Olympic Highlights 03/04/2023
IOC
PRESIDENT
This week, IOC President Thomas Bach's agenda was filled with three days of IOC Executive Board (EB) meetings at Olympic House. From 28 to 30 March, the EB discussions focused on the activities of the Olympic Movement, the IOC Commissions and the IOC administration, as well as reports from the Organising Committees of the upcoming Olympic Games.
In the press conference concluding the first day of the EB, the IOC President laid out the EB's recommendations for IFs and international sports event organisers on the participation of athletes with a Russian or Belarusian passport in international competitions. These recommendations were issued following a request by the 11th Olympic Summit held on 9 December 2022. In addition, the EB confirmed that these recommendations do not apply to athletes or their support personnel with a Russian or Belarusian passport participating in the Olympic Games Paris 2024 or the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026. The IOC will take a decision on these events at the appropriate time, at its full discretion, and without being bound by the results of previous Olympic qualification competitions. You can read the full news release here, including the detailed Recommended Conditions of Participation for Athletes and Athlete Support Personnel with a Russian or Belarusian Passport in International Sports Competitions Organised by the International Federations and International Sports Event Organisers.
Ahead of the EB meetings, President Bach held a final round of consultation calls with the IOC Members, the NOCs, the IFs and the global network of athletes’ representatives.
The Organising Committee of Paris 2024 detailed a number of key milestones already celebrated since the start of 2023, the highlight being the success of the first phase of ticket sales. On the topic of engagement, they outlined plans for this year's Olympic and Paralympic Week (Semaine Olympique et Paralympique [SOP]), which will take place from 3 to 8 April. The Interministerial Delegate for the Olympic and Paralympic Games 2024, Michel Cadot, reported on the support from various levels of the French government, which is contributing to the preparation of safe and successful Olympic and Paralympic Games. Full details here.
The Milano Cortina 2026 Organising Committee opened its presentation to the IOC EB with an insight into the growing collaboration being driven by its new governance structure. This includes the new Executive Board of Directors, plus the government's Interministerial Committee, the "Cabina di Regia", created to oversee the infrastructure development and organisational plan for the Games, which meets every 15 to 30 days. The key priority for Milano Cortina 2026 over the coming months will be finalising its venue master plan, with a focus on selecting the host venue for the long-track speed skating events. Full details here.
Hong Zhang, Chair of the Coordination Commission for Gangwon 2024, detailed the key milestones achieved in recent months, including the unveiling of the official mascot at the one-year-to-go milestone, the six new ambassadors and the appointment of two Olympic gold medallists as Co-Presidents. Full info here.
The IOC EB discussed the situation of the International Boxing Association (IBA), including a letter received from the IBA on 27 March 2023. The EB decided to send a letter to the IBA, which can be read here. The letter was also shared with the NOCs.
The EB recommended that the International Federation of American Football (IFAF) be put forward to the IOC Session for full IOC recognition, in accordance with the Olympic Charter. The decision will be made by the IOC membership during the 140th IOC Session in Mumbai (India) from 15 to 17 October 2023. Full details here.
The EB heard a presentation from IOC Athletes’ Commission Chair Emma Terho on the numbers and achievements of Athlete365, the IOC’s platform for the global community of Olympians, Paralympians and elite athletes. Athlete365 membership increased by 47 per cent in 2022, from 88,000 members at the end of 2021 to 130,000 at the end of 2022. More than 80 per cent of Olympians who competed at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 or the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 are now Athlete365 members. Full info here.
The EB also decided to reallocate medals, diplomas and medallist pins from the Olympic Games London 2012. The official results were changed by the International Federation responsible, World Athletics, following the disqualification of two athletes due to anti-doping rule violations. Full details here.
With regard to the prevention of competition manipulation, the IOC has decided to provide new funding of USD 10 million per Olympiad to continue to support the successful work of the Olympic Movement Unit on the Prevention of the Manipulation of Competitions (OM Unit PMC). The fund will reinforce monitoring around the Olympic Games and Youth Olympic Games and expand the monitoring of events organised by IFs and multi-sport events organisers. Full info here.
The EB received an update on the IOC’s safeguarding policy and activities. The IOC Safeguarding Officer Certificate has now been delivered to 165 safeguarding officers in 66 countries; safeguarding has been strengthened at the Games; and there is increased engagement and advocacy with stakeholders and key international agencies as part of efforts to protect athletes from abuse. The EB agreed to the establishment of an IOC-led working group, led by Prince Feisal Al Hussein, that includes IF and NOC representatives that would work to develop a model to assist IFs and NOCs to build an independent safeguarding structure at national/local levels. The EB also agreed to continue to fund safeguarding efforts from the Olympic Movement Fund (estimated at USD 10 million per Olympiad). Full details here.
The EB received updates on the situation of the NOCs of Afghanistan, Iran, India and Guatemala. More information can be found here.
