Olympic Highlights 04/11/2019
IOC ACTIVITIES
PRESIDENT
The third edition of the International Forum for Sports Integrity (IFSI) took place at Olympic House in Lausanne on 28 October. During his opening speech, IOC President Thomas Bach said: “This gathering today reflects the very nature of the IFSI, which is cooperation and partnership. We are a community which shares a common goal to protect competitions from manipulation and from related corruption. In the spirit of this cooperation, we have taken many measures together since the launch of the IFSI in 2015. The most obvious example is the Council of Europe Convention on the manipulation of sports competitions, which came into effect last month and is already being implemented in a large number of countries. This is an example of the IFSI in action.” Read the full speech here.
The Forum brought together more than 100 stakeholders representing the Olympic Movement, intergovernmental agencies such as the Council of Europe, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), INTERPOL and EUROPOL, as well as sports betting operators, national regulating authorities, academics and other experts. All of the participants reaffirmed their determination to protect clean athletes and fair competition. The outcome of the Forum is summarised in a document which, amongst other conclusions, highlights the responsibility of all parties, from government, law enforcement, betting and sport, to be engaged in protecting sports integrity vis-à-vis their respective stakeholders; and the Olympic Movement Unit on the Prevention of the Manipulation of Competitions (OM Unit PMC) as the principal entity working with all partners at the international level. Read the full conclusions of the Forum here.
During the Forum, the IOC and EUROPOL also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that will establish a mutual cooperation framework between the two organisations. This will facilitate the exchange of expertise, the dissemination of information and the engagement in joint endeavours related to the manipulation of competitions and related organised crime. Read the full news release here.
Speaking at the Annual IF Forum organised by SportAccord and placed under the theme “Athlete-Centred Sport”, President Bach praised the IFs for their role in supporting athletes and the benefits of athlete-centred sport. “By supporting the IOC Athletes’ Commission in its mission, we invest in supporting athletes in all stages of their life. Together, our efforts and resources will go further, and have more impact in changing the lives of athletes,” he said, before underlining that “athletes in Olympic sport enjoy rights and responsibilities. Democratically elected athletes’ representatives are already sitting on decision-making bodies of the IOC, IFs and WADA, with a voice and a vote. And this freedom is part of the values that define our Movement.” (see also under ‘Recognised Organisations’)
The President also addressed representatives of IFs and international sports organisations based in Lausanne and the Canton of Vaud during their annual meeting, in the presence of State Councillor for the Canton of Vaud Philippe Leuba and the President of the Winter Youth Olympic Games Lausanne 2020 Organising Committee, Virginie Faivre. Besides the close ties between the Olympic Capital, the Canton, the Swiss Confederation and the Olympic Movement, the President also spoke about the next big sports events to be held in Lausanne and in the Canton in 2020.
This week, the IOC announced that ANTA has become its Official Sportswear Uniform Supplier until the end of 2022, at a signing ceremony at The Olympic Museum in Lausanne. IOC President Thomas Bach said: “ANTA is a strong partner of the Olympic Movement, and we thank it for its commitment to sport in China as well as its partnership with the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022. We look forward to wearing its uniforms with pride in Lausanne, Tokyo, Beijing and Dakar.” For Ding Shizhong, the Executive Chairman of the Board and CEO of ANTA Sports, “ANTA’s value of ‘Keep Moving’ echoes with the Olympic motto of ‘higher, faster, stronger’. As our brand grows in China and in the international arena, we will keep on promoting the Olympic spirit and culture in our markets by helping our consumers approach the charm of the Olympics in a more accessible way, and bring the transcendent sports spirit into everyone’s daily life.” Read the full news release here.
Various Olympic topics were also addressed in a meeting with IOC Vice-President Zaiqing Yu.
Members
IOC Member Guy Drut represented the IOC at the 7th Conference of Parties of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) held at the end of October in Paris. Mr Drut is the IOC Special Envoy for UNESCO.
