Seven candidates are vying to succeed Thomas Bach as President of the International Olympic Committee.
The IOC received applications from six men and one woman by the closing date. There are several hurdles in the rules and regulations for one of the favorites.
Seven candidates around Athletics World Federation President Sebastian Coe (67) are entering the race. In addition to the two-time Olympic champion, Prince Feisal bin al-Hussein from Jordan (60), the French cycling world federation boss David Lappartient (51) and Juan Antonio Samaranch junior (64), son of the former IOC President from Spain, are also running. The IOC has announced that Morinari Watanabe (65), President of the International Gymnastics Federation, and FIS President Johan Eliasch (62) have also applied. The only woman on the list is Zimbabwe's Sports Minister Kirsty Coventry (41), who has twice won gold at the Summer Games as a swimmer.
Thomas Bach (70) announced shortly before the end of the Olympic Games in Paris that he did not want to remain at the helm of the IOC beyond the end of his second term of office. The new IOC President will be elected in Athens in mid-March 2025.
Shortly before the announcement of the candidates, the IOC Ethics Commission led by former UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon had reminded everyone of the rules for the presidency. These present several hurdles for the experienced top official Coe. On the one hand, an IOC president must be a member of the ring circle for the entire duration of his term of office. Coe, on the other hand, would retire in 2027 because he has to hand over the presidency of the Athletics Association after twelve years.
In addition, the age limit for IOC members is 70 and can only be extended once for four years. The first term of office for the IOC President is eight years. It is therefore possible that several rules would have to be changed for the 67-year-old in order to allow him to hold the presidency.
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