PThere is a need to develop vigilance, even in times of the pandemic: if the virus situation allows, Thomas Bach will be elected President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for another four years at his own plenary meeting at the historic location in March next year. This is what the executive decided on Wednesday, Bach left the room during this vote. The 137th session in Athens from March 7th to 9th is dedicated to this act – in July, before the Summer Olympics in Tokyo, another session will be held, for example, the elections of the new executive members.
Should someone, contrary to expectations, dare to apply for an opposing candidacy, they would have to do so by November 30th and not three months before the election, as is usually the case. But nobody expects that. Bach sits too tightly in the saddle for that. Apart from the fact that nobody envies him for the current problems. A new addition is the massive concern about athletes in Belarus who are protesting against the election manipulation by President Alexander Lukashenka. An abuse that runs counter to the autonomy of sport and is nevertheless tolerated is now taking revenge: Lukashenka is also President of the National Olympic Committee (NOK).
Ready for a time after Corona
Perhaps it was the thought of the prospective act of personality cult that still made Bach radiate so much good humor at the virtual press conference on Wednesday evening. The doubts that the games postponed to 2021 can take place in Tokyo have also diminished. Bach spoke of great confidence. “We work on the basis that international spectators can also be there,” he said: “We just don’t know whether we will be able to fill the stadiums completely.” One cannot speculate what will be in ten months. But other major events and leagues, which in the meantime also played with spectators in Japan, would give cause for optimism. Bach emphasized several times that the IOC is confident that rapid tests and vaccines will be among the instruments in the “tool kit” next summer that will be used to play safe games. There has been great progress in the effort to “make the games fit for the post-corona world”.
Overall, Bach said in agreement with the Japanese organizing committee, the more than 50 measures to mitigate the financial consequences of the postponement would result in savings of 280 million dollars (240 million euros). You save on the “nice-to-haves” and concentrate on the essentials. The Japanese self-portrayal part at the opening ceremony could also be simplified. It is not yet known how much it will cost to move the games.
“An Essential Value of the Olympic Movement”
A letter from Belarusian athletes alarmed the IOC so much that Bach threatened consequences on Wednesday if an IOC investigation revealed that athletes were being discriminated against on the basis of their political statements. Last week, basketball player Jelena Leutschanka is said to have been jailed for 15 days for protests against Lukashenka. The athletes complain about massive psychological and physical pressure on unwelcome athletes, exclusion from competitions and teams, arrest and torture. “Non-discrimination is an essential value of the Olympic movement,” said Bach.
The IOC has a mandate to protect the athletes. “I think the Olympic Charter is very clear: A NOK has to be compliant. In the event of a violation of the charter, the IOC will take the measures and sanctions provided for in the charter. ”There is even the threat of excluding Belarus from the Olympic Games and allowing the athletes to start under a neutral flag. “Athleten Deutschland”, the lobby group for German athletes, welcomed the IOC investigation in a press release.
Bach also found harsh words for the world weightlifting and boxing federations, both of which are under pressure because of catastrophic administration. Should the weightlifters make no progress on the path to reorganization, their place in the Olympic program will be reviewed. The boxing world federation has already been withdrawn from supervision of the competitions in Tokyo.
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