There will be a new International Olympic Committee president at the helm by the time the next Olympics take place in Sochi, Russia in February. Jacques Rogge will step down and into retirement after 12 years as head of the organization. There have been nine presidents since the IOC was founded in 1894. With just one exception — Avery Brundage of the United States, from 1952 to 1972 — the previous IOC presidents have all hailed from Europe. There are six candidates in the running to succeed the Belgian Rogge. The candidates will unveil their programs over a two-day session beginning July 3 in Switzerland. The election will be held Sept. 10 in Buenos Aires
Sergei Bubka
Age: 49
Country: Ukraine
Resumé: Six-time pole vault world champion, 1988 gold medalist, world record holder several times over … IOC’s top representative to athletes … Youngest of the candidates … IOC member since 2008 … Has served on policy making executive board of IOC … Vice president of the International Association of Athletics Federations since 2007 … Wants to engage with young people and fight doping, irregular betting, match-fixing and youth obesity.
Thomas Bach
Age: 59
Country: Germany
Slogan: Unity in Diversity
Resumé: IOC vice president, has been considered the front-runner by some Olympic observers … Won gold as part of Germany’s fencing team, in the foil at the 1976 Montreal Olympics … Formerly the director of promotion for Adidas … Joined IOC in 1991 … Chairman of the IOC juridical commission, leading most of the investigations into doping cases … Has chaired evaluation commissions for cities bidding for Summer and Winter Games and led European television rights negotiations … Leads the German Olympic Sports Confederation, DOSB … Has hinted that bidding process is too inflexible, unnecessarily eliminating potential hosts … Envisions an Olympic television network to sustain interest levels between Games
Ricardo Carrion
Age: 60
Country: Puerto Rico
Resumé: CEO of Popular, Inc., his country’s biggest bank … On board of directors of Verizon and a director of Federal Reserve Bank of New York … IOC member since 1990 … Chair of IOC finance commission since 2002, audit commission since 2006 … Spearheaded multi-billion dollar television rights deals … Proposes raising the age limit for IOC members, which is currently 70 … IOC executive board between 2004-2012 … Serves on coordination commission for the 2016 Rio Games … Proposes “insourcing” or bringing more functions directly under IOC control … Recommends putting permanent IOC management teams in place in host cities.
Ng Ser Miang
Age: 64
Country: Singapore
Resumé: Competed in sailing … Executive in the transportation industry and IOC member since 1998 … IOC vice president since 2009 … Executive board member since 2005 … Former VP of the international sailing federation … Spearheaded inaugural Youth Olympics in Singapore in 2010 … Has been Singapore ambassador to Hungary and Norway … Wants IOC to review the size and cost of the Olympics … Wants to strengthen the Youth Olympic program.
Denis Oswald
Age: 66
Country: Switzerland
Slogan: My 5 Rings
Resumé: Olympic rower in 1968, 1972 and 1976, won bronze in rowing at Mexico City in ’68 … Profession: Lawyer … President of FISA, the international rowing federation, since 1989 … IOC member since 1991 … Served on IOC executive board? … Chairman of the co-ordination commission for 2004 Athens Olympics and 2012 London Games … Has served as an arbitrator for the Court of Arbitration for Sport … Also mulled a run for World Anti-Doping Agency presidency in November, but chose IOC bid … Says current cap of 28 sports could be increased by eliminating disciplines or events within sports that are too similar or not competitive enough.
Ching-Kuo Wu
Age: 66
Country: Taiwan
Slogan: Beyond Olympism, together
Resumé: Former architect … President of AIBA, world amateur boxing association, since 2006 … Has served on regional or national associations for basketball, taekwando … Longest-serving IOC member among the six candidates, dating to 1988 …IOC executive member since 2012 … Has served on coordinating commissions for Nagano, Beijing and upcoming Rio Games … Wants to educate young against doping, gambling, match fixing
