German Thomas Bach has become the new IOC presidentSerhii BUBKA: “I remain fully committed to promoting the Olympic values”

The new International Olympic Committee (IOC) president has been elected in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The job went to a former Olympic champion in fencing, currently a successful lawyer and businessman, sports official and until recently the IOC vice president Thomas Bach of Germany. Even before the voting started, observers named him as a favorite. To win, a candidate needed to receive more than half of the IOC members’ 103 votes. Bach was able to do so only in the third round of voting. He will lead the most influential sports association in the world for eight years and will be eligible for reelection for a second, four-year-long term. The German will be the organization’s ninth president, replacing Belgian Jacques Rogge who headed the IOC for the past 12 years.

As is well known, chairman of the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of Ukraine Serhii Bubka aspired to the global sport’s highest position, too. Although the international press saw the legendary Ukrainian athlete as having a real chance to make it, he ended the contest in the last place, having received just four votes. The NOC’s official website reports that Bubka shook hands with Bach and congratulated him on his victory immediately after the vote. In addition, Bubka expressed confidence that the new president would take into account best of the ideas the Ukrainian campaigned on. “Despite the fact that I was a little disappointed at failing to get elected this time, I remain fully committed to promoting the Olympic values and importance of the sports. I am proud of my campaign and feel honored by the chance I got to present my ideas to the IOC members,” Bubka said as quoted by the committee’s website. He thanked colleagues and the media for the positive assessment of his proposals and said that he shared Bach’s vision of the Olympic movement’s priorities and was ready to continue work on their implementation.