COSTA NAVARINO, March 21, 2025 - The end of the 144th IOC Session on Friday officially marked the beginning of a three-month transition period at the International Olympic Committee. This was the idea of outgoing President Thomas Bach in order to ensure a smooth handover. At a breakfast meeting he and his successor Kirsty Coventry discussed some important steps that will be taken during this time.

“It will entail discussions and presentations by each of the IOC departments. All the directors are already prepared for this,” Bach said at the final press conference of the Session in Costa Navarino, Greece. “It will entail regular conversations with me - I'll always be there for questions. But she will have discussions and conversations with the departments and the directors on a personal level, without the old guy still hanging around, so that she can shape these discussions. It should be a very open exchange.

HER OPINION WILL PREVAIL  “With regard to the partition of responsibilities, I have assured her that from today on, no decision will go over her head. And if we have different opinions, her opinion will prevail. It's her call to make these decisions because she will have to live with them from the 24th of June. 

EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETING “To make this as efficient as possible we have already fixed the first executive board meeting on the very first day of her mandate on the 24th of June. Before then, we have another executive board meeting on the 9th of April, which will be a remote meeting. But we agreed this morning that she will be present in person to lead the meeting together with me.”

The 144th IOC Session in Greece lauded the achievements of Bach’s Olympic Agenda 2020 and 2020+5, highlighting the significant progress made on gender equality, climate change and other issues during his 12 years in charge of the world’s most powerful organisation, but the 71-year-old German lawyer stressed on Friday that there is still much work to be done. "In the Olympic Movement, the mission is never accomplished."

CHALLENGES The challenges facing Coventry, the IOC's first female president, range from gender eligibility issue to geopolitical uncertainty. With less than a year to go until the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Games, the decision on whether and how to reintegrate Russia into the Olympic fold is definitely one of the first items on her agenda. President Vladimir Putin has already offered "sincere congratulations to the new IOC president on her win. “The results of the vote convincingly attest to your high authority in the sporting world and the recognition of your outstanding personal achievements,” read a statement to Coventry from the Kremlin.

Amid climate crisis, another key decision for the 41-year-old Zimbabwean is finding a host for the 2036 Olympic Games, with Bach saying sooner or later the sports calendar will have to be altered. "In some parts of the world it's already clear that the Summer Games cannot be held in August," Bach said. Regarding the Winter Games, he pointed out the dramatically diminished number of potential hosts, saying that IOC has gained some time with a double allocation of the 2030 and 2034 editions and by giving privilege to Switzerland for 2038. "The rotation system was under discussion then maybe a separation between the sports on snow and the sports on ice on the overall programme of the Winter Games was under discussion," Bach said.

Coventry's​ leadership formally begins on 24 June. She has been elected for an initial term of eight years ​​​​​​until 2033, with a possible second and final four-year term until 2037, when she would be only 53.

ENHANCED GAMES The fight against doping was on the front burner as the IOC Session in Greece came to a close on Friday, with the World Anti-Doping Agency wholeheartedly condemning the “Enhanced Games”, which poses a big threat to clean sport.

While addressing the Session on Friday, WADA President Witold Bańka described the disruptive initiative as both dangerous and irresponsible. “WADA wholeheartedly condemns it. The health and well-being of athletes is WADA’s number one priority. This event would jeopardise both,” he said. “Athletes serve as role models, and WADA believes this proposition would send the wrong signal to young people around the world.”

Founded by Australian businessman Aron D'Souza, the so-called Enhanced Games will have no drug testing and has put million-dollar bounties on world records.

WORLD ANTI-DOPING CODE Bańka’s presentation also included a comprehensive update on the activities of WADA’s Intelligence and Investigations department, which was created in 2017. “The results have gone far beyond our expectations”, Bańka explained. “It has led to more than 100 successful operations, the dismantling of 25 illicit laboratories, the seizure of 25 tonnes of Prohibited Enhancing Drugs (PEDs), the identification of 60 tonnes of PED trafficking through organised criminal network disruptions, and the removal of more than 500 million doses from the global market. Our work in this area is a fantastic development and a big win for clean sport.”

WADA is now moving forward with the creation of a Global Anti-Doping Intelligence and Investigations Network. “By 2029, WADA will have created the largest global network of investigators in the world, increasingly uncovering activities that threaten clean sport”, Bańka said, adding that WADA is also eyeing the finalisation of the new World Anti-Doping Code and International Standards, which will enter into force on 1 January 2027.

PARIS 2024 ITA Chair Dr Valérie Fourneyron also addressed the IOC Members on Friday, highlighting that the most rigorous clean sport programme ever was implemented at the Paris 2024 Games, where thanks to thorough pre-Games measures 90 per cent of athletes had been tested before they competed. 

The ITA was established in 2018 with the support of USD 30 million in funding from the IOC. In June 2024, the IOC allocated a new USD 10 million fund to further support the development of the Agency over the next four years (2025-2028).

2027 IOC SESSION The IOC Session in 2027 will take place in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. This follows a vote by IOC Members during the 144th IOC Session held in Greece and it will be the first time the Dominican Republic will host this gathering. However, the Olympic Movement will be returning to the Caribbean 38 years after the 95th IOC Session in Puerto Rico in 1989. 

In a video message the President of the Dominican Republic, Luis Abinader, said: “On behalf of our entire country, it is an honour for us to have the opportunity to host the IOC Session in 2027 in Punta Cana – an event of great importance for the future of the Olympic Movement and the global development of sport.”