Diskussionsbereich » With two big votes out of the way, the IOC is prepar

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Thomas Bach of Germany goes into Tuesdays International Olympic Committee vote as the strong favourite among the field of six candidates vying for the most powerful job in world sports. Bach, a 59-year-old lawyer and IOC vice-president who heads Germanys national Olympic body, has long been considered the front-runner to succeed Jacques Rogge, the 71-year-old Belgian who is stepping down after 12 years in office. Richard Carrion, a Puerto Rican banking executive who heads the IOCs finance commission, and vice-president Ng Ser Miang of Singapore are viewed as the top challengers. Also on the ballot are executive board members Sergei Bubka of Ukraine and C.K. Wu of Taiwan and former board member Denis Oswald of Switzerland. With Bachs supporters confident of securing a first-round victory, his rivals were privately discussing possible voting alliances to try to stop the German. If Bach is elected, he would continue Europes hold on the presidency. Of the IOCs eight leaders, all have come from Europe except for Avery Brundage, the American who ran the committee from 1952-72. "This is like Im an athlete and Im just in front of a great final," Bach, a former Olympic fencer, said Monday. "You feel you have done all your training, the test events have been going pretty well, so you can go with confidence in the competition. But you have to know that, at the grand final, everybody is on the same starting line." The campaign, which had been relatively civil, took a nasty turn in recent days, with Oswald attacking Bach in a Swiss radio interview, accusing him of using his business connections and links with Kuwait to help his candidacy. Asked if he would pull out of the race, Oswald told RTS Radio: "Certainly not in favour of Thomas Bach. The values are not the same." None of the six candidates have made any dramatic proposals for change, promising to continue the line pursued by Rogge, particularly in the fight against doping. The election comes in the wake of Saturdays IOC decision to award the 2020 Olympics to Tokyo and Sundays vote to reinstate wrestling for the 2020 and 2024 Games. The presidential vote is what most of the 100-plus IOC members have been focusing on. "Its absolutely the most important decision we make -- to find the right person tomorrow," senior Norwegian member Gerhard Heiberg said. As Heiberg spoke, the campaign headed into its final, frantic hours. Candidates lobbied for votes. The lobby, corridors, restaurants and bars of the IOC hotel were swirling with rumours, gossip, speculation and whispers of deals, alliances and voting counts. As with most IOC votes, nothing is ever certain or clear-cut. The election is done by secret balloting, so promises made to candidates are never a sure thing. Much of the pre-election talk among the members has been about the power of one man: Sheik Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, the Kuwaiti with the long permed hair who heads the Association of National Olympic Committees. The sheik, who has been described as a potential "kingmaker," is a key backer of Bach. With his influence in Asia and among the national Olympic committees, the Kuwaiti can deliver a large numbber of votes.dddddddddddd. He was seen as playing a key role in Tokyos victory, even helping Istanbul get to the second round of voting to keep Madrid out of the final. Asked Monday what he hoped for in the presidential election, he said: "A good leadership for the next decade." Some members are uncomfortable with the sheiks power and support of Bach. Sheik Ahmad received a mild reprimand from the IOC for openly voicing his support for Bach in a German television interview five months ago, a violation of the election rules. "He has his opinion, he has clearly stated it, which he should not do, and he has apologized for that," Heiberg said. "Of course he has influence through his position in ANOC. How much that would mean in practice tomorrow, I have no idea. This is a secret ballot." Bach has long been viewed as the man to beat. Hes a former Olympic athlete and gold medallist (team fencing in 1976), long-serving member on the policy-making board, chairman of the legal commission, head of anti-doping investigations and negotiator of European TV rights. But he has been the subject of unflattering reports recently in parts of the German media, including a TV documentary alleging, among other things, that he cheated in the early 1970s during his fencing career by using a wet glove to disrupt the electronic scoring equipment. "There have been lots of rumours in the last few days but Im not following them," Bach said Monday. "I talk with my colleagues and the rest doesnt interest me. It doesnt bother me if people want to create rumours." Carrion, the 60-year-old head of Puerto Ricos Banco Popular, has earned respect as the IOCs money man. He negotiated the record $4.38 billion deal with NBC for U.S. TV rights through 2020 and has overseen the steady growth in the IOCs financial reserves. "I think it is very important that the potential president has a clean sheet and, more importantly, that has independence in terms of decisions that need to be made," Carrion said Monday. Ng, a 64-year-old businessman and diplomat, is a popular member who organized the inaugural Youth Olympics in Singapore in 2010 and represents an Asian continent that is growing in world influence. However, Tokyos victory for 2020 would seem to have dented Ngs chances, making it difficult for the IOC to give Asia two major prizes back to back. "I think Asia has been having a good run, rightly so, with two-thirds of the worlds population, growing influence politically, economically, in sports as well," Ng said. "I think we can look forward to exciting times." With more than 90 members eligible to vote, a simple majority is required for victory. If there is no winner in the first round, the candidate with the fewest votes goes out. The system continues for each round until one man secures a majority. The president is elected to an eight-year term, with the possibility of a second four-year mandate. Bachs supporters believe he has enough support to win in the first round. If not, his rivals believe they could chip away at his lead through subsequent rounds. "It is a question of finding the right person who immediately should unite all of us and whether he is chosen in the first ballot or not, it doesnt matter," Heiberg said. "Its up to him to get the unity together." 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