He has presided over four Olympics, led a determined fight against doping and steadied the ship after the worst ethics crisis in the movement's history. After an eight-year term in office, Jacques Rogge is about to embark on a second – and final – four-year mandate as president of the International Olympic Committee. He goes forward with the Olympic brand in remarkably sound shape despite the economic downturn and other challenges. The 67-year-old Belgian and former orthopedic surgeon is up for re-election Friday on the final day of the IOC session in Copenhagen. The election is a formality; Rogge is the only candidate. “If I'm re-elected I will have plenty to keep me busy from early morning to late in the evening for four years,” he said. Rogge was elected the IOC's eighth president in July 2001, defeating three other candidates and taking over from Juan Antonio Samaranch after 21 years in power. Rogge has overseen successful Summer Olympics in Athens (2004) and Beijing (2008) and Winter Games in Salt Lake City (2002) and Turin, Italy (2006). Perhaps even more significant was the IOC's vote last Friday to award the 2016 Summer Games to Rio de Janeiro, sending the Olympics to South America for the first time. While Rogge didn't vote and remained neutral in the race, Rio's victory over Madrid, Tokyo and Chicago represents an important legacy for his presidency and indicates that he has consolidated his power over the 106-member body. Another test comes Friday when the IOC assembly votes on whether to include rugby and golf in the 2016 Games. The latest recommendations were made by the executive board under Rogge's guidance and require majority approval from the members. Rogge's personality and leadership style has been in sharp contrast with Samaranch, a former Spanish diplomat who used his political skills to work aggressively behind the scenes to get what he wanted. “He (Samaranch) was a great diplomat. He was entering the Cold War era,” IOC member Timothy Fok of Hong Kong said. “Now we have a surgeon. A doctor looks at things and thinks, `Cut or don't cut?' He is a steady hand at the helm.” Rogge came to office in the wake of the Salt Lake City bid scandal, in which IOC members received cash, medical treatment, lavish gifts and other inducements during the Utah capital's successful campaign for the 2002 Winter Games. Ten IOC members resigned or were expelled, and the IOC implemented a series of reforms to clean up the organization. The IOC's finances have also strengthened under Rogge's presidency and managed to weather the global recession. In his speech to the assembly Wednesday, Rogge said revenues from top-tier sponsors have increased from $663 million from the 2001-04 cycle to $883 million for 2009-12, with negotiations continuing in an effort to sign up one or two more sponsors. Television rights deals – the biggest source of Olympic money – have brought in $3.8 billion for the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games and 2012 London Olympics, up from $2.6 billion for 2006-08. The IOC's financial reserve fund, which assures the survival of the committee for four years in the event of an Olympics being canceled, has gone from $105 million in 2001 to $455 million today.