Commissions
During the ninth IOC Coordination Commission visit to Tokyo (30 October – 1 November), the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee presented significant progress towards hosting spectacular Olympic Games in less than nine months’ time. On the final day of the visit, a four-party working group meeting took place, during which the next steps in moving the marathon and race walk events to Sapporo were discussed. After thanking the four-party working group for productive discussions, IOC Coordination Commission Chair John Coates said: “On behalf of the IOC, we also want to express our sincere appreciation to the people of Tokyo. We can fully understand the concerns and disappointment of Tokyoites, who are so enthusiastic and involved in these Olympic Games. It is for this reason that we have proposed to organise, together with the Tokyo Metropolitan Government (TMG), an ‘Olympic Celebration marathon’ after the Olympic and Paralympic Games. It will be an opportunity to say thank you and celebrate the outstanding contribution of the TMG and the people of Tokyo to the success of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.” In addition to this important conversation, the IOC Coordination Commission members discussed several key topics during the three-day meeting, including transport, operational readiness and legacy. Read the full news release here.
The IOC, through its Sport and Active Society Commission Development Grants 2020, will provide extra resources to four grassroots organisations using sport and physical activity as a means to tackle social issues around the world. Applications can be made by 1 December 2019 on the dedicated web page, and the winners will be announced in early 2020. Full details here.
TOP Partners
The IOC and Worldwide Olympic Partner Dow has rewarded 10 IFs for taking concrete action to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. As part of the reward, carbon offsets will be offered to the IFs to compensate their unavoidable 2019 emissions. The recognition is part of a joint IOC-Dow initiative which aims to boost the Olympic Movement’s efforts to help accelerate climate action. It was granted at the Sustainability Session organised by the IOC during the annual IF Forum, which took place this week in Lausanne. Full news release here.
Other Olympic news
Ten Athlete Ambassadors (photo) have been appointed by the Olympic Boxing Task Force (BTF) – chaired by IOC Member Morinari Watanabe – to engage with and represent boxers in the lead-up to the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. One female and one male Ambassador per region will take on the role of engaging with the boxing community both in person and digitally. They will also help the BTF take into account the athletes’ voice in all areas of its planning for the qualification events and the boxing tournament at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. The creation of an Athlete Ambassadors Group was announced on 30 August 2019, and the first step for athletes to be selected by the BTF was a joint nomination by the respective National Olympic Committee (NOC), NOC Athletes’ Commission and National Federation (NF). Full news release here.
International FEDERATIONS
SUMER IFs
The International Association Football Federation (FIFA) has launched its new legal portal (legal.fifa.com) in order to provide direct access to documents of interest to all stakeholders involved in FIFA’s legal and compliance activities. This important step reflects one of the key pillars of the FIFA 2.0 vision document by providing greater transparency in dealing with FIFA’s 211 member associations, as well as with world football interest groups (clubs, leagues and players) and the general public. Full details here.
More than 5,300 trees have been planted in 72 countries on the occasion of the 9th World Judo Day celebrated on 28 October 20189. With the theme of “Plant a Tree”, many national federations organised activities and other initiatives celebrating the educational and social values of judo. Read more here on the International Judo Federation (IJF)’s website, www.ijf.org
As part of its Development Programme, the International Swimming Federation (FINA) organised the first ever FINA Training Camp in the Kazan Development Centre (Russian Federation) at the end of October. This camp brought together some of the best prospects currently taking part in the FINA Scholarships Programme. Thirty-five swimmers from 20 national federations – including a national team from Korea – and the most promising talents from Bhutan, Brunei Darussalam, the Federated States of Micronesia, Cook Islands, India, Syria, Pakistan, Northern Macedonia, Montenegro, Latvia, Kyrgyzstan, Madagascar, Malawi, Sudan and Tonga were in attendance. The programme included daily training sessions at the pool, mental training sessions, and workshops to help athletes understand more about sports physiology and training. More details here.
The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Executive Committee met on 20 and 21 October in Chengdu (People’s Republic of China). Key decisions were taken on ITTF governance and sustainable development. Full decisions here.