The IOC EB also approved a change of nationality for three athletes, in view of the Olympic Games Paris 2024. More details here.
Also this week, President Bach addressed the participants of an IOC/IF Leadership meeting on Safe Sport. He took the opportunity to reinforce the importance of working together, both to strengthen prevention and to formulate an appropriate response to safeguarding concerns in sport. During the meeting, the results of the IF Safeguarding in Sport Needs Assessment were presented, and delegates discussed the next steps for the IOC, in terms of responding to key stakeholder concerns by looking to strengthen safeguarding at the local level. Full news release here.
MEMBERS
IOC Member Camilo Pérez López Moreira was re-elected as President of ODESUR for another four years during the 35th ODESUR Ordinary General Assembly held on 25 March in Buenos Aires, Argentina. See also under 'Recognised Organisations'.
As Gender Equality month wraps up, Spanish basketball star and IOC Member Pau Gasol reflected on the ability of sport to promote equality, break stereotypes and help girls pursue their dreams and goals. Discover his reflections here.
OTHER OLYMPIC NEWS
The IOC has announced that Chilevisión, Paramount's broadcast channel in Chile, has acquired exclusive free-to-air broadcast rights for the Olympic Games Paris 2024 in Chile. Detailed info here.
On 6 April, the IOC will celebrate the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace (IDSDP). The IDSDP is an opportunity to showcase the role of sport to drive social change and community development, and to foster peace and understanding. 6 April was declared the IDSDP by the UN General Assembly in 2013 in recognition of the positive role of sport in communities and in people’s lives across the globe. This year, the IDSDP is placed under the global theme “Scoring for People and the Planet”. Next week, news stories will be published on www.ioc.org highlighting how athletes and the whole Olympic Movement actively contribute to a peaceful, healthier, more equal, inclusive, and sustainable society through sport, 365 days a year. A video message from President Bach will be also displayed.
INTERNATIONAL FEDERATIONS
SUMMER IFS
World Aquatics
The Swimming World Cup 2023 calendar has been revealed. The event will visit three European cities: Berlin, Germany; Athens, Greece and Budapest, Hungary. It will be held in 50m pools and all meets will be qualifying events for the World Aquatics Championships - Doha 2024 and the Olympic Games Paris 2024. Full info here.
World Athletics
This year marks the 40th anniversary of the World Athletics Championships. To mark this milestone, in the countdown to the next Championships, which take place from 19 to 27 August in Budapest, Hungary, the World Athletics website and social media channels will publish a whole range of content, including exclusive interviews with some of the sport's biggest stars, highlights from the World Athletics archives, engaging discussion points on social media, plus insights and recollections from leading figures within the track and field community. Full details here.
World Sailing
World Sailing has appointed four-time British Paralympian Hannah Stodel as the new Para World Sailing Manager. In this role, Hannah will oversee the promotion and development of Para Sailing with the aim of achieving reinstatement at the Paralympic Games. Hannah represented Great Britain at Athens 2004, Beijing 2008, London 2012 and Rio 2016, and is a three-time World Champion in the Mixed Sonar class. Full details here.
World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC)
The WBSC has published the first edition of its annual Governance Report in line with the WBSC Strategic Plan 2022-2028. The report was compiled by the WBSC Integrity Unit and has been made public in order to share the latest progress in the WBSC’s commitment to good governance, and to improve transparency within the organisation. The report will be made available on an annual basis moving forward. More info here.
NATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEES
Colombia NOC
The Ordinary General Assembly of the NOC of Colombia took place at the Columbian football federation headquarters in Bogota. All executive committee members were present, along with representatives of 46 of the 54 sports federations affiliated to the NOC. NOC President Ciro Solano Hurtado highlighted the successes of 2022. He also announced the construction of a new building for all the sports federations, as part of the NOC's commitment to sports development.
Dominican Republic NOC
The NOC executive committee has announced a series of measures to clear the organisation's operational deficit. The announcement was made by NOC President Garibaldy Bautista at the NOC Ordinary General Assembly on 29 March. The Assembly also heard reports from the NOC President and Treasurer, and the auditor's report for the November-December 2022 period. More details here.
French NOC (CNOSF)
The CNOSF has launched a series of workshops as part of its "Integration through sport" programme. This project is part of the CNOSF's policy of promoting social integration by attracting and encouraging members of the public with no previous connection to sport. The CNOSF hopes in this way to support sports organisations in their social outreach projects. More info here. The CNOSF also celebrated its 50th anniversary with a reception on 28 March at its headquarters, the Maison du sport français, to which a number of senior figures in French sport were invited. The CNOSF presented a retrospective of its activities. At the opening of the ceremony, a greeting message from the IOC President was displayed. Read more on www.franceolympique.com.
