IOC wraps up final day of the 134th Session
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) concluded the 134th Session in Lausanne, Switzerland, with updates on Tokyo 2020, a decision on the host city for the IOC Session in 2021, the awarding of the Olympic Order and other developments.
Boxing tournament at Tokyo 2020
The IOC Session approved the proposals made by the IOC Executive Board (EB) on 22 May 2019: boxing will maintain its place on the sports programme of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, while recognition of the International Boxing Association (AIBA) by the IOC will be suspended and evaluated after Tokyo 2020.
Following this decision, the IOC EB’s recommendations on the Tokyo 2020 event programme and qualification system will come into force: a dedicated task force, led by IOC Member and President of the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) Morinari Watanabe, will ensure their delivery.
The full qualification system document can be found here.
IOC Refugee Olympic Team
The Session complimented the activities of the IOC in relation to the 37 refugee athlete scholarship-holders who are currently training to be a part of the IOC Refugee Olympic Team (EOR) Tokyo 2020. The athletes, including 10 who competed on the Refugee Olympic Team Rio 2016, are competing in eight sports: athletics, badminton, boxing, judo, karate, swimming, taekwondo and weightlifting. The athletes are supported by scholarships from Olympic Solidarity. The final composition of the Refugee Olympic Team will be announced in June 2020.
Host city of the Session in 2021
The Session approved the selection of Athens, Greece, as the host city of the IOC Session in 2021, opening on 23 June, Olympic Day. Spyros Capralos, President of the Hellenic Olympic Committee, together with the Greek delegation, presented a video message from Prokopis Pavlopoulos, President of Greece, and Kostas Bakoyannis, Mayor of Athens, in addition to outlining the details of the IOC Session (see story about the legacy of the Olympic Games Athens 2004).
Ethics Commission
The IOC Session re-elected Patricia O’Brien (Irish Ambassador to France and Monaco) as a member of the IOC Ethics Commission for a four-year term in her capacity as a prominent personality and independent member.
International Testing Agency (ITA)
Valérie Fourneyron, Chair of the International Testing Agency, gave a brief activity report on the progress made since the launch of operations on 1 July 2018, in addition to the preparations for the Winter Youth Olympic Games Lausanne 2020 and the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. The ITA has concluded partnerships with 38 International Federations for testing at over 230 IF events. In addition to the in-competition and out-of-competition testing operations, the ITA will conduct more than 12,000 tests this year.
Olympic Orders
Olympic Orders were awarded posthumously to two IOC Members, Patrick Baumann and Nat Indrapana. The Order was presented to the children of Patrick Baumann, Paul and Bianca, and to the wife and daughter of Nat Indrapana, Didi and Niki, on their behalf. Former IOC Members Sam Ramsamy, Barry Maister and Richard Peterkin, in addition to Ruperto Nicolás Herrera Tabio, a four-time Olympian from Cuba, also received the Olympic Order, in recognition of their outstanding service to the world of sport throughout their careers.