Bach will be gone in 2025.

All things must pass and that includes Thomas Bach’s tenure as the President of the International Olympic Committee. Bach has been running the show since 2013 and his record is not all that spectacular if you measure it from the standpoint that many cities and nations don’t want to host the IOC’s big shows, the Summer and Winter Olympics and Paralympics because it costs too much money and taxpayers are on the hook for cost overruns. Bach’s IOC claims that countries should abstain from war during the period of the Olympics. Russia invaded Ukraine during the last few days of the 2022 Winter Olympics in China in February. Bach did act as if he is a diplomat and the IOC acts as if it is a sovereign nation and has independent observer status at the United Nations. Bach, a former West German Olympic team member participated and won a gold medal in the 1976 Montréal Summer Olympics as a fencer.

Bach is 70 years old and the IOC probably needs a younger but skilled diplomat to get countries interested in hosting the big events. The IOC under his leadership ended the nation bidding for the Games and started just to negotiate with potential partners because the IOC didn’t want to make the losing bidders upset and sad. The IOC had trouble finding willing partners for the 2022, 2026 and 2030 Winter Olympics. The IOC had trouble finding willing partners for the 2024 and the 2028 Summer Olympics. Bach said that the time has come for younger people to take the baton. “New times are calling for new leaders. I, with my age, am not the best captain. I know with this decision I am disappointing many of you.” The International Olympic Committee will meet in March 2025 to pick Bach’s successor.

Evan Weiner’s books are available at iTunes – https://books.apple.com/us/author/evan-weiner/id595575191

Evan can be reached at evan_weiner@hotmail.com