IOC President Determined to Conclude Reforms in December

(ATR) Thomas Bach tells Around the Rings he does not want any delay in passing Olympic Agenda 2020 reforms.

The entire IOC membership convenes in Monaco Dec. 8 to 9 to discuss and approve a raft of reforms that will bring sweeping changes to the Olympic Movement.

The IOC Extraordinary Session is expected to be a pivotal moment in the IOC’s history and Bach’s leadership.

A total of 14 commissions have proposed recommendations across areas such as bidding, Olympic Games costs, ethics, good governance, the sports program and a planned Olympic TV channel.

Bach has moved at breakneck speed in his first year at the helm of the IOC and shows no sign of wanting to stall over the major overhaul to the Olympics.

Despite the IOC Session’s huge workload – and there were 211 interventions from IOC members at the last Session in Sochi – the German insists he is determined to wrap up all Olympic Agenda 2020 business in December.

"The answer is yes," he said, when asked if it could be concluded at the meeting.

"My challenge as president is to get Olympic Agenda 2020 approved in Monaco."

Ahead of the crunch IOC meeting, the 15-member IOC executive board convenes at a Montreux retreat Oct. 22 to 24 to review the work of the commissions who have offered their input into the reforms process.

At the EB meeting, members will finalize Olympic Agenda 2020 recommendations that will be presented for approval at the Monaco session.

In the fallout from Oslo’s 2022 bid demise and negative headlines globally about the IOC’s demands on host cities, Bach last week denied to ATR that the Olympic bidding process was in crisis.

The Oslo embarrassment for the IOC has sparked speculation that the EB will put an increased emphasis on deliberations over reforms to bidding and staging the Olympics in two weeks’ time.

But Bach told ATR that all issues on the table at the EB brainstorming meeting were important.

"Bidding and staging the Games has always been one of the priorities there," he said. "You can read this in my electoral platform. We will discuss the whole range of topics around the Olympic Games including bidding."

Reported by Mark Bisson

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