and the Tree of No Return - as a symbolic erasure of their connection to family, personal identity, and homeland. 'I also walked around the tree, but I did it in reverse because I wanted to undo the forgetfulness,' she said at the Blacks in Government conference. '[That] was my way of being faithful to the memory of my ancestors who were stripped of everything except their hopes and dreams.'
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
It's election day for the IOC, choosing a new leader in a hard-to-call, 7-candidate contest
COSTA NAVARINO, Greece (AP) — A new president of the IOC will be elected Thursday, just the 10th leader in its 131-year history after one of the most open Olympic elections in decades. The winner will get an eight-year mandate with key issues including steering the Olympics on a smooth path in politics and sports toward the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles and picking a host for the 2036 edition. That could go to India or the Middle East for the first time. Voting by about 100 eligible International Olympic Committee members is scheduled to start at 4 p.m. local time (1400 GMT). The result should be known within 30 minutes. Seven IOC members are on the ballot chasing an absolute majority of votes for victory at a resort hotel near the site of Ancient Olympia. The strongest candidates in a hard-to-call contest seem to be IOC vice president Juan Antonio Samaranch and a pair of two-time Olympic gold medalists, Sebastian Coe and Kirsty Coventry. Also in the race are Prince Feisal al Hussein of Jordan and three presidents of sports governing bodies: Johan Eliasch of skiing, cycling's David Lappartient and Morinari Watanabe of gymnastics. Coventry, the 41-year-old sports minister of Zimbabwe, would be the first woman and the first African to lead the IOC. 'Let's create some change, let's make sure that happens,' she said Wednesday. Coventry has long been seen as the preferred successor of outgoing president Thomas Bach, who formally leaves office on Olympic Day, June 23, having reached the maximum 12 years in office. An emotional Bach was feted Wednesday on the first day of the IOC's annual meeting, getting lavish praise and the title of honorary president for life. He will hand over a financially secure IOC, on track to earn more than $8 billion in revenue through the 2028 LA Olympics, and with a slate of future hosts through 2034: in Italy, the United States, France, Australia and the U.S. again, when the Winter Games return to Salt Lake City. A signature Bach policy also has been gender parity, with equal quotas of men and women athletes at the 2024 Paris Olympics and giving a better balance of female members of the IOC and the executive board he chairs, which now has seven women among its 15 members, including Coventry. The next president can oversee the IOC making a statement choice for its host for the 2036 Summer Games 'There is one and one only,' Samaranch said Wednesday when asked of challenges ahead. 'We must concentrate (on) successful and relevant Olympic Games. The rest comes with success in the games.' If the Spanish financier wins, he will follow his father, also Juan Antonio Samaranch, who was the IOC's seventh president from 1980 to 2001. The voters in the exclusive invited club of IOC members include royal family members, former lawmakers and diplomats, business leaders, sports officials and Olympic athletes. Even an Oscar-winning actress, Michelle Yeoh. They will vote Thursday without hearing further presentations from the candidates in an election that should swing on a discreet network of friendships and alliances largely forged out of sight. ___ AP Olympics at Graham Dunbar, The Associated Press
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
It's election day for the IOC choosing a new Olympics leader in a hard-to-call 7 candidate contest
COSTA NAVARINO, Greece (AP) — A new president of the IOC will be elected Thursday, just the 10th leader in its 131-year history after one of the most open Olympic elections in decades. The winner will get an eight-year mandate with key issues including steering the Olympics on a smooth path in politics and sports toward the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles and picking a host for the 2036 edition. That could go to India or the Middle East for the first time. Voting by about 100 eligible International Olympic Committee members is scheduled to start at 4 p.m. local time (1400 GMT). The result should be known within 30 minutes. Seven IOC members are on the ballot chasing an absolute majority of votes for victory at a resort hotel near the site of Ancient Olympia. The strongest candidates in a hard-to-call contest seem to be IOC vice president Juan Antonio Samaranch and a pair of two-time Olympic gold medalists, Sebastian Coe and Kirsty Coventry. Also in the race are Prince Feisal al Hussein of Jordan and three presidents of sports governing bodies: Johan Eliasch of skiing, cycling's David Lappartient and Morinari Watanabe of gymnastics. Coventry, the 41-year-old sports minister of Zimbabwe, would be the first woman and the first African to lead the IOC. 'Let's create some change, let's make sure that happens,' she said Wednesday. Coventry has long been seen as the preferred successor of outgoing president Thomas Bach, who formally leaves office on Olympic Day, June 23, having reached the maximum 12 years in office. An emotional Bach was feted Wednesday on the first day of the IOC's annual meeting, getting lavish praise and the title of honorary president for life. He will hand over a financially secure IOC, on track to earn more than $8 billion in revenue through the 2028 LA Olympics, and with a slate of future hosts through 2034: in Italy, the United States, France, Australia and the U.S. again, when the Winter Games return to Salt Lake City. The next president can oversee the IOC making a statement choice for its host for the 2036 Summer Games 'There is one and one only,' Samaranch said Wednesday when asked of challenges ahead. 'We must concentrate (on) successful and relevant Olympic Games. The rest comes with success in the games.' If the Spanish financier wins, he will follow his father, also Juan Antonio Samaranch, who was the IOC's seventh president from 1980 to 2001. The voters in the exclusive club of IOC members include royal family members, former lawmakers and diplomats, business leaders, sports officials and Olympic athletes. ___ AP Olympics at
