Candidature documents for all seven IOC presidential hopefuls were released on 19 December exhibiting various new innovative proposals for discussion as each of the candidates attempts to distinguish themselves from the rest with their own ideologies and visions for the future of the Olympic Games.
Morinari Watanabe, one candidate running for the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Presidency, has suggested a new format for the Summer Olympics that would see the Games take place across the world simultaneously on five different continents. The 65-year-old President of the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) who was re-elected for a third term at the 85th FIG Congress in October, began his IOC Presidential Election Manifesto highlighting the success of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games before saying “On the other hand, the Olympic Games have grown so large, and it is now economically and environmentally difficult to host them in most cities.”
For Watanabe, the current model is outdated and dates back to the 18th century when “there was no television and the
main means of transport were ships.” Now, he says, we can “enjoy using various travel and communication technologies, including the internet.” Economical and environmental difficulties facing the future of the Olympic and Paralympic Games can be circumnavigated by spreading them out across the globe. “Five cities from the five continents, in the same period of time,” his proposal reads. Cities would be decided based on a number of factors including the most convenient for athletes with 10 sports in each host city.
Streamed 24 hours a day and bringing the five continents together in the spectacle, the excitement would be shared by the whole world, he argues, with a significant reduction in economic costs for the host cities. It would also enable smaller cities and cities that couldn’t possibly host with the current format, the chance to participate and consider hosting the Games. Watanabe also wrote that similar discussions would be undertaken for the Winter Olympic Games.
If he were to succeed Thomas Bach, Watanabe would become the IOC’s first Asian president of the IOC since it was established in 1894. He is up against IOC Vice President Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr. of Spain, World Athletics President Sebastian Coe of Britain, International Cycling Union President David Lappartient of France, the Swedish/British President of the International Ski Federation Johan Eliasch, Zimbabwe’s minister of sports and a former Olympic swimmer Kirsty Coventry and Prince Feisal Al Hussein of Jordan.
The candidature documents will be presented to IOC Members in Lausanne, Switzerland on 30 January 2025 before the election for the presidency of the IOC takes place at the 144th IOC Session set to be held in Greece from 18 to 21 March 2025.
