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German Bach declares candidacy for IOC chair
BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany's Thomas Bach will run for president of the International Olympic Committee, a source close to the German Olympic Committee told Reuters on Wednesday.
The 59-year-old IOC Vice President and former Olympic fencing champion, who is set to announce his candidacy on Thursday, will become the first to officially run for one of the biggest jobs in world sports administration and aims to succeed outgoing Belgian Jacques Rogge at the IOC election on Sept 10.
Rogge, who succeeded Juan Antonio Samaranch in 2001, is stepping down after 12 years.
Bach, who heads the German Olympic Sports Confederation, has been an IOC Vice President since 2006 and also held the post between 2000-2004.
A lawyer by profession, the multilingual Bach, who won fencing gold at the 1976 Olympics, was long seen as frontrunner for the post despite shrugging off speculation over his possible bid for some two years.
He is also a member of the powerful
German Olympic Sports Confederation (Deutscher Olympischer Sportbund, DOSB) President Thomas Bach laughs during the kitting out session for the German team participating in the 2012 London Olympic Games, in Mainz June 28, 2012. REUTERS/Ralph Orlowski
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