Olympic Highlights 06/11/2023

IOC

PRESIDENT

This week at Olympic House, IOC President Thomas Bach had a courtesy meeting with Olympic Committee of North Macedonia President Daniel Dimevski. The President recalled the warm welcome he had received during his stay in Skopje in June 2022 for the 51^st General Assembly of the European Olympic Committees (EOC). The Olympic Games Paris 2024, athletes’ preparations for these Games and the current international situation were discussed during the meeting.

President Bach also had a meeting with newly elected IOC Member Michael Mronz with whom he discussed a wide range of Olympic topics, including the next editions of the Olympic Games, the international situation and the position of the Olympic Movement.

Also at Olympic House, President Bach had a meeting with Francesco Ricci Bitti, President of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF). The two leaders discussed the upcoming editions of the Olympic Games, the international situation and its impact on sport. They also spoke about the next IF Forum, which will take place from 13 to 15 November in Lausanne.

President Bach also met International Luge Federation (FIL) President Einars Fogelis. They discussed a number of Olympic topics, including the preparations for the upcoming Winter Youth Olympic Games Gangwon 2024 and Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026.

The IOC President welcomed Paul Caine, President of On Location, a leader in experiential hospitality. In March 2021, the company was appointed as the exclusive service provider for the Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024, Milano Cortina 2026 and LA28 hospitality programmes.

The IOC President presented a diploma and OLY pin to the following athletes who attended the International Institute for Management Development (IMD) course at Olympic House: London 2012 and Rio 2016 gold medallist Philip Hindes (Great Britain, cycling track); Rio 2016 silver medallist Mechiel Versluis (Netherlands, rowing); Salt Lake City 2022 bronze medallist Karen Putzer (Italy, Alpine skiing); Ana Jelusic (Croatia, Alpine skiing); Tovea Jenkins (Jamaica, athletics); Lechedzani Master Luza (Botswana, boxing); Shahrad Nasajpour PLY (Islamic Republic of Iran, athletics); and Pauls Pujats (Latvia, athletics). They all signed the Olympians Wall.

President Thomas Bach welcomed the Managing Director of the German TV station ZDF, Norbert Himmler, to Olympic House. They discussed the planning of ZDF, which is a Sub-Media Rights-Holder for Paris 2024 and, as part of the EBU, a Media Rights-Holder for the Games editions from 2026 onwards, for the upcoming Olympic Games and the changing media landscape and media consumption. The IOC President was accompanied by IOC Member in Germany Michael Mronz, while Himmler was accompanied by Thomas Fuhrmann, who is responsible for the sports portfolio in the ZDF directorship.

MEMBERS

IOC Member Nita Ambani has been awarded the 2023 Global Leadership Award for Philanthropy and Corporate Social Responsibility by the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum. This distinction honoured Mrs Ambani, Founder and Chairperson of the Reliance Foundation, for being “at the forefront of women’s empowerment, children’s education, promoting Indian arts and sports.” The distinction was presented during an event held recently in New Delhi, India.

HONORARY MEMBERS

IOC Honorary Member Niels Holst-Sørensen has died at the age of 100. His life was dedicated to the pursuit of sporting excellence, with significant contributions to both the Danish and international sports communities. He represented Denmark with pride at the Olympic Games London 1948, where he finished 8th in the final of the 800m. He was an IOC Member from 1977 to 2002, when he became an Honorary Member. He also served as a member of several IOC commissions and as President of the NOC of Denmark from 1981 till 1984. For the IOC President: “Niels Holst-Sørensen was a distinguished leader, an accomplished athlete, and a dedicated sports administrator. […] On a personal note, Niels Holst-Sørensen was someone who helped and supported me from the very beginning of my IOC membership. We enjoyed a deep friendship despite some of the hard-fought battles we had playing on the tennis courts together.” Full news release here.

OTHER OLYMPIC NEWS

On the sidelines of the Pan American Games Santiago 2023, a series of events shone a spotlight on some of the ambitious and far-reaching programmes in Latin America initiated under the umbrella of Olympism365. Discover here these sport-based initiatives aimed at increasing young people’s access to quality education, employment and entrepreneurship opportunities, and to advance gender equality and inclusion.

There’s a lot to look forward to at Paris 2024. The IOC, through Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS), is preparing to bring the magic of sport to fans' screens in a way that has never been seen before at the Olympic Games. OBS, responsible for producing the live television, radio and digital coverage as the Games’ host broadcaster, is ready to deliver “Games of a new era” by introducing innovations designed to transport fans to the heart of the action. Discover these innovations here.

INTERNATIONAL FEDERATIONS

SUMMER IFS

International Basketball Federation (FIBA)

Six teams have secured their spots for the 3x3 basketball competition at the Olympic Games Paris 2024. The selection process for these teams was based on the FIBA 3x3 Federation Ranking as of 1 November. In a culmination of qualifying events, the top three countries per gender secured their places on the Olympic stage. There are still five tickets available per gender which will be contested in a trio of Olympic qualifying tournaments in the first half of 2024. The host locations and the teams participating will be announced in December. Full details here.

World Sailing

World Sailing is inviting bids to host the seventh World Sailing Championships, to be held between the Olympic Games Paris 2024 and Los Angeles 2028. In a move aimed at opening up these Championships to more Member National Authorities and more cities/regions, potential hosts can bid for one of two sessions of the event. The deadline for expressions of interest to host these seventh Championships is 30 November, with final bids required by 30 March 2024. A final decision will be made by the World Sailing Board in May 2024. Full info here.

World Taekwondo

World Taekwondo and the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF) were picked for the “