Bach: 'Culture of Mistrust' Derailing Olympic Bids

(ATR) Thomas Bach tells athletes that there is a pervasive "culture of mistrust" about the IOC when it comes to rallying public support for Olympic bids.

The IOC president fielded questions on current issues that the Olympic Movement faces over a nearly two-and-a-half-hour session with athlete representatives. Bach met with them on day two of the International Athletes Forum in Lausanne.

Canadian Olympic Committee Athlete Representative Oluseyi Smith expressed frustration as one of numerous Canadian athletes who supported Calgary’s failed 2026 bid.

"Every Olympian in Canada was behind it," Smith said. "We went out, talked and debated with the public, trying to convince the people that Calgary, under the new norms, would be cheaper, great legacy, but nobody believed us."

The 2012 Olympic sprinter asked Bach: "What is the IOC doing to change the image of the governance of the IOC members and specific issues of having a global organization, because that trust isn’t there, unfortunately?"

Bach responded that citizens of Calgary, who voted against the bid, were confronted with facts and accurate figures of hosting the Games, but "just didn’t believe".

"We’re in a very difficult situation because you have this kind of mistrust about everything that people consider to be the establishment," the IOC president said.

Conversely, Bach admits that the IOC has given reason for the public to exhibit mistrust and skepticism.

"There were flaws in the system, we have allegations of corruption dating back some years," he said.

Bach noted that the IOC has revised both its governance model and candidature procedures, while external auditors evaluate the governance system. He added that a new working group is in place to continue to streamline the candidature process.

He also advised that the host city election of Rio 2016 remains under investigation while pointing out that it occurred in 2009, well before current reforms were established.

"We have done everything we could to prevent any kind of manipulation and corruption and we have all the tools to sanction if something is arising," Bach said.

"To get this message across takes time, and yes, we may even have to do more," he said.

"We need to keep communicating and we must be transparent, but we cannot ignore that we have this culture of mistrust in many western societies at this moment," Bach stated.

Birgit Skarstein, a Norwegian IPC Athlete Representative and Oslo 2022 Athlete Ambassador, also expressed concern about her country’s inability to muster political support for a new Olympic bid. However, she focused on the positive attributes that the Olympic Movement offers.

"When we are able to use the legacy and values that we have, we can reach all the people in the world, we can reach out and connect, and most importantly we can unite as no one else can," the two-time Norwegian Paralympic cross-country skier said.

"When we do that we can make more impact than anyone else in the world, what do you think about that?" she asked of the IOC president.

"I agree," the German Olympic fencing champion responded succinctly, eliciting laughter from the audience.

Explaining how the IOC can better attract future candidacies and public support, Bach explained: "The candidatures must have a legacy program from the very first moment of their existence.

"In the past, we said the cities had to adapt to the Games, now we say that the Games have to fit into the long-term development plan of a city or a region.

"You see this in the Summer Games with Paris and Los Angeles, where in both even more than 90 percent of the facilities are already there.

"You see the same for the Winter Games for 2026, where you have with the two candidates, Sweden and Italy, around 80 percent plus of the facilities are already there."

Bach said the budgets for the Italian and Swedish candidatures are 75 percent lower than the average of the budgets for the 2022 bids – Beijing and Almaty.

"The reforms are working – people are realizing that something has changed," the IOC chief continued.

However, Bach said spreading the news and changing people’s perceptions is not easy.

"We have to show that we are proud, we have to show and demonstrate that we are doing something good, we have to show that we are the only event in the world, at this moment, that still manages to unite the world in a peaceful competition," Bach said.

He said that in these divisive times "this unifying power of sport is maybe needed more than ever before."

"Let’s say it, let’s explain it and let’s live it." he said.

Written and reported by Brian Pinelli in Lausanne

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