IOC Honorary President Thomas Bach was, of course, sitting in the front row, on the podium, as the group he had ruled with an iron fist from 2013 to 2025 – and which he had largely hand-picked himself – swept aside some of his so-called reforms in record time on Wednesday afternoon. There was not even any need for voting machines to establish the majorities for numerous amendments to the Olympic Charter. There was neither discussion nor any dissenting votes. And just like that, crucial issues concerning the Olympic programme and bids to host the Olympic Games had been changed.
What Bach had introduced – and what had been wrongly labelled as ‘reform’ for many years by his cheerleaders (not only in the meeting room in Lausanne, but also by the usual suspects in Germany) – is now a thing of the past. And further changes will follow, which have not yet been discussed, such as drastic cutbacks in the IOC Group, the administration and IOC-affiliated companies such as the Olympic Channel, which, apart from a billion-dollar investment, has so far failed to produce any significant results. All of this is legacy baggage that Bach left behind for the IOC. More than a billion dollars has been lost; this enormous sum could have been put to excellent use for athletes from all over the world, who are, after all, at the heart of the IOC’s endeavours, as President Kirsty Leigh Coventry has repeatedly asserted today.
Jens Weinreich
The broadcast of this session on the IOC’s YouTube channel was marred by production errors and persistent technical glitches. At times, the picture and sound cut out. This was certainly in keeping with the minor Olympic upheaval that was unfolding in Lausanne.
