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News10 Sep 2013


Thomas Bach elected IOC President

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Thomas Bach (© Getty Images)

Germany's Thomas Bach will be the next International Olympic Committee President (IOC) after he was elected to the post for an eight-year term at the 125th IOC Session in Buenos Aires on Tuesday (10).

Bach, 59, becomes the ninth IOC President and succeeds Belgium’s Jacques Rogge, who has served in this role for the last 12 years.

"This makes me happy. I want to lead the IOC according to my motto – unity in diversity. I want to be a president for all," said Bach, who beat off five other challengers and was elected after just two rounds of voting.

"I will do my very best to balance well all the needs of the stakeholders of the Olympic movement. You should know my doors, my ears and my heart are always open to you."

He was a 1976 Olympic Games gold medallist in fencing and a link to Bach's IOC biography is provided on the right-hand side of this webpage.

IAAF President Lamine Diack, whose IOC membership terminates at the end of 2013 as he has reached the age limit, was appointed to become an Honorary Member at the end of the year as he has served as an IOC Member for over 10 years.

Nine new IOC Members were also elected on Tuesday and from the world of athletics they include Kenya’s Paul Tergat and Sweden’s Stefan Holm.

Tergat, 44, won at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships on five consecutive occasions from 1995-99. He twice won the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships gold medal twice, in 1999 and 2000, and also won two silver medals over 10,000m at both the Olympic Games and IAAF World Championships.

He also held the World record for the Marathon for four years between 2003 and 2007.

Holm, 37, was the 2004 Olympic Games High Jump gold medallist and also won at the IAAF World Indoor Championships on four occasions.

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