Image of the Olympic logo displayed on a flag. /VCG

The battle for the most powerful job in world sports is hurtling toward its climax, as International Olympic Committee (IOC) members descend on Greece this week to crown a new leader.

With outgoing IOC President Thomas Bach's tenure nearing its final curtain, seven contenders are making their last plays, hoping they've done enough to land the ultimate prize.

Bach is stepping down after 12 years in charge, and his potential successor will need a majority of the approximately 100 votes on Thursday to claim victory.

The candidates are International Cycling Union chief David Lappartient, current IOC Vice President Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr., World Athletics head Sebastian Coe, former Olympic swimming champion and current Zimbabwe Sports Minister Kirsty Coventry, Prince Feisal Al Hussein of Jordan, Federation of International Gymnastics chief Morinari Watanabe, and Federation of International Ski and Snowboard head Johan Eliasch.

The winner of Thursday's vote, set to take place in a seaside resort near the southern Greek town of Pylos, will be charged with shaping world sports along with international sports federations, national Olympic committees, and the IOC's top sponsors.

The next IOC President must also immediately tackle a number of issues to ensure the continued success of the Olympic Games, the main product of the multi-billion dollar organization.

Among those tasks is the establishment of clear competition rules for transgender athletes, an issue that could potentially create friction with the United States government, after President Donald Trump excluded transgender athletes from domestic competitions and national teams last month.

The IOC currently allows transgender athletes to take part in the Games, but is under pressure to come up with a universal rule, instead of relying on each individual sports federation's decisions.

The relationship with Trump will also prove crucial for the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Olympics. All candidates have highlighted the American leader's previously-expressed support for the Games, with Lappartient saying the IOC would also need to secure its autonomy.

The new IOC boss will also need to deal with the issue of Russia, whose Olympic committee has been banned for violating the Olympic Charter in relation to the country's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Some of its athletes competed as neutrals at last year's Paris Summer Games.

Bach's departure comes with the organization in a financially robust position, having secured $7.3 billion from media rights, sponsorship, and other revenue streams for 2025-28, and $6.2 billion in contracts for 2029-2032.

Last week, the IOC also announced a $3 billion extension of NBCUniversal's U.S. Olympic media rights until 2036, but the departures of several sponsors over the past year have sparked calls for changes to its marketing structure.

In order to secure the job, the candidates will go through several rounds of voting, with a majority unlikely for any in the early rounds. The candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated in each round.