BUENOS AIRES — Lunch at the Carletto Italian restaurant in the swish Buenos Aires district of Puerto Madero on Tuesday was unappetising for self-confessed “foodie” Ng Ser Miang, who managed only a few mouthfuls of pasta, having just lost in his bid to become the next President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

It was not so much the defeat but the manner of it — Mr Ng received six votes and came in a distant third, behind German former Olympian Thomas Bach, who won the elections with 49 votes, and Puerto Rican banker Richard Carrion who received 29 votes — that was hard to stomach for many back home who were rooting for him.

But Mr Ng, 64, who had been seen as a serious contender to become the IOC’s first Asian President, refused to subscribe to any conspiracy theories, including a belief making the rounds that Tokyo’s successful bid to stage the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games was a factor.

With next year’s Youth Olympics in Nanjing, the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang and 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan, there is a perception that the IOC was reluctant to give too much power to Asia.

But Mr Ng, who steps down as the IOC’s First Vice-President having served his eight-year mandate on the ruling Executive Board, insists that is not true. “Some would say that after Pyeongchang and Tokyo, would it still be possible to have a President from Asia?” he said.

“Why not? To me, these are two separate matters ... I was very happy for Tokyo. It’s a great city, we like Japan very much and I was very happy for them.”

He said: “The decision has been taken, so all that doesn’t count anymore ... We now have a new President, and we’ll all unite behind him.”

IOC members TODAY spoke to were divided on whether the IOC presidential elections results could be linked to Tokyo’s successful bid for the 2020 Games.

Spain’s Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr, the son of the late former IOC leader, said: “We are not so dumb. We understand what it means to select a host city and the next President. This simplistic analysis that the vote was affected by one or the other is something I’d disregard.”

However, Canada’s Dick Pound said: “Since Tokyo won the bid, the fact that Asia was going to have so many Games probably may have been a factor.”

Veteran British journalist David Miller, who wrote the book The Official History of the Olympic Games and the IOC, agreed: “Once Tokyo had been elected for 2020, there was sort of a reluctance within the IOC to vote twice in the same week for the same continent. It’s as though (they are reluctant in) giving too much power in one area.”

It was also thought that Mr Ng was let down by IOC colleagues who promised support which did not materialise. Observers believed Mr Bach was certain of around 40 of the 93 votes cast, just shy of the 47 he needed to command a clear majority.

His chances would be in danger if he failed to secure a clear majority within the first two rounds because most of the “swing” votes would then go to Mr Ng.

Mr Bach was seen meeting IOC colleagues in what was presumably last-minute lobbying. He also had the open backing of Kuwait’s IOC member, Sheikh Ahmad Al Fahad Al Sabah, who is President of the Olympic Council of Asia and the 204-member Association of National Olympic Committees.

Sheikh Ahmad was dubbed a “kingmaker” and had been reprimanded by the IOC for breaking its rules against members showing public support of a presidential candidate. On his actions, he said: “Whenever there is a campaign, there are the stories and rumours...(but) I don’t have any bad reaction to any of that.”

Mr Ng, who is Vice-President of the Singapore National Olympic Council, refused to be drawn into the controversy. He is expected to continue as an ordinary IOC member.

Vowing to continue contributing towards sports development, Mr Ng said: “I’ve conducted the campaign as best as I can, and helped to raise several issues that have been picked up by other candidates, and helped to contribute to the future success of the IOC.”