Race to become Olympics supremo on a knife edge

COSTA NAVARINO, Greece: The race to succeed Thomas Bach as president of the International Olympic Committee reaches a climax on Thursday with Juan Antonio Samaranch Junior, Sebastian Coe and Kirsty Coventry believed to be neck and neck but clear of the remaining quartet.

Any of those three would be an historic winner in the election at the exclusive Greek resort of Costa Navarino. Samaranch would emulate his father of the same name and they would become the first father and son to be crowned president, World Athletics president Coe would be the first Briton and Zimbabwean Coventry the youngest at 41, and both the first woman and African.

Nevertheless the electorate of 100-plus IOC members is hard to read and surprises cannot be ruled out in the battle to become the most powerful figure in sport. Ski federation chief Johan Eliasch, Morinari Watanabe, president of the international gymnastics federation, cycling head David Lappartient and Prince Feisal al-Hussein make up the heavyweight field.

The vote takes place behind closed doors and all the IOC members will be obliged to leave their phones outside the room. “The IOC election makes the papal conclave seem like an open house,” remarked IOC veteran and one-time presidential candidate Dick Pound.

The candidates´ nerves will be jangling as they sit through a session of IOC business before the vote gets underway at 1400 GMT. The winner will be the first to obtain an absolute majority.

Just how powerful the post is was illustrated when Bach was elected in 2013 and his first interview was interrupted by a congratulatory phone call from Russian President Vladimir Putin, as the Black Sea resort of Sochi was hosting the Winter Games the following year. Whoever wins will take over a financially secure IOC but those calm waters are muddied by a febrile geopolitical situation.