IOC Session: How Olympism365 is changing lives every day and everywhere

“Olympism365 builds on the progress the IOC has made to contribute to building a more peaceful and better world by supporting safe, inclusive and sustainable sport and Olympism-focused initiatives at community level,” Rapilla said. “It brings the IOC’s various initiatives in this area under one aligned strategy and programme in order to maximise reach and impact – with a sharpened focus on proving the outcomes and benefits people experience when connecting with sport and Olympism in their communities,” she added.

Bringing the Olympic values to India

One major initiative that contributes to Olympism365, which aims to increase access to sport and bring the health and societal benefits of physical activity to communities, is the Olympic Values Education Programme (OVEP).

Launched in India in 2022 with the Abhinav Bindra Foundation in the Indian state of Odisha, OVEP is one of the first major IOC projects to be implemented in India. 

Addressing the IOC Members, Abhinav Bindra, Olympic champion in shooting, member of the IOC Athletes’ Commission and former Olympic scholarship-holder, said: “Thanks to OVEP, students’ attendance is up by 12 per cent, and over 15,000 girls have taken part in sport for the first time. Mixed-gender games are now common; they foster safe interactions between girls and boys and create an environment of learning and respect. Physical activity has increased by 50 per cent among OVEP participants, and 7 million children across Odisha have participated in the recent Let’s Move Campaign.”  

Bindra was accompanied on stage by Somya, Bharati, Suchismita, Pratyasha and Hammad, five students aged 12 to 16, who have been actively participating in OVEP in their respective schools. Not only have they embraced the programme, but they have also become advocates for it within their schools and communities, experiencing first-hand the positive impact of the programme on their lives. 

Their experiences and enthusiasm were shared by Rachita and Ashish, two dedicated physical education teachers from Odisha, who are currently leading the delivery of OVEP for students in their respective schools, fostering a culture rooted in the Olympic values and promoting holistic development among young people. 

Odisha contains over 60,000 schools spread across urban, semi-urban and rural areas, catering to a student population of 7.2 million. In May 2022, the Odisha Government, in collaboration with the Olympic Foundation for Culture and Heritage and the Abhinav Bindra Foundation, introduced OVEP in the state's schools.

After just six months, schools reported a marked increase in attendance and participation in sport, particularly among girls. Now in its second year, the programme has reached more than 700 teachers and 250,000 children in 350 schools, and expanded to the state of Assam. In a big boost to OVEP in India, the IOC signed a new cooperation agreement with India’s Reliance Foundation earlier this month, which will build on this success and highlights the organisations’ shared desire to promote the Olympic values among young people. It is anticipated that OVEP will eventually reach around 29 million children across India.

OVEP is a practical set of resources designed to inspire young people in the Olympic values of excellence, respect and friendship. Recognising the unique potential of sport as an educational and communication tool, OVEP disseminates a values-based curriculum that helps shape character among children and young people worldwide.

Fostering sustainable development

In her address to the IOC Session, Rapilla discussed some of the projects that Olympism365 has inspired since its approval by the IOC Executive Board (EB) in October 2021.

Among these are a range of programmes promoting the link between sport, education and livelihoods – such as the Sportic initiative, created in collaboration with the Inter-American Development Bank and Fundación SES. Sportic combines sport and technology to foster socio-emotional development among some 10,000 young people from more than 60 schools and socio-community spaces in Argentina, Colombia and Ecuador.

Building on this success, the combined activities of a wider consortia of organisations including the Forge Foundation, Renapsi, Seraj and Asociación Chilena Pro Naciones Unidas, will support an additional 50,000 young people across 15 countries to develop vocational, entrepreneurial, digital and socio-emotional skills through sport-based programmes; train staff from National Olympic Committees (NOCs) and other organisations to combine sport, youth development and employability support services; and improve the capacity of 6,000 coaches and practitioners through a learning community on sport, education and livelihoods.

“These participants are among the millions of people who will benefit from concrete initiatives catalysed through Olympism365,” said Rapilla. “They will be supported by tens of thousands of coaches, educators, community workers, athletes and young leaders, who will be trained to maximise the role of sport as an enabler for sustainable development.

“[These individuals] are themselves part of thousands of organisations that, through support provided by Olympism365, will have enhanced capacity to connect people with the Olympic values and promote the benefits of safe and inclusive sport. All of them will benefit from changes to policies influenced by research and insight produced and disseminated through Olympism365.”

A global programme

Rapilla went on to highlight several notable Olympism365 initiatives that have recently taken root. These include:

• a new initiative that will see the IOC provide financial and technical assistance to community sports and physical activity programmes co-delivered with health and sports organisations around the world, targeting 1 million participants across multiple countries; and
• some 94 projects focused on promoting community cohesion, health, well-being, the Olympic values and sustainability, delivered by NOCs and financed through Olympic Solidarity – bringing the total number of such projects financed in this quadrennial to 542.

The IOC created its Olympism365 strategy in response to Recommendation 10 of Olympic Agenda 2020+5, which calls on the Olympic Movement to strengthen the role of sport as an important enabler for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). The strategy is underpinned by partnerships between the IOC and stakeholders from within and outside the Olympic Movement, including Worldwide Olympic Partners, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), government departments, development banks, UN and development agencies, and programme delivery organisations.