Latest news with #Lappartient
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
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
Associated Press
21-03-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
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.
Reuters
19-03-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
I am still in the IOC race, says cycling chief Lappartient
PYLOS, Greece, March 19 (Reuters) - David Lappartient, one of seven candidates to head the International Olympic Committee, said on Wednesday the race ahead of Thursday's vote was still too close to call and he expected several rounds of voting for a majority result. Lappartient, who heads the international cycling union (UCI), is up against current IOC vice-president Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr, World Athletics chief Sebastian Coe, multiple Olympic swimming champion Kirsty Coventry, who is Zimbabwe's sports minister, and Prince Feisal Al Hussein of Jordan. International Gymnastics Federation head Morinari Watanabe and Olympic newcomer and multimillionaire Johan Eliasch, who heads the International Ski and Snowboard Federation, complete the list of candidates. While there is no clear front-runner, as was the case in 2013 when then-favourite Bach swept to victory, Coe, Samaranch and Coventry, long seen as Bach's preferred choice, are considered to have an edge over the other candidates. "I will try to convince my colleagues that my candidature is one of the best. I think there's going to be more than three rounds to get the majority needed for presidency," Lappartient told reporters. "I don't think one of the candidates is strong enough to secure a majority (in the early rounds of voting)." From the 100-odd votes that members will cast at the southern Greek seaside resort where the IOC session is held, the winner will need an outright majority. If that is not the case, then the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated and another round of voting is held. "I am still in the race," said Lappartient. "I will use, I would say, my sport, (a) bicycle race. I think that it's riding fast, but I'm still in the first part of the bunch. So I've not been dropped from the bunch. "So I still believe it's possible. But of course, you need... to be humble and to know also that you have solid candidates." The president is elected on an eight-year term with the possibility to stand for a second four-year term.
Reuters
13-03-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Lappartient prepared to tell Trump IOC's autonomy must be respected
PARIS, March 13 (Reuters) - International Olympic Committee presidential candidate David Lappartient is prepared to sit down with Donald Trump in the Oval Office and tell the U.S. president the IOC's autonomy must be respected. The Frenchman is president of the International Cycling Union (UCI) and French Olympic Committee while also being an IOC member and president of the organisation's Esports commission. Lappartient, who is running to replace outgoing IOC chief Thomas Bach, believes his multiple roles are an advantage in next Thursday's vote although his critics have said he is spreading himself too thinly. A political animal who has held multiple local representative mandates, the 51-year-old is no stranger to electoral jousting. In 2017, he beat incumbent and odds-on favourite Brian Cookson to become UCI president, swinging the votes in the final stretch. The IOC job is a huge task, which requires soft power and diplomacy amid a hot debate on the participation of transgender athletes after Trump issued an order to exclude transgender girls and women from female sport. The order has triggered what is likely to be a long, complex clash with global sports authorities as the U.S. counts down to the 2028 LA Olympics. Bach, however, said last week that Trump had been a long-time supporter and promoter of the LA Games, and that the IOC was confident of his continued support. IOC AUTONOMY "So I imagined the new president of the IOC, whoever he is, and I pictured myself in that position in the Oval Office, in a discussion with President Trump, and we have seen that sometimes those discussions don't go according to plan," Lappartient told Reuters in an interview on Thursday. "When a country hosts the Games, it undertakes to respect the Olympic Charter, which sets out a number of principles, including that of autonomy. "The message I would like to pass on (to Trump) is that our autonomy must be respected. But our decisions must not be taken from an ideological angle either." Lappartient shares fellow candidate Sebastian Coe's view that the inclusion of transgender athletes should not prevail over fairness, but he said the decision should be made by the IOC rather than letting the international federations (IFs) rule on the matter as far as the Olympics are concerned. "The idea is that the matter is settled before 2028," he said. Lappartient is one of seven candidates to succeed Bach, four of which are international federation presidents. Although no IF president has ever held the position, Lappartient is confident his versatility could be a deciding factor in the election. SOFT POWER "International Federations can sometimes be powerful and can also generate a certain amount of fear. But I have a second hat, which is that I am also president of the National Olympic Committee," the 51-year-old said. "And all the (IOC) presidents, whether President Bach or President (Jacques) Rogge before him, were president of the German and Belgian NOCs (respectively). "So my case is also that of an NOC president being a candidate. I'm also familiar with this important aspect of Olympism. I'd say that it's an advantage to be president of an NOC and president of an International Federation at the same time." Lappartient, who vows to bring the Olympics to Africa for the first time having handed this year's cycling world championships to Rwanda, also hopes Russian and Belarusian athletes can make a full return to the Games once there is a peace treaty in the war with Ukraine. "A country is not destined to be suspended indefinitely by the IOC. So yes, we will naturally have to raise this issue with the Russian NOC after the peace treaty to see how we can effectively get out of this situation," he explained. Soft power will be key, as always with the IOC, the most influential sporting organisation in the world. "You can't lead a revolution with IOC, it has to be about evolution," Lappartient said. In next Thursday's election in Greece, he will be pitched against IOC vice-president Juan Antonio Samaranch, World Athletics chief Sebastian Coe, multiple Olympic swimming champion Kirsty Coventry, who is Zimbabwe's sports minister, and Prince Feisal Al Hussein of Jordan. International Gymnastics Federation head Morinari Watanabe and Olympic newcomer and multimillionaire Johan Eliasch, who heads the International Ski Federation, complete the list of candidates.
