Thomas Bach has been re-elected president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). After serving an eight-year first mandate, the German 67-year-old ran unopposed. His term will last through to 2025.
Through Bach's evolution and modernisation of the Olympic Movement, baseball and softball -- as well as four other new sports -- in 2016 were voted onto the programme of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
During his opening speech at today's IOC Session, Bach stressed the determination of the IOC, the Olympic Movement and their Japanese partners to hold safe and secure Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 for all participants.
He voiced the many reasons for optimism, including the excellent work of the International Federations, which have organised over 270 major sporting events, World Championships or World Cups, since September 2020. Cumulatively, these events have involved over 30,000 athletes. All of them had rigorous health and safety protocols in place, including extensive testing regimes, which far exceeded 200,000 tests.
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Bach stated: “Not a single one of these events turned into a virus-spreader. So we have clear and obvious proof that very big international sports events with a large number of international participants can be organised while safeguarding the health of everyone."
Bach is a former Olympic (Montreal 1976) and World Champion (1976, 1977) in fencing, with the German men's foil team.
