Thomas Bach to Step Down After 12 Years at IOC Helm

International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach is set to resign after 12 years in charge. Bach will step down on June 23 after a new president is elected on March 20. Several candidates are vying for the position, including Sebastian Coe and Kirsty Coventry.

The International Olympic Committee's (IOC) President, Thomas Bach, will resign from his position as a member of the Olympic body after passing the torch to his successor in June, according to the IOC on Wednesday. Bach, who claimed Olympic gold in fencing in 1976, has announced he will step down after a 12-year tenure in charge.

Bach will officially hand over his responsibilities on June 23, subsequent to the election of a new president on March 20. The IOC Executive Board has confirmed its acceptance of Bach's resignation, effective after June 23, 2025, marking the end of an era for the Olympic leader who became an IOC member in 1991.

The race to succeed Bach sees a crowded field of seven candidates, including World Athletics chief Sebastian Coe, Zimbabwe sports minister and Olympic swimming champion Kirsty Coventry, Spaniard Juan Antonio Samaranch, international cycling chief David Lappartient, Prince Feisal Al Hussein of Jordan, International Gymnastics Federation head Morinari Watanabe, and multimillionaire Johan Eliasch of the International Ski Federation.