INTERVIEW: Senior Olympian says he knows who will be next IOC boss

By Ignacio Naya Oct 27, 2011, 3:06 GMT

Guadalajara, Mexico - Influential Olympian Mario Vazquez Rana claims to know who will succeed Jacques Rogge as president of the International Olympic Committee, and it's none of the favourites.

'The president of the IOC has been decided on. But do not ask me, as I will not tell you,' Vazquez Rana told the German Press Agency dpa at the Panamerican Games in Mexico.

Germany's Thomas Bach, Richard Carrion of Puerto Rico and Morocco's Nawal el-Moutawakel have been tipped as favourites to take over when Rogge's second and final term ends in 2013.

'I think we can open the circle a little bit more,' Vazquez Rana says enigmatically.

Vazquez Rana will not participate in electing the next president at the IOC Session in Buenos Aires as he will have passed the IOC age limit of 80 years by then.

The Mexican is the influential head of the Pan-American Sports Organization (ODEPA) since 1975 and is on the IOC executive board.

In the dpa interview, Vazquez Rana criticized Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr for wanting to modify measures adopted by his father, the late IOC president Juan Antonio Samaranch, and said that Madrid must finally deliver for 2020 if it wants to host the Olympics.

'If Madrid does not win on this occasion, it will be difficult to win on another. Now is the moment for Madrid to win,' the veteran Olympic official said.

After losing its bids to host the Olympics in 2012 and in 2016, the Spanish capital now wants to organize them in 2020. The host city will be chosen at the Buenos Aires session.

'It is taking off well. (Alejandro) Blanco is doing a good job. He secured several votes here,' Vazquez Rana said about the president of the Spanish Olympic Committee, who did some lobbying during the Pan-American Games in Guadalajara last week.

'Blanco is in touch with many people and he is well liked,' said the Mexican.

Vazquez Rana agreed with his IOC colleague Richard Pound, who recently told dpa that Madrid and Rome should be worried about the impact of their countries' economic problems on their candidacies.

'I hardly ever agree with Pound, but in this case, I do believe that the crisis can do a little bit of harm. However, I think Madrid and Rome can make progress in solving the economic problem' before the IOC takes its decision, he said.

Before Rio de Janeiro was chosen to host the 2016 Olympics, Vazquez Rana advised Spain to seek a common position with Latin America, but it did not heed the advice.

Nevertheless, the Mexican does not believe that Madrid's candidacy will now get less Latin American support.

'I think that in Latin America, the majority or almost everyone will be there (for Madrid), as well as some from the Caribbean. For sure,' he said. 'I think Madrid's victory is closer than ever before.'

Vazquez Rana criticized a proposal by Samaranch Jr to re-introduce visits to cities bidding to host the Olympics. The visits were prohibited by his father, who was trying to rein in a corruption scandal that erupted in 1999.

'One is not the same as one's children. I adore my children, I love them very much, but they are not like me in many respects,' Vazquez Rana said, describing Samaranch the elder as 'the best president in IOC history.'

'The rules that are now (in force) in the IOC need to be followed, in order not to repeat the problems that president Samaranch had to curb.'

'Juan Antonio Junior has very good things. He speaks English, he shows it every time he talks. He is a very smart kid. But to say that the rules should be changed is going against the path traced by his father. And that is not good.'

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