Secret ballots, little time to campaign: Why IOC presidential election is too close to call

Karissa Donkin · CBC Sports

· Posted: Mar 19, 2025 11:55 AM EDT | Last Updated: 5 minutes ago

Just arsenic she utilized to consciousness erstwhile she'd scope the last 200 metres of a contention successful the pool, Kirsty Coventry is leaning connected adrenaline successful the homestretch of her thrust to go the International Olympic Committee's archetypal pistillate president.

The seven-time Olympic medallist from Zimbabwe is 1 of 3 front-runners to regenerate Thomas Bach, who's held the apical occupation successful planetary athletics since 2013. And adjacent though some Coventry and Bach person downplayed it, galore deliberation she is his preferred candidate.

Coventry would besides beryllium the archetypal president from Africa and its youngest, astatine lone 41 years old.

"I'm staying focused and staying successful my lane," Coventry told a battalion of reporters astatine the Costa Navarino edifice successful occidental Greece connected Wednesday, a time earlier IOC members from crossed the globe volition commencement casting their votes.

Coventry has ever loved competition. But 1 time earlier a determination that volition signifier the aboriginal of the Olympics for the amended portion of the adjacent decade, the result wasn't clear.

Seven candidates are connected the ballot. World Athletics president Sebastian Coe, who's a four-time Olympic medallist connected the track, and Spaniard Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr., a vice president connected the IOC's enforcement board, are besides considered front-runners.

Tough to call

About 100 IOC members volition vote, and they'll formed ballots until a campaigner gets the bulk of the votes. After each circular of voting, the campaigner with the fewest votes volition beryllium removed from the ballot, making things adjacent much hard to gauge.

Candidates haven't had overmuch accidental to marque their lawsuit to IOC members. Each had the accidental to contiguous for 15 minutes successful Switzerland successful January. The presentations happened down closed doors and weren't capable to beryllium filmed. Members besides couldn't inquire questions of candidates astatine that event, thing respective candidates person criticized.

Asked however helium feels astir the election, Coe bypassed reporters connected Wedneday morning. 

"I'm inactive here," helium said with a smile.

Working with Trump

Samaranch, meanwhile, told reporters helium had nary thought however galore votes helium mightiness get. It's easy, helium said, to confuse a bully connection with a vote. With a concealed ballot, radical tin bash arsenic they please.

Asked if he's been reasoning of his late, namesake father, who held the IOC presidency from 1980 to 2001, Samaranch said helium needed to absorption connected the future.

"I'm precise assured for tomorrow," helium said. "I person to beryllium optimistic. That's my nature. Otherwise I would not beryllium here."

While Bach's tenure has been marked by a planetary pandemic, warfare successful Ukraine and a Russian doping scandal, to sanction conscionable a fewer crises, the adjacent president volition person their stock of choppy waters to navigate.

WATCH | Who volition beryllium the adjacent IOC president?:

Climate change, warfare and governmental tensions apical the list, though the books look to beryllium successful bully shape. A study introduced astatine the IOC session connected Wednesday showed commercialized gross grew from $2.9 cardinal US successful the play opening successful 2001, to $7.7 cardinal ending successful 2024.

Another large portion of that pastry should beryllium successful spot for years to come. The IOC announced a U.S. rights deal with NBC past week worthy $3 billion.

But 1 wildcard successful the United States awaits the adjacent IOC president: navigating relations with U.S. President Donald Trump.

French campaigner David Lappartient, president of the International Cycling Union, said helium would enactment with Trump for the bully of the games, noting that Trump has ever said helium supports the 2028 Games successful L.A.

But Lappartient besides stressed that the IOC indispensable stay politically neutral and would not marque a governmental determination erstwhile it comes to immoderate changes involving the inclusion of transgender athletes. Last month, Trump signed an bid restricting the rights of transgender women to vie successful pistillate categories of athletics successful his country.

At the IOC level, each planetary federation has been near to marque their ain policies. Lappartient tin spot that changing.

"The feelings I person with discussions with each my colleagues successful the IOC, I deliberation determination is astir apt a bulk down the thought to person a determination from the IOC," helium said connected Wednesday.

Imane Khelif, an Algerian boxer astatine the centre of contention past summer, besides stood up to Trump this week, according to an Associated Press story about an interrogation Khelif did with British broadcaster ITV. She said his comments connected the contented volition not intimidate her from going for different golden medal successful L.A. successful 2028 due to the fact that she is not transgender.

"I volition springiness you a straightforward answer: the U.S. president issued a determination related to transgender policies successful America. I americium not transgender. This does not interest me, and it does not intimidate me. That is my response," Khelif said successful excerpts of the interrogation that were released up of the broadcast.

It's a favoritism Bach has emphasized this week, too. In interviews with CNN and The Associated Press, Bach said a Russian disinformation run was to blasted for the contention astir the boxers, stemming from the IOC's suspension of the Russian-led International Boxing Association.

The different candidates connected the ballot see International Ski and Snowboard Federation president Johan Eliasch, IOC enforcement committee subordinate Prince Feisal Al Hussein of Jordan and International Gymnastics Federation president Morinari Watanabe.

Watanabe's level proposes what whitethorn beryllium the astir extremist thought of the campaign: holding the Olympics successful 5 cities implicit 5 continents astatine the aforesaid time, which would crook the Games into a 24-7 event.

IOC members voted for Bach to go an honourary president for beingness erstwhile helium steps down successful June. Bach, who became affectional erstwhile the thought was projected by the IOC's enforcement board, volition beryllium the 2nd honourary president successful the organization's history.

The honour, which volition not springiness Bach a ballot astatine aboriginal IOC meetings, is reserved for idiosyncratic who has "rendered exceptional services arsenic president of the IOC."