Singapore's Ng Ser Miang announced in Paris on Thursday that he will run for the presidency of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), becoming the first man from Asean to make a bid for the top job in sport.

The 64-year-old, who currently serves as first vice-president of the IOC, delivered remarks at the Sorbonne in Paris.

He said: "After thoughtful consideration, a meeting with president Jacques Rogge in Lausanne (where the IOC is headquartered), and informing my fellow IOC members, today I am formally announcing my candidature for the presidency of the IOC."

In his announcement, he highlighted the importance of using the power of the Olympics to benefit young people.

"We must harness the collective power of Olympism for the benefit of the world's youth - and we must refocus our efforts on the education of youth through the values of sport, for they are tomorrow's living Olympic legacies," said Ng.

The Singaporean has served in the IOC since 1998, when he joined as a member. He became the first South-east Asian to be elected onto the Executive Board in 2005, and in 2009 was also the first man from Asean to become vice-president.

He also chaired the organising committee of the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore in 2010.

Ng is set to run against Thomas Bach, who is also a vice-president of the IOC. The German declared his candidature last week.

Other potential challengers include Richard Carrion of Puerto Rico and Wu Ching-kuo of Taiwan, who heads the International Boxing Association. Carrion currently chairs the IOC's Finance Commission and is a member of the IOC's Marketing, TV Rights and New Media Commissions.

Current president Rogge, a Belgian, will step down on Sept 10 at the IOC Session in Bueno Aires after leading the IOC for 12 years.