Thomas Bach
Olympic Champion, Fencing 1976, Montreal, IOC Honorary President for Life, Honorary Professor at Tsinghua University
Thomas Bach
Born in Würzburg, 29 December 1953
Married to Claudia, née Kargl, since 1977
Languages: German, English, French, Spanish
Sport
Olympic Champion, fencing, Men’s Foil Team, Montreal 1976
World Champion, fencing, Men’s Foil Team, Montreal 1976
World Champion, fencing, Men’s Foil Team, Buenos Aires 1977
Sport administration
1979 - 1981 Chairman of the Athletes’ Commission of the German Committee for
Competitive Sport in the German Sports Confederation (DSB)
1981 Athletes’ representative at the 11th Olympic Congress, Baden-Baden
1981 - 1988 Founding member of the Athletes’ Commission of the International Olympic
Committee
1982 - 1991 Personal Member of the National Olympic Committee for Germany
1991 - 2025 Member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC)
1994 - 2013 Chairman of the Chamber of Appeals of the Court of Arbitration for Sport
(CAS)
1994 - 1995 Chairman of the Evaluation Commission for the 19th Winter Olympic Games
1996 - 2014 Member of the IOC Executive Board
2000 - 2004 Vice President of IOC
2000 - 2006 Member of the Supervisory Board of the Organising Committee of the
2006 FIFA World Cup™
2006 - 2010 Vice President of IOC
2006 - 2013 Founding President of the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB).
2013 - Honorary President of DOSB for life
2007 - 2011 Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Organising Committee of
2011 FIFA Women's World Cup™
2010 - 2013 Vice President of IOC
2013 -2025 President of the IOC
2025 - IOC Honorary President for life
Business / career
1973 - 1978 Studies in Law and Politics at the University of Würzburg
1978 - 1982 Formation in Law
1983 Ph.D. in Law
1983 - Founder of own law firm
1985 - 1987 Director for Promotion at adidas
1988 - 1990 Chairman of the SME Advisory Board of the Federal Minister for
Economics (during German reunification period)
1998 - Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Michael Weinig AG, World
market leader in solid wood (processing)
2000 - Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Weinig International AG,
Holding company
2000 - 2009 Advisor to the Siemens AG Board of Management of Siemens
Schweiz AG and
member of the Board of Administration of Siemens Schweiz AG
2006 - 2013 President of the Ghorfa Arab-German Chamber of Commerce and
Industry
2013 - Honorary President of the Ghorfa Arab-German Chamber of
Commerce and Industry
2008 - 2013 Chairman of the Advisory Board of Melius GmbH
2009 - 2013 Advisor to the Chair of Nürnberger Versicherung AG and
member of the Supervisory Board of Nürnberger Versicherung AG
Austria
2009 - 2013 Chairman of the Advisory Board of Bartec GmbH
Awards / Distinctions
Numerous Honorary Professorships
Numerous Doctor honoris causa degrees in different countries
2019 CEM Papandreou Peace Award
2020 Seoul Peace Prize
2024 “The Prince Albert Leadership in Post Conflict Development Award”
Numerous orders of merit from various National Olympic Committees
and international sports organisations on all 5 continents
Numerous high-level distinctions from various states on all 5 continents
