Bach is new IOC President

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP):

Thomas Bach was elected president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) yesterday, keeping the powerful sports body in European hands.

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP):

Thomas Bach was elected president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) yesterday, keeping the powerful sports body in European hands.

Bach, a 59-year-old German lawyer, succeeds Jacques Rogge, the Belgian stepping down after 12 years as head of the Olympic body.

Bach, the long-time favourite, defeated five rival candidates in the secret balloting. He received 49 votes in the second round to secure a winning majority. Richard Carrion of Puerto Rico finished second with 29 votes.

Bach received a standing ovation for nearly a full minute after Rogge opened a sealed envelope to announce his victory. Bach bowed slightly to the delegates to acknowledge the warm response and thanked the members in several different languages.

“This is a really over-whelming sign of trust and confidence,” Bach said.

A former Olympic fencing gold medallist who heads Germany’s national Olympic committee, Bach becomes the ninth president in the 119-year history of the IOC. He is the eighth European to hold the presidency.

Of the IOC’s leaders, all have come from Europe, except for Avery Brundage, the American who lead from 1952-1972.

Bach is also the first gold-medal-winning Olympic athlete to become IOC president. He won gold in team fencing for West Germany in 1976.

“I know of the great responsibility of an IOC president,” Bach said. “This makes me humble. I want to lead the IOC according to my motto, ‘Unity and Diversity’.”

He added: “I want to be a president for all of you. This means I will do my very best to balance well all the different interests of the stakeholders of the Olympic movement. This is why I want to listen to you and to enter in an ongoing dialogue with all of you. You should know that my door, my ears, and my heart are always open for you.”

After awarding the 2020 Olympics to Tokyo and bringing wrestling back into the Games, the IOC completed the last of its three critical votes – choosing the person for the most powerful job in international sports.

Bach has long been viewed as the favourite because of his résumé: former Olympic athlete, long-serving member on the policy-making IOC executive board, chairman of the legal commission, head of anti-doping investigations, and negotiator of European TV rights.

Photo: Thomas Bach (AP)