Jacques Rogge is on his way to his final four years as IOC President, with much to do to assure his legacy. Lame duck he better not be. Ed Hula has more in this OpEd from the IOC Session in Copenhagen.
Jacques Rogge is on his way to his final four years as IOC President, with much to do to assure his legacy.
While some might consider him a lame duck, Rogge has key challenges ahead that will shape his legacy.
Making sure the inaugural Singapore Youth Olympic Games are considered a meaningful event in 2010 would seem to be the first. The impact the new event will have on the interest of young people in Olympic sport is still uncertain, as the 2010 YOG have yet to be noticed outside Singapore or the tiny circle of media who cover the Olympics.
Preparations for London in 2012 seem under control and may not need much piloting from Rogge to reach the finish line. But the situation is a little different with the 2014 Winter Olympics and Rio de Janeiro for 2016.
Sochi is said to be on track with its massive project where nearly every venue must be built for the first Winter Games. Rogge will leave office the year before Sochi, so his task is to make sure his successor inherits a situation that is not in trouble.
For 2016, Rogge must work quickly to assure the work in Rio de Janeiro begins without hesitancy. Naming a chair for the IOC Coordination Commission will be an early signal of Rogge's determination to make sure these first Olympics in South America are successful. Like Sochi, another IOC President will be in charge when Rio de Janeiro takes place, but how the Games unfold will be determined by the leadership Rogge provides in the formative days of the new organizing committee.
Another, even bigger legacy from the Rogge presidency could be the vote for the 2020 Olympics that would come in the final days of his tenure. It's too early to say for sure, but there is an increasing probability that a city in South Africa will mount a bid on the back of the 2010 World Cup and the 2011 IOC Session in Durban. His encouragement and possible behind-the-scenes efforts for the first Games in Africa will be felt as soon as the World Cup ends next year.
The Rogge presidency will be noted for the addition of the first new sports to the summer sports program since 1993 when triathlon was voted aboard for the Sydney Games.
As with the 2020 Olympic vote, the next review of the Olympic program will take place literally in the final hours of Rogge's term. This review in 2013 will bring the elimination of one sport. That will decrease the number of core sports to 25 from the current 26, opening the possibility for one new sport to be added. Disappointment for one sport, elation for another will be Rogge's farewell. He will shape the decision by naming the chair and members of the commission that will review the sports program. With the idea of keeping the Games relevant to society, which sport to choose and which to cut - could be as much a part of the Rogge legacy as the host city for 2020 that will come a few days earlier.
Written by Ed Hula
Op Ed is a weekly column of opinion and ideas from Around the Rings. Comments, as well as guest columns are welcomed: comment@aroundtherings.com
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