By Keith Dunlap on SwimSwam
The end of the Thomas Bach era as president of the International Olympic Committee is near.
The 71-year-old Bach will officially step aside after nearly 12 years in the role on Sunday, announcing last summer that he wouldn’t seek an extension after his current term officially expires.
In a video on olympics.com, Bach thanked athletes for their support and dedication, especially in challenging times such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
“You stood strong and touched our hearts,” Bach said. “You showed in the best possible way that what unites us is stronger than what divides us.”
Bach also said the Olympic movement “is in good hands,” with new IOC president Kirsty Coventry, the first woman and African to be elected president.
Coventry, 41, a former competitive swimmer from Zimbabwe, will take over the role on Sunday. She was elected to an eight-year term.
“She understands your hopes and your challenges because she has lived them herself,” Bach said. “She will keep athletes at the center of everything.”
Bach defended the decision of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to clear 23 swimmers from China who tested positive in 2021 for a banned substance due to food contamination from their hotel kitchen.
At last summer’s Paris Olympics, Bach threatened to take away the 2034 Winter Olympics from Salt Lake City if the U.S. government didn’t end investigations and probes into WADA for its handling of the case.
Bach was initially elected to an eight-year term as IOC president in 2013, but then was elected to another four-year term in 2021 before reaching the limit of his term per a charter he helped write.
Some IOC members tried to convince Bach to seek a waiver so he could pursue another term, but he opted to step aside instead.
Bach won a gold medal for Germany at the 1976 Montreal Olympics in fencing.
Bach’s tenure might be best known for his measures to reform the bidding process for host cities in an effort to curtail astronomical costs.
Instead of having a bidding process for the 2024 Summer Olympics between Paris and Los Angeles, he proposed a joint awarding of the 2024 Games to Paris and the 2028 Games to Los Angeles, which the IOC approved.
The 2030 Winter Olympics in the French Alps, the 2032 Summer Olympics in Brisbane and the 2034 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City were also awarded to those cities without traditional bid processes.
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