New IOC President, Thomas Bach
The German Thomas Bach has been elected as the new International Olympic Committee president, making him one of the most powerful figures in world sport and global affairs.
Bach had long coveted the presidency, which is awarded for an initial eight-year term, and ran a sophisticated lobbying campaign in which the Kuwaiti Sheikh Ahmad al-Sabah played a controversial role.
The 59-year-old former Adidas executive, who joined the IOC in 1991 and has held a number of influential roles, will replace Jacques Rogge as the organisation?s ninth president in its 119-year history.
Rogge unveiled his successor to a standing ovation from the 102 members present at the IOC?s session in Buenos Aires that had already decided that Tokyo should host the 2020 Games and wrestling should retain its Olympic status.
?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.
Rogge, considered to have restored the credibility and financial strength of the IOC following the Salt Lake City scandal, is standing down after 12 years at the helm.
Bach saw off a late effort by his five rivals ? the Puerto Rican Richard Carrion, Swiss lawyer Denis Oswald, international boxing chief Ck Wu, Singaporean businessman Ng Ser Miang and former pole vaulter Sergey Bubka ? to work together to stop him.
Bach has promised to overhaul the way the Games are bid for and make them cheaper to host.
He inherits a financially stable IOC but will immediately face political challenges around the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics and logistical issues concerning the 2016 Rio Games.
The Kuwaiti Sheikh al-Sabah, considered an increasingly influential figure in IOC circles, admitted to lobbying on behalf of Bach in a breach of the IOC?s rules.
The new president, who won a fencing gold medal in the team foil in 1976 before entering sports marketing and politics, defeated five other candidates in the largest field ever for the role, reflecting the relative scarcity of opportunities to run for the top job and the power it wields.
