OLYMPICS. Thomas Bach of Germany was elected today as the ninth President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) following two rounds of votes at the 125th IOC Session in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

©IOC/Richard Juilliart

Bach was chosen over fellow presidential candidates Sergey Bubka (Ukraine), Richard Carrion (Puerto Rico), Ser Miang Ng (Singapore), Denis Oswald (Switzerland) and Ching-kuo Wu (Chinese Taipei).*

“Thank you very much to all of you,” said President Bach following his election. First of all I would like to thank from the bottom of my heart all my dear friends and colleagues who voted for me this morning. This is really an overwhelming sign of trust and confidence. But I would also like to thank my fellow candidates, who I greatly respect, and all those who did not vote for me this time. I will also work for and with you in the coming years and want to win your confidence too.  I know about the great responsibility of an IOC President. This makes me humble. I want to lead the IOC according to my motto “unity in diversity.” I want to be a President for all of you. This means I will do my very best to balance well all the different interests of the stakeholders of the Olympic Movement. This is why I want to listen to you and to enter into an on-going dialogue with all of you. You should know that my door, my ears, and my heart are always open for you.”

Read President Bach’s biography www.olympic.org/mr-thomas-bach

The new President replaces Jacques Rogge, whose 12-year tenure officially ends at the close of the 125th IOC Session today. The President is elected by the IOC members by secret ballot for a term of eight years, with the possibility to stand for re-election for a second, four-year term.

Voting Results

Round 1:
Thomas Bach: 43
Sergey Bubka: 8
Richard Carrion: 23
Ser Miang Ng: 6
Denis Oswald: 7
Ching-kuo Wu: 6

Round 1 tie-break:
Ser Miang Ng: 56
Ching-kuo Wu: 36

Round 2:
Thomas Bach: 49
Sergey Bubka: 4
Richard Carrion: 29
Ser Miang Ng: 6
Denis Oswald: 5
*In alphabetical order

IOC Press Release
10 September 2013

IOC Session votes on Executive Board positions

A few hours after electing Thomas Bach as the new IOC President, the 125th IOC Session reconvened to nominate Jacques Rogge as IOC Honorary President and to fill two vacancies on the 15-member IOC Executive Board.

Anita L. DeFrantz will succeed John Coates, who was elected as a new Vice-President, a slot left vacant by Ser Miang Ng, whose term of office came to an end today.

The Executive Board, founded in 1921, consists of the IOC President, four Vice-Presidents and ten other members. Members of the Executive Board are elected by the Session, by secret ballot, for a four-year term.

IOC Press Release
10 September 2013

IOC Session elects nine new members

The final day of the 125th IOC Session taking place in Buenos Aires, Argentina, kicked off with the election of the following nine new IOC members:

-Octavian Morariu of Romania, candidature as an individual member
-Bernard Rajzman of Brazil, candidature as an individual member
-Mikaela Maria Antonia Cojuangco-Jaworski of the Philippines, candidature as an individual member
-Alexander Zhukov of Russia, candidature linked to his function within an NOC
-Paul Kibii Tergat of Kenya, candidature as an individual member
-Lawrence Probst III of the United States, candidature linked to his function within an NOC
-Dagmawit Girmay Berhane of Ethiopia, candidature as an individual member
-Camiel Eurlings of the Netherlands, candidature as an individual member
-Stefan Holm of Sweden, candidature linked to his function as active athlete

With these new additions, the Session – the supreme decision-making body of the IOC - now comprises 112 members who are individuals, active athletes or representatives of International Federations (IFs) and National Olympic Committees (NOCs).

Presidential election as today’s landmark event
The nine new members will not take part in any of today’s votes, including the election of the new IOC President, who will be announced at 12.30 p.m. local time in Buenos Aires.

Honorary Members
Kevan Gosper and Lamine Diack, whose IOC membership terminates at the end of 2013 as they have reached the age limit, were appointed to become honorary members at the end of the year. Both have served as IOC members for over 10 years.

Executive Board positions go to vote
Finally, elections will be held to fill two vacancies on the 15-member IOC Executive Board. Anita DeFrantz, HRH Prince Tunku Imran and Richard Pound  will vie to succeed John Coates, who himself will seek the Vice-Presidency slot left vacant by Ser Miang Ng, whose back-to-back four-year terms come to an end today.

IOC Press Release
10 September 2013