IOC election: "This current marketing system cannot continue" (Morinari Watanabe)

"We must change the marketing system. This current marketing system 'use the five rings and give me 200 million or 300 million' cannot continue," said Morinari Watanabe, IOC presidential candidate, to the British news agency Reuters on 11/12/2024.

The Japanese executive, who has been president of the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) since 2017 (re-elected in November 2021 and again in October 2024), was responding to the non-renewal of the agreements of three Japanese companies (Toyota, Bridgestone and Panasonic) involved in the IOC's "Top" global partners programme.

"Many Japanese companies want to sponsor Olympic Games because Olympic Games mean great value for the company. They want to support but of course they need value. So far the balance is not good. A lot of money is paid but (the company is) not getting the benefits. This is a problem. If I was a company president, (I would say) 'please support football because there we have advertising'," said the 62-year-old.

The IOC, which does not authorise its partners to advertise on competition sites during the Games…