Current President Thomas Bach is only candidate to run for next term, says IOC

Current President Thomas Bach is only candidate to run for next term, says IOC

WhatsApp Image 2020 03 23 at 03.29.56

IOC president Thomas Bach

The current President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Thomas Bach will stand for a second term unopposed, the IOC said in a statement on Tuesday. Bach has been serving as the President from September 2013 after taking over from Jacques Rogge. As his 8-year term comes to an end soon, his presidency is set to be extended for four more years that will see him overseeing the 2024 Paris Olympic Games as well.

Thomas Bach is an Olympian himself and a gold medalist at that. He won gold for West Germany in the team fencing event at the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games. Bach has been working at the IOC for nearly thirty years and was one of the founders of the Athletes’ Commission.

Bach’s crucial role in organizing the Tokyo Olympics

Thomas Bach

Under the presidency of Thomas Bach, the IOC has faced a plethora of challenges in the political spheres especially during the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics and the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. Bach has also been instrumental in the Russian doping bans despite the fact that his leniency came under criticism.

He has however, received appreciation from various quarters for his work towards organizing the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games amidst the COVID-19 pandemic situation. The postponement of the Games and its rescheduling has meant that the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics will take place just six months after the Summer Games.

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