Hula Sport Communications
2, Feb
2025
Two Should Go in Race for IOC President

By Ed Hula

The race to become the next president of the International Olympic Committee remains a muddled field of seven following a critical test of electability.  After presentations just days ago to about 100 of their fellow IOC members and a small press contingent, it seems clear that at least two candidates may be better served by dropping out.

Thomas Bach will leave the IOC presidency in June.

The January 30 meeting at Olympic House in Lausanne was the only chance for the candidates to present their plans to assembled IOC members. In March they will gather again in Greece to vote on a successor to Thomas Bach. The race began in September and has drawn a record number of candidates.

Tightly regulated with rules prohibiting endorsements, deal-making and nearly any kind of promotion, the campaign is the first for an IOC chief in 12 years.  

Prince Feisal Al Hussein of Jordan, David Lappartient of France, Johan Eliasch of the U.K., Juan Antonio Samaranch of Spain, Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe, Sebastian Coe of the U.K. and Morinari Watanabe of Japan are the candidates who face the challenge of seeking support from their IOC colleagues given the strict rules of the campaign.

The presentations were held behind closed doors, limited to 15 minutes of PowerPoint delivery. No questions allowed.

About 30 members of the press were accredited for the Lausanne event.

Question time Thursday fell to the 30 members of the media accredited for the meeting. Each candidate had 10 minutes, in the same protocol order drawn last year in the early stage of this path to the presidency.

Given the weight of issues facing the IOC and its next president, 10 minutes with the media and 15 with the IOC members seems stingy. Indeed, by the time Watanabe ended the series of press briefings there were the proverbial more questions than answers.  Doubtless IOC members may have felt the same way.

More needed to be said about the IOC split with Russia, the changing world of Olympic telecasting, the need to bring youth to the Olympics, the integrity of women’s sport, making sure all is right with Olympic Games on the horizon – and that’s just the beginning of a long list of challenges facing both the next IOC president and journalists who follow the Olympics to report.

Some conclusions can be drawn from this week’s presentations: at least two of the candidates should drop out.

Johan Eliasch and Morinari Watanabe are both accomplished individuals but unlikely to win more than a handful of votes on March 20.  

Johan Iliasch was born in Sweden and lives in the UK.

Eliasch is a successful business person and president of FIS, the international federation for ski and snowboard. In his manifesto and comments to the press he clearly understands the need for the IOC to “get ahead of the curve” of challenges it faces.

With just seven months on the IOC, he is known to only a few members and seems unlikely to pickup many votes. Regardless, Eliasch is earnest about the need for IOC change and has the business acumen to be of great value in the years ahead as a member.

Gymnastics Federation chief and IOC member in Japan Morinari Watanabe.

Watanabe, the head of FIG, the international gymnastics federation, has built his campaign on a radical reinvention of the Olympics that would spread events across five continents at the same time. He would push for a reorganized IOC with upper and lower houses of governance. Neither notion has any support among IOC members. Watanabe could be subject to some embarrassment depending on how many ballots he secures.

These hypothetical departures from the race probably won’t move large blocks of votes. But it will turn the focus on the five remaining contenders:  Feisal, Lappartient, Coventry, Samaranch and Coe.

While Eliasch told reporters “this is not a popularity contest”, IOC members are likely to consider the personalities of each of the candidates.  Along with their know-how and plans of action, the candidates may also be measured by the gravitas and charisma they will bring to the job.

Given the outsized role of the IOC president as the voice of the organization worldwide, it’s worth considering. Meeting heads of state, opening and closing Olympic Games, charming Olympic sponsors and rights-holding broadcasters as well as connecting with Olympic athletes are all requirements of the 21st Century IOC president.

Prince Feisal of Jordan joined the IOC in 2010.

Feisal has low-key style and may be overlooked for better-known rivals as a result. But his bearing and grooming as a member of the Jordanian Royal family has certainly imbued him with the gravitas needed for the IOC president. He has become an IOC expert on refugees and boosting women’s sport.

David Lappartient at the media briefing.

Lappartient is a fast rising IOC member. He’s president of both the French Olympic Committee and the international cycling federation. In the press briefing he came across as earnest and affable; he was the only candidate to speak in French and English. If he is not successful, Lappartient, 52,  could run again when the presidency next reopens without complications over the age 70 retirement rule, something all the candidates say should be open to change.

Juan Antonio Samaranch said the IOC should regard media as an ally not an enemy.

After 25 years on the IOC, Samaranch should have the deepest storehouse of knowledge among his rivals. While he may not be the most charismatic of the bunch, he clearly has developed a sense of gravitas from his work on the IOC and perhaps observing his namesake. He had plenty of time to observe: Samaranch was 21 when his father began his 21 year tenure as IOC president.

Kirsty Coventry won two gold medals in swimming for Zimbabwe.

Coventry came across in the press briefing as someone who will be a strong bridge between the IOC and athletes. In her 12 years on the IOC she has tackled increasing responsibilities that give her a high profile, whether speaking to the U.N. or overseeing preparations for the 2032 Olympics in Brisbane.

Sebastian Coe speaking to the press in Lausanne.

Coe is clearly the member with star power among the field of candidates. Olympic champion, head of the London Olympics, and now president of World Athletics, coat has lived his life in the spotlight.  He sounded at ease and confident in his meeting with the media, just the latest of countless press conferences he’s seen in 45 years in sport.

The IOC Session in Lausanne Jan.30.

The seven candidates joined their colleagues for lunch and the conclusion of their one day session Lausanne last week. The only piece of business was to award the 2029 Winter Youth Olympics to the Italian Alps. It was the only choice. Things will be much more complicated on March 20 as IOC members face an array of choices that will shape the next generation of Olympic Games.

Ed Hula has covered three IOC presidential elections across 25 years on the Olympics beat.