FOr almost 30 minutes, IOC Members and officials were sitting in tense silence in the auditorium without windows in Greece in Greece Costa Navarino in Greece Voting has been confirmed. IOC President, Thomas Bach, finally returned to his compliance officers and a white map in his hand. He entered the stage and while overturned the card, revealing the name “Kirsty Coventry” in the block of capital, some of the main members of the IC shed the tears of joy.
So long, International Olympic Committee is the domain of men. More precisely, since its establishment in 1894. year, eight of the nine presidents of the European men (the only exception was the former Decatlete Avery Brundaga, elected in 1952. years – was a gray American man). But in June, Coventry – the decorated Zimbabweese swimmer turned to the politician – it would officially become The first woman and the first African, to run the Olympic movement.
The result would be unimaginable until recently recently. IOC held only membership until 1981. years, and the only previous woman who advocates the presidency, American former Urban Anita Defrantz, was eliminated in the first round of 2001. years. But gradually a deeply conservative IOC accelerated gender equality and hierarchy under the hierarchy under the hierarchy in Bach’s leadership.
As Coventry approached the consisting of accepting the Presidency, she accepted her beaten rivals. Among them was Sebastian Coie, who ended up in a distant third place. CoE felt that the role was his destiny, natural culmination of a perfectly carved trail in his career: the winning Olympic gold on the track; Conquering the seat in parliament; Victory in London Olympic Games 2012. against all quotas; and winning the Presidency of the World Athletics, the Olympic Sports.
Here he was a natural winner with a life-resistant life, striking each clutch on the path to the power supply. He arrived in Greece in Greece with confidence in his campaign message, in which he seduced to protect the female category and overturned the power to athletes. Heavy weight from the world of sports and politics lined up to support it on social media, from Usain Bolt and Mo Fah in Manchester United and Boris Johnson. “I feel there’s a swing,” Coe said on Thursday.
But several of his pitchers in his hand held an electronic keyboard in his hand in that auditorium. When the results were published by the Public Council, there was nowhere, conquering only eight votes of 97 submitted IOC members. Coe lost a room. But then he never really held him.
Two things went against him, one of which was just applied. In his influencing role of the President of the World Athletics, CoE tried the main problems and were often headed, especially after the Inletika’s invasion, and from athletics, and go against IC recommendations to accept them as some neutral athletes. CO has refused to wear a line. “I’m not neutral,” he said, in what felt like a pointed retort.
The most emergency time came when the oversized-lady suddenly announced last spring to give a gold medal in Paris 2024 awarded a prize money of $ 50,000. Iok leaders were amazed and felt that “playing solo” on the issue, without taking advice. One member said Independent In the accumulation of this election that “distracted” by the High Olympic figures, while he added a member in the hierarchy: “does not show much love for MOK.”
Supporters would argue in order to be a wonderful principle, unduly and determined, showing leadership runners, not to play a political game. Iok felt that he showed disrespect. Bach certainly didn’t want to become president. If the name established successfully, Juan Antonio Samarach Jr: smooth and smooth, respected and popular from the inside, whose father was the president 21 years. Samaranch JR has two decades of experience as a member while the overall dig is a relative newcomer that is only for membership in 2020. year.
But his defeat was also a symptom of spreading inside MOK, something much larger than just his swollen ties with his leaders.
Membership is a strange secret and exclusive club consisting of copyright, billionaires, business leaders, sports managers and athletes from all over the world. 109 members include Mongolian banker, former teacher in Rtvut Verdean, Fijian physician, a representative to win Oscar, Bhutan Prince, Vojvode Luxembourg and Princess Anne. It is an eclectic pile, but it is difficult for democracy in action: Princess Nora Liechtenstein was a member of 41 years.
But more and more became a more young from a balanced pool, in part after Bach encouraged the influx of recent retired athletes, with the share of women now 40 percent. These new women’s members were the key part of the Coventry support base. As one source of textual Independent From voting on Thursday: “Junior IOC members voted for Coventry because they wanted a generational change. Many of the other candidates simply looked too old.”
This was a choice more than sports. The IOC president is a powerful figure in the world’s wide-global policy – the first person who called and congratulated Bach about the conquest of the elections in 2013. It was Vladimir Putin. Some members watched the new World Order that leads strong as Putin, Xi Jinping and Donald Trump, which will inevitably detect the Olympics in 2028. In Los Angeles, and selected him in Los Angel.
Against the Council, Samaranch Jr and the rest, 41-year-old stood as more dynamic and in contact with sports, and was recently the Olympic (COE was the only former Seven candidates), and especially the representation of the Athletes Commission. All seven candidates have cheered around the “empowerment of athletes”, but when it came from Coventry, the message is landed.
It was an open secret that Bach was favored, to the extent that his private approves her Irkel of some other candidates. This was the final act of his 12-year-old rule, and maybe it was one of his most important heritage: that he withdrew gold ladders from them, such as Samarach Jr, like coe – no more hegemony over the Olympic thrill.