FIFA President and IOC Member Gianni Infantino has joined the opening of the 137th IOC Session and delivered the following message to Thomas Bach on the occasion of his re-election as IOC President for a third term.
The FIFA President said: “Hello Mr President, dear Thomas. I have just three things to say: congratulations, thank you and I am looking forwards.
“Congratulations for Agenda 2020 and the way you have been implementing it. A masterpiece, clearly. Congratulations as well, for the way you mastered this pandemic. You navigated all of the sports movement; all of us through this.
“Thank you, Mr President, to you, to your team, to Christophe De Kepper, his team, to the Executive Board, to all members of the IOC, because I am coming from a team sport, but this is valid as well for individual sports. Alone nobody can win and we all must work as a team. We have one captain, and that captain is you. For this, our thanks, are with you.
“Finally, dear President, I am looking very much forward to the “+5”. You are right. We cannot ever be satisfied in sport. We always have to look forwards, and when we achieve Agenda 2020, we need to look at something else to keep us always at the sharp end.
“I am looking very much forward to the “+5”; all 15 new elements of this agenda, but most importantly as well, the collaboration of working together with you, Mr President, with your team, with the same passion, with the same energy, as we did so far. Protecting, most importantly, the values of our sports. So, President, dear Thomas, in conclusion, well done, keep going, and see you soon.”