ANCIENT OLYMPIA: Thomas Bach focused on how peace is the essence of the Olympics but also how fragile it is in a speech on Tuesday at the opening of the final International Olympic Committee session he will preside over after 12 years in power.

The seven candidates vying to succeed the 71-year-old German as IOC president were in the audience gathered in a marquee as the rain poured at Olympia, the birthplace of the Olympics.

Bach’s successor will be elected on Thursday but he will remain till June to ensure a smooth handover, something not accorded to him when he replaced Jacques Rogge in 2013.

“The Olympic Games and the values they represent have endured for millennia,” said Bach. “And yet, the course of human history reminds us of their fragility.”

Bach himself has had a turbulent ride including a Russian doping scandal at the 2014 Sochi Winter Games, Russia’s invasions of Ukraine in 2014 and 2022 and the Covid pandemic.

The latter forced the postponement of the 2020 Tokyo Summer Games to 2021 and affected the 2022 Beijing Winter Games.

Bach, speaking at a ceremony which mixed speeches by Greek dignitaries and entertainment including a rousing rendition of “Zorba The Greek”, said the rain was a good omen.

He said the heavy rain at the Paris 2024 Games opening ceremony was followed by a successful fortnight of competition.

“Nothing can go wrong,” he said drily, referring to the Session.

Bach’s more serious message was about the original Olympic Truce (the ekecheiria), how warring nations laid down arms for just over two weeks and how the concept was revived by Baron Pierre de Coubertin, seen as the creator of the modern Games.

“Then as now, the idea of promoting peace through sport was in stark contrast to the prevailing Zeitgeist,” said Bach. “When we see today how Coubertin went against all the divisive and bellicose trends of his time, we can only admire even more his courage and audacity.”

Bach, who won fencing team gold in the 1976 Montreal Games, had to balance the strong emotions aroused over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine when it came to Russian participation in Paris last year.

Ultimately some were permitted to — if they met certain conditions — but only as neutral athletes.

“The athletes even came together before the opening of the Olympic Games to make a moving call for peace,” he said. “This call for peace included athletes whose countries are presently divided by war and conflict. The athletes showed us how our world would be, if we all were to live in this Olympic spirit of peaceful co-existence.”

Bach made only a fleeting reference to Thursday’s key vote where seven candidates will take a shot at world sport’s most powerful and influential job.

The IOC is the world’s wealthiest multi-sports organisation with revenues of about $7 billion per four-year cycle.

“This is a exactly what this session is about. A sacred pilgrimage to our ancient past,” Bach said. “An homage to our modern origins and to our founder. And a manifestation of our faith in the future, when we will elect a new president.”

The candidates are international cycling chief David Lappartient, 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.

Just over 100 IOC members, including federation chiefs, national Olympic committee presidents, royalty and billionaires among others, will cast their votes on Thursday.

The new president is elected on an eight-year term with the possibility of re-election to a second four-year term for a maximum of 12 years in total.

Published in Dawn, March 19th, 2025