Costa Navarino, Greece — A new president of the IOC will be elected on Thursday, only the tenth leader in his 131 years of history after one of the most open Olympic elections in decades.
The winner will obtain an eight -year mandate with key problems that include directing the Olympic Games on a road without problems in politics and sports towards the 2028 summer games in Los Angeles and choosing a host for the 2036 edition. That could go to India or the Middle East for the first time.
The vote for about 100 eligible members of the International Olympic Committee is scheduled to start at 4 pm local time (1400 GMT). The result must be known in 30 minutes.
Seven COI members They are on the ballot belonging to an absolute majority of votes for the victory in a tourist hotel near the site of the old Olympia.
The strongest candidates in a difficult contest to call seem to be the vice president of the IOC, Juan Antonio Samaranch, and a couple of twice Olympic gold medalists, Sebastian Coe and Kirsty Coventry.
Also in the race are the Feisal Prince to Hussein de Jordan and three presidents of the sports government bodies: Johan Eliasch de Skiing, David Lappartient de Cycling and Morinari Watanabe of Gymnastics.
Coventry, the 41 -year -old sports minister of Zimbabwe, would be the first woman and the first African to lead the IOC.
“We believe a change, let’s make sure that happens,” he said on Wednesday.
Coventry has been seen for a long time as the preferred successor of outgoing president Thomas Bach, who formally leaves the position on Olympic day, on June 23, after having reached the maximum of 12 years in office.
An emotional Bach crouched on Wednesday on Wednesday the first day of the annual COI meeting, receiving luxurious praise and the title of Honorary President for life.
He will deliver a financially safe IOC, on the way to win more than $ 8 billion in revenues through the Los Angeles Games of 2028, and with a list of future hosts until 2034: in Italy, the United States, France, Australia and the United States again, when winter games return to Salt Lake City.
The next president can supervise the IOC making a declaration decision of his host for summer games 2036
“There is one and only,” Samaranch said Wednesday when he was asked for challenges ahead. “We must concentrate (in) successful and relevant Olympic Games. The rest comes with the success in the Games.”
If the Spanish Financial Wins, will continue to his father, also Juan Antonio Samaranch, who was the seventh president of the COI from 1980 to 2001.
Voters in the exclusive club of members of the IOC include members of the royal family, former legislators and diplomats, business leaders, sports officials and Olympic athletes.
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