OCOG and IPC voices
The IKL participants from the OCOGs and IPC were visibly happy to finally meet again in person to share experiences and learn from each other. Here is a snapshot of what they had to say about the OCOG IKL Workshop:
“After a two-year hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, it was great to have the whole IKL community meeting back in person in the Olympic capital. We were delighted to meet our colleagues from LA 28 and Brisbane 2032 for the first time in person,” said Jérémie Guy, Head of Planning and IKL at Paris 2024.
He added:
“For Paris 2024, it was a very special occasion as we were there for the first time as the next host: we could definitely feel the expectations from the future hosts – expectations we know all too well, having been in their shoes just a few years back. Whilst we still have much to learn – and it is good to know that we can rely on a great alumni community for that – we are very much looking forward to intensifying our experience, sharing information with the future OCOGs and hosting them in Paris as observers or secondees.”
Thanos Kostopoulos, Director of Paralympic Integration and Games Learning at Milano Cortina 2026, summed up the benefits of the workshop as follows:
“Following a period when the pandemic restricted our face-to-face interactions, I found this meeting opportunity extremely beneficial and important for our mission and work, and I would welcome the IOC continuing to promote similar interactions in the coming years. It was extremely useful to bring this panel of experts together – to share their experiences, their achievements, their concerns and their learnings – and I hope that we (the OCOGs) will find a way to have more frequent exchanges. For me personally it was very interesting to see the fantastic work done by the Paris team, the different value that LA is bringing on board, Brisbane’s early commitment to learn, and the experience and knowledge that the alumni community can share with us. A big thank-you to the entire IKL team for the organisation and delivery of the event, and for the visits to The Olympic Museum and the Olympic Studies Centre. A really great experience overall!”
It was the first time at Olympic House in Lausanne for Nadia Rivero, Director of Organisational Development and Training at LA 2028. She said:
“The IKL Workshop was a valuable experience – it was great to meet face-to-face, build relationships and make friends. I learned so much from everyone and our time together and had so much fun. Lots of learning and laughter!”
It was the same for Brendan Keane, Director for Governance and International Relations at Brisbane 2032, who shared his thoughts on his participation in the workshop: “The IKL Workshop provided an important and timely opportunity to connect with the IKL team and other OCOGs on critical information management practices and processes. For the formative stage that Brisbane 2032 is in, many of the themes and resources discussed will become central to the way we organise ourselves and operate.”
Terrence Teixeira, Senior Paralympic Games Manager at the IPC, concluded: “The IKL Workshop was a great opportunity to connect and meet face-to-face with so many OCOG colleagues after not being able to do so for so long. Over the course of several days, we were able to collaborate and discuss how to work more closely on IPC IKL programmes to ensure that Paralympic-specific opportunities and challenges are capitalised on. The highlight was hearing how each OCOG is progressing on their IKL strategies and seeing first-hand OCOGs building connections and sharing experiences with one another.”