AIBA President announces his decision

Dr. Ching-Kuo Wu, AIBA President announces his decision to run for the IOC Presidency position

President of the International Boxing Association (AIBA) and Executive Board Member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Dr Ching-Kuo Wu has announced today his decision to stand for the IOC Presidency and revealed his manifesto.

“For the past 25 years, every January 1 reminded me of my first day as an IOC Member back in 1988. All of these magical moments I have spent within the Olympic Movement have inspired my entire life and have helped me to stay young in heart, humble and continuously motivated to serve all sports and their athletes I dearly love.

“Following these two inspiring decades, today is a very special date for me as it is my honor to announce that I have decided to run for the IOC Presidency election scheduled for September this year.

“Since 1980, 33 years until today, the IOC has lived under the leadership of two great Presidents. I truly believe that no other individual, including me, will ever be able to lead the Olympic Movement the way they did. These two leaders have made of the IOC a true leading organization that contributes to offering welfare and bright hopes to every mankind. The days of the IOC Renaissance have certainly arrived.

“Therefore, I truly believe that the IOC now needs a leader who is able to harmonize all relationships, delegate his responsibilities to the members and support them in the realization of the Olympic ideals and beyond. The next President should inspire members to collaborate, to provide leadership and to represent the IOC in their country.

“The thought and concept to develop the IOC and Olympic Movement beyond the realization of the Olympism is the core principle of my candidature. The IOC and the Olympic Games have much more power to positively impact society than any other organization and project in this world.

“In this fast moving society, I fear that we are losing control over educating our younger generation to fight against all growing social problems – doping, gambling, match-fixing, violence, etc. In addition, the environment, poverty, domestic violence, global politics, religious conflicts, are all issues that we care about addressing beyond sports and Olympism and that are parts of our responsibilities.

“Therefore, I would like to propose to all of our colleagues that we pose ourselves as members of an organization that leads the effort in making our world a better place not only for our athletes and the Olympic family, but also for our neighbors and society at large.

“I strongly urge that we concentrate more on education than ever before. I truly believe that there is no better solution to fighting against these problems than providing young people with education early on. This is one of the best ways to bring the IOC well beyond what it has achieved as of today.

“I have been extremely fortunate to have gained a wide range of experiences in my career. My professional work as an architect has taught me how to plan, create, collaborate, and realize my artistic visions. My volunteer work within the Olympic family – ranging from NOC and IF roles to opening three Olympic museums – has allowed me to fulfill my passion for Olympism.

“Now that the time has come, I am ready to step up. With the support of my colleagues, I hope to take my ideals further by becoming President of the International Olympic Committee. By placing your confidence in me, I know that we can work together to create a better future for the Olympic Movement.

“Today, I am happy to share with all of you my manifesto and I look forward to exchanging ideas and opinions on any of these topics.

“Once again, it has been my great pride to serve for many years the Olympic Movement as an IOC member from Chinese Taipei and it will be my great honor to bring the Olympic Movement beyond Olympism by representing the entire world”.