Getty Images
Johan Eliasch is one of seven candidates in the running to become the next president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The Anglo-Swedish billionaire is considered an outsider in the race, but he nevertheless believes he possesses the skills and experience required for what is perhaps the highest office in sport.
“I have something unique to contribute,” he tells SportsPro. “It’s a very multi-faceted requirement on a president of the IOC. It’s not only a figurehead, but you need to lead, and you need to be a chief executive of this organisation at the same time. That requires a great deal of experience and having run large organisations many times, and been chief executive of big public companies, I have that experience.”
Elected as an IOC member in 2024, Eliasch is currently president of the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS), a role he has held since 2021. With an extensive CV spanning senior roles in sport, business, government, arts and the military over several decades, the 62-year-old also serves as chairman of sportswear brand Head, investment firm ECJ Holdings, production company London Films and the Saatchi Gallery in London, having previously held non-executive positions at IMG and Investcorp Europe.
In his IOC presidential manifesto, Eliasch identifies five major challenges facing the Olympic movement and society at large – from the emergence of new technologies and the changing nature of media consumption to growing cynicism around national and global institutions. He also pitches himself as the planet-conscious candidate, having spearheaded several environmental conservation organisations and other initiatives set up to combat climate change.
Among his key manifesto pledges is a plan to rotate the Winter Olympics across a select number of host locations as a way of ensuring greater environmental sustainability and the Games’ long-term viability. He also believes the IOC “must be brave in exploring new territories” when it comes to staging the summer edition, citing Africa, India and the Middle East as potential future hosts.
‘At a time of relentless technological and cultural change, we must be courageous about pursuing new frontiers,’ reads Eliasch’s manifesto. ‘The only way we can be equal to these challenges is with a spirit of relentless entrepreneurialism and innovation – a spirit that rejects bureaucratic tinkering, that embraces creativity and that is led by our hearts and minds.’
Ahead of next month’s election, set to be held at the 143rd IOC Session in Greece, SportsPro caught up with Eliasch to discuss his vision for the Olympic movement and how he plans to shape a more “businesslike and entrepreneurial” IOC.
Eliasch on… his key manifesto messages
Everything and anything is possible and I think the IOC is at a very high level. Thomas Bach has done an outstanding job but the world is changing, and it’s changing very fast. The IOC will have choppy waters ahead with lots of new things, particularly in the digital space, AI, etc, and we need to stay ahead of the curve.
We need to pick what kind of broadcaster we want to be. We need to make sure we’re fit for purpose. We need to defend our political neutrality, because athletes can’t choose where they were born and they should not be weaponised for political purposes. Never.
Sport has to be front and centre of what we do, because that’s core to what the movement is all about. And here we need to make sure that we have the best formats, we have the best sports and, of course, also the best athletes in everything we do.
With the athletes, they should be put at the front and always be first – that is before, during and after the Games. It’s very important that we ring-fence women’s sport, protect women’s sport using science, not ideology or trends.
Eliasch on… the current health of the Olympic movement
The brand is at a very high level. It’s one of the strongest brands in the world, if not the strongest, and that’s based on what it delivers and also its brand values. So from that perspective, we’re in a very good place, but you have to keep that up. Thomas Bach has done a phenomenal job but taking it forward requires superb excellence.
This is not just being a figurehead, because you have to deliver an opening speech in front of several billion people, but at the same time being able to run this organisation on a day-to-day basis. So the demands are very high.
Eliasch on… his leadership philosophy
Leadership is not being a dictator – it’s being collaborative. It is making people join forces and driving everybody towards the same goal. And that is when one plus one becomes three. If you inject entrepreneurialism into that, breaking bureaucratic barriers, evolving, not revolutionising, then the organisation becomes an unstoppable force, and that’s where we have to get to.
No matter how good you are, there is always room for improvement, whether you like it or not. I mean, in everything I do, that’s how I approach things. Even if I have a record year in something, there must be somewhere where I can improve.
Johan Eliasch insists he has the business acumen and leadership skills for the IOC presidency, having led companies like Head
Eliasch on… making the IOC more businesslike
It starts with reviewing that you are fit for purpose in every area, in every strand of what you do. And then, of course, once you have also established your strategic objectives for the future, you start executing that. Here it is important to hit the deck running because we don’t want to lose time. We want to be as efficient, as nimble and as productive as possible straight away.
Eliasch on… revamping the IOC’s commercial model
It’s very important with the partnerships that you have a clear architecture, that if you contribute x, you get y, and that it’s a fair and balanced approach in the ecosystem of different partnerships. Do we have a lot of potential here? Yes. And with digital, with AI, we have even higher potential. I intend to unleash that potential and bring in higher revenues for the movement if I’m elected.
Eliasch on… embracing technology and new forms of content distribution
Here we have the television rights, we have partnerships, we have data. And this is all going to evolve around strategic choices. Where we’re at today is a classical model which is migrating towards what is feasible through technology and through digital. It is very important that we stay ahead of the curve, and that is why I say we need to choose what kind of broadcaster we want to be.
The future is clearly cloud-based hosting, where, with AI and other platforms, we automate, we tailor-make a lot of the content production, because content is going to be key, and it’s where storytelling plays a big part.
Eliasch on… the IOC’s role in tackling climate change
Sustainability is at the core of everything today. Our planet wasn’t designed for eight and a half billion people living the way we do, and we only have one planet. So we do need to take action, and we have a responsibility because we have such a big reach to make that message loud and clear.
As Nelson Mandela correctly pointed out, sport has a unique ability to unite. I won’t deviate from what our core activity is, which is sport, but sustainability is something that’s going to impact what we do.
We could have a big impact because, let’s face it, organisations like the United Nations were set up for a different purpose. We see there are deficiencies that they can’t really address with governments, with nations, when it comes to sustainability. I believe that we have much bigger ability to reach out to people, to individuals, than probably any other organisation on the planet has.
Eliasch on… rotating hosts for the Winter Olympics
For the Winter Olympics, [climate change] could potentially become an existential threat with time. I believe in this rotation scheme/concept where we would designate certain venues and simply rotate the Games between these venues. That would enable federations like mine to invest continuously through events that are delivered year in, year out, and reduce the cost and the complexity when the Games are put on.
Eliasch on… taking the Olympic Games to new territories
This has to be carefully planned. Is it doable? Yes, definitely. I mean, I see that we take our sports to new territories and every time, if you have the conviction of the host country to make a success of it, it becomes a success.
I’m sure we can do the same with the Olympics and take the Summer Olympics to Africa, for instance. I’m sure we can do the same in the Middle East, parts of Asia, India, for instance. I think it’s a must because we need to constantly think in terms of expanding our reach.
Get access to richer content, exclusive reports, unparalleled business intelligence, and community benefits to help you navigate the next frontier of sport and make more informed decisions with a SportsPro+ Premium membership. Discover more here.