When he was elected head of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 2013, just a moment after his acceptance speech, he got a mobile phone in his hand, and Vladimir Putin was on the other end of it. It was the Russian president who wanted to be the first to congratulate Thomas Bach on his election to the head of the sports world.
Somewhat symbolically, as the British newspaper The Guardian pointed out during the Olympics in Rio, Putin’s support was apparently a key factor in the German winning the IOC elections. And it is probably also symbolic that after his election, Bach first thanked in Spanish, because it happened in Buenos Aires, Argentina, then added merci, because French is the official Olympic language, and then Russian spasiba sounded from his mouth.
No, no matter how much Bach swears now at the considered return of Russia and Belarus with a recommendation from experts from the UN that the exclusion of athletes from these countries on the basis of nationality is discriminatory, it is difficult to avoid the accusation that his rhetoric is purposeful, because Putin was (and maybe still is) his close friend. “President Putin is a head of state with whom we have a working relationship, as with more than 100 other heads of state around the world,” Bach claimed in the past.
However, The Guardian objected: “But the truth is that some rulers are more equal.”
So who is Thomas Bach? As a boy, he wanted to be a football player, but his parents put him on fencing at the age of five, because they say it is better for physical development. At twenty-two, he became an Olympic champion, although later there were suspicions that he might have been involved in state-controlled doping, which also appeared in West Germany.
| Thomas Bach is the ninth head of the IOC in the organization’s 129-year history. His predecessors were Demetrius Vikélas (Greece, 1894–1896), Pierre de Coubertin (France, 1896–1925), Henri de Baillet-Latour (Belgium, 1925–1942), Johannes Sigfrid Edström (Sweden, 1946–1952), Avery Brundage (USA, 1952–1972), Michael Killanin (Ireland, 1972–1980), Juan Antonio Samaranch (Spain, 1980–2001) and Jacques Rogge (Belgium, 2001–2013). |
Soon after the Olympic triumph, he received a doctorate in law and political science, at the age of 27 he became the spokesperson for all athletes at the Olympic Congress, ten years later a member of the International Olympic Committee, and at 36 its vice president. “He has Olympic DNA consisting of a mix of medals, power, money and at the same time reliability,” wrote the newspaper Frankfurter Rundschau after his election as head of the IOC.
It is clear that in order to make your way to the position of ruler of world sports, you need to be a seasoned diplomat, have the elbows of an uncompromising businessman and at the same time strong political support, despite the fact that you yourself idealistically proclaim that politics does not belong in sports.
And Bach had all this.
Surrounded by an aura of success, knowledge and power, he worked in the roles of chairman of the Arab-German Chamber of Commerce or adviser to the German Ministry of Economy. In addition to Putin, he was also supported by an influential Kuwaiti sheikh, which helped in the diverse mix of delegates that he was elected out of six presidential candidates.
In addition, Bach appealed to many with his idea of a “reforming popular” ruler. He wanted to unify the movement, to make the Olympics cheaper, but in the Russian and Chinese presentation of the Winter Games, this did not succeed in the slightest.
At the same time, he brought a certain dynamism to the IOC, many also appreciated his charisma. “He opened topics that had not been opened for years. He will embark on changes that will also hurt, but he has clear visions and plans,” Jiří Kejval, head of the Czech Olympic Committee, praised him two years after taking office.
| How was it with the bans of athletes in the past? |
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| The countries that lost the First World War were not invited to the Olympics in 1920: Germany, Austria, Hungary, Turkey and Bulgaria. Four years later, Germany was also not allowed to participate. Germany and Japan were eliminated from the games in 1948 as defeated countries in World War II. In the years 1964-1988, South Africa was not allowed to participate in the Olympics due to the policy of apartheid. In 1972, it also concerned Rhodesia (today’s Zimbabwe). Due to UN sanctions, Yugoslavia was not allowed to compete at the Barcelona Olympics (1992), but its athletes could participate in the games as so-called independent participants. At the last Olympics, the Russians were only allowed to compete under a neutral flag due to state-controlled doping. |
However, an alibi approach is also visible under Bach’s leadership, which was already evident during his maneuvering regarding guilt and punishment for the Russian doping octopus. Now, despite the war in Ukraine, he is publicly talking about Russia’s return to the Olympics in Paris, albeit under a neutral flag. “History will show who does more for peace. If those who try to keep the roads open, to communicate, or those who want to isolate and divide. Our role is to connect people,” he says.
But is it really such a noble idea from him?
Or does he hide an excessive affection for Putin, to whom he owes his former support?
