The battle for the leadership of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) will end today in Greece, where seven people are vying to replace Thomas Bach as IOC president.
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Feelers from Greece say that today’s election promises to be one of the most uncertain in decades as there are high stakes, high expectations and the future of the Olympic Games on the line for the duration of the exercise.

The candidates for sports top job are current World Athletics president and former Olympic champion, Sebastine Coe, HRH Prince Feisal Al Hussein, Mrs Kirsty Coventry (a Zimbabwean), Johan Eliasch, David Lappartient, Juan Antonio Samaranch, who is son of former IOC president of same name and Morinari Watanabe.

One of the unique features of this election is that it features a peculiar system with rules dating back more than 100 years, which adds another layer of mystery to a process that generally leaves little room for surprises.

The IOC’s voting system bears some similarities to the Roman Catholic Apostolic Church’s papal election process, known as a conclave. Both systems are designed to be highly confidential and secretive, increasing suspense, speculation and behind-the-scenes negotiations in a discreet and closed environment.

Since 1925, with the election of Count Henri de Baillet-Latour (Belgium), who succeeded Pierre de Coubertin after the latter’s death, candidates have gone through a series of successive rounds until one receives an absolute majority (more than half of the total votes) of the IOC members.

This process, which holds behind closed doors and requires members to leave their electronic devices outside, is notoriously opaque.

In each round, the candidate with the least support is eliminated, and in the event of a tie, an intermediate vote decides the future of the candidates. The results of the other candidates are kept secret until the winner is declared, adding an element of uncertainty that could last until the sixth round today. The winner of today’s polls will assume office on June 24, 2025, for an initial term until 2033, with the possibility of re-election.

Analysing the elections in Greece, insidethegames.biz’s Raúl Daffunchio Picazo, an IOC expert, said: “Although presidents typically face little competition for re-election once in office, they must stand for re-election. This means that the winner could continue beyond that date.
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“The IOC has set an age limit of 70 for presidents, with the possibility of extending this by a maximum of four years in exceptional cases. In this respect, Coe is the oldest candidate, which means that if he wins, his term will be shorter. Born on September 29, 1956, he would be 74 in 2030 (using the maximum exception).

Meanwhile, Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr (born November 1, 1959) and Morinari Watanabe (born February 26, 1959), who will be 65 and 66 respectively at the time of the election, can only run for a full term until 2033.

“On the other hand, the only female candidate, Coventry of Zimbabwe, born in 1983, could remain an IOC member until she is 70, which would be in 2053. She could also take advantage of an exception in the rules to extend her term until 2057.

“With these dynamics in mind, this IOC presidential election is shaping up to be one of the most hotly contested and unpredictable in recent times. The voting rules, the national factor, the diversity and number of candidates and the evolving alliances will all play a key role in determining the future leader of Olympic sport.”
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