IOC Executive Committee '70 years ↑ extension of term' list of candidates, Lee Ki-heung was not a member of IOC

Dec 05, 2024

There was no name for Lee Ki-heung, chairman of the Korean Olympic Committee, on the list of recommendations for the International Olympic Committee (IOC) member 'extension of his term'.

On the 5th (Korean time), the IOC Executive Committee voted on the list of IOC members to be presented at the 144th IOC General Assembly in Greece on March 18-21 next year. Based on the recommendations of the IOC Election Committee, the Executive Committee granted re-election to 10 IOC members who were elected or re-elected in 2017 and whose eight-year term ends. In December 1999, the electorate was 80 years old, and the electorate was 70 years old, so they were granted exceptional qualifications to continue their terms for eight more years. Ten members, including IOC member Cermien Ng Singapore and IOC member Juan Antonio Samaranch, who is running for the next IOC president, have been eligible to continue their terms for eight years from 2025.

In addition, the Commission recommended one IOC member who has reached the retirement age as a candidate for a four-year term extension. Greece's Spiroz Capralos, who was born in 1955 and was elected to the IOC in 2019 and reaches the age limit of 70 at the end of next year, was recommended as a candidate for a four-year term extension. The Greek commissioner who hosted next year's Greek General Assembly was chosen.

In addition, a proposal was submitted to change the status of Merez Busayene, chairman of the Tunisian National Olympic Committee, and Neven Ilik, president of the Pan-American Sports Organization, a Chilean national, from an IOC member of the NOC and continental NOC Union to an independent individual IOC member. He also resolved to elect two IOC members whose terms will expire as honorary members at the 144th IOC General Assembly in March. As a result, Marisol Casado of Spain, who has continued his IOC membership as president of the International Triathlon Federation, has been eligible to become an honorary member of the IOC from April 22 next year, and Zai Qingyu, who is serving as vice chairman of the Chinese Olympic Committee, has been eligible to become an honorary member of the IOC from January 1, 2026.

As Thomas Bach, who has served as IOC president for 12 years since 2013, retired from the IOC General Assembly in Greece in March next year and elected a new chairman at the General Assembly, his new term begins in June, special attention was paid to the list of IOC candidates. As the head of the committee, Chairman Bach's impression on the recommendation of candidates for IOC members is absolute, the list of recommendations on this day can be seen as the last gift to settle the 'Bach era'.

Chairman Lee Ki-heung, who became a member of the IOC in 2019 as NOC president thanks to the successful hosting of the PyeongChang Olympics, also hoped to extend his term, but failed to achieve his goal. Last month, Lee received 16 points out of 20 from the Sports Fair Committee of the Korea Sports Council for his third consecutive term as the head of the KOC. However, even if Chairman Lee is elected, due to the 70-year-old age limit, the IOC membership of the NOC will be maintained until December 31 next year.

Cermien Ng, who has devoted himself to the Olympic movement for the longest time in Asia, was recommended as a candidate to continue his eight-year term from 2026, and Zai Qingyu, a member of the NOC-qualified IOC, became an honorary IOC member. Ahead of the executive committee, rumors circulated that Chairman Bach had a personal qualification 'Korean New Member' in mind, but this also did not happen. There was no consideration of the Republic of Korea for the 'Last Gift'. After the Paris Olympics, the eight-year term of the IOC member in Yoo Seung Min expired, and the extension of Lee Ki-heung's term failed, leaving only one member of the IOC in Korea after 2026 as president of the International Skating Union.

Reporter Jeon Young-ji sky4us@sportschosun.com

▶Expiration of term, members to be re-elected in 2025 (considering age limit, 8-year term)

Princess Lichtenstein Nora (Lichtenstein, independent, born 1950, elected 1984)

Shamil Tafishchev (Russian Federation, independent individual, born 1948, elected 1994)

Sermiang Ng (Singapore, independent, born 1949, elected 1998)

Juan Antonio Samaranch (Spain, independent, born 1959, elected 2001)

Lydia Nsekera (Burundi, independent, born 1967, elected 2009)

Barclay Temengil (Palau, independent, elected 1966 and 2017)

Christine Closter (Norway, independent, born 1961, elected 2017)

Kooning Fatama Riswadtrakul (Thailand, Independent, Born 1965, Elected 2017)

Jean-Christophe Roland (France, President, World Coordinating Federation, born 1968, elected 2017)

Yingmard Bose (Belgium, President, International Federation of Horses, born 1963, elected 2017)

▶Candidate for 4-year term extension

Spiroz Capralos (Greece, independent, born 1955, elected in 2019, aged 70 at the end of 2025) January 1, 2026 to the end of 2029.

▶Recommendation candidates for status change

Mérez Busayene (Tunisia, Tunisian National Olympic Committee Chairperson, born 1959, elected 2023): Change from NOC Qualification Commissioner to Independent Individual Commissioner

Neven Elick (Chile, President, pan - American sports organization, born 1962, elected 2017) Change from a continental NOC coalition qualifying member to an independent individual member.

▶ Nominee for Honorary IOC Member

Marisol Casado (Spain, President of the International Triathlon Federation (ITU), born 1956, elected in 2010), until the end of his term as president of the ITU.

Zai Qingyou (Chinese, Vice Chairman of the Chinese Olympic Committee, born 1951 and elected in 2000)

sky4us@sportschosun.com