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Top Olympic Bid Stories of 2013: #1 Thomas Bach Elected President of IOC

GamesBids.com presents the sixth annual Top Ten list of Olympic Bid Stories for 2013. These stories impacted the course of Olympic bids, or the Olympic bid process, and formed interesting plotlines for the year. We'll run them down from 10th to 1st during the holiday season.

#1 Thomas Bach Elected President of IOC

On September 9th at the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) all-members session in Buenos Aires, Argentina – the table was set for the Olympics for the next decade. Germany’s Thomas Bach was elected 9th President of the IOC thus becoming the most powerful person in sport.

After a campaign in which he was favoured from the outset, Bach won a convincing second-ballot decision – a lopsided victory that will help galvanize a strong leadership and unified IOC.

According to IOC rules, Bach will serve an 8-year term that can be extended to 12-years if approved by a members’ vote. That gives him plenty of time to implement his Olympic vision which includes reforming the site selection process, improving the sports program, and cracking down on drug cheats, match fixing and corruption.

Bach’s ability to give the Olympics a 21st century booster shot and lead the movement into a new era makes this GamesBids.com‘s #1 bid story of the year – one that could significantly impact the stories that are told about the Olympics and bidding for the next decade and beyond.

Former President Jacques Rogge served 12-years following the 21-year leadership of Juan Antonio Samaranch, so Bach is only the third IOC President in the past 34 years making this election a truly once-in-a-generation occurence and contender for top story of the decade.

As the leader of the IOC, Bach will influence sports federations, National Olympic Committees and hundreds of other sport bodies around the world.

Happy New Year from GamesBids.com!

You can review the entire list by clicking here.

#GBTT2013

A senior producer and award-winning journalist covering Olympic bid business as founder of GamesBids.com as well as providing freelance support for print and Web publications around the world. Robert Livingstone is a member of the Olympic Journalists Association and the International Society of Olympic Historians.

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