Olympic Highlights 06/06/2023
IOC
PRESIDENT
IOC President Thomas Bach was in the Azerbaijan capital, Baku, last weekend for the World Taekwondo Championships.
President Bach was greeted on his arrival by the President of World Taekwondo, Dr Chungwon Choue, who accompanied him throughout his visit. The Federation is celebrating its 50th anniversary. Dr Choue informed President Bach that they had organised the World Championships with the participation of athletes with Russian and Belarussian passports, fully respecting the IOC’s recommendations, and that the process had been very smooth. He added that the Federation had refused the participation of two athletes with Russian passports because of the strict conditions in place, and that this had been appreciated by the athletes and member federations. He was also able to inform the IOC President that a record number of national federations were taking part, and that under these circumstances he was even more saddened that the Ukrainian athletes had not been allowed to participate by their federation.
At the World Championships President Bach watched the final stages of the Men’s 74kg and the women’s 62kg categories. In the women’s category, there was hard-fought final between Liliia Khuzina, an athlete with a Russian passport competing as an Individual Neutral Athlete (AIN), and Brazilian Caroline Santos. Khuzina took the title.
For the men, the final was contested by a Croatian and a Serbian, with Croatia’s Marko Golubić securing victory in the final seconds of the bout. All four athletes later came together to celebrate on the podium.
In talks, athletes made it clear that they wanted to compete against the best athletes in the world, no matter which country they came from, because they wanted to feel like true champions. At the same time, they appreciated the IOC’s recommendations.
The IOC President also met Kimia Alizadeh from the Refugee Olympic Team, who was competing in Baku after recent surgery, and who is striving to qualify for the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
Speaking after the event, President Bach praised the organisation by World Taekwondo and the work of the Azeri organising committee. He also praised the sport of taekwondo, saying: “This has been such a great showcasing for the Olympic sport of taekwondo. It was a great opportunity to see the great respect and friendship of athletes from the 144 member federations registered. It was the most fitting way to celebrate 50 years of the federation, and its shows the great promise for another excellent appearance of taekwondo at the Olympic Games Paris 2024.”
Earlier, President Bach had been received by the President of Azerbaijan, Ilam Aliyev, at the Presidential Palace. President Aliyev is also Chair of the Non-Aligned Movement of 120 nations. The two leaders discussed the very tense geopolitical situation, and both emphasised in this context the unifying mission of Olympic sport and the Olympic Games.
President Bach praised the very positive development of sport in Azerbaijan from the grassroots to the elite level, and the organisation of big sporting events, with a series of world and continental championships being held in the country in 2023 alone. President Aliyev emphasised the great importance he is giving to the development of sport in Azerbaijan at state level. It was stressed that Azerbaijan has become a place where numerous world-class sports events are organised at a high level, and modern sports infrastructure has been created both in the capital and in the regions of the country.
Earlier in Lausanne, President Bach had telephone calls with the President of Poland, Andrzej Duda, and with the Prime Minister of Hungary, Viktor Orbán, to discuss different topics of mutual interest.
Also in Lausanne, the IOC President addressed the General Assembly of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF), which he congratulated on its 40th anniversary. In his speech, the President told the participants: “The growth of ASOIF reflects this evolution towards ever more professionalisation of sports and sports event organisation.” He continued: “In today’s complex environment, the IFs are essential to finding innovative solutions to continuously modernise sport, and in this way contribute to the success of the Olympic Games. This importance of the IFs in Olympic Games planning is explicitly recognised and highlighted in Olympic Agenda 2020 and Olympic Agenda 2020+5.” The President also praised ASOIF for helping to strengthen unity in the Olympic Movement. “We are always stronger than the sum of our parts. The collective strength of IFs makes all of us in the Olympic Movement stronger as well,” he told the General Assembly. “I would in particular like to thank the ASOIF Council for its very clear declaration, emphasising the necessity to separate sport and politics,” he added. Read the full news release here and the full speech here. See also under “Recognised Organisations”.
At Olympic House, the President received World Aquatics President Husain Al-Musallam. During their meeting, they addressed a number of Olympic topics, including the preparations for the aquatics competitions at the Olympic Games Paris 2024, the international situation and the position of the Olympic Movement.
During his meeting with IOC Member and Austrian NOC President Karl Stoss, the President discussed the upcoming Olympic Games Paris 2024 and Los Angeles 2028, the international situation and the position of the Olympic Movement.
Also at Olympic House, President Bach met IOC Member and Canadian Olympic Committee President Tricia Smith.
President Bach had meetings with IOC Vice-Presidents Ser Miang Ng and John Coates, with whom he spoke about a wide range of Olympic topics, including the international situation and the position of the Olympic Movement.
The preparations for the Olympic Games Paris 2024, including the upcoming celebration of one year to go until the Games open, were the main topics of discussion during a meeting with Paris 2024 Organising Committee President Tony Estanguet.
Walter Sieber, a member of the IOC Olympic Programme Commission, also met the IOC President.
MEMBERS
IOC Vice-President John Coates was re-elected as President of the International Council of Arbitration for Sport (ICAS)/Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) for 2023-2026 during the 58th ICAS meeting in Lausanne.
