President Thomas Bach’s commitment to another term of office and the subsequent praise in the International Olympic Committee (IOC) have triggered strong criticism in German sport. “What shook me were the submissive addresses given after his decision,” said Dagmar Freitag, chairman of the sports committee in the German Bundestag. “They remind me of the behavior of political systems in which convinced Democrats tend not to want to live,” added the SPD politician.
Bach announced on Friday at the 136th session of the IOC that he would be available for election for a second term until 2025 next year. Numerous members then cheered the decision for over an hour and shouted sentences such as: “We need you”, “Nobody can do it better” and “Please keep going!” Most of the time the words were read so that it quickly became clear that the decision Bach hadn’t surprised anyone at the IOC. There was no criticism.
In addition to Dagmar Freitag, the German athletes were also dissatisfied after the IOC meeting. They call for more participation in the presidential election process, including direct voting rights for top athletes. »The highest office in the IOC should primarily be for athletes. However, they do not yet have enough participation rights in the election, «said the Athletes Germany Association on Sunday.
So far, the President of the IOC has been elected by all of the just over 100 current members present at the General Assembly. The members of the IOC Athletes’ Commission are also represented in the. But that is not enough for the Verein Athleten Deutschland, because more than 15 active athletes are not allowed to have a say in the IOC at the same time. However, candidates should “apply directly to the athletes in a democratic competition of ideas” and “face a fair and democratic choice,” it said.
This understanding of democracy is obviously not in the spirit of Bach and the other members. The former fencer can control them relatively easily. How successful he succeeded was made clear on Friday in the many praises. The first German IOC President can therefore be sure that he will be confirmed in office next year. Possibly even by acclamation and almost certainly without opposing candidates. With the exception of Wu Ching-kuo, who had fallen into disrepute, all opponents for the IOC chairmanship who started in 2013 now had their say and stood behind Bach. Controversial athlete Kirsty Coventry from Zimbabwe did the same: She was “thrilled that you will continue to lead us for the next four years,” she said to Bach, as if his re-election had already happened.
While the IOC has received a lot of criticism for these tributes, progress at other levels has been praised. The reduction in application costs for games by 80 percent is a success. Likewise, the organizers of the relocated Tokyo Olympic Games, despite the difficult situation due to the corona, have now confirmed that the contracts with the operators of all 42 competition venues, the Olympic Village and the Convention Center for the media centers are now also secured for a staging in summer 2021 had been.
“We finally have light at the end of the tunnel,” said Ingo Weiss. The spokesman for the leading German associations and President of the German Basketball Association emphasized the planning security that one now has. Thomas Weikert, President of the World Table Tennis Association, was not quite as euphoric. »For us it is initially a commitment that the games should take place. It’s reassuring, ”said Weikert. How it is then about the pandmia and whether there is sport in front of spectators is completely unclear.
According to a new poll, 70 percent of Japanese say the pandemic will postpone or even cancel the games in Tokyo. However, the IOC meeting held virtually was not discussed. The date for the summer of 2021 is being held for the time being
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