胡安·安东尼奥·萨马兰奇-小萨马兰奇，站在父亲曾经引领奥林匹克运动走向全球化的影子之下，但他清楚，今天的奥林匹克运动需要的不是缅怀过去，而是一场“异常迅速的进化”。
国际奥委会主席候选人激烈角逐，鹿死谁手，本月20日答案即将揭晓之际，小萨马兰奇接受了我们的远程采访。
赵雪湄：
你的父亲通过商业化让奥运会走向繁荣。如今，高昂成本、赛事膨胀和申办降温等正威胁其可持续性。若当选，你如何借鉴你父亲的经验，改革奥运经济模式，确保其长期繁荣？
小萨马兰奇：
首先，45年前促成奥运经济繁荣的成功经验已无法直接适用于今天。但这并不意味着我们没有改进的空间。
目前，我们拥有强大的电视转播合作伙伴，并且数字媒体的发展正在改变奥运传播方式，我们正在逐步理解它将在未来几十年如何引领变化。
我们仍然运营着历史上最成功的体育营销计划-“TOP”全球合作伙伴计划，但它已经运行了45年，需要更新与调整，使其更加灵活，适应现代市场需求。
除此之外，我们还可以通过技术手段和创新策略，进一步拓展新的收入来源。我对奥运会的未来充满信心，不仅能保持现有的服务水平和对全球体育发展的投入，还能够进一步提升。
比起变革，小萨马兰奇更强调“加速演进”；比起激进，他推崇“稳健改革”。作为目前竞选人中资历最深的委员，奥林匹克二代，他相信自己能在传统与变革之间找到平衡点。他特别提出，未来奥运经济模式要“全面升级”，通过现代化投资和数字化平台，确保奥林匹克运动的长期可持续性。
“这个时代，等待即出局。”在宣布竞选国际奥委会主席之际，小萨马兰奇表示“我不会用父亲的方法解决今天的问题。”他语气坚定，“我希望在确保奥林匹克价值观不变的前提下，把奥运会带入一个全新的时代。”
May Zhao Interviews IOC Presidential Frontrunner Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr.: Opening a New Chapter for the Olympic Games
Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr. stands in the shadow of his father, who once led the Olympic Movement into a new era of globalization. Yet he is keenly aware that today’s Olympics needs not nostalgia, but what he calls “an extraordinarily rapid evolution.”
As the race for the next International Olympic Committee (IOC) President intensifies, with the decisive vote set for the 20th of this month, Samaranch Jr. sat down for an exclusive remote interview with us.
May Zhao:
Your father brought prosperity to the Olympic Games through commercialization. Now, soaring costs, the expansion of the Olympic program, and cooling interest in hosting the Games are threatening its sustainability. If elected, how will you draw on your father’s experience to reform the Olympic economic model and ensure its long-term success?
Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr.:
First of all, the strategies that drove the Olympic economic boom 45 years ago can no longer be applied directly to today’s world. But that doesn’t mean we don’t have room for improvement.
Today, we have strong broadcast partners, and the rise of digital media is transforming the way the Olympics is shared with the world. We are steadily learning how these technologies will drive change in the decades to come.
We still operate the most successful sports marketing program in history—the TOP global partnership program—but it has been running for 45 years and needs to be updated and adjusted to be more flexible and meet modern market demands.
In addition, we can leverage technology and innovative strategies to develop new revenue streams. I am confident about the future of the Olympic Games—not only can we maintain current service levels and investment in global sport, but we can also further enhance them.
While others speak of reform, Samaranch Jr. emphasizes “accelerated evolution.” Rather than radical change, he advocates “steady reform.” As the most experienced IOC member among the candidates and a second-generation Olympic leader, he believes he can strike the balance between tradition and transformation. He has made it clear: the Olympic economic model needs a “complete upgrade,” underpinned by modern investment strategies and digital platforms to ensure the long-term sustainability of the Olympic Movement.
“In this era, to wait is to fall behind.” As he announced his candidacy for IOC President, Samaranch Jr. made his position clear: “I will not use my father’s methods to solve today’s problems.” With conviction in his voice, he concluded, “My goal is to lead the Olympic Games into a new era, while ensuring that the core Olympic values remain unchanged.”