IOC Executive Board meeting concludes ahead of landmark events
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board (EB) today finished its meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland, looking forward to a series of historic events and exciting days of work and celebration in the city.
The celebration of the 125th anniversary of the IOC, Olympic Day; the inauguration of Olympic House; the Golden Rings Awards; the election of the host of the Olympic Winter Games 2026; and the 134th IOC Session are all on the agenda.
Olympic House and 125th anniversary
The IOC will celebrate 125 years since its foundation by Baron Pierre de Coubertin on Olympic Day, Sunday 23 June, by officially inaugurating its new headquarters. Olympic House is one of the most sustainable buildings in the world, having recently received three of the most rigorous sustainability certificates in Switzerland and worldwide.
Some 700 guests will attend the celebration, including the President of the Swiss Confederation, Ueli Maurer. The group will also include representatives of the Olympic family such as the International Federations (IFs), the 206 National Olympic Committees (NOCs), IOC Members and over 30 Olympic medallists. Together with the medallists among the IOC Members, they have won a combined total of more than 125 Olympic medals.
IOC President Thomas Bach emphasised that “the Executive Board was more than pleased – it was happy and proud to open this meeting at Olympic House, which is exemplary not only for its sustainability, but also for its architecture. It reflects our overarching mission to make the world a better place through sport, and the pillars of the reforms of Olympic Agenda 2020: sustainability, credibility and youth.”
Golden Rings Awards
On Saturday 22 June, in the evening before the inauguration, the best broadcast coverage of the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018 and the Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018 will be recognised during the Golden Rings Awards Ceremony.
Host Election 2026
Then, on Monday 24 June, the IOC Session will kick off with the election of the host for the Olympic Winter Games 2026. The Executive Board (EB) today decided to submit the two candidates, Stockholm-Åre and Milan Cortina*, for a vote by the Session in accordance with the regulations. With a strong winter sports tradition and experience, both are perfectly aligned with the changes of Olympic Agenda 2020 – as noted in the IOC Evaluation Commission report published last month.
IOC Session and Future Host Elections
Over the following two days, Tuesday 25 June and Wednesday 26 June, the Session will engage in a number of discussions, including on the wider question of choosing future hosts for the Olympic Games.
“We will be looking into the evolution of the revolution that we initiated with Olympic Agenda 2020 back in 2014,” President Bach concluded.
India
The IOC has been given written guarantees by the Indian government ensuring the entry of all participants to sports and Olympic-related events in the country in full compliance with the rules of the Olympic Charter. Upon receipt of the guarantees, the EB decided to lift the suspension of discussions with the Indian NOC and government regarding potential applications for such events, and of the recommendation to the IFs not to award nor hold sports events in India.
Athletes
The EB yesterday approved the nine recommendations proposed by the International Athletes’ Forum held in April in Lausanne.
* Cities are listed in the order of drawing of lots as performed by the IOC Executive Board.