The Next IOC President

[Sir Rols]

Playing coy…

Coventry will not confirm whether or not will stand for IOC President as backs Bach on Russia stance

[krow]

the more i read about her the more i dislike her. so naturally i'm completely expecting her to become the heir apparent unless an even worse candidate emerges. 

[Bear]

what about nicole hoevertsz

[Sir Rols]

Looks like ITG have picked their preferred candidate:

Alan Hubbard: It’s now or never if Coe is to become Lord of the Olympic Rings

And, yes, if you read it, it is a bit of a glowing endorsement. And, yes, I know Coe does polarise a lot of people here (but who in the IOC or world sports doesn’t?), but I’ve long thought he would make an incredibly well-credentialed IOC prez. Has there ever been anybody better experienced - athlete, politician, OCOG chairman, president of the IAAF. And he has made a number of moves on the right side of history - defying Thatcher’s boycott, tough on Russia etc. My only doubt is whether he’s got the support numbers within the IOC - but as a political operator for decades, you could probably assume he’s been working on that - and that he’s a white (well, he does have some Indian in him I believe) western male.

While I can see the gesture value of installing Coventry or Hoevertsz, I think at this stage that’s all they’d bring. Coventry’ s record isn’t great (especially after seeing Krow’s link to her bio) and she seems like a Bach creature. And while Hoevertsz has done co-com duty, I don’t see that she’s had much else in the way of administrative experience (not to mention her softness on Russia). I have strong doubts about them.

And as for JAS Jr? Aiyaiyai! I’m sure he ruthlessly wants the job, but how could they even think of going there? The ultimate Oly nepo baby. What great optics.

[Bear]

5 minutes ago, Sir Rols said:

And while Hoevertsz has done co-com duty, I don’t see that she’s had much else in the way of administrative experience (not to mention her softness on Russia). I have strong doubts about them.

she's also one of the IOC VPs and has been in other IOC committees and groups, doing admin work with PASO, and has been legal advisor and done secretary work with the government of Aruba, it's just that she's been a relatively low profile IOC member (which i suppose could be used against her when Seb Coe has been more public about his work)

[krow]

16 hours ago, Sir Rols said:

Looks like ITG have picked their preferred candidate:

Alan Hubbard: It’s now or never if Coe is to become Lord of the Olympic Rings

And, yes, if you read it, it is a bit of a glowing endorsement. And, yes, I know Coe does polarise a lot of people here (but who in the IOC or world sports doesn’t?), but I’ve long thought he would make an incredibly well-credentialed IOC prez. Has there ever been anybody better experienced - athlete, politician, OCOG chairman, president of the IAAF. And he has made a number of moves on the right side of history - defying Thatcher’s boycott, tough on Russia etc. 

i don't know, isn't sucking up to autocrats a prerequisite of the job?

at least he has a few corruption scandals under his belt, which should help his chances.

if i were an average IOC member, i couldn't bear the thought of voting in anyone less corrupt than i was, and that's an extremely high bar. 

who will preserve the slush fund? and what about the gold-plated trips to norway where you get to tell them to hide all the pepsi in the country?

[Scotguy II]

NZ'ers are tipping Jacinda Ardern to become the next IOC President 

[AustralianFan]

Coe clearly positioning himself as an alternative to a Bach-backed candidate:

“This far out, an IOC membership stacked full of Bach loyalists would seem hard to turn round.”

“But Coe has proven before that he is often at his best when being written off. He was called a choker by critics after losing to Steve Ovett in the 800m at the 1980 Olympics in Moscow only to bounce back and win the 1500m. Four years later, his chances at Los Angeles 1984 were dismissed by the British media only for him to defy them again and win a second consecutive Olympic 1500m title.”

Coe's always defied the critics, so don't write off his chances of becoming IOC President - ITG - 17 Aug 2023

 

[Victorian]

6 hours ago, AustralianFan said:

Coe clearly positioning himself as an alternative to a Bach-backed candidate:

“This far out, an IOC membership stacked full of Bach loyalists would seem hard to turn round.”

“But Coe has proven before that he is often at his best when being written off. He was called a choker by critics after losing to Steve Ovett in the 800m at the 1980 Olympics in Moscow only to bounce back and win the 1500m. Four years later, his chances at Los Angeles 1984 were dismissed by the British media only for him to defy them again and win a second consecutive Olympic 1500m title.”

Coe's always defied the critics, so don't write off his chances of becoming IOC President - ITG - 17 Aug 2023

 

Coe is who i am backing for the IOC Presidency

[AustralianFan]

On 8/19/2023 at 1:28 PM, Victorian said:

Coe is who i am backing for the IOC Presidency

He certainly has “momentum”.

Kirsty Coventry would surely be right up there too.  Coventry vs Coe ?

[Australian Kiwi]

I don't care but I am tired of Europeans projecting their smugness onto the rest of us. 

Hopefully a non-European (including Coe) and a woman.

[Sir Rols]

I think Coe would be a great president and would be my preferred pick. But I don’t see how anybody could talk about “momentum” in what is essentially a political and Byzantine power struggle behind closed doors in Lausanne. If anything, as much as I admire Coe, I think he’s too much an outsider and heretic at the Court of King Bach to have much confidence in him being the successor.