IOC Members Ingmar De Vos and Morinari Watanabe, respectively Presidents of the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) and the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG), have been re-elected as members of the ASOIF Council, for a second four-year term from 2023 to 2027. Their re-election took place during the ASOIF General Assembly held in Lausanne on 31 May. More details here on the FIG website. See also under “Recognised Organisations”.
INTERNATIONAL FEDERATIONS
SUMMER IFS
International Basketball Federation (FIBA)
Yao Ming, Wlamir Marques and Penny Taylor are some of the stellar names to enter the FIBA Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2023. They will be inducted at a ceremony held on 23 August in Manila (Philippines) ahead of the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup. A total of 10 players and two coaches will be formally recognised for their incredible contributions to basketball. Find out their names here.
International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF)
The ITTF has decided to award the ITTF Summit 2023 to Bangkok, Thailand, and the ITTF Summit 2024 to Busan, Republic of Korea. The decision was made during a meeting of the Executive Board held in Durban, South Africa, on 28 May. The Summit in Bangkok will be held from 22 to 24 August. In addition, there will be a meeting of the ITTF Executive Board, Athletes’ Council and ITTF Council, and the federation’s Annual General Meeting. The dates and programme for the 2024 Summit will be released in due course. More info here.
World Rowing
World Rowing has announced the locations of the Continental and Final Olympic and Paralympic Qualification Regattas for the Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024.
For each of the 14 Olympic and five Paralympic boat classes, the quota is broken down into three opportunities where qualification for the Games is at stake. The first opportunity will be the 2023 World Rowing Championships in Belgrade (Serbia), followed by Continental Qualification Regattas, then the Final Olympic and Paralympic Qualification Regatta, which will take place in 2024 in Lucerne (Switzerland). Full details about locations and dates here.
World Triathlon
World Triathlon has launched its 2023 Athlete Scholarship Programme. This is intended to identify and provide support, resources and expertise to athletes from developing/emerging National Federations with the greatest needs, to help them compete at continental and world level over the second year of the Olympic Qualification Period (which started on 27 May 2023), and help their preparation and qualification for the upcoming Olympic Games Paris 2024 and beyond. Full details here. Furthermore, World Triathlon’s Secretary General, Antonio Fernández Arimany, has been elected as the third Vice-President of the International Council of Arbitration in Sport (ICAS) for 2023-2026, while double Olympic triathlon medallist Nicola Spirig from Switzerland was elected as an independently-appointed member of ICAS. Full details here.
NATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEES
Cape Verdean Olympic Committee
As part of its outreach programme with schools, associations and organisations, the NOC organised its first "Olympic Committee Open Doors" session. The first school to participate was Cesaltina Ramos School. The 20 school students took advantage of the physical education classes to learn more about the history of the Olympic Games, Olympism, the functioning of the Committee and the activities in which they can participate. More info at www.coc.cv.
Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee (CTOC)
On 30 May in Seoul, the CTOC and the Korean Sports and Olympic Committee (KSOC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that will enhance and promote sports exchange between the two NOCs. Under this MoU, both NOCs will actively collaborate in several key areas, including exchanges and cooperation between experts and researchers in the field of competition sport, sport for all, sports science and medicine; exchanges of information, publications and teaching materials in physical education and sport; and strengthened cooperation in fighting against doping and other unsportsmanlike behaviour in sport.
Dominican Republic NOC
The Dominican Olympic Academy presented actor and teacher Víctor Checo with the “Botón Olímpico” award in recognition of his contribution to the arts, theatre, directing and acting, to which he has devoted a large part of his long career. Under the theme of “Theatre is Health”, the ceremony was held in Santiago, and also featured a workshop led by Checo plus various activities in cultural institutions around the city. Each year, the NOC, through its Academy, honours personalities from the world of culture and the arts for their contribution to society. More details here. The NOC has also announced that a team of 680 people, 477 of them athletes, will go to San Salvador (El Salvador) for the 24th Central America and Caribbean Games from 23 June to 8 July. An information session was held with the delegates from the various sports involved. More details here.
Hellenic Olympic Committee (HOC)
During a visit to Vilnius, Lithuania, the HOC President and President of the European Olympic Committees (EOC), Spyros Capralos, who is also an IOC Member, visited the headquarters of the Lithuanian NOC (LNOC). On this occasion, he met fellow IOC Member, LNOC President and EOC Vice-President Daina Gudzinevičiūtė, to whom he presented the EOC’s commemorative badge together with a symbolic plaque from the HOC featuring an image of the Panathenaic Stadium. Capralos was then presented with an LNOC badge of honour. Full details here.
NOC of Lithuania (LNOC)
A sports administration training course was recently organised by the LNOC in cooperation with Olympic Solidarity to enable managers to deepen their knowledge with the help of experienced trainers. During the three-day course, 15 sports administrators studied time management, communication and social media. The LNOC training is an opportunity not just for sports managers to improve their knowledge, but also for athletes to gain competences that could help them with the next stage of their careers. The LNOC and Olympic Solidarity have been organising sports administration training courses for managers since 2014. More info here.
