Thomas Bach says he feels a rare calm in his final weeks as IOC president even as a 바카라new world order" gains speed ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. (More Sports News)
Bach led the International Olympic Committee through two locked-down Games in a global pandemic and several affected by Russian doping and military aggression, among other crises.
His successor will be elected March 20 and inherit an IOC financially secure with future Olympic hosts that today look stable and reliable.
Still, the biggest event for the next IOC president 바카라 the L.A. Summer Games 바카라 could yet challenge Bach's faith in the Olympics' power to unite the world in peaceful competition and mutual acceptance.
바카라We have a new world order in the making, and this making 바카라 will not happen without rumbling,바카라 Bach said this week, without criticizing U.S. President Donald Trump.
Signature Bach policies have been gender parity and inclusive acceptance of all 206 national teams, plus refugee athletes. Political neutrality is an ideal Bach clings to even as Trump has warned of denying visas to athletes based on the government's gender interpretations.
바카라I am also convinced that President Trump and his administration will fully support the Olympic Games,바카라 Bach told The Associated Press in a rare interview at IOC headquarters.
"He likes sport, so there I don't see a risk.바카라
The American people, Bach added, "appreciate and love that the Games are about sport but they are about more than sport. They will want to welcome the athletes from all over the world.바카라
The IOC has defended female boxers Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting 바카라 the Paris Olympic gold medalists. Both had been disqualified from the 2023 world championships run by the Russian-backed International Boxing Association, which said they failed eligibility tests.
바카라These two women boxers have been born as women, they have been raised as women, they have competed as women and nobody ever claimed even that they are transgender,바카라 Bach said in AP's interview.
바카라What happened there was a Russian-led misinformation campaign which then distorted the truth, the facts and now we have this unfortunate situation that these two athletes are considered to be transgender. But. They. Are. Not.바카라
Before the Paris Olympics, Bach warned of 바카라deeply disturbing바카라 trends, including 바카라narrow self-interests trumping the rule of law.바카라
바카라What I see is very heated discussion in the United States,바카라 Bach told the AP. 바카라But this is for the citizens of the United States to have. Our values are very clear and on those values the Olympic Games are based.바카라
Pandemic and Russian doping
Bach's presidency since 2013 saw two Games impacted by Covid-19; one shadowed by Korean political tensions; several affected by Russian doping and military aggression; and one almost implode with a chaotic local organizing team in Rio de Janeiro that pulled the IOC into vote-buying allegations.
"I'm experiencing the first period during my presidency where I do not have an existential problem of the Olympic Games or the Olympic Movement on my desk,바카라 Bach said.
The 71-year-old German lawyer and 1976 Olympic gold medalist in fencing leaves office in June.
바카라I'm fit and very happy in great health."
Future commercial deals
A key decision early in Bach's presidency was extending NBC's broadcast rights in the U.S. through 2032. Renewing or finding a new partner is a big decision for the next president. Bach suggested a free-to-air network is important.
바카라You can say of streaming, They are paying such a lot of money, let's go for streaming.' But what does it mean for our values?바카라 Bach said. 바카라The Olympic Games has to be accessible to everybody and not only the ones that can afford it. This balance you have to find.바카라
Diplomatic skills
Bach and predecessor Jacques Rogge were Olympic athletes who rose to represent the IOC with various heads of state.
바카라That is one of the privileges as IOC president is that you get everybody on the phone,바카라 Bach said. 바카라I haven't experienced any situation where somebody would have said, I am not interested to talk.'바카라
The late Henry Kissinger 바카라gave very valuable advice바카라 in real-world diplomacy.
Spy target?
Bach's potential as a future Olympic leader was clear from 1981 when he and Sebastian Coe, a candidate to succeed him, helped represent athletes at a key IOC meeting in Baden-Baden, West Germany. He later worked for Horst Dassler and Adidas who reportedly were monitored for the Stasi, East Germany's secret police.
Asked if there was a Stasi file on him, Bach said: 바카라Not that I knew. I cannot imagine."
Bach had warm relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin during the 2014 Sochi Winter Games. Bach and the Olympics have been targets of Russian misinformation, cyber attacks and deep fake videos during the past decade of sanctioning the state-backed doping scandal and fallout from the invasion of Ukraine.
Cleaning up voting
Bach's legacy includes changing how hosts are picked. No more blockbuster contests vulnerable to vote-buying.
"The atmosphere was just not clean, not sober. It put the whole credibility of the IOC in doubt.바카라
There were no allegations of wrongdoing in how the French Alps, Brisbane and Salt Lake City were selected as hosts of the Olympics from 2030-2034.
