IOC presidential race reaches finish line - key questions answered

The contention to go satellite sport's astir almighty fig has entered the finishing consecutive with International Olympic Committee (IOC) members successful Greece to elite a caller president for the archetypal clip since 2013.

The victor volition regenerate Thomas Bach and go conscionable the 10th idiosyncratic to clasp the highest bureau successful athletics - taking the relation for astatine slightest the adjacent 8 years.

BBC Sport looks astatine the cardinal questions earlier Thursday's vote.

The IOC - a premix of royalty, erstwhile athletes and starring figures from the worlds of law, authorities and concern - volition behaviour an physics concealed ballot astatine astir 14:00 GMT, with each subordinate casting 1 ballot per round.

In an intriguing process that has drawn comparisons with the mode cardinals take a caller pope, IOC members indispensable manus successful their phones earlier entering the auditorium, and compatriots of a campaigner cannot ballot until that idiosyncratic is eliminated from the process.

In total, 106 of the 109 members are present, and an implicit bulk (50% of the votes) is needed for a campaigner to win. If nary execute that successful the archetypal round, the campaigner with the fewest votes volition beryllium eliminated, and further rounds volition past beryllium conducted until idiosyncratic has an implicit majority. In what is thought to beryllium 1 of the closest races successful the IOC's 131 twelvemonth history, astir insiders are predicting respective rounds of voting.

This each follows an opaque run process which restricted candidates to 15-minute presentations astatine a backstage lawsuit successful January, with media barred and nary scope for questions from members afterwards. With nary endorsements by members, nor immoderate disapproval of rival candidates allowed, overmuch volition beryllium connected behind-the-scenes lobbying, and an unpredictable effect cannot beryllium ruled out.

Lord Coe is the highest-profile contender. A two-time Olympic 1500m champion, the 68-year-old oversaw the London 2012 Games earlier taking complaint of World Athletics, and is bidding to go the archetypal British IOC president.

Coe told BBC Sport that helium was "in bully shape" connected Wednesday, aboriginal insisting that "there is momentum".

"I person enjoyed the run and the discussions that I person had," helium added. "I person listened a batch and I've heard astir what members are acrophobic astir and what they would similar to change.

"And I judge my manifesto strikes the close equilibrium betwixt gathering connected the past 12 years and alteration with intent and care. It's an predetermination and I'm enjoying the energy."

The lone different erstwhile Olympian among the candidates is different treble golden medallist, erstwhile swimmer Kirsty Coventry. If successful, Zimbabwe's 41-year-old sports curate would marque past by becoming the archetypal woman, the archetypal African and the youngest idiosyncratic to clasp the role.

The 3rd of 3 front-runners is 65-year-old Spanish businessman Juan Antonio Samaranch. the IOC's vice-president. He is simply a subordinate of the IOC's enforcement board, similar Coventry, and is trying to travel successful the footsteps of his father, who served arsenic president from 1980 to 2001.

Sweden-born businessman and skis federation president Johan Eliasch, Japan's Morinari Watanabe - caput of the planetary gymnastics federation, French cycling main David Lappartient and Jordanian Prince Feisal al-Hussein are the different contenders.

Most of the candidates person campaigned connected akin themes, pledging to modernise, beforehand sustainability, clasp exertion and empower athletes.

Coe has enactment overmuch accent connected protecting pistillate sport. He has suggested helium would see introducing a broad prohibition connected transgender women competing successful the pistillate class if elected.

The IOC and IPC some presently let idiosyncratic sports to acceptable their ain rules regarding transgender athletes. Under Coe's presidency, World Athletics has banned transgender women from competing successful the pistillate class astatine planetary events and toughened the rules implicit the information of athletes with differences successful enactment improvement (DSD). Coe has besides said helium volition question talks with societal media companies to effort to tackle maltreatment of pistillate stars.

Coventry and Samaranch are seen arsenic continuity candidates. Among the outsiders, Eliasch has projected rotating the Winter Games among a radical of imperishable hosts portion Watanabe wants to signifier the Olympics crossed 5 cities from 5 continents astatine the aforesaid time.

Whoever wins, determination has already been scrutiny of a process lacking transparency, but this volition lone intensify if Coventry is palmy due to the fact that she is wide seen arsenic Bach's preferred candidate.

The sole pistillate campaigner has played down suggestions that the outgoing president has been rallying enactment for her, but this could beryllium an intriguing last trial of Bach's influence. Coventry has besides had to support her relation with the authorities of arguable President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who has faced allegations of corruption and quality rights abuses.

Samaranch Jnr is seen by galore arsenic the favourite, but has faced questions implicit the information that 2 Chinese IOC members who beryllium connected the committee of his household instauration - which is based successful China - are permitted to vote.

When asked by BBC Sport whether that hands him an unfair advantage, helium defended the rules. If helium emulates his begetter - who raised the illustration of the Olympic question but was besides president astatine the clip of the damaging 1999 Salt Lake City corruption scandal - it whitethorn not beryllium the champion look for the governing assemblage astatine a clip erstwhile it is trying to modernise.

Coe has received the enactment of athletes specified arsenic Usain Bolt and Mo Farah, but is seen arsenic thing of a disruptor by galore wrong the Olympic movement. As caput of World Athletics, helium has taken a tougher stance than the IOC with Russia implicit some doping and the penetration of Ukraine.

He has besides called for amended IOC enactment implicit sex policies aft an eligibility contention overshadowed the women's boxing contention astatine the Paris 2024 Olympics.

His astonishment determination to grant currency for golden medals astatine past year's Paris Olympics besides antagonised the IOC. He has besides said that excessively overmuch powerfulness has been concentrated astatine the apical of the IOC and not capable has been made of the members' talents.

Whoever is chosen volition request to beryllium an astute diplomat, assuming powerfulness astatine a pivotal clip for the Olympic movement, and amid a analyzable and tense geopolitical landscape.

The caller president - who volition formally instrumentality bureau successful June - whitethorn person to woody with the imaginable reintegration of Russia, which was banned aft the 2022 penetration of Ukraine, and with US President Donald Trump successful the physique up to LA 2028. He has already threatened to contradict visas for transgender women athletes trying to sojourn the US to vie successful the pistillate class astatine the LA Games.

There is besides a wintertime Olympics successful bluish Italy to hole for adjacent year, and a determination looming connected wherever the 2036 summertime Games should beryllium staged, with bids expected from India, South Africa and the Middle East.

Longer-term, tasks scope from contending with sex eligibility, quality rights, clime alteration and AI, to ensuring the Games stay applicable and attracts caller audiences and sponsors successful a fragmented and rapidly-changing media and amusement landscape.