As for Coventry, I don’t see where the love is for her. A failed politician (indeed, an incredibly inept one) who owed her position in Zimbabwe to tokenism, and who’s only qualification for IOC president would be tokenism.

If we’re talking about “momentum” and power in world sport, you probably should look at one of the Gulf sheiks.

[Australian Kiwi]

Maybe a heretic is exactly what the IOC needs right now, there could be a lot of underlying support for him. 

I find Coe can be a bit abrasive but I think he'd be a good IOC president. For one, he won't bore us with meaningless motherhood statements and empty platitudes like Bach does at the Ceremonies. 

[Sir Rols]

Gotta respect that he made the IAAF respectable again after the depths it sunk to under Nebiolo and Diack. And he’s been firm, and on the right side, with the Russia issue. Almost too much integrity to qualify for an IOC prez.

Edited August 21, 2023 by Sir Rols

[TorchbearerSydney]

Would Coe demand to be always introduced as Champion of Athletics blah blah blah!!!

I find Coe hugely unlikeable, and a bit dodgy from his Nike associations and the sad drug-tainted London Games.

[Sir Rols]

48 minutes ago, TorchbearerSydney said:

Would Coe demand to be always introduced as Champion of Athletics blah blah blah!!!

Good question - is it just standard Olympic protocols, or the whim of the prez? Rogge, Samaranch, Killanin, Brundage and co were never medallists, so Bach’s is the only precedent.

Coventry’s intro would be even more convoluted.  

[Australian Kiwi]

On 8/22/2023 at 11:24 AM, TorchbearerSydney said:

Would Coe demand to be always introduced as Champion of Athletics blah blah blah!!!

I find Coe hugely unlikeable, and a bit dodgy from his Nike associations and the sad drug-tainted London Games.

"Sad drug-tainted London Games?"

Odd take on one of the best Olympics to date.

[TorchbearerSydney]

Q: Odd take on one of the best Olympics to date.

 

How can you spin it any other way- although the London Games were a success, they were a SPORTING event where 32 medals had to be reassigned, 14 Golds, because of drug cheating. So nearly 5 percent of the  'winners' spectators watched didn't actually win their event.

This is a huge fact that cant be glossed over.

[cfm Jeremie]

And what does this have to do with Coe or LOCOG for that matter?

[Australian Kiwi]

5 hours ago, TorchbearerSydney said:

Q: Odd take on one of the best Olympics to date.

 

How can you spin it any other way- although the London Games were a success, they were a SPORTING event where 32 medals had to be reassigned, 14 Golds, because of drug cheating. So nearly 5 percent of the  'winners' spectators watched didn't actually win their event.

This is a huge fact that cant be glossed over.

Were there any particular sports or NOCs that were notably caught up in this doping?

There are many stakeholders who carry the burden of this - but London, its Olympics, and its organising committee are not one of them.

It is, and remains in my opinion, one of the best Olympics ever (with Barcelona and Sydney). 

 

[Sir Rols]

It’s fair enough to have a personal antipathy for someone. But sheeting the blame for doping to an OCOG head is a bit odd.

Why Coe, and not Jacques Rogge, head of the IOC that issues the invites, or John Fahey, who was heads of WADA at the time?

Do you think Michael Knight is the culprit behind Marion Jones and the others who got sprung at Sydney 2000? Or Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki for Athens’?

Why is London such a sad, drug-tainted games and not Beijing, with 50 medals stripped? 

Why not argue that if so many dopers got nabbed, it’s a success for the drug testing procedures that were in place?

Edited August 24, 2023 by Sir Rols

[Olympian1010]

On 8/19/2023 at 3:28 AM, Victorian said:

Coe is who i am backing for the IOC Presidency

 

On 8/20/2023 at 9:37 AM, AustralianFan said:

He certainly has “momentum”.

Kirsty Coventry would surely be right up there too.  Coventry vs Coe ?

Speaking personally, Coe and Coventry would be my least favorite candidates. Coventry has only toed Bach’s line, and she rarely stood up to the IOC as an athletes representative. Honestly, I’m not sure I know any of her actual positions on any major issues. 

My personal picks would be Hoevertsz or Neven Illic. Hoevertsz has experience, and has avoided being in the headlines for the wrong reasons (as far as I know). I haven’t heard too many negative opinions about her, but I would like to know a little about where she stands on major issues (ie, what she intends to do with the presidency). Illic I like because he’s instituted many positive reforms at PanamSports. He also seems to be very respected, with little negative press coming to mind (again, doesn’t mean there aren’t any, I just don’t remember any). 

[baron-pierreIV]

What are bookies' picks on this so far?

[Sir Rols]

We NEED a Bond girl as president! Go Michelle!

Oscar-winning actress and former Bond girl joins ITTF and ISU Presidents among candidates proposed as new IOC members

At least the Oscars won’t clash with the WOGs, but can we count on Cannes to keep out of the SOGs way?

[Sir Rols]

Little Miss Token get’s re-appointed…

Kirsty Coventry re-appointed as Sports Minister after disputed elections in Zimbabwe