Thomas Bach was officially re-elected as International Olympic Committee (IOC) President on Wednesday, having run unopposed in the election that took place on the opening day of the 137th IOC Session in Athens.
The German lawyer, who began his first term as IOC President in 2013, will now serve a final four-year term that will begin upon the conclusion of the 2021 Olympic Games on August 8.
As the only candidate on the ballot box, Bach received 93 votes during the IOC virtual Session, with one vote against and four abstentions. When originally elected in 2013, Bach earned 49 out of 93 votes in the final round.
“Thank you very much from the bottom of my heart for this overwhelming vote of confidence and trust,” Bach said. “For me this is even more overwhelming considering the many reforms and the many difficult decisions we had to take and which affected all of us.
“I wanted to be the President for all of you, and that continues into my second and last term.”
A 1976 Olympic gold medalist in men’s team foil (fencing) representing West Germany, Bach served as the President of the German Olympic Sports Confederation for seven years, 2006-2013, prior to becoming IOC President.
During Wednesday’s IOC Session, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike welcomed Bach’s re-election, praising his contributions to the Olympic Movement and how he’s dealt with the postponed Olympics.
Other highlights from the Session included Bach proposing to add “together” to the Olympic slogan, which currently is “Faster, higher, stronger”, and adding that the changes to the Olympic bid process and sustainability measures have been successful.
For more information on the opening day of the 137th IOC Session, visit insidethegames.biz here.