The President, Filomena Fortes, and the Vice-President, João Costa Alegre, of the Association of Portuguese-speaking Olympic Committees (ACOLOP) are taking part in the 144th Session of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which takes place between 19 and 21 March 2025 in Costa Navarino, Greece. This important meeting of the Olympic movement began with a solemn ceremony held at the historic archaeological site of Olympia on 18 March.
The highlight of this historic session was the election of the IOC's tenth president, to succeed Thomas Bach, who has held the post since 2013. Seven candidates were in the running for the leadership: HRH Prince Feisal Al Hussein (Jordan), David Lappartient (France), Johan Eliasch (Sweden), Juan Antonio Samaranch (Spain), Sebastian Coe (United Kingdom), Morinari Watanabe (Japan) and Kirsty Coventry (Zimbabwe), the latter being the only woman and tipped as Thomas Bach's favourite.
The election took place by secret ballot on 20 March and the president-elect is due to take office on 23 June this year. If Kirsty Coventry is elected, she will be the first woman and youngest president in the history of the IOC, aged just 41.
The new president will face major challenges, such as maintaining the neutrality of the Olympic movement in an increasingly complex global political scenario, issues related to the inclusion of transgender athletes and the preparation of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games. Environmental issues are also high on the agenda, with hundreds of Olympic athletes calling for climate issues to be prioritised in IOC decisions.
The participation of the President and Vice-President of ACOLOP in this session reinforces the active presence and commitment of Portuguese-speaking countries in the international Olympic context.