Sepp Blatter Steps Down from Olympic Movement as IOC Elects New Members

By Christian Radnedge

FIFA president Sepp Blatter is no longer a member of the International Olympic Committee, following his withdrawal for re-election at the IOC Session in Kuala Lumpur.

Blatter was elected an IOC member in 1999, the year after becoming FIFA president. He would have had to stand down from the Olympic movement anyway when he turns 80 next year, though it is likely he would have been made an honorary member of the IOC.

But president Thomas Bach confirmed that Blatter was withdrawing from the Olympics world with immediate effect.

Bach said: “Mr Blatter sent a letter just before the IOC Session saying that his mandate as FIFA president would come to an end on February 26 because FIFA would elect a new president and that for this reason – and for the reason that he could not come here – he would not think it appropriate being proposed for a new mandate of eight years.

“This was in line with the [situation of] other two potential candidates for re-election where the nomination commission also thought it not appropriate to be re-elected for another five months so it was not a situation affecting my Blatter alone.”

Re-elections for IOC members take place at the end of an eight-year term. James Easton of the United States and Colombia’s Andrés Botero Phillipsbourne also stepped down and both were installed as honorary members.

New members elected were Mamadou Diagna Ndiaye, president of Senegal’s national Olympic committee, and Serbia’s Nenad Lalovic who, as president of the World Wrestling, led the sport back from the brink of Olympic Games exclusion.

On the executive committee, Sweden’s Gunilla Lindberg retained her place for another term.

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