Race for Olympic Leadership: New Visions for Global Sports

Seven International Olympic Committee members are competing to be the next IOC president in its first election since 2013. Candidates address challenges like climate change, technology integration, and gender policies, and differ on athlete prize money and decision-making approaches. Notable candidates include Sebastian Coe and Kirsty Coventry.

Seven members of the International Olympic Committee have announced their candidacies to become the next president, marking the first such election since 2013. Manifestos reveal common ground on critical issues like climate change, technology, and gender policies, but show divergences on prize money for athletes and centralized decision-making.

Among the prominent contenders is Sebastian Coe, who aims to reset the movement around sports, advocating for decentralized decision-making and science-based policies protecting female categories. Meanwhile, Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe seeks to reinforce existing IOC policies and promote empowerment, guided by the Ubuntu philosophy.

Johan Eliasch calls for maintaining a traditional gender policy and proposes permanent venues for Winter Games, whereas David Lappartient pursues more athlete inclusion with independent ethics oversight. Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr. advocates for flexible scheduling and social media promotion, and Morinari Watanabe suggests a transformative restructuring of the games.

(With inputs from agencies.)