GENEVA (AP) — The IOC presidential election on Thursday takes place in a political climate that seems a world away from the last contested Olympic leadership vote in 2013.
“There is a very different flavor between the two elections,” said Prince Feisal of Jordan, among three of the seven candidates on this ballot who was an IOC member and voted 11 ½ years ago.
“It was more personality driven,” Prince Feisal told The Associated Press in an online interview from Amman, “rather than necessarily global economics and politics driven that might have an impact this time. We don’t want sports to be politicized but the reality is we are part of this global environment.”
Real-world politics was present last time in Buenos Aires, when current candidates Juan Antonio Samaranch and Kirsty Coventry, a new member then, also were voters. So was Prince Feisal's sister Princess Haya, then president of equestrian's governing body.
On that day, IOC president Thomas Bach famously had a call within minutes of winning a six-candidate contest after a phone was thrust in his hand to speak to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Then, in September 2013, Russia was the next Olympic host with the Sochi Winter Games opening less than four months later. Russia was then a more trusted IOC partner, before it tainted those games with a state-backed doping scheme and broke the United Nations-backed Olympic Truce for Sochi with the conflict in Ukraine.
A big issue for Bach’s successor is protecting the next Summer Games, opening in July 2028 in Los Angeles, when the United States is shaping up as an unpredictable partner for its long-term allies in the multilateral world order the IOC sees itself belonging to.
Diplomatic challenges are normal in Jordan, led by Prince Feisal’s elder brother King Abdullah II, who met with President Donald Trump at the White House last month.
“In Jordan, this is what we have been living in since even before I was born,” said the 61-year-old prince of a kingdom that shares borders with Syria, Iraq, Israel, the Palestinian territories and Saudi Arabia.
The Palestinian Olympic body, which sent eight athletes to the Paris Summer Games last year, is one of 206 recognized national teams, plus the official refugees team.
Asked if the Palestinian team will compete in LA, Prince Feisal said: “I would hope and I would pray that they would be there as part of a long-term solution.”
“Can I guarantee it? No. Does it worry me? Yes. We have got to stand for peace. Sports can play that healing role and can bring people together. We have seen that at the Olympic Games.”
The last gathering of the IOC election candidates before the election meeting, near the site of Ancient Olympia in Greece, was at a meeting of European officials in Frankfurt — just as Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy was at the White House.
“There was a lot of discussion about how that went and what the implications are,” Prince Feisal, an IOC executive board member since 2019, said of the impact felt in Frankfurt.
The prince echoed Olympic leaders in stating his belief that President Trump wants the LA Olympics to be a success.
“I don’t think he wants to miss that opportunity,” Prince Feisal said, acknowledging “there are going to be issues. There are opinions we are going to have to take into consideration. But at the end of the day we have to do what is right.
“It is a question of convincing him of the values that we stand (for) should be values that he should uphold,” he said. “And I think that is a possibility.”
Will Prince Feisal be the IOC leader navigating the three-year lead-in to Los Angeles with the Trump administration? He suggested the voting Thursday could go to at least a fourth round.
“If it’s not me, I’m fine with that," he said. "At least I have been part of this debate.”
AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games
FILE - Candidate to the presidency of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Prince Feisal Al-Hussein speaks during a press conference following a presentation before their fellow IOC members in Lausanne, Switzerland, Thursday, Jan 30, 2025 (Fabrice Coffrini/Pool Photo via AP)
MILAN (AP) — Inter Milan took a significant step to keeping its Serie A crown on Sunday with a 2-0 win at title rival Atalanta.
Carlos Augusto and Lautaro Martinez scored in the second half to lift the league leader three points above second-placed Napoli and six points above third-placed Atalanta.
Napoli had earlier been held 0-0 at relegation-threatened Venezia.
The fight for the final Champions League spot is also tight, with just six points separating six teams in the race for fourth place after more misery for Juventus, which lost 3-0 at Fiorentina.
It was a head-to-head clash for top spot in Bergamo, with Atalanta knowing that victory would move it level on points with Inter and Napoli.
