analysis
After twelve years, Thomas Bach’s term of office ends as President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) – a look back at an eventful era.
At the beginning of March at the General Assembly of the European Olympic Committee (EOC) in Frankfurt, Thomas Bach last appeared in Germany as IOC President. He avoided farewell words, instead spoke of one “Reunion in all sports halls and stadiums, where I can indulge in my passion for sport”.
However, Bach’s term was more characterized by political entanglements than passion for sport – despite the political neutrality that was always propagated by the IOC. Jens Sejer Andersen, the founder of “Play the game”an initiative for promoting democracy, transparency and freedom of expression in world sports, Thomas Bach’s tenure sees through above all “Two big storms” embossed: “The first was the Russian doping scandal and the second was the Covid 19 pandemic.”
Holger Kühner, Sportschau, 17.03.2025 9:25 a.m.
Bach’s great closeness to Putin
In 2014, at his first Winter Olympics as President, Thomas Bach demonstratively showed himself on the side of Wladimir Putin in Sochi, whom he personally thanked for the success of the games on the Black Sea at the final ceremony. Bach deliberately ignored the overhead building in nature to enable the competitions, even for the Olympic Games and the arrest of numerous oppositional ones.
The games from Sochi went down in history – not just sporty. During the Olympic competitions, Putin worked out the order to let Russian troops marched in to the Crimea. Shortly afterwards, the Russian state doping scandal shook world sports.
Mild handling of Russian state doping
“When it was uncovered that not only in athletics, but also at the Olympic Winter Games, the doping control system had been cheated, the IOC behaved very surprisingly”says Jens Sejer Andersen. “Of course, one should have protected the integrity of the sport and should do what the World Anti-Doping agency originally recommended, namely to spoke a collective lock of all Russian athletes for the Olympic Games in Rio, perhaps with a few exceptions.”
However, the IOC could not get through under Bach for such consequences: Russian athletes continued to start in 2016 without restrictions in Rio under their neutral flag from 2018. Bach distanced himself – but only rhetorical.
The “good cooperation” With Putin, the doping scandal has changed, said Bach. But even after the Russian attack war on Ukraine in February 2022, Russian athletes were allowed to take part in the Olympic Games. “Athletes who adhere to the Olympic Charter must be allowed to participate”Bach defended this decision to the sports show.
Beijing 2022 and the question of human rights
The awarding of the 2022 Winter Olympics to Beijing also ensured internationally. Despite massive human rights violations under the Chinese government, the IOC held on to the issue. In March 2021, the EU imposed sanctions against China for serious human rights violations-the US government evaluated China’s procedure against the Muslim minority of the Uigures in the province of Xinjang, officially as a genocide.
Thomas Bach still spoke of the games in Beijing “To bring the world together for a big moment, in the spirit of peace, solidarity and friendship.” Western states boycotted the games diplomatically in protest.
Olympic Games in Pandemie
The situation for the IOC was also explosive in March 2020. The Summer Olympics in Tokyo were postponed for the first time in history due to the Corona pandemic at the end of a hanging game. While the world was in crisis mode, Bach played temporarily – IOC and organizer held out for the 2020 edition.
Bach repeatedly staged himself as a friend of the athletes that their interests were always a top priority-according to US athlete spokesman Han Xiao, he demanded the athletes despite Lockdown and health risks in a conference to continue to prepare for the competitions. Only when individual athletes and large sports nations such as the United States refused to participate in the games was the relocation decided.
Bach aligns the IOC on itself
The athletes as the center of the Olympic movement – that was Bach’s mantra in his time at the head of the IOC. When the former fencing Olympic champion was the first German to be the first German in 2013, he competed with great reform promises. “I started with the Olympic agenda to make the games more sustainable, the application process more fairer and to put the athletes more in the foreground”he announced.
But reality looked different. In the eyes of observers, Bach tailored the IOC strongly towards itself. “Thomas Bach was incredibly efficient to bundle control of the Olympic movement on his desk”says Sejer Andersen. “There is no strategic decision, not a strategic statement by the IOC or its various branches in the Olympic family, which was not approved by Thomas Bach.”
The staff was also fully geared towards the president. Of the 110 IOC members who next Thursday as part of the 144th IOC-session Determine Bach’s successor, 75 came into office under his aegis. As many as with no IOC President before and most of them give faithful to the stream.
The failed one Reform promise “Agenda 2020”
Bach’s major reform project, the “Agenda 2020”, should make Olympic Games more economically and ecologically sustainable. By disclosing the contracts between the IOC and the respective vapors, future applicant cities should no longer be deterred by incalculable costs. But the plan failed: Instead of numerous interested parties for the 2024 games, there were only two applicants left – it was important to double the games 2024 to Paris and 2028 Los Angeles.
The Summer Olympics in Paris 2024 delivered the desired pictures in the middle of a European capital for Bach and the IOC finally delivered the desired pictures. Bach calls the final celebration of Paris 2024 “The best moment” his term. There is still no final balance sheet, but 95 percent of the sports facilities used were already available – the IOC sold the games as a success – in the sense of the “Agenda 2020”.
What is the following for Bach and the IOC?
For a long time it looked as if Bach was striving for another amstic and had the Olympic Charter changed. Only in Paris did he explain his farewell. He is looking forward to “A little more self -determination, but first of all over plenty of sleep, more time for sport and then maybe also revive one or the other round of tickets”. Bach excludes an introduction to politics or a commitment to a German Olympic application.
Bach hands over the IOC in times of geopolitical tensions. Challenges such as dealing with Russia and Trump as the next Olympic host are waiting for the next man or woman at the head of the IOC.
What could be decisive for the choice? According to Sejer Andersen “After twelve years, the IOC members long for strict control from above probably after a small breathing space, after a small participation in important decisions”.