Pole vault great Sergei Bubka of Ukraine is joining the crowded race to become the next president of the International Olympic Committee.
The 49-year-old former Olympic and world champion notified IOC members on Tuesday that he is running to succeed Jacques Rogge, who steps down in September.
Bubka becomes the sixth, and likely final, contender to enter the campaign for the most powerful job in the Olympic movement.
‘’After careful consideration, I would like to take this opportunity to humbly inform you that I will submit my candidacy for the presidency of the IOC,’’ Bubka said in a letter.
‘’I am fully aware of the responsibility that this entails and also of the difficult decision that each IOC member faces in deciding who is best to lead the Olympic movement in the coming years.’’
Bubka scheduled a news conference later Tuesday to publicly announce his decision to stand in the September 10 election in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
The record field already includes IOC vice-presidents Thomas Bach of Germany and Ng Ser Miang of Singapore, finance commission chairman Richard Carrion of Puerto Rico, amateur boxing association chief C.K. Wu of Taiwan, and international rowing federation head Denis Oswald of Switzerland.
Bubka will be by far the youngest candidate in the race, 10 years younger than the 59-year-old Bach.
Bach, a former Olympic fencer, has been seen as the front-runner. But the presence of six contenders in the field suggests there is no consensus favorite and the votes could be split.
Bubka chose to enter the race in St. Petersburg on the sidelines of the SportAccord Convention and one day before the start of IOC executive board meetings.
In his letter to IOC members, Bubka cited his background as an athlete, businessman and sports administrator.
‘’I am confident that all of these experiences give me a strong platform to work together with you to lead our great organization through the next exciting, yet challenging chapter,’’ he said.
Bubka cited the values developed by the founder of the modern Olympics, Pierre de Coubertin.
‘’Our challenge today is to maintain those historic values while adapting and growing as the modern world changes immeasurably,’’ he said, adding that he would follow in the footsteps of Rogge and his predecessor, Juan Antonio Samaranch.
Bubka competed in four Olympics from 1988 to 2000, winning the pole vault gold medal for the former Soviet Union at the 1988 Games in Seoul.
A six-time world champion, Bubka set a total of 35 world records — inside and out — during his career. He still holds the outdoor (6.14 metres) and indoor (6.15 metres) records in the event.