By Sven Busch and Guenter Deister Oct 6, 2009, 5:04 GMT
Copenhagen - Olympians were enjoying a rest day Tuesday between the Olympic Congress and part two of the International Olympic Committee Session, which some may use to reflect over a future IOC president.
Jacques Rogge is set to be re-elected for a final four-year term on Friday as IOC boss, while the Olympic Congress which ended on Monday appeared to be a catwalk for potential successors.
Thomas Bach of Germany and Richard Carrion of Puerto Rico were important speakers at the Congress and the third possible presidential candidate Nawal el Moutawakel was head of the evaluation commission for the 2016 Games.
Bach, a lawyer and 1976 Olympic fencing champion, was rated highest.
His keynote address on Sunday on the structure of the Olympic Movement was named 'presidential' by world football supremo Joseph Blatter, not only because it was 15 minutes longer than planned but also because it was 'the most complete speech.'
German IOC member Walter Troeger said that Bach had clearly positioned himself for a possible presidency in 2013 and ski federation boss Gian Franco Kasper also rated Bach highly.
'Bach would have an excellent chance if the election was now,' said Kasper.
Bach, 55, is IOC vice-president and chairs the important juridical commission. He is also head of the German Olympic Committee and will aim for re-election into the decision-making IOC executive board next year to pursue his personal ambitions and to push Munich's bid to host the 2018 Winter Olympics.
But the FIS president Kasper did not want to underestimate the 400m hurdles gold medallist from 1984 El Moutawakal despite some criticism on her commission's final report on the 2016 bidders.
'I have the feeling that Rogge wants to leave another legacy. I can imagine she would be such a symbol as the first African, the first female gold medallist from her continent and the first Muslim,' said Kasper.
The 47-year-old Moroccan Sports Minister El Moutawakel would be the first woman to run the IOC.
Carrion, 56, meanwhile, is head of the IOC finance commission and also responsible for non-European broadcast rights.
In the latter capacity, he had to pass some bad news after Rio's election as 2016 host, saying that US networks were not ready to match the 2.2 billion dollars they are paying for the 2010 and 2012 Games when it comes to the 2014 and 2016 editions.
Carrion adressed the IOC Congress on the digital revolution on Monday but unlike Bach he is yet to make real statements on Olympic policy-making beyond the money factor.
However, IOC marketing chief Gerhard Heiberg said that there is still lots of time as the real positioning won't start until after Rogge's re-election.
'I am looking at all this with a big grin. So much can happen in four years,' said Heiberg.
Other candidates allegedly include Ukrainian pole vault world record holder Sergey Bubka, Olympic summer sports supremo Denis Oswald of Switzerland and his compatriot winter sports federations boss Rene Fasel as well as European Olympic committees head Patrick Hickey of Ireland.
But Fasel swiftly dismissed all ambitions, rather saying that 'Oswald and Bach would be great candidates.'
Your Talkback on this Story