IOC Session On For Sunday

(ATR) Despite a steady departure of IOC members from PyeongChang, enough are expected to form a quorum on the final day of the 2018 Winter Olympics.

IOC director general Christophe de Kepper tells Around the Rings that more than 50 of the IOC’s 97 members eligible to vote should be available to close out the 132nd IOC Session.

The IOC traditionally holds a Session on the eve of the Games, then adjourns until the final day to handle any remaining business.

Elections of new members of the Athletes Commission is usually the top item. Six candidates are running for two seats this week in PyeongChang. They will replace chair Angela Ruggiero of the U.S. and Adam Pengilly of the U.K. Both were elected in 2010.

Pengilly is already gone from PyeongChang after an incident last week with a Games worker. The fracas led to his apology and a quick decision to leave Korea for home.

Results are to be announced Feb. 22 in the village.

The IOC Session began Feb. 5 with 84 members out of 100. As happens in every Games, some members can't stay the duration and the number drops. In the past few days, Ung Chang, the member in North Korea, had to return home because of illness. IOC doyen Richard Pound will leave two days before the close of the Session. Prince Albert flew back to Monaco on his jet Monday night.

Although the numbers are falling, De Kepper says he is sure there will be enough to conduct business. While there are 100 members on the roster, he says with three suspended members the quorum is now 49, not 51. The three suspended members are Patrick Hickey of Ireland, Frank Fredericks of Namibia, and Alexander Zhukov of Russia.

Remaining IOC members may feel that this time, more may not be better. The Feb. 25 meeting will take place in the executive board room of the International Broadcasting Centre. The 15-member IOC Executive Board met there ahead of the Games, but it will be a tight squeeze to fit as many as 100 or more people into the hall Sunday morning.

The Session close comes with logistical headaches as well. The IBC requires its own set of entry passes for guests and media. But it is located more or less just across the street from the IOC hotel, making it an easy 10-minute walk for those who desire.

Reported by Ed Hula in PyeongChang