International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach will not seek to remain in the post after the end of his second term in 2025 despite calls from members to stay on, he said on Saturday.
Bach, a German lawyer in charge since 2013, surprised members at the end of their session in Paris, saying he was asked to continue but would not attempt to extend his mandate.
That would have required a change in the Olympic charter that limits the president to a maximum of 12 years – a first eight-year term and a second four-year term – that he himself had helped draft.
"As a result of deep deliberations and extensive discussions ... I have come to the conclusion that I should not have my mandate extended beyond the limits stipulated in the Olympic Charter," Bach told the session as the Paris Olympics draw to a close.
"After 12 years in the office of IOC President our organisation is best served with a change in leadership. New times are calling for new leaders," he said, with his voice breaking and welling up.
The new IOC president will be elected in March 2025 at the session in ancient Olympia and will take over in June of that year, Bach said, to allow for a smooth transition.
No member has yet openly campaigned to succeed Bach but several have been linked with a possible run for the presidency if he stepped down.
An Olympic fencing champion in 1976 who joined the Olympic body as a member in 1991, Bach has ruled with an iron fist and virtually no opposing voices since taking over from his predecessor Jacques Rogge 11 years ago.
SWEEPING REFORMS
He introduced sweeping reforms for the faster introduction of sports onto the Olympic programme, the bidding process and the staging of the Games, reducing overall costs and making the prospect of the event more attractive to candidate cities.
In his 11 years in charge, all but one of the votes were unanimously approved by members.
Bach's departure comes with the organisation in a financially robust position, having secured $7.3 billion for the years 2025-28 and $6.2 billion already in deals for 2029-2032.
He offered sponsors more product placing opportunities during the Games, increasing his organisation's revenues.
The IOC, under Bach, also staged unprecedented double awards of host cities that provided it with long-term stability.
In 2017 Paris was awarded the 2024 Olympics and Los Angeles the 2028 edition. Another double award took place last month for the Winter Games this time, with the French Alps to stage the 2030 Olympics and Salt Lake City the 2034 Games.
Australia's Brisbane will host the 2032 Summer Games.
However, Bach was sharply criticised for being far too soft on Russia and for ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who was the first to congratulate him by phone just seconds after his election in 2013.
Russia's doping scandal tarnished several Games, including the 2014 Sochi Olympics staged by Russia itself.
The Russians have not competed with their flag and anthem for several Games and only a handful of athletes have been cleared to compete in Paris as independents but he did not ban the Russian Olympic Committee until October 2023, more than a year and a half after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.