NationaL OLYMPIC COMMITTEES
The Spanish NOC and the INCYDE [Institute for the Creation and Development of Enterprise] Foundation, have renewed their agreement on the “Building your Future” programme in the framework of the Youth Entrepreneurship Programme, co-financed by the European Social Fund. NOC President Alejandro Blanco (left in photo), and INCYDE Foundation Director General Javier Collado (right), signed the agreement at the NOC HQ in Madrid. The “Building your Future” programme, which runs until 30 June 2020, encourages the setting up of training to promote entrepreneurship among those aged under 30. More info here. In addition, Alejandro Blanco was honoured at the 4th gala of digital newspaper El Español, which was held at the Spanish NOC headquarters. He received a trophy in recognition of his work as President of the NOC. More info here.
As part of a cooperation agreement signed with the Ministry of Youth, Sport and Entrepreneurship (photo), the NOC of SãoTomé and Príncipe has undertaken to finance part of the renovation work on the building which houses its headquarters and the Youth Institute. The agreement was signed at the NOC headquarters on 23 October, and afterwards the representatives of both parties laid the first stone of the new building. Then, on 29 October, NOC President João Manuel da Costa Alegre Afonso signed an agreement with the national federations of athletics, canoe-kayak, taekwondo, chess, cycling, handball, volleyball, karate, gymnastics and university sports. The aim of this agreement is to provide financial support for the implementation of a sports development programme. More details on www.comiteolimpicostp.com.
ORGANISING COMMITTEES FOR THE OLYMPIC GAMES
Tokyo 2020
The Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 (Tokyo 2020) has a new Partner with EY Japan Co., Ltd, which becomes an Official Supporter, the third domestic tier of the Tokyo 2020 sponsorship programme. It will be a Partner in the “Professional Services” category. Tokyo 2020 now has 65 national partners. More details here.
Paris 2024
The Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024 has announced that the fourth edition of the Olympic and Paralympic Week will take place from 3 to 8 February 2020 in schools and universities across France. The theme will be interculturalism, a nod to the Winter Youth Olympic Games Lausanne 2020 and the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020. More info at www.paris2024.org.
ORGANISING COMMITTEES FOR THE Youth OLYMPIC GAMES
Lausanne 2020
On 31 October, the keys to the Youth Olympic Village, named the “Vortex”, were handed over to the Lausanne 2020 Organising Committee during a ceremony on site. During the Games, the Vortex will serve as the main Youth Olympic Village for the athletes and their delegations. For the first time in the history of the Youth Olympic Games, all athletes staying in Lausanne will be housed under one roof. Full details here.
Recognising organisations
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) announced the launch of the “Sport Values in Every Classroom” education toolkit, which took place yesterday during the Seventh UNESCO Conference of Parties (COP), which is being held from 29 to 31 October in Paris, France. The toolkit, which is a free, cross-curricular resource targeted at teachers of students aged 8-12, was developed in partnership by the following international organisations: WADA, UNESCO, the Agitos Foundation, the International Council of Sport Science and Physical Education (ICSSPE), the International Fair Play Committee (IFPC) and the Olympic Foundation for Cultural Heritage (OFCH). The toolkit is intended to complement the existing international curricula by promoting student engagement while helping teachers and other educators instil some of the core values that are synonymous with sport; such as: respect, equity and inclusion. Full details here.
Best practice strategies discussed at the IF Forum 2019 can act as a launchpad for positioning athletes at the heart of sports development, according to SportAccord and Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF) President Raffaele Chiulli (photo). Speaking in Lausanne at the conclusion of the three-day gathering, which is organised by SportAccord for International Sports Federations and supported by the IOC, Mr Chiulli said that the vital topics discussed at the IF Forum would help to strengthen links between sport’s decision-makers and athletes. With the theme of “Athlete-Centred Sport”, delegates heard from a variety of experts on topics such as safeguarding athletes, financial well-being, athlete welfare and mental health, protecting clean athletes and strengthening the voice of athletes. More details here.