Both sides had great chances in an entertaining first half, with Inter going closest with less than seven minutes on the clock.
Marcus Thuram was on the verge of wheeling away in celebration as he swept a finish past Atalanta goalkeeper Marco Carnesecchi and toward the far corner, following good play with Lautaro Martinez. But his effort bounced off the base of the right post.
At the other end, Inter goalkeeper Yann Sommer pulled off a fantastic save to fingertip Mario Pasalic’s header over the bar.
Inter broke the deadlock in the 54th minute, immediately after play resumed following a delay of several minutes as a fan got medical treatment in the stands.
A corner was whipped in from the right and Carlos Augusto rose relatively unmarked to head into the bottom left corner.
It was only his third goal for Inter in two seasons at the club.
Lautaro thought he had doubled Inter’s lead in the 71st but the whistle had already been blown for a foul by him on Berat Djimsiti.
Atalanta’s chances of getting back into the match diminished nine minutes from time. Éderson was booked for dissent and then sarcastically applauded the referee, who showed the Atalanta midfielder a second yellow card and then a red.
Lautaro sealed the match six minutes later. Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini was still protesting the Ederson decision and he was also sent off.
Inter defender Alessandro Bastoni was also sent off following a second yellow card.
It was another draw for Napoli — its fifth in its last seven matches.
Napoli almost got off to the perfect start in Venice but Giacomo Raspadori’s effort came off the left post in the fourth minute.
Venezia also had plenty of chances, with the best opportunity coming three minutes from the break. Alex Meret did well to parry from Kike Pérez and Daniel Fila’s follow-up was cleared off the line by Napoli defender Amir Rrahmani.
Napoli went even closer on the stroke of halftime but Ionut Radu pulled off a superb save to grasp Romelu Lukaku’s header on the goalline.
It was a fourth straight draw for Venezia — with two of those coming against Atalanta and Lazio — but it remained in penultimate position in the standings, five points from safety.
Juventus coach Thiago Motta is under even more pressure after his team slipped out of the top four, shipping seven goals in two matches and scoring none.
Robin Gosens and Rolando Mandragora scored within two minutes of each other in the first half and Albert Guðmundsson added another after the break as Fiorentina moved to within five points of the top four.
Juve’s season was already in tatters after a dismal 4-0 loss at home to Atalanta last weekend. The Bianconeri had also been eliminated from the Champions League and Italian Cup.
Motta’s former team, Bologna, replaced Juventus in fourth after an impressive 5-0 drubbing of sixth-placed Lazio.
Seventh-placed Roma beat Cagliari 1-0.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Fiorentina's Robin Gosens, left, celebrates after scoring during the Serie A soccer match between Fiorentina and Juventus at Florence's Artemio Franchi stadium, Italy, Sunday March 16, 2025. (Alfredo Falcone/LaPresse via AP)
Juventus' head coach Thiago Motta looks down during the Serie A soccer match between Fiorentina and Juventus at Florence's Artemio Franchi stadium, Italy, Sunday March 16, 2025. (Alfredo Falcone/LaPresse via AP)
Napoli's Romelu Lukaku, left, is challenged by Venezia's Fali Cande during a Serie A soccer match between Venezia and Napoli at the Pier Luigi Penzo Stadium, in Venice, Italy, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (Paola Garbuio/LaPresse via AP)
Napoli's Giacomo Raspadori, centre left, and Venezia's Kike Perez challenge for the ball during the Serie A soccer match between Venezia and Napoli at the Pier Luigi Penzo Stadium, in Venice, Italy, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (Paola Garbuio/LaPresse via AP)
Napoli's Scott McTominay, right, and Venezia's Joel Schingtienne vie for the ball during a Serie A soccer match between Venezia and Napoli at the Pier Luigi Penzo Stadium, in Venice, Italy, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (Paola Garbuio/LaPresse via AP)
Napoli's Romelu Lukaku, right, is challenged by Venezia's Fali Cande during a Serie A soccer match between Venezia and Napoli at the Pier Luigi Penzo Stadium, in Venice, Italy, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (Paola Garbuio/LaPresse via AP)
