Sochi Session Wrap -- Yu, Erdener Elected; IOC President's Dinner

(ATR) China’s Zaiqing Yu returns to the IOC's top table, elected as a VP at the IOC Session today.

Yu, 62, ran unopposed for the position vacated by Thomas Bach, who became IOC president last September.

An IOC member since 2000, he previously served on the EB from 2004-12 and was a vice president from 2008-12.

He told Around the Rings his first mission was delivering the Nanjing YOG this summer: "I have confidence in staging successful Youth Olympics in Nanjing."

He joins Australia’s John Coates, Britain’s Craig Reedie and Morocco’s Nawal el Moutawakel as an IOC vice president.

With 51 votes for and 42 against, Turkey’s Ugur Erdener defeated Richard Pound of Canada for the lone available EB seat.

The head of World Archery played a key role in Istanbul’s failed bid for the 2020 Games.

"I am very happy, very proud," he told ATR.

"This is a great honor for me for serving the Olympic Movement as a member of the IOC Executive Board. As far as I know, this is the first time for anyone from my country."

Pound, who joined the IOC in 1978, was magnanimous in defeat but now must believe he is not ever destined to get back on the IOC EB after several stints in the 1980s and 90s.

"I am adding to my impressive collection of silver medals in recent IOC elections," he joked.

The 71-year-old missed out on an EB seat by one vote to Anita DeFrantz in elections held at the IOC Session in Buenos Aires last year.

Denmark's Poul-Erik Høyer, president of the World Badminton Federation, was elected as a new IOC member.

Aruba's Nicole Hoevertsz, Gambia's Beatrice Allen and Malaysia's Prince Tunku Imran were re-elected for another eight years.

Russian IOC member Vitaly Smirnov gave a short speech to wrap up the IOC Session.

"It has been a very special session for all of us," he said, praising Bach "for conducting [the Olympic Agenda 2020 Debate] with tact and diplomacy we have come to expect".

Bach got a standing ovation for "masterfully" chairing the landmark debate bout the future of the Olympic Movement.

The IOC Session will reconvene on Feb. 23 when new IOC members will be elected following elections for the Athletes Commission.

Bach told the Session he was "extremely happy" at how the session had worked "how active and dynamic it was, how many good ideas were produced. Thank you to you."

Speaking later to reporters at his pre-Games

"I hope we can keep this spirit alive, this momentum until the extraordinary general meeting in Monaco in December when it comes to making decisions," he said.

IOC President’s Dinner Now a Fixture

IOC Session delegates joined with world leaders at the first ever IOC President’s Dinner last night.

Russian president Vladimir Putin, UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon, Chinese president Xi Jinping were among the high-profile guests. Presidents and prime ministers of a host of other countries who will attend the Sochi 2014 opening ceremony tonight were also present.

Bach confirmed that the IOC President’s Dinner will become a regular event at future editions of the Games.

"The purpose of this dinner is to show that the IOC is reaching out to society at large and is looking forward to an open dialogue with the worlds of politics, business, the media, science and culture. We want to share with you the Olympic spirit and the Olympic values", Bach said in his welcome speech.

International Paralympic Committee chief Phil Craven told ATR it had been a great occasion and a good chance to network before the Olympics. He shared a table with Russian ice hockey legend Slava Fetisov and double-Olympic pole vault champion Yelena Isinbayeva

Final Addresses

Bach made his final address to the an IOC Session as chair of the juridical commission, as did Gilbert Felli, the Olympic Games executive director.

Following a raft of senior management changes, including new directors of finance and sport, the German is beginning to make his mark at the IOC.

He thanked IOC administration colleagues for making his job easier since becoming president, saying that such management shake-ups in business were not always welcomed and appreciated and "you don’t find the efficiencies you are looking for."

"But here in the IOC, this all happened and it’s really a pleasure working with the whole administration.

Felli will be succeeded by former sports director Christophe Dubi post-Sochi. But Bach said Feb. 23 was the opportunity for him to make his final bow and members to pay their own tributes.

20 Years at #1: Your best source of news about the Olympics is AroundTheRings.com, for subscribers only.