(ATR) The president of the Spanish Olympic Committee (COE), Alejandro Blanco, believes his compatriot Juan Antonio Samaranch Salisachs would be an ideal successor to IOC president Thomas Bach.
Asked if he saw Samaranch as a future president, Blanco said: "I see him as a future candidate and president of whatever he wants, because his work is extraordinary.
"Right now [he] is the person with the most capacity and responsibility in the IOC, except for Bach."
The Spanish NOC leader believes Bach will be re-elected without problems because "he has done an extraordinary job in very difficult moments".
Bach, president of the IOC since 2013, will be the only candidate for the position which would keep him in office until 2025. The elections of the IOC Session are scheduled to take place in Athens (so far, in person) from March 10 to 12 of 2021.
The Olympic Charter establishes a first term of eight years for the presidents, extendable for four more years, up to a maximum of 12. If Bach obtains the endorsement of the 105 members of the IOC in March - as expected - his new term will officially begin after the Tokyo Games in August.
Samaranch Salisachs, 61, joined the IOC in July 2001 in Moscow during the last Session in which his father, the historic Olympic president, Juan Antonio Samaranch Torelló, passed the baton to Belgian Jacques Rogge after 21 years.
Last July Samaranch Jr. left the IOC Executive Commission after eight years, the last four as vice president. In addition to continuing in key positions within some Commissions, he is the chairman of the IOC Coordination Commission for the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games.
In his statements to the Spanish sports newspaper AS, Alejandro Blanco (Orense, 70 years old), former judoka and former president of the Spanish Judo Federation, reiterated his confidence that the postponed Olympic Games in Tokyo will be inaugurated on July 23
"The only uncertainty is about the missing Pre-Olympics. I hope that from January we can start competing," he commented.
Contrary to his idea last year, when he announced that he would not run as head of the COE after finishing his fourth term, Blanco hinted that he could run for a fifth term in the General Assembly of the COE in November 2021.
Blanco confirmed that at this moment the Barcelona-Pyrenees 2030 Olympic project "is stopped".
"We must wait for the elections in Catalonia and for everything to normalize," he said.
Blanco also does not lose hope in Madrid bidding to host a future Olympics.
"I believe that Madrid should be a candidate for the Games, yes or yes. They owe us… " he stated.
The three consecutive defeats for the 2012, 2016 and 2020 Games, despite being the preference of a good number of Olympic fans, have not wrecked the dream of an Olympic Madrid.
And not a few think that the IOC by decree and as a reward should grant that prize to the Spanish city by 2032.
Written by Miguel Hernandez
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