BBC News
05-03-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Cyclists 'felt safe' in Rwanda despite security concerns
Cyclists who took part in the Tour du Rwanda have told the BBC that they "felt safe" despite concerns over security at this year's route for the eight-day event passed close to the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo on two occasions, bringing competitors within 20 kilometres of the cities of Goma and Bukavu, both of which have been captured by the M23 rebel group in the last five led Belgian team Soudal Quick-Step to withdraw before the Tour South Africa national team rider Ryco Schutte told BBC Tigrinya he "wasn't feeling unsafe at any moment."Lotto Development Team's Belgian cyclist Kamiel Eeman added: "I really like Rwanda. I felt safe. I haven't noticed anything." 'No plan B' Rwanda has been accused by the Democratic Republic of Congo and the United Nations of backing the M23 - an alleged alliance that has been consistently denied by both the Rwandan government and by the M23 leadership, least 8,500 people have been killed since fighting escalated in January, according to the Congolese authorities. Hundreds of thousands have also been forced from their homes amid the chaos triggered by the has led to calls for cycling's Road World Championships, due to be held in Rwanda in September, to be moved. Last week, a majority of members of the European Parliament voted to cancel the competition, external "if Rwanda does not change course," although it has no power over the speaking in Kigali ahead of the Tour, David Lappartient, the head of the sport's governing body, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), told Cyclingnews that "there is no plan B", is set to become the first African country to host the championships in its century-long history. It was selected in September 2021 during the UCI's 190th Congress, where Lappartient was re-elected unopposed as president for a second term."I am delighted that we are heading to Kigali," Lappartient added. 'Entirely safe for tourism and business' The Tour du Rwanda has been running since 1988. It began as a local event and gained UCI recognition in year's race had seven stages. Stage three ended in Rubavu, just across the border from Goma, and stage five started in Rusizi, which is next to Amani coach Tsgabu Grmay, who first raced in the Tour du Rwanda in 2010, believes the conflict did not have an impact on this year's edition."Everything is the Tour du Rwanda we've known before," said Grmay."Honestly, for me, it was all safe. I didn't feel anything like I was close to conflict really. I didn't see it. I didn't feel it."In a statement in January, the UCI said that "Rwanda remains entirely safe for tourism and business".Many Rwandans watching the Tour felt the same."I can assure everyone who is coming to Rwanda that it's safe," said Kampire Ovrine, a Rwandan brand ambassador on stage five in Huye."The conflicts out there, they're not going to affect the country."Hakizimana, a Kigali resident, told BBC Tigrinya: "For us, this is just international news. We still have a right to secure our borders and, as you can see, everything is running as usual."According to the Tour's official road book, external, security for this year's race convoy was assured by the Rwanda national police, with 38 officers and a deployment of 15 police motorbikes and four other vehicles. Mussa Kaberuka, a safety road manager for the Tour, said: "In general, security is good. 100 per cent."Rubavu and Rusizi, there are no problems." Sportswashing allegations Rwanda's government has been accused of investing in sport to enhance its global image and mask what one organisation has described as "an abysmal track record" on human rights - a strategy described as 'sportswashing'."Rwanda has major flaws with due process which violate its own internal laws or international standards," Lewis Mudge, the Central Africa director at Human Rights Watch, previously told BBC Sport Africa when discussing Rwanda's bid to host a Formula One grand prix."Increasingly we're seeing the space for freedom of expression, for some degree of political autonomy, is actually shrinking."The Rwandan government dismissed such accusations, with chief tourism officer Irene Murerwa calling them "a distraction" from the "amazing and outstanding achievements the country has made". Final stage cancelled French cyclist Fabien Doubey won this year's Tour du Rwanda after Sunday's final stage in Kigali was cancelled due to bad the race was halted, the leading peloton was just 12.5km from the finish. The seventh and final stage was meant to follow the same route planned for the UCI Road World was declared the winner based on results from the first six cyclist Henok Mulubrhan finished six seconds behind him in the general of the races in September's World Championships will be held in Kigali, which is more than 160km away from Goma and over 250km from Woldeab, a member of the Ethiopian Cycling Federation, thinks the location should allay any fears."We have been hearing there are conflicts around these cities," Woldeab told BBC Tigrinya."But we have seen nothing at all. Everything has been safe, everything has been under control."In the World Championships, Rwanda, I think, is ready for hosting that because it's held in only one city."
