9/11/2013
Thomas Bach was elected President of the International Olympic Committee (Getty Images)In his first press conference as the ninth IOC president, the gold medalist in fencing at the 1976 Olympics parried questions about undue influence by Sheikh Ahmad. He also addressed the Sochi Olympics, Rio 2016 preparations, new sports, match-fixing, human rights and communication with athletes and young people.
Bach said that as president of the German NOC, he had hoped to enjoy the support of his own constituency, which is led by Sheikh Ahmad as president of the Association of National Olympic Committees.
“You cannot win the election for IOC president with the support of one person alone,” Bach said in Buenos Aires followng the 125th IOC Session. “You know the IOC members, they are very strong individual personalities and you have to convince them individually.”
Bach said when he made a presentation to his colleagues in Lausanne in July, “I was the candidate who made it very clear to my fellow members that I do not make any kind of promise, neither with regard to issues nor with personal questions. And in all my conversations with members, there was not a single promise being made and this allows me next Tuesday when I go to Lausanne to start my work with a white sheet of paper.”
He added that although other candidates made promises with regard to different issues, he told the members it would not be fair to them to make promises without a proper, transparent discussion. “Obviously the members appreciated this and therefore I’m very happy today.”
Bach called the 2014 Winter Olympics a “top priority.” He said that when his predecessor, Jacques Rogge, hands over the files in Lausanne next Tuesday, “the top file will be Sochi.”
Indeed, minutes after being named IOC president, Bach was taking a call of congratulations from Russian president Vladimir Putin on the Iphone of Sochi 2014 CEO Dmitry Chernyshenko.
Bach said his first official journey as IOC president will be to Olympia later this month for the lighting of the Olympic flame.
IOC Communications Director Mark Adams and Pres. Thomas Bach (ATR)Regarding new sports, Bach said his platform mentioned looking more at disciplines to gain more flexibility with the composition of the program. “What I want to develop with my colleagues is a concept of sustainable development for the Olympic Games,” he said.
Bach added that this will require a dialogue with IOC members and the Executive Board. “We should take our time,” he said, “that quality has to come first.”
Comparing the fight against match-fixing to the one against doping, he said that there is no test for match-fixing, which “means that the powers of sport are pretty much limited. As a consequence, we have to work very, very closely with the governmental authorities… to have even closer cooperation with the international police forces and an exchange of information.”
Bach praised Rogge for starting the fight against match-fixing and corruption in 2007 and suggested that UNESCO or the United Nations present an idea for harmonization of the international legislation against match-fixing.
He added that Rogge’s “zero tolerance policy is widely acknowledged and I will strive to continue this with exactly the same approach.”
Bach said the IOC must realize that its decisions involving events like the Olympic Games have political implications, but in making sure that the Olympic Charter is respected, “We have to be strictly politically neutral and we also have to protect the athletes.”
In his platform, he called for a dialogue with the world outside sport, including non-governmental organizations, about issues such as human rights. “We have to make it clear always what the IOC can do and what we are there for, and where the charter applies and what we cannot do,” he said. “This has to be discussed in many respects case by case.”
Although he did not specifically refer to the Russia anti-gay legislation which is overshadowing the run-up to the Sochi Games, Bach said “you do not want to have political controversies, being brought to the Olympic Village or to the Olympic venues.”
“As an athlete, you have the right to do your sport and by doing your sport, by entering into competition in a fair way, promoting the values of sport. At the same time you have to be protected from political controversies and you have to have the opportunity to freely express your opinion outside the venues and the competitions.”
Bach has also proposed opening a dialogue with the younger generation via new media. He said this applies not only to athletes, such as those in the Youth Olympic Games, but to those who watch sports on television or their mobile devices.
“Our goal is to motivate them to practice sports,” he said.
Bach spent almost one hour speaking to reporters after the announcement ceremony (Getty Images)Looking back on his own sports career, Bach said he wanted to become a football player, not a fencer.
“I was pushed by my parents” into fencing, he said. “The end of a long story was that my parents convinced me to go to the fencing club with the argument that there I would get a good physical education, which would help me with the football career.
“And you know how it ended up. Maybe it’s a little bit the same with the membership in the IOC (leading to him ultimately becoming president).”
Written and reported in Buenos Aires by Karen Rosen
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