The Independent
20-03-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
It's election day for the IOC choosing a new Olympics leader in a hard-to-call 7 candidate contest
A new president of the IOC will be elected Thursday, just the 10th leader in its 131-year history after one of the most open Olympic elections in decades. The winner will get an eight-year mandate with key issues including steering the Olympics on a smooth path in politics and sports toward the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles and picking a host for the 2036 edition. That could go to India or the Middle East for the first time. Voting by about 100 eligible International Olympic Committee members is scheduled to start at 4 p.m. local time (1400 GMT). The result should be known within 30 minutes. Seven IOC members are on the ballot chasing an absolute majority of votes for victory at a resort hotel near the site of Ancient Olympia. The strongest candidates in a hard-to-call contest seem to be IOC vice president Juan Antonio Samaranch and a pair of two-time Olympic gold medalists, Sebastian Coe and Kirsty Coventry. Also in the race are Prince Feisal al Hussein of Jordan and three presidents of sports governing bodies: Johan Eliasch of skiing, cycling's David Lappartient and Morinari Watanabe of gymnastics. Coventry, the 41-year-old sports minister of Zimbabwe, would be the first woman and the first African to lead the IOC. 'Let's create some change, let's make sure that happens,' she said Wednesday. Coventry has long been seen as the preferred successor of outgoing president Thomas Bach, who formally leaves office on Olympic Day, June 23, having reached the maximum 12 years in office. An emotional Bach was feted Wednesday on the first day of the IOC's annual meeting, getting lavish praise and the title of honorary president for life. He will hand over a financially secure IOC, on track to earn more than $8 billion in revenue through the 2028 LA Olympics, and with a slate of future hosts through 2034: in Italy, the United States, France, Australia and the U.S. again, when the Winter Games return to Salt Lake City. The next president can oversee the IOC making a statement choice for its host for the 2036 Summer Games 'There is one and one only,' Samaranch said Wednesday when asked of challenges ahead. 'We must concentrate (on) successful and relevant Olympic Games. The rest comes with success in the games.' If the Spanish financier wins, he will follow his father, also Juan Antonio Samaranch, who was the IOC's seventh president from 1980 to 2001. The voters in the exclusive club of IOC members include royal family members, former lawmakers and diplomats, business leaders, sports officials and Olympic athletes. ___
Associated Press
20-03-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
It's election day for the IOC choosing a new Olympics leader in a hard-to-call 7 candidate contest
COSTA NAVARINO, Greece (AP) — A new president of the IOC will be elected Thursday, just the 10th leader in its 131-year history after one of the most open Olympic elections in decades. The winner will get an eight-year mandate with key issues including steering the Olympics on a smooth path in politics and sports toward the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles and picking a host for the 2036 edition. That could go to India or the Middle East for the first time. Voting by about 100 eligible International Olympic Committee members is scheduled to start at 4 p.m. local time (1400 GMT). The result should be known within 30 minutes. Seven IOC members are on the ballot chasing an absolute majority of votes for victory at a resort hotel near the site of Ancient Olympia. The strongest candidates in a hard-to-call contest seem to be IOC vice president Juan Antonio Samaranch and a pair of two-time Olympic gold medalists, Sebastian Coe and Kirsty Coventry. Also in the race are Prince Feisal al Hussein of Jordan and three presidents of sports governing bodies: Johan Eliasch of skiing, cycling's David Lappartient and Morinari Watanabe of gymnastics. Coventry, the 41-year-old sports minister of Zimbabwe, would be the first woman and the first African to lead the IOC. 'Let's create some change, let's make sure that happens,' she said Wednesday. Coventry has long been seen as the preferred successor of outgoing president Thomas Bach, who formally leaves office on Olympic Day, June 23, having reached the maximum 12 years in office. An emotional Bach was feted Wednesday on the first day of the IOC's annual meeting, getting lavish praise and the title of honorary president for life. He will hand over a financially secure IOC, on track to earn more than $8 billion in revenue through the 2028 LA Olympics, and with a slate of future hosts through 2034: in Italy, the United States, France, Australia and the U.S. again, when the Winter Games return to Salt Lake City. The next president can oversee the IOC making a statement choice for its host for the 2036 Summer Games 'There is one and one only,' Samaranch said Wednesday when asked of challenges ahead. 'We must concentrate (on) successful and relevant Olympic Games. The rest comes with success in the games.' If the Spanish financier wins, he will follow his father, also Juan Antonio Samaranch, who was the IOC's seventh president from 1980 to 2001. The voters in the exclusive club of IOC members include royal family members, former lawmakers and diplomats, business leaders, sports officials and Olympic athletes.
