Al Moutawakel non-committal on top IOC post

Dubai: Former Olympic champion Nawal Al Moutawakel has remained noncommittal on her mooted running for the top post with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) later this year.

The IOC is scheduled to elect a new president during its 125th session in Buenos Aires on September 10. The current incumbent, Jacques Rogge, ends his term this year after serving as the federation’s eighth president since his election in Moscow in 2001.

Al Moutawakel, who became the first African Muslim woman to win claim Olympic gold when she won the 400m hurdles in Los Angeles in 1984, has been tipped as a strong contender to replace Rogge.

But the IOC Vice-President told media at the Peace & Sport Forum here on Tuesday: “We still have until June 5 to make up our mind on whether I am going to contest or not. But at the moment I can say that I am happy enough to be fully involved with the IOC under the leadership of Jacques Rogge and in fact I am honoured and happy to be attending the Peace and Sport Forum here on behalf of my president.”

While no individual has yet confirmed they will run for president, Al Moutawakel’s name has been mentioned as one of the potential candidates. Other contenders include Thomas Bach (Germany) — seen in many sporting circles as the heavy favourite — Sergey Bubka (Ukraine), Richard Carrion (Puerto Rico), Wu Ching-kuo (Chinese Taipei), Swiss pair Rene Fasel and Denis Oswald, and Ng Ser Miang from Singapore.

Al Moutawakel was elected as a member of the IOC Executive Board in 2008 and, in July 2012, as IOC Vice-President. She was also the first woman ever to chair an IOC Evaluation Commission and has now taken on the same role for the 2016 Olympic Games to be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The former Moroccan Minister of Sports turned 51 last week.

As of this year, there are three women as members of the IOC Executive Board — Al Moutawakel, Gunilla Lindberg and Claudia Bokel. Lindberg is the acting chairperson for the IOC Coordination Commission for the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea, while Angela Ruggiero is in the same role for the 2016 Youth Olympic Winter Games in Lillehammer, Norway.

Should Al Moutawakel eventually get elected to the highest post in the IOC, she will set a lot of firsts in the history of sport. “Yes, it will be a lot of firsts, and once I am there I will give you the answer,” she said.