Seven candidates will compete in the election for the presidency of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) at the 143rd IOC Session held from 18 to 21 March 2025 in Greece.
The candidates (in alphabetical order):
HRH Prince Feisal AL HUSSEIN
Lord Sebastian COE
Mrs Kirsty COVENTRY
Mr Johan ELIASCH
Mr David LAPPARTIENT
Mr Juan Antonio SAMARANCH
Mr Morinari WATANABE
officially announced their candidacies by the deadline of midnight on 15 September 2024.
The candidates will present their programmes, in camera, to the full IOC membership on the occasion of a meeting to be held in Lausanne (Switzerland) in January 2025.
More information on the election of the next IOC President, including the directives and applicable rules, can be found on the dedicated page of the IOC website
fonte IOC
On 12th and 13th September, the Headquarters of Villa Queirolo in Rapallo has been the background for the Institutional meetings of the P.I. International Board and of President's Committee.
The International President Giorgio Chinellato arrived in the Ligurian town on the morning of Thursday 12 to meet the Mayor of Rapallo Elisabetta Ricci and exchange a mutual wish of good work. The meeting has been the occasion to deepen Panathlon's activities, at national and international level and the consequent contribution that this brings to the city of Rapallo that since many years hosts the International Secretariat.
In the early afternoon the International Board started, in hybrid form. Among the works and novelties on the agenda was the appointment of the new Treasurer in the person of Marco Salvagno, from the Club of Mestre.
Much space was devoted to the attribution of delegations, the appointment of the Presidents of PI Commissions, and the wish for productive work.
There was also much discussion about the PI's presence at the Paris 2024 Olympics. On this occasion the International President and the Past President attended an event organized together with other bodies recognized by the IOC to find synergies for future collaborations; these are organizations such as the CIFP (International Fair Play Committee), the ISOH (International Society of Olympic Historians), and the CIPC (International Pierre de Coubertin Committee). The presence of PI in Casa Italia and the Congress organized by the District France at the headquarters of UNESCO were also very important.
The Thursday afternoon ended with a greeting from the IB to Nicoletta Bena on the occasion of her retirement after 39 years of constant and dedicated work at the International Secretariat of Panathlon International.
This was followed by a dinner at the Rapallo Golf Club organised by the Chiavari, Rapallo and Recco Panathlon Clubs during which the theme of disability was also addressed through the projection of the documentary film ‘Sport: True Victory’, where four sportsmen and women shared their stories, leaving a message of positivity and passion for life to those present. A video was also screened aimed at young people to illustrate the panathletic mission through comic strips.
The following day, the PC met with Giorgio Costa President of the Italian District to coordinate the management of some situations that had arisen within the District.
With the resumption of the IB in the afternoon, the granting of various patronages was approved, some documents were updated, and new strategies for the communications department were discussed.
Official documents are being drafted and as is customary, will soon be sent to the IB, PC, College Presidents and District Presidents. In order to ensure more direct contact, the IB decided to send the official documents to the Governors and Club Presidents.
The celebration of the World Fair Play Day and the 2nd Award Ceremony ‘Fair Play for Peace’ of the EFPM took place at the Gothic Hall of the City Hall of Brussels.
Present at the celebration were the President of the International Fair Play Committee, Yeno Kamuti, the Past President of Panathlon International Pierre Zappelli and the President of Panathlon Club Wallonie-Bruxelles and the European Fair Play Movement, Philippe Housiaux.
The ceremony was marked by an exceptional moment.
Kelly T. Clements, UNHCR Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees was awarded the ‘Fair Play for Peace’ prize by the European Fair Play Movement in recognition of her work to highlight the impact of sport in spreading the positive values of peace and solidarity around the world. The Prize, awarded annually to an institution or association, highlights the positive impact of sport in spreading these essential values on a global scale.
This award underlines UNHCR's unwavering commitment to initiatives such as the ‘More than a game’ strategy, which promotes sport, not only as a form of entertainment, but as a powerful tool to promote peace, the inclusion of refugees in host communities and the creation of bonds of solidarity between people.
‘The office of the High Commissioner for Refugees should not exist if our world lived in harmony and peace,’ Philippe Housiaux stressed. ‘Unfortunately, 120 million forcibly displaced persons remind us daily how incapable our society is of finding acceptable human solutions. By awarding this prize, the European Fair Play Movement modestly recognises the immense hope represented by the work of the UNHCR: that of welcoming these forcibly displaced people to prepare for Peace’.
The first meeting of the International Board and the President's Committee, following the first one after the elections in Agrigento, will be held at the international headquarters in Rapallo on 12 and 13 September.
Among the topics on the agenda: the appointment of the new treasurer, the Commissions, and the distribution of the delegations. The budget and the possible convocation of an extraordinary assembly will also be discussed. Two days of intense work to face in the best way the objectives for the next four-year period.
International President Giorgio Chinellato successfully took part in the event organised on 2 August in Paris together with the other IOC-recognised associations: Pierre de Coubertin International Committee (CIPC) - International Fair Play Committee (CIFP) - International Society of Olympic Historians (ISOH) where, together with Pierre Zappelli, Maurizio Monego, Christian Garrabos and Marc Rozenblat (see photo) the possibilities for future a collaboration have been deepened.
He went to "Casa Italia" where he was able to see the implementation of the project launched together with District Italy and the Colors for peace Association with the projection of short films presenting our movement.
Giorgio Costa President of District Italy also flew to Casa Italia to meet with CONI officials who welcomed Panathlon International and District Italy to the House of Italian Sport at the Olympics.
We are excited to announce that today 2nd of August, during the Paris Olympics, a collaborative event will take place among four IOC-recognized organizations that have common programs and synergies .
This meeting will be an important opportunity to strengthen the profile of the Olympic Community addressing different aspects of the Games and its various stakeholders. It is a unique opportunity that brings together four long-standing organizations: the Panathlon International, the International Pierre de Coubertin Committee (CIPC), the International Fair Play Committee (CIFP), and the International Society of Olympic Historians (ISOH) with the aim of deepening mutual understanding .
For PI, our International President Giorgio Chinellato will be present who, together with Past-President Pierre Zappelli and other panathletes/executives, will have the task of dialoguing and analyzing how we can be stronger, “together”!
Speech delivered by International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach during the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 today, 26 July 2024.
Thomas Bach during the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games Paris 2024
The Past International President and the Secretary General will participate in the online Conference ‘Equality and Diversity in Francophone Sport: a reality?’, which will take place on Thursday 25 July 2024 from 2:00pm to 4:30pm at the Council of Europe office in Paris.
Programme attached
IOC President Bach: “You are the peace ambassadors of our time”
Hundreds of Olympic athletes representing the athletes of the territories of all the 206 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Refugee Olympic Team made a powerful call for peace. Four days before the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games, they gathered in a solemn moment in the Olympic Village. Wearing scarfs with the message “Give peace a chance” and holding flags with the same words, they emphasised the powerful role that sport can play to foster peace and mutual understanding. The event included athletes from NOCs whose countries are currently in conflict or war with each other.
SAVE THE DATE - World Fair Play Day 5 September