Thomas Bach Facts for Kids

For the American jurist and politician, see Thomas C. Bach. For the locomotive with this name, see Llanberis Lake Railway.

Quick facts for kids

His Excellency

Thomas Bach

OLY

Bach in 2014

9th President of the International Olympic Committee

Incumbent

Assumed office
10 September 2013

Preceded by

Jacques Rogge

Personal details

Born

29 December 1953 (age 71)
Würzburg, Bavaria, West Germany

Alma mater

University of Würzburg (Dr. iur. utr.)

Profession

Lawyer

Signature

Thomas Bach

Personal information

Height

171 cm

Weight

65 kg

Sport

Fencing

Club

Fencing-Club Tauberbischofsheim

Medal record

Olympic Games

Representing West Germany
Gold	1976 Montréal	Foil, team
World Championships
Gold	1977 Buenos Aires	Foil, team
Silver	1973 Gothenburg	Foil, team
Bronze	1979 Melbourne	Foil, team

Thomas Bach was born on December 29, 1953. He is a German lawyer and a former foil fencer. He even won an Olympic gold medal! Since 2013, he has been the ninth president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). He is the first Olympic champion ever to be chosen for this important job. Thomas Bach was also a German national foil champion and a world team champion.

Early Life and Education
Fencing Career and Achievements
Leading German Sports
Becoming IOC President
Awards and Honors
See also

Early Life and Education

Thomas Bach was born in Würzburg, Germany. He grew up in Tauberbischofsheim, living with his parents until 1977.

In 1983, Bach earned a special law degree called a doctor of law from the University of Würzburg. This degree is known as "Dr. iur. utr." He speaks German, French, English, and Spanish very well.

Fencing Career and Achievements

Thomas Bach was a talented foil fencer. He competed for West Germany. In 1971, when he was 17, he won the German national junior foil championship. He also won a bronze medal at the Junior World Fencing Championships in Chicago.

At the World Fencing Championships, he won several medals:

A team silver medal in 1973 in Gothenburg, Sweden.
A team gold medal in 1977 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
A team bronze medal in 1979 in Melbourne, Australia.

His last international competition was on October 26, 1980, in Shanghai.

Bach won a foil team gold medal at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Canada. On November 11, 2017, he was officially allowed to use the letters "OLY" after his name. This special title is for Olympians.

Nationally, Bach won the German Individual Foil Championships in 1977 and 1978. He also won the European Cup of Champions for foil teams in 1978.

Leading German Sports

Sign at the house where Thomas Bach lived from 1953 to 1977 in Tauberbischofsheim.

Before becoming the IOC President, Bach was the President of the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB). He held this position from 2006.

To run for IOC President, he stepped down from his DOSB role on September 16, 2013. Alfons Hörmann took over his place. Bach remained a member of the DOSB Executive Board. He also resigned as the head of a business group called Ghorfa Arab-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry. However, he continued to lead Michael Weinig AG Company, which makes woodworking machines. This company is based in his hometown of Tauberbischofsheim.

In 2012, Bach led Munich's attempt to host the 2018 Winter Olympics. Munich received 25 votes. However, Pyeongchang, South Korea, won with 63 votes and became the host city.

Becoming IOC President

Thomas Bach often stays at the Lausanne Palace when he is in Lausanne, just like past IOC presidents.

On May 9, 2013, Thomas Bach announced he would run for President of the International Olympic Committee.

2013 IOC Presidential Election

Bach was chosen as the IOC President for an eight-year term. This happened at the 125th IOC Session in Buenos Aires on September 10, 2013. He received 49 votes in the final round, which was enough to win. He took over from Jacques Rogge, who had been IOC President from 2001 to 2013. Bach could run for a second four-year term in 2019, which would last until 2025.

Bach won against five other candidates. These were Sergey Bubka, Richard Carrión, Ng Ser Miang, Denis Oswald, and Wu Ching-Kuo.

Bach officially started his work at the IOC headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland, on September 17, 2013. This was one week after he was elected.

On March 10, 2021, Bach was re-elected for another four-year term as president. He was 67 years old. He was re-elected with 93 votes out of 94 valid votes. This meeting was held online because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This will be Bach's last term as IOC president. The rules of the organization limit the president's term to eight years with one renewal of four years. On August 10, 2024, Bach said he plans to step down as IOC president when his term ends in 2025.

Olympic Agenda 2020

After becoming IOC President, Bach wanted to change how cities bid for the Olympics. He wanted to make sure that hosting the Games was more sustainable. He felt the old bidding process asked for "too much, too early."

He suggested forty changes, which became known as Olympic Agenda 2020. All these changes were approved by everyone at the 127th IOC Session in Monaco in 2014.

Choosing Olympic Host Cities

Bach and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry at the Olympic Park in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on August 6, 2016.

The first Olympic bidding process Bach oversaw was for the 2022 Winter Olympics. Cities had to submit their bids by November 2013. Beijing, China, was chosen to host the 2022 Winter Olympics. This happened at the 128th IOC Session in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in July 2015. During the same meeting, Lausanne, Switzerland, was chosen to host the 2020 Winter Youth Olympics.

During the bidding for the 2024 Summer Olympics in 2017, President Bach suggested choosing both the 2024 and 2028 Summer Olympics hosts at the same time. This idea came after several cities pulled out of the bidding. The IOC agreed to this plan. Paris was chosen for the 2024 Olympics, and Los Angeles for the 2028 Olympics. President Bach led the voting process at the 131st IOC Session in Lima, Peru. Both cities were chosen by everyone.

Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo in Italy were chosen to host the 2026 Winter Olympics. This decision was made at the 134th IOC Session in Lausanne, Switzerland, in 2019.