A Century of IOC Presidential Elections

A Century of IOC Presidential Elections

by Philip Barker

The election of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) President in Costa Navarino on Thursday will mark 100 years since members first voted for their President in an authentic contest.

Before then, there had only been two IOC Presidents.

In 1894, the Greek Dimitrios Vikelas was selected, because it was believed that the leader should be from the country about to stage the Games.

As the first Modern Games ended in 1896, Vikelas formally proposed that Coubertin take over the leadership because Paris had been designated hosts for 1900.

Coubertin was to have passed on the leadership with either Chicago or St Louis set for the 1904 Games, but  American William Milligan Sloane suggested that Coubertin remained in charge.

When war came, Coubertin enlisted for military service. He did pass the reins to Baron Godefroy de Blonay of Switzerland as an interim leader, but he was never far from the throne.

When the armistice came in 1918, officials made strenuous efforts to continue the Olympics. After the 1924 Paris Games, Coubertin stood down from the leadership.

The election was scheduled for Prague in May 1925.

There were four official candidates, but 11 nonetheless voted for Coubertin.

“In the first ballot some votes were still wasted on my name, against my wish, as a token of esteem” Coubertin wrote.

Belgium’s Comte Henry Baillet Latour received 19 votes on the second ballot to become President, defeating De Blonay and two Frenchmen, Justinien de Clary and the Marquis Melchior de Polignac.

Baillet Latour’s first term was for eight years.

In 1933, he was re-elected in  Vienna. Different regulations were then in force. Vice President De Blonay chaired the meeting even though he was standing as a candidate against the incumbent.

Those unable to attend were allowed to “give their votes in advance in writing.”

Baillet Latour received 48.

His second ‘mandate’ included the 1936 Berlin Olympics and the coming of another war. He was leader for 17 years but died of a stroke in January 1942.

Vice President Sigfrid Edstrom of Sweden took over the leadership but did not officially become IOC President until 1946.

Even though he had been in charge for four years, the Olympic Review published an article “Who is Sigfrid Edstrom?”

Edstrom called for support for the 1948 Games.

“They are more needed now than ever, when the world has been shaken by two terrible world’s wars and humanity, at the command of its politicians, has tried to destruct itself and our old culture.”

Edstrom had been President of the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) since its inception, but when he became Olympic chief, British peer and Olympic champion Lord Burghley succeeded him at the IAAF.

Aged 81, Edstrom stood down in 1952 because of what he described as “old age.” Burghley faced American multi-millionaire Avery Brundage for the Olympic leadership.

Prince Axel of Denmark spoke in support.  “While devoid of any unfriendly feeling towards my American friends, I am  of the opinion that the President should be domiciled in Europe.”

Brundage won by 30 votes to 17 and remained President for 20 years.

In 1960 he was re-elected by acclaim. Brundage resisted leadership challenges in 1964 by Burghley, now known as the Marquess of Exeter, and French aristocrat Comte Jean de Beaumont.

On both occasions, the voting figures were not revealed but Brundage was proclaimed “unanimously re-elected.”

At the 1972 Munich Session, de Beaumont contested the succession with  Lord Killanin of Ireland. Killanin won by 39 votes to 19 but at the time the figures were not revealed.

“If the successor was elected by a marginal vote, this would not show a very united front to the world,” suggested Wajid Ali of Pakistan.

“If the votes were kept secret, the whole organisation could then give support to the victory.”

Killanin was faced by two major boycotts. In 1980, he turned 66 and did not seek another term.

The election of his successor took place in Moscow before the Olympics.

New Zealand’s Lance Cross withdrew before the ballot but the field still included Munich ‘72 Organising President Willi Daume, Canada’s Jim Worrall, flagbearer at the 1936 Olympics and a competitor in both hurdles events, and head of the International Ski Federation (FIS), Marc Hodler. An IOC member since 1963, Hodler was  the first winter sports chief to run.

Juan Antonio Samaranch was the fourth candidate, effectively in his home city, because he was Spanish ambassador to the Soviet Union.

77 ballot papers were issued but only 76 were returned. Samaranch was a convincing winner with 44 votes although this was not revealed at the time. Samaranch had joined the IOC in 1966 at Brundage’s insistence.

“Brundage told me, one day you will be President,” he recalled.

It was the last time the presidential election was held in an Olympic year.

Samaranch was re-elected, running unopposed, until he eventually stood down at the 2001 session in Moscow.

At the same meeting members also chose Beijing as host city for 2008.

The list of candidates for president included the first woman, Olympic rowing bronze medallist Anita De Frantz, and Korea’s Un Yong Kim of Korea, the first from Asia. Also challenging for the presidency were Richard Pound of Canada, Pal Schmitt from Hungary, and European Olympic Committees President Jacques Rogge.

In the second round Rogge polled 59 votes for an overall majority.

In 2013 the election session was in Buenos Aires. Once again an Olympic host city was also chosen: Tokyo for 2020.

The six candidates included Richard Carrion of Puerto Rico, the first from Central America. There were two Asian candidates, Ser Miang Ng of Singapore and boxing official Ching Kuo Wu of Chinese Taipei.

Three Olympians from Europe completed the line up, Denis Oswald of Switzerland, Sergey Bubka of Ukraine and Thomas Bach.

Athletes commission members Tony Estanguet and Kirsty Coventry drew the allocation of voting numbers for the electronic vote.

Bach was ahead in the first round and swept to victory in round two with 49 votes, the first Olympic gold medallist to lead the IOC.

“I want to lead the IOC according to my motto, unity in diversity.”

A tumultuous 12 years with many problems lay ahead. He will surely wish his successor an easier ride.

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