The Olympics that have never been seen: that’s the idea of Morinari Watanabe. The Japanese, 65 years old, president of the International Gymnastics Federation and candidate together with six others for the presidency of the IOC. In his program, Watanabe proposes a new format for the Summer Olympics: holding them simultaneously in five cities on five continents so as to ensure television broadcasting 24 hours a day. The cities would be decided on the basis of various factors, the first of which is the favorable climate for athletes, and ten disciplines would take place in each of them.
Watanabe: “The current model dates back to when there was no TV and internet”
“The current model is obsolete and dates back to the 18th century, when there was no television and the main means of transport were ships – explained Watanabe –. Now we can enjoy various travel and communication technologies, including the internet.” The seven candidates will present their programs to the members of the IOC on 30 January 2025 in Lausanne. The elections for the presidency of the IOC will take place during the 144th Session which will be held from 18 to 21 March 2025 in Costa Navarino in Greece. Three of the 111 full members of the IOC who will go to the polls are Italian, Ivo Ferriani, Giovanni Malagò and Federica Pellegrini.
Watanabe would be the first Asian president in the history of the IOC
If Watanabe were to succeed Thomas Bach, he would become the first Asian president of the IOC since its founding in 1894. The other candidates are the current vice president of the IOC, Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr. (Spain), the president of World Athletics, Sebastian Coe (Great Britain), the President of the International Cycling Union, David Lappartient (France), the president of the International Ski Federation, John Eliasch (Great Britain), Zimbabwe’s sports minister and former Olympic swimmer Kirsty Coventry and the prince Feisal Al Hussein of Jordan.
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