中华时报/中华新闻网/中华新闻通讯社（赵雪湄）65岁的胡安·安东尼奥·萨马兰奇（Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr.）正站在国际奥委会（IOC）主席竞选的重要关头。他是本次竞选中资历最深的委员，也是难得一见即坐拥深厚体育治理经验，又富有金融商业背景的候选人。作为已故前IOC主席胡安·安东尼奥·萨马兰奇之子，他自幼深受奥林匹克精神熏陶，2001年加入IOC，并两度担任副主席（2016-2020，2022至今）。
他的父亲，老萨马兰奇，被誉为奥运改革的伟大推动者，成功引入商业模式，使奥运远离政治博弈，扭亏为盈。如今，小萨马兰奇带着这份荣耀与使命，竞选IOC主席，希望延续父亲的改革精神，引领奥运迈向新时代。
在国际体育治理中，小萨马兰奇展现出独特的跨界能力，拥有纽约大学MBA和巴塞罗那大学工业工程师的背景，为奥运改革带来市场化和经济视角。他创办了萨马兰奇体育发展基金会，推动体育普及与国际合作，深谙体育与社会发展的紧密联系。
他曾担任2022年北京冬奥会协调委员会主席，在大型赛事筹备中展现出卓越的国际协调能力和务实的改革思维，赢得广泛赞誉。
面对未来，他主张加速奥运市场化创新、强化经济可持续性、推进数字化改革，以确保奥运品牌的长期竞争力。作为一位既精通奥运体系、又擅长商业运作的改革者，他能否在3月20日的选举中，续写父亲的辉煌，引领奥运迈向新生？让我们静候回音。
At 65, Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr. stands at a pivotal moment in the IOC presidential race. He is the most experienced candidate in the field and a rare contender who combines deep expertise in sports governance with a strong background in finance and business. As the son of the late Juan Antonio Samaranch, a former IOC president, he has been immersed in the Olympic spirit since childhood. He joined the IOC in 2001 and has served two terms as vice president (2016–2020, 2022–present).
His father, Juan Antonio Samaranch Sr., was a pivotal reformer of the Olympic Movement, introducing a commercial model that steered the Games away from political entanglements and transformed them into a financially sustainable global spectacle. Now, Samaranch Jr. enters the race for IOC presidency, determined to carry forward his father’s legacy and lead the Olympic Movement into a new era.
With a unique cross-disciplinary skill set, Samaranch Jr. brings a market-oriented and economic perspective to Olympic governance, backed by an MBA from New York University and an industrial engineering degree from the University of Barcelona. He is also the founder of the Samaranch Sports Development Foundation, which promotes sports accessibility and international cooperation, demonstrating his deep understanding of the interplay between sports and social progress.
As chair of the IOC Coordination Commission for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, he played a key role in overseeing the Games’ preparations, earning widespread recognition for his strong international coordination skills and pragmatic reform mindset.
Looking ahead, he advocates for accelerating Olympic market innovation, strengthening financial sustainability, and advancing digital transformation to enhance the long-term competitiveness of the Olympic brand. As a reform-driven leader with both institutional knowledge and business acumen, can he continue his father’s legacy and steer the Olympic Movement toward renewal?
The March 20th election will determine if he will be the one given the opportunity to see his vision pursued. Let us await the outcome.