(ATR) The IOC tells Around the Rings that interviews are taking place for several key positions in Thomas Bach’s new administration.
The recruitment process is underway for finance and sports directors as well as the international relations role.
ATR understands that no changes are planned in the IOC communications department.
IOC vice president Craig Reedie told ATR he’d been informed that a number of good candidates had come forward to fill the positions of sports and finance directors.
Current sports director Christophe Dubi will succeed Gilbert Felli as Olympic Games executive director next year. Caroline Kuyper quit as IOC finance director in March just nine months after being hired. IOC director general Christophe de Kepper has served as interim head of that department since she left.
The IOC is also looking for someone to succeed Tommy Sithole as international relations director.
"I think it’s quite important that these are brought to fruition at a reasonably early date because we put pretty large amounts of pressure on the existing heads [of commissions]," Reedie told ATR, referencing the job De Kepper has been doing.
Global executive search firm Odgers Berndtson is leading the recruitment process.
"I am sure the new president would have all sorts of things he would like to discuss and implement. I would be very surprised if Thomas didn’t want to be involved," Reedie added.
While the IOC is not expected to announce any new hires this month, the appointment of the Tokyo 2020 IOC Coordination Commission chair could come in the next few weeks.
The IOC is holding an Olympics workshop in Tokyo in early November at which it would make sense for the CoCom chair to attend. Felli and Dubi are scheduled to be part of the IOC delegation.
"It certainly makes sense to have someone in roughly the same time zone," Reedie said.
Singaporean IOC member Ng Ser Miang is one of those mentioned as a possible CoCom chairman. He declined to comment when asked if he had been approached to take on the job.
Bach Visits Sochi
The new IOC chief is confirmed to attend the IOC Sport and Environment Conference in Sochi at the end of the month.
It will be the German’s first visit to the Black Sea resort since 2002.
Homepage photo from Getty Images
Reported by Mark Bisson
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