LAUSANNE, Switzerland ¨C Late Wednesday, members of the International Olympic Committee gathered for a dinner at the Olympic Museum on the banks of Lake Geneva. The next morning, they would see presentations from seven candidates vying to be their leader, a role that would by most measures be the most important in international sports.
At the closed-doors gathering, the outgoing president, Thomas Bach, ensured that the members present ¡ª the people who determine who will eventually lead the IOC ¡ª were kept apart from the candidates. It was, he said perhaps jokingly, so they could enjoy their meals in peace.
It was a scene in keeping with the quirky and sometimes stifling rules of an election that will be decided when IOC members vote in March at a resort in southern Greece.
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