CIO
PRESIDENT
Friday, December 13, the President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, presented the insignia of officer of the Legion of Honor to Thomas Bach, President of the IOC, during an official ceremony held at the Palace of the ‘Élysée, in Paris.
This prestigious distinction, the highest honorary recognition in France, rewards the eminent merits of Thomas Bach in the exceptional success of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. These Games, which marked history with their modernity, their inclusiveness and an unprecedented global impact , realize the ambitions of the IOC’s Olympic Agenda 2020 and embody a new era for Olympism.
Addressing the assembly, President Emmanuel Macron said: “Dear Thomas, on September 14, you presented the Olympic Cup to the French people. Three months later, it is the French people who crown you for your commitment, your sense of excellence, your friendship, for your vision of sport, popular, democratized, inclusive, a sport like a school of life, a sport which does not sort, which educates and which brings together and which can do so many things. A sport and Games for all. »
“Your election at the head of the IOC launched 11 years of Herculean work, 11 years of magnifying the coat of arms of Olympism, 11 years of conductor, of executing the Olympic Agenda, of placing emphasis on the athletes , to harmonize, to agree, to promote Games that are more polyphonic, more responsible, more sustainable, more diverse, ultimately more human. Games which, under your leadership, pursue an ambition for peace. The International Olympic Committee is also a diplomatic vision, in fact, with which France finds itself very intimately, with a thirst for the common, the universal. »
“Your personal commitment to promoting multilateralism, to respect between peoples, to peace, must be saluted here. You have gone to the maximum of what an IOC President in these troubled times could do to try to obtain peace, to obtain the possibility, in fact, of these moments of truce that the Games offer. »
“With you, the IOC’s word counted, and Olympism will always find France at its side to uphold our common ideals and protect the autonomy and unity of the international sports movement. »
“From Rio to Paris, via Tokyo, from the years of Covid to the return of wars, you have nevertheless succeeded throughout your mandates in making the whole world vibrate, uniting billions of human beings around a magic common, of a shared emotion, of a rediscovered pride. Useful games are probably your greatest achievement. »
“You have resolutely been able to adapt the Olympics to the new realities and aspirations of sport. »
“The year 2024 marks your last Games as IOC President. And it is a happy coincidence for you, the friend of France, that these last Games took place in our country. The eyes of the world will remember these magnificent scenes of the opening ceremony on the Seine, these music, these victories salted with sweat and tears, the pangs of Advent, the adrenaline of surpassing and the joy of coronations. This summer, you managed to make a country proud of itself. »
“Being an Olympic champion, a precise fencer, a rigorous lawyer, an enthusiastic German and European is probably the perfect combination, which has allowed you to brilliantly manage this committee. You leave it in perfect working order. A little also in a state of mourning. But there too, with the spirit of the institution, of its best interests, you decided to transmit. »
The ceremony took place in the presence of Prime Minister Michel Barnier, several ministers and former ministers, the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, the president of the Paris 2024 organizing committee, Tony Estanguet, representatives of the French authorities, and numerous personalities from the sporting, political and cultural worlds, celebrating historic cooperation between the IOC and France.
After the ceremony, Thomas Bach said: “I am deeply honored to receive this distinction. I share it with all my colleagues and friends from the IOC and the Olympic Movement. It also celebrates the collective success of the Paris 2024 Games and the IOC’s universal mission to bring the world together in peaceful competition. These Games highlighted the transformative power of sport, creating a culture of peace based on the Olympic values of excellence, respect and friendship. They will leave a lasting legacy in France on a sporting, societal and environmental level. »
Thomas Bach continued by sending his thanks to President Emmanuel Macron and the French people: “I warmly thank President Emmanuel Macron and France for their trust, their unfailing commitment to the Olympic ideal, and their exceptional welcome. »
The IOC President was accompanied by IOC members Pierre-Olivier Beckers, president of the coordination commission for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, David Lappartient, president of the French National Olympic and Sports Committee (CNOSF), Jean-Christophe Rolland, and Martin Fourcade, as well as by the IOC Director General, Christophe De Kepper.
The Paris 2024 Games, the most followed and appreciated of all time, marked a turning point for the Olympic Movement. Under the leadership of Thomas Bach, Olympic Agenda 2020 transformed the Games into a younger, more urban and more sustainable event, while achieving, for the first time, full parity between male and female athletes.
From the bidding phase, Paris 2024 embodied this innovative vision, working closely with the IOC to organize inspiring Games that reached more than five billion spectators around the world. The audacity and creativity of the organizing committee made it possible to deliver a historic, unifying and hopeful event, responding to the aspirations of a global society in search of meaning and unity.
Created in 1802 by Napoleon Bonaparte, the Legion of Honor distinguishes individuals, of French or foreign nationality, who have rendered remarkable services to the Nation or who have embodied ideals of excellence in various fields. Through this decoration, France pays tribute to the positive impact of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, under the leadership of Thomas Bach, and their lasting legacy for sport and society.
Earlier in the week, Thomas Bach was in Pristina to participate in the celebration of the 10th anniversary of the Kosovar NOC. Accompanied by Spyros Capralos, president of the European Olympic Committees and member of the IOC, he was welcomed in the country’s capital by Ismet Krasniqi, president of the Kosovar NOC.
