50 Most Influential: Thomas Bach

President

International Olympic Committee

CHANGE FROM 2012: NEWCOMER

After being elected president, Bach has moved quickly to consolidate power, holding a closed-door meeting with leading Olympic figures to outline his goals for the organization. Stronger anti-doping efforts and a task force to combat illegal betting top the list, but there’s also a move to overhaul the way the bid city process works and how sports are chosen for participation in the Olympics. Changes to the current system could have a major effect on U.S. efforts to host another Olympics, as well as efforts by baseball and softball to return to the Games.