Lithuanian NOC (LNOC)
For the sixth time, the LNOC invited two dozen sports coaches to a free training session on sports administration. This year's programme focused on emotional intelligence and conflict management. Participants included former basketball player Donatas Slanina, Olympic athletics coach Irina Krakoviak-Tolstika, and the coach of the Lithuanian U-23 rugby team, Dovydas Taujanskas. Organiser Agnė Vanagienė, LNOC Deputy Director of Olympic Sport, talked about preparation for and participation in the Olympic Games, and shared her experience working in the field of sports management. Topics including psychology, influencing, conflict management and emotional intelligence were all discussed during this training course funded by Olympic Solidarity. More info at www.ltok.lt
Spanish NOC
Representatives of the Spanish NOC and the Spanish Association of Sport (ADESP) recently held a meeting. They took the opportunity to emphasis the unity of the NOC and the national sports federations. At the end of the meeting, it was agreed to continue working together as a team, to conduct an analysis of the current situation of Spanish sport, and to work on proposals for the future. More details here.
Venezuelan NOC
The NOC of Venezuela recently held its General Assembly, during which representatives of 41 national sports federations took part. NOC President María Soto presented the NOC activity report for 2022, highlighting the success of the Morochito Rodriguez grant programme, which supported 183 recipients. The Assembly approved the NOC's 2022 management report and the draft budget for 2023.
ORGANISING COMMITTEES FOR THE OLYMPIC GAMES
PARIS 2024
On 30 March, the Paris 2024 Board of Directors met for an update on the Olympic and Paralympic project. With just over 500 days to go until the opening of the Paralympic Games, Paris 2024 and all its stakeholders reaffirmed their collective commitment and ambition to ensure that the first Paralympic Games ever to be held in France is a great moment of celebration that leaves a strong legacy for the inclusion of people with disabilities. Read full news release here.
ORGANISING COMMITTEES FOR THE YOUTH OLYMPIC GAMES
GANGWON 2024
Last week, on 24 March, Gangwon 2024 celebrated 300 days to go to the Winter Youth Olympic Games. The local Organising Committee (YOGOC) and its new Co-Presidents marked the milestone by appointing five new Ambassadors at a celebration event in Seoul, Republic of Korea. A series of new mascot sports poses, showing Moongcho taking part in all the sports on the Gangwon 2024 programme, were also launched at the event. Full news release here.
RECOGNISED ORGANISATIONS
Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF)
The ASOIF Council noted in its statement of 3 March 2023 that it is ready to collaborate with the IOC and NOCs on clarifying a definition of “neutral athletes”, as a necessary step to further explore the Russian and Belarusian athletes’ potential participation in international sports competitions. The Council also emphasised the need to prevent public authorities exercising undue influence in sports matters. ASOIF acknowledged the expanded definition provided by the IOC EB in its statement on 28 March 2023. ASOIF also agreed it was ready to support and assist the IFs concerned in their forthcoming discussions with the IOC, given the complexity of implementation and the serious implications with respect to the qualification system for the Olympic Games Paris 2024. Info here.
Organización Deportiva Suramericana (ODESUR)
Meeting in Buenos Aires, Argentina, the 35th Ordinary General Assembly of ODESUR awarded the 2026 edition of the South American Games to the cities of Rosario, Santa Fe and Rafaela in Argentina. It will be the third time that Argentina has hosted the event, after Rosario in 1982 and Buenos Aires in 2006. At the opening of the Assembly, the IOC President greeted the delegates with a video message. A new ODESUR Executive Committee was also elected for the period 2023-2027. Alongside Camilo Pérez López Moreira, who was re-elected as President, three women will now be part of the Committee: Ines Remersaro, President of the ODESUR Athletes' Commission; Damaris Young, Panama NOC President; and Wanda Broeksema, Aruba NOC President. The other members are Mario Moccia, Paulo Wanderley Teixeira and Marco Arce, Presidents of the NOCs of Argentina, Brazil and Bolivia respectively; and José Luis Echeverry, Vice President of the NOC of Colombia. Miguel Ángel Mujica from Chile completes the Committee as its Secretary General. Info at www.odesur.org
World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)
WADA has announced the appointment of Gautier Aubert from Switzerland as its first Ethics Officer. He will be responsible for implementing WADA’s Code of Ethics alongside the Independent Ethics Board (IEB). As an independent contractor, Gautier Aubert will perform his services for an initial term of three years, with scope for a further two three-year terms at the discretion of the IEB. Working independently of WADA, the Ethics Officer is in charge of managing cases as and when they arise under the Code of Ethics. Full details here. Furthermore, the WADA Athlete Council and National Anti-Doping Organization Expert Advisory Group are now complete, having elected their Chairs, Vice-Chairs and members to sit on the WADA Foundation Board. The new members of the Foundation Board will be formally inducted once the revised WADA Statutes, reflecting the Agency's latest round of governance reforms, have been officially approved by the Foundation Board and the Swiss authorities. Full news release here.