The 65-year-old International Gymnastics Federation chief is one of seven candidates vying to succeed Thomas Bach as head of the IOC, with members set to decide in March.
The son of a Hiroshima atomic bomb survivor, Watanabe would be the first Asian in the high-profile post.
Watanabe is proposing to host the Games simultaneously in five cities across five continents in a bid to reduce costs and let the whole world share Olympic fever.
He told AFP in an interview that he wants to bring “reform” to the IOC and embrace the possibility of “something new”.
“Whether it happens or doesn’t happen is not so important — we must open discussions and make new ideas,” said Watanabe.
“I give the first time some crazy idea, but I think young people have more ideas. My job is to open the door.”
Watanabe is seen as a long shot to succeed Bach in a field that also includes British Olympic legend Sebastian Coe, France’s David Lappartient and Zimbabwe’s Kirsty Coventry.
Spain’s Juan Antonio Samaranch Junior, Jordan’s Prince Faisal al-Hussein and Sweden-born Johan Eliasch are also in the running.
Watanabe, who has led the world gymnastics body since 2017, is one of four international sport federation leaders on the ballot, along with athletics’ Coe, cycling’s Lappartient and skiing’s Eliasch.
Watanabe says the Olympic format of having one host city, which has been in place since the modern Games began in Athens in 1896, has become “stifling”.
He proposes instead to have five cities sharing events, beamed around the world in a rolling 24-hour broadcast.
His idea involves an enlarged programme of 10 sports for each city, with events being hosted in the time zone and climate that suits them best.
He says his plan would allow Games organisers to “create the best conditions for the athletes”.
“It would be done across different time zones so they wouldn’t need to compete early in the morning or late at night,” he said.
“When it’s summer in the Northern Hemisphere it’s winter in the Southern Hemisphere, so you could have the marathon and the athletics events there.”
Hands-on approach
Watanabe believes IOC sponsors could also benefit from having a global network of host cities and says fans would feel more connected if the action was happening locally.
“Most people enjoyed the Paris Olympics, but looking at it from Asia it felt like something far away,” he said.
“I don’t think there was the sense of unity that there should have been. If you host it across five continents, more people would be involved.”
If he pulls off a shock and wins the top job, Watanabe says his priority as IOC chief would be to create a more “open” governing body.
Unlike Bach or Coe, for example, Watanabe was never an Olympian.
He studied physical education in Tokyo and Bulgaria before becoming director of a large Japanese company’s sport business division.
He became managing director of the Japan Gymnastics Association before going on to be elected president of the sport’s world governing body, the first Asian to hold the role.
Watanabe says he has travelled to more than 160 countries as part of his job and describes his approach to leadership as “hands on”.
“I like to meet people and understand each other and talk,” he said.
Bach’s successor will be chosen at an IOC session in Athens from March 18-21.
© 2025 AFP