Moroccan NOC (CNOM)
On 25 May, Bilal Mellakh and Fatima Zahra Elmamouny, who have already qualified for the breaking competitions at the Olympic Games Paris 2024, visited the CNOM headquarters. In addition, the CNOM communications team took part in the sixth webinar organised at the end of May by the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) on social media. Details on www.cnom.org.ma.
Paraguayan NOC
The NOC has announced that the Paraguayan team for the Special Olympics taking place from 17 to 25 June this year in Berlin, Germany, received the national flag from Paraguayan President Mario Abdo Benítez at a ceremony held at the government headquarters on 29 May. As well as the 55 athletes who make up the delegation, other attendees included Sports Minister Diego Galeano Harrison, the President of Special Olympics Paraguay, Luis Cáceres Brun, and NOC President and IOC Member Camilo Pérez López Moreira. During the ceremony, the official logo of the 4th Latin American Special Olympics was unveiled to the public. These games will be held in Asunción, Paraguay, in October 2024. More details here.
Spanish NOC
On 31 May, the NOC presented its awards to leading figures in Spanish sport. The aim of these awards is to honour people and entities active in the field of Olympism that have distinguished themselves through their sports results or exceptional services to the Olympic Movement and sport. Here is the list of the clubs, federations, sports organisations, federation leaders, coaches and athletes honoured at the ceremony held at the NOC’s headquarters in Madrid. Earlier in the day, the NOC also held its Annual General Assembly, chaired by NOC President Alejandro Blanco. Full details here.
Turkish Olympic Committee (TOC)
Over 900 female students took part in the "Empowering Girls Through Sport Project" organised in Gaziantep and Şanlıurfa on 20 and 21 May. Organised by the TOC and supported by Olympic Solidarity, the project, launched in 2021, provides sports training to girls aged between 10 and 14 who are in secondary education. By integrating sport into their lives, the TOC aims to enhance their self-confidence, self-esteem and educational pursuits. For the event, the students received sports equipment such as tracksuits, t-shirts and shoes. They also met and took part in sports activities with Eda Erdem, a two-time Olympian who captained the women’s national volleyball team at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. She is also the Chair of the TOC's Athletes’ Commission. Full details here.
ORGANISING COMMITTEES FOR THE OLYMPIC GAMES
PARIS 2024
On 30 May, Paris 2024 announced that the Olympic Torch Relay and the Paralympic Torch Relay will be the “Relais des Eclaireurs” (the Forerunners’ Relays). These Forerunners are people who live and breathe sport daily, people who have invested in the Olympic Games Paris 2024, and those who are eager to welcome and experience the Games. A total of some 11,000 people will have the unique experience of carrying the torch: 10,000 for the Olympic Torch Relay and 1,000 for the Paralympic Torch Relay. Four elite athletes will act as “Super Ambassadors” to push the energy of sport through these Relays and open the way for the celebrations. They are Laure Manaudou (Olympic swimming champion), Florent Manaudou (Olympic swimming champion), Mona Francis (European Para triathlon champion) and Dimitri Pavadé (Tokyo 2020 Paralympic long jump silver medallist). Read the full news release here.
The Paris 2024 Organising Committee has also revealed its Cultural Olympiad programme for 2023, with the unveiling of a series of artistic posters for the Games celebrating the values of the Olympic and Paralympic Movements. During a launch event that took place on the banks of the River Seine and coincided with the build-up to the 2023 edition of the Paris arts festival, Nuit Blanche, 14 posters, created by eight artists, were unveiled to the public. Along with a concert and the unveiling of the 14 posters on 1 June, dates were announced for nationwide Cultural Olympiad activities in 2023. Learn more here.
RECOGNISED ORGANISATIONS
Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF)
Held in Lausanne, the 47th ASOIF General Assembly coincided with ASOIF’s 40th anniversary. Opened by the IOC President and ASOIF President Francesco Ricci Bitti, the meeting re-elected Ingmar De Vos (International Equestrian Federation) and Morinari Watanabe (International Gymnastics Federation) as Council members for a second four-year term, while Petra Sörling (International Table Tennis Federation) joined the Council, succeeding Marisol Casado (World Triathlon), who had finished her final term. The General Assembly also granted Full Membership status to the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC), the International Surfing Association (ISA) and World Skate, and admitted the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) as an Associate Member. Preparations for the Olympic Games Paris 2024, amendments to the ASOIF Statutes and the upcoming fifth review of IF governance were also on the agenda. Full details here.
World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)
WADA’s Independent Intelligence and Investigations (I&I) Department recently brought together representatives of law enforcement agencies, police and customs, and National Anti-Doping Organisations from 10 European countries for the second of six workshops as part of a European Union-funded project aimed at building I&I capabilities across the continent. During this workshop held in Warsaw, Poland, topics such as whistle-blower management, analytical techniques and real-time interviewing related to doping investigations were covered. More details here. WADA has announced the launch of the Social Science Research (SSR) Collaboration Platform website. Full news release here.