A new era is on the horizon for the Olympic movement. Thomas Bach is about to pass the baton, and the sporting world eagerly anticipates the lectures of the seven candidates vying for the IOC chair at the 143rd Extraordinary Session on 30 January, held at the organisation’s office in Switzerland.
Continuity or revolution? From inclusion and sustainability to digitalisation and athletes’ rights, the 143rd Extraordinary Session of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), slated for Thursday, 30 January, is poised to be a defining moment in the history of the Olympic Movement. As is customary for high-stakes meetings of this nature, the venue will be the Olympic House in Lausanne, Switzerland, where the seven candidates for the presidency will come into focus, each presenting their vision in a bid to convince voters they are the right choice to succeed Germany’s Bach.
This event will serve as a crucial platform for each contender to outline their strategy, following the publication of their respective written manifestos in December. Now, the spotlight shifts to their spoken words, with each candidate delivering a 15-minute address. In the order determined by the November draw, each candidate, starting with Prince Feisal Al Hussein and concluding with Sebastian Coe, will have 15 minutes to deliver their presentation. Afterward, the media will have the opportunity to engage directly with them, with a 10-minute live Q&A session streamed via the IOC Media YouTube channel.
Further, the final vote is scheduled to take place during the 144th IOC Session in Greece, from 18 to 21 March 2025, while the new president will officially assume office on 23 June, coinciding with Olympic Day, after a transitional period alongside Bach, who will step down after a twelve-year period at the Olympic throne.
The seven contenders eyeing the Olympic crown
First to step up will be His Royal Highness Prince Feisal Al Hussein, a member of the IOC Executive Board and a pivotal figure in Middle Eastern sport. His vision revolves around greater inclusivity and transparency within the IOC, aiming to fortify Olympic governance and ensure fair representation for all nations in the Olympic Movement. A long-time advocate for athletes from developing countries, Feisal champions a “more accessible and democratic IOC,” highlighting the need for increased openness and accountability. Speaking at a roundtable with international journalists in London, he reiterated his call for deeper structural reform within the organisation.
Following him, David Lappartient, president of the Union Cycliste Internationale and one of the most politically active figures in global sport, will take the stage. His campaign is built on strengthening international harmony in sport, fostering diplomatic dialogue, and controversially, advocating for Russia’s reintegration into the Olympic Movement. Lappartient is also one of the few candidates to have openly expressed a willingness to “work with key political leaders,” including US President Donald Trump, to reinforce the IOC’s international relations.
Next in line is Johan Eliasch, the Anglo-Swedish president of the International Ski and Snowboard Federation, who has made sustainability the centrepiece of his bid. His manifesto underlines the need for the IOC to spearhead initiatives to “combat climate change” and ensure the long-term viability of the Olympic Games. Eliasch sees the future of Olympism as inseparable from environmental stewardship—an agenda he has championed throughout his tenure in winter sports.
Spanish candidate Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr., the current IOC Vice President, enters the race with a platform focused on modernisation and commercial expansion. The son of the late, legendary IOC president, Samaranch shares common priorities with his rivals, such as sustainability and athlete equality, but his distinct approach is a business-oriented vision aimed at securing the Olympic Movement’s financial future. His strategy includes innovating sponsorship models, maximising broadcasting rights, and optimising revenue distribution to sustain the Games’ economic progress.
If anyone stands on the brink of making history, it is former Olympic swimmer Kirsty Coventry, who will be the fifth candidate to step up to the podium in Lausanne. If elected, she would become the first woman and the first African to lead the IOC. Her campaign centres on athlete empowerment, diversity, and gender equality, issues that are increasingly shaping the future of international sport. Coventry has been vocal in opposing the stringent stance on DSD (Differences in Sexual Development) and transgender athletes championed by Coe, one of the frontrunners. With a proven track record in sports administration, she aims to bring structural change to the IOC, advocating for a leadership model that is truly inclusive.
Indeed, one of the favourites in the race is Britain’s Lord Sebastian Coe, the head of World Athletics. His tenure in track and field has been widely praised for its emphasis on transparency, innovation, and anti-doping measures. However, the seasoned leader will require an exemption to remain in the role, having surpassed the IOC’s retirement age of 70. Coe’s campaign is focused on expanding athlete support programmes and safeguarding women’s categories in elite sport, a move he describes as “empowering them as partners, not just participants,” as he stated in December.
Rounding off the lineup is Japan’s Morinari Watanabe, president of the International Gymnastics Federation, who has placed solidarity at the core of his platform. His vision for Olympism centres on bolstering the Refugee Olympic Teams and assisting developing nations in enhancing their sporting infrastructure and Olympic presence. Though seen as an outsider in the race, Watanabe hopes his “crazy idea” of hosting the Games across five continents simultaneously will ignite discussion and shake up the debate on the future of the Olympic model.
An IOC in the middle of transformation
Naturally, the candidates, each an experienced leader in sport, business, politics, philanthropy, or even the military, are united in their pledge to uphold Olympic solidarity while tackling the pressing challenges facing global sport. Yet, while they share common ground, their approaches diverge between more conservative and progressive stances, particularly on issues such as equality and revenue distribution. The next IOC president will inherit the formidable task of continuing Bach’s legacy. Since assuming leadership in 2013, Bach has overseen a transformative era, implementing key reforms through the Olympic Agenda 2020, a strategic blueprint that championed sustainability, inclusivity, and the modernisation of the Games.
Nevertheless, the road ahead presents even greater hurdles. The digitalisation of sport, gender equality, climate change, and global economic instability are all inescapable challenges. Meanwhile, geopolitics continues to loom large over the Olympic landscape, with ongoing debates surrounding Russia’s participation and China’s expanding influence in the international sporting arena. The return of Donald Trump to the White House, an outcome Bach himself welcomed, will remain a focal point, particularly with preparations for the Los Angeles 2028 Games already in motion.
The race for the next IOC presidency that will need a new captain to navigate these shifting political currents remains wide open, including even the smallest detail potentially tipping the scales—especially in a process where “rhetoric will be decisive,” according to Jean-Loup Chappelet, an Olympic expert from the University of Lausanne. The seven candidates, including Lappartient, Coe, and Samaranch Jr., will deliver their presentations via videoconference under strict confidentiality, mirroring the secrecy that will also shroud the final vote.
Indeed, this will be the first time their proposals are heard since the former fencer Bach announced in August that he would step down in 2025, setting the stage for a fiercely contested succession. The election, scheduled for 20 March in Costa Navarino, Greece, will be a contrast to 2021, when the German executive was re-elected unopposed with an overwhelming majority.
