IOC presidential election: Key questions answered before Thursday's vote

International Olympic Committee (IOC) members are gathering in Greece to elect a new president, marking the final stage in the race for the most influential figure in the world of sports. This is the first IOC presidential election since 2013. The winner will succeed Thomas Bach, becoming the tenth leader of this top sports position, with a term of at least the next eight years.

The IOC chose to hold its 144th session at a luxury hotel in Costa Navarino, located about 60 miles south of Ancient Olympia, the birthplace of the ancient Olympic Games. The session's opening ceremony took place here earlier this week. With four golf courses overlooking the Ionian Sea, along with a range of swimming pools, spas, and restaurants, the hotel provides a relaxed backdrop for Thursday's vote. Nevertheless, with all candidates still working to secure the support of its members, the atmosphere remains tense ahead of what some are calling the most important IOC election in decades.

The IOC consists of royalty, former athletes, and leading figures from the fields of law, politics, and business. They will cast their electronic secret ballots around 14:00 GMT, with each member casting one vote per round. In this fascinating process, IOC members must surrender their mobile phones to enter the auditorium, and the compatriots of candidates must abstain from voting after that candidate is eliminated from the election. A total of 106 out of 109 members are present, and a candidate needs an absolute majority (more than 50% of the votes) to win. If no candidate reaches this goal in the first round, the candidate with the fewest votes will be eliminated, followed by additional rounds of voting until someone obtains an absolute majority. It is believed to be one of the most competitive elections in the IOC's 131-year history, with most industry insiders expecting several rounds of voting.

The entire campaign process has been opaque, with candidates limited to 15-minute speeches at a private event in January, from which the media was barred, and with no opportunity for questions from members afterward. Since members are not allowed to publicly support or criticize competitors, much will depend on behind-the-scenes lobbying, making it impossible to rule out unpredictable results. Lord Coe is among the most high-profile contenders. The two-time Olympic 1500m champion, who oversaw the London 2012 Olympics and now heads World Athletics, is vying to become the first British IOC president.

Coe told BBC Sport that he was in "good shape" on Wednesday, later insisting that he had "momentum." "I've enjoyed the campaign and the discussions I've had," he added. "I've listened a lot, and I've heard the concerns of the members and the things they want to change. I believe my campaign program strikes the right balance between building on the last 12 years and purposeful and prudent change. It's an election, and I'm enjoying the energy."

The only other former Olympian among the candidates is another double gold medalist, former swimmer Kirsty Coventry. If successful, the 41-year-old sports minister from Zimbabwe would make history as the first woman, the first African, and the youngest person to hold the position. The third frontrunner is 65-year-old Spanish businessman Juan Antonio Samaranch, an IOC vice president. He is also a member of the IOC Executive Board, like Coventry, and is trying to follow in the footsteps of his father, who served as president from 1980 to 2001.

Other contenders include Swedish-born businessman and ski federation president Johan Eliasch, Japan's Morinari Watanabe – president of the International Gymnastics Federation, French cycling head David Lappartient, and Prince Feisal bin Hussein of Jordan. Most candidates are campaigning around similar themes, promising to modernize, promote sustainability, embrace technology, and empower athletes. Coe places great emphasis on protecting women's sports. He has stated that if elected, he would consider a complete ban on transgender women participating in women's competitions.

Both the IOC and the International Paralympic Committee currently allow individual sports to set their own rules for transgender athletes. Under Coe's leadership, World Athletics has already banned transgender women from competing in women's events at international competitions and strengthened the rules for the participation of athletes with differences of sexual development (DSD). Coe has also said he would seek talks with social media companies to try to address the abuse of female stars. Coventry and Samaranch are seen as continuity candidates. Among the outsiders, Eliasch has proposed rotating the Winter Olympics among a group of permanent hosts, while Watanabe wants to hold the Olympics simultaneously in five cities from five continents.

Regardless of who wins, the lack of transparency in the process has already come under scrutiny, but this would only intensify if Coventry is successful, as she is widely considered to be Bach's preferred choice. The only female candidate has downplayed claims that the outgoing president has been campaigning for her, but this could be an interesting final test of Bach's influence. Coventry has also had to defend her ties to the government of controversial President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who faces allegations of corruption and human rights abuses.

Samaranch Jr. is seen by many as the favorite, but he faces questions because two Chinese IOC members who serve as directors of his family foundation – which is based in China – are allowed to vote. When asked by BBC Sport whether this gave him an unfair advantage, he defended the rules. If he emulates his father – who raised the profile of the Olympic movement but was also president when the Salt Lake City corruption scandal broke in 1999 – it may not be the best image for a governing body trying to modernize.

Coe has received support from athletes such as Usain Bolt and Mo Farah, but within the Olympic movement, he is seen by many as something of a disrupter. As the head of World Athletics, he has taken a tougher stance on Russia over doping and the invasion of Ukraine than the IOC. He also called on the IOC to show greater leadership on gender policies after a qualification controversy overshadowed the women's boxing competition at the 2024 Paris Olympics. His surprise decision to award cash prizes for gold medals at last year's Paris Olympics also angered the IOC. He has also stated that too much power is concentrated at the top of the IOC and that the talents of the members are not being fully utilized.

Whoever is chosen will need to be a shrewd politician, taking the reins at a crucial moment for the Olympic movement, and amid a complex and tense geopolitical landscape. The new president – who will officially take office in June – may need to handle the potential reintegration of Russia, which was banned after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, and the situation with US President Donald Trump ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. He has already threatened to deny visas to transgender women athletes who try to travel to the US to compete in women's events at the Los Angeles Olympics.

There are also the Winter Olympics in northern Italy next year to prepare for, and a decision is looming on the host of the 2036 Summer Olympics, with bids expected from India, South Africa, and the Middle East. In the longer term, the remit ranges from tackling gender eligibility, human rights, climate change, and artificial intelligence, to ensuring the Olympics remain relevant and attract new audiences and sponsors in a fragmented and rapidly changing media and entertainment environment.