Paris. German President Thomas Bach of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced on Saturday that he would not seek a third term in office after 2025, which would have entailed amending the Olympic Charter.
“After careful consideration, I have come to the conclusion that I should not ask for my mandate to be extended” in order to “protect the credibility” of the Olympic movement, the leader said emotionally at the close of the 142nd IOC session in Paris, where the Olympic Games will conclude on Sunday.
The 70-year-old former fencer, Olympic team champion at the 1976 Montreal Games, recalled that he was “one of the promoters” of limiting terms in an institution sometimes shaken by governance scandals.
When he was elected in 2013, the Bavarian hoped to embody the renewal of the Olympic movement – especially with less expensive and more environmentally friendly Games – under the premise of “change or be changed”.
“That mantra applies to me as well,” he said, before being forced to pause for a moment, tears welling up in his eyes.
The IOC will therefore elect his successor during its 143rd edition in Athens from 18 to 21 March 2025, with Thomas Bach remaining as acting president until June.
The debate about a possible third term was opened last October in Bombay (India) during the previous session of the body, when several IOC members asked the German to continue.
Bach kept his response to himself, given the ethics commission’s recommendations to wait until the end of the Paris Games so as not to interfere with the competition.
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– 2024-08-17 19:41:15
