Reflections from Retiring IOC Members

((ATR)IOC members retiring this year tell Around the Rings they hope to still have ties to the organization in years to come.

Phil Coles of Australia, Chiharu Igaya of Japan, Kip Keino of Kenya, Arne Ljungqvist of Sweden, Shun-ichiro Okano of Japan, Lassana Palenfo of Cote d’Ivoire and Antun Vrdoljak of Croatia will be retirngat year's end. The IOC Session in Durban will be their final Session.

The seven IOC members will have a combined 137 years of service to the IOC.

Coles tells ATR he hopes to become an Honorary Member of the IOC as is traditional for retired members.

"We still contribute. We just don't leave the IOC. They move us to the back bench," he says.

As an Honorary Member, he would not be able to vote but could still attend IOC Sessions and other Olympic functions alongside the 28 existing Honorary Members.

Should Coles be tapped for the position, he said he would be "honored and humbled because you join the ranks of a lot of very good people."

A king, grand duke, dame and major general are among the ranks of Honorary IOC Members.

Ljungqvist will continue to have a strong role shaping IOC policy for the next few years, even though he mustretire due to age limits. He's 80 this year.

"On the request of the President I have accepted to keep my position as chairman of the Medical Commission (and vice President of WADA) for the years 2012-2013," he told ATR via email.

The IOC must continue to tackle controversial issues such as doping and gender verification, both of which fall under the purview of the Medical Commission.

Ljungqvist said his two favorite, "equally important" moments as an IOC member are tied to those issues.

"The decision in 1999 to create WADA, and the decision also in 1999 to do away with the compulsory genetic test for gender of all female athletes at international competitions (the so-called 'gender verification test')."

Palenfo said his change in status won’t make him any less busy in the Olympic world.

"Do not also forget," he said in an email, "I am still Vice-President of the International Judo Federation and current President of [the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa] till 2013; and by God’s grace I could run again for election after that. My services at the IOC have not changed, and I am still involved in several sporting activities across the globe."

When asked how he felt about his impending change in roles, Palenfo grew philosophical.

"To stop practicing relay is one thing, but it does not translate into forsaking the track, abandoning the stadium or ceasing from practicing sports," he told ATR.

Coles will also remain active as a vice president for the World Taekwondo Federation.

"I've still got some unresolved issues to take care of," he said.

He also needed to give special thanks to one person who allowed and supported him to do all of his Olympic work. "I can continue to do this because of my wife," Coles said.

The tenure limits of IOC members are partly because of Ljungqvist’s work. Following the Salt Lake City scandal, IOC members were invited to propose reforms for the body. He suggested "limited terms of membership" of two Olympic periods, which could be extended for another maximum 4 years if an IOC member maintained a particular position such as Executive Board membership or chairmanship of a commission. His proposal was not adopted in its entirety, but nevertheless he says "it is OK to leave".

Coles says as the IOC looks to the future, attention must be paid to the program for the Games.

"I'd say one of the most important elements is the Olympic Program," he told ATR."It’s forever changing. Some sports will come, some sports will go, some events will come and go."

Many changes, several in the last decade-and-a-half, have allowed the IOC to face the "few hurdles to jump," Coles said.

"The Youth Olympics [are] one. The Athletes Commission, the contribution from the athletes has been outstanding, the number of the new sports that came on to the program since the Sydney Games" and other new programs have given the Olympics "long-lasting recognition".

Coles said the greatest parts about being an IOC member are the "fun" and, more importantly, "the longstanding friendships".

Homepage photo from Getty Images.

Written by Ed Hula III.