{"id":262388,"date":"2025-03-19T19:26:06","date_gmt":"2025-03-19T19:26:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2025\/03\/19\/race-for-ioc-presidency-turns-increasingly-harsh-as-decision-day-looms\/"},"modified":"2025-03-19T19:26:07","modified_gmt":"2025-03-19T19:26:07","slug":"race-for-ioc-presidency-turns-increasingly-harsh-as-decision-day-looms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2025\/03\/19\/race-for-ioc-presidency-turns-increasingly-harsh-as-decision-day-looms\/","title":{"rendered":"Race for IOC Presidency Turns Increasingly Harsh as Decision Day Looms"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"text-align:center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/03\/19\/multimedia\/19int-olympics-elections-fqcm\/19int-olympics-elections-fqcm-facebookJumbo.jpg?ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"Race for IOC Presidency Turns Increasingly Harsh as Decision Day Looms\" title=\"Race for IOC Presidency Turns Increasingly Harsh as Decision Day Looms\" \/><\/div><p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-0\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The race for the most powerful post in sports, the presidency of the International Olympic Committee, already enveloped in the secrecy and byzantine regulations of a 130-year-old club, has become stranger \u2014 and much nastier \u2014 as decision day looms.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Smear campaigns have targeted some of the leading contenders in the final days before the vote, scheduled for Thursday in Costa Navarino, Greece. This past weekend, social media posts and little-known websites spread lurid claims of previous actions by two of the candidates, without providing evidence or citing sources \u2014 suggestions of personal wrongdoing serious enough to sink their campaigns. Neither the I.O.C. nor the candidates have commented publicly, but the allegations became grist for gossip at the I.O.C. gathering.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">A few days earlier, an anonymous author emailed a complaint, reviewed by The New York Times, to the I.O.C.\u2019s chief ethics official, outlining a different set of allegations \u2014 a string of potential campaign rule breaches \u2014 without naming particular candidates. The complaint was detailed enough to rattle the campaigns and the committee\u2019s staff.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">An I.O.C. spokesman said on Wednesday that the questions raised in the email had been looked into, and were fairly routine matters. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-1\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Some officials, along with candidates\u2019 aides, have dismissed the online and email allegations as disinformation campaigns of the kind the Olympics <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2023\/11\/09\/world\/europe\/ioc-fake-news.html\" title=\"\">have faced in recent years<\/a>. But the sensational claims and targeting of individuals have created deep unease around the election of a new leader.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The winner will immediately be thrust into managing the sports movement\u2019s relationship with a convulsing world, in which old certainties and alliances are no longer guaranteed. One of the first ports of call for the new president will be the Trump White House, ahead of the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-2\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The new leader will need to manage the relationship with the Russian Olympic Committee, banned from the Paris Games last summer over Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine, and earlier banned from several Olympics <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2016\/05\/13\/sports\/russia-doping-sochi-olympics-2014.html\" title=\"\">for systematic doping<\/a>. There are also the challenges of a volatile and politically sensitive discussion about transgender athletes, and of maintaining the relevance of the Olympic movement<span class=\"css-8l6xbc evw5hdy0\">  <\/span>in a fast-changing world.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">But the role also confers great status \u2014 the winner will be recognized globally and courted by world leaders.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-3\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Given those stakes, the last hours until the vote have been a frenzy of quiet politicking, with almost the entire Olympic movement at a Greek luxury beach resort, ahead of a vote that is likely to go through several rounds before a majority of the I.O.C. coalesces behind any of the seven candidates.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cI don\u2019t know if we will win or lose votes, but I can promise you that I will be working until the very last second, until 3:59:59 tomorrow afternoon,\u201d said Juan Antonio Samaranch, a Spaniard who is widely seen as a top contender. His father led the I.O.C for two decades, through 2001, and shaped much of what it has become.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Another leading candidate, Sebastian Coe of Britain, was all smiles as he circulated among I.O.C. members on Wednesday. \u201cI\u2019m in good shape but it\u2019s only lunchtime,\u201d he told reporters.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Amid the fervor to get the upper hand, a campaign that had been genteel has become much harsher and more personal.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Many of the attacks have been anonymous or private, but not all. The Sunday Times of London this week published <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thetimes.com\/sport\/olympics\/article\/juan-antonio-samaranch-jr-ioc-president-fascist-son-d9wgg3zp9\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">a profile of Mr. Samaranch<\/a> with a headline calling him \u201cFascist\u2019s son and friend of China.\u201d His father supported the long-ago Franco dictatorship, and two Chinese I.O.C. members are on the board of a foundation named for the elder Mr. Samaranch.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-4\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The campaign of one of his rivals, Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe, has been dogged by claims that the outgoing leader, Thomas Bach, has been secretly canvassing on her behalf \u2014 a breach of etiquette, if not of the rules. Ms. Coventry, a gold medal-winning former swimmer, is the only woman in the field.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-5\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Bach refused to answer directly a question about his involvement, at a news conference on Monday. After 12 years at the helm, he is ineligible to run again.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Perhaps the best-known contender is Mr. Coe, a gold medal-winning former track star, former member of Parliament and lead organizer of London\u2019s successful 2012 Olympics. He has also been the most vocally critical of Russia.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Coe has been criticized for seeking advice from Andy Coulson, a political operative and former editor who was jailed in connection with a major <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2014\/07\/05\/world\/europe\/andy-coulson-to-be-sentenced-in-phone-hacking-case.html\" title=\"\">phone-hacking scandal<\/a> that led to the closure of Britain\u2019s biggest-selling newspaper. \u201cWe\u2019ve been delighted to help Seb with his manifesto,\u201d Mr. Coulson said in a message.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-6\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Other candidates include Prince Faisal bin Al Hussein, a brother of Jordan\u2019s king; and Johan Eliasch, chairman of the sporting goods company Head and president of the International Ski and Snowboard.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">It is unclear what would happen should election violations be uncovered with the election so close. Ban-Ki Moon, the former U.N. Secretary-General, who heads the I.O.C. \u2019s ethics commission, told The New York Times in a brief conversation that his group was looking into \u201cmaybe two\u201d complaints before shrugging and saying, \u201cbut the election is tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/03\/19\/world\/europe\/ioc-president-race-olympics.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The race for the most powerful post in sports, the presidency of the International Olympic Committee, already enveloped in the secrecy and byzantine regulations of a 130-year-old club, has become stranger \u2014 and much nastier \u2014 as decision day looms. Smear campaigns have targeted some of the leading contenders in the final days before the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":262389,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/03\/19\/multimedia\/19int-olympics-elections-fqcm\/19int-olympics-elections-fqcm-facebookJumbo.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[164765,91549,127362,758,2684,19361,1574,56368,10638,2359,202124,3638,70340,36259,1593,163421,181147,5162,19033,5342],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/262388"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=262388"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/262388\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":262390,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/262388\/revisions\/262390"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/262389"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=262388"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=262388"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=262388"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}