Thomas Bach will not seek third term as IOC president

Hibapress

German Thomas Bach, who has headed the International Olympic Committee (IOC) since 2013, announced on Saturday that he would not seek a third term from 2025.

“After deep deliberation, (…) I have come to the conclusion that I should not ask for my mandate to be extended,” in order to “protect the credibility” of the Olympic movement, the leader declared at the close of the 142nd IOC session in Paris, where the Olympic Games end on Sunday.

The IOC will therefore elect his successor at its 143rd session in Athens, from March 18 to 21, 2025, while Thomas Bach, Olympic team champion at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, will remain in office until June.

The debate on a possible third term was opened last October in Bombay, during the previous session of the body, when several IOC members asked the leader to extend.

He had until then reserved his response, the ethics committee recommending waiting until the end of the Paris Olympics so as not to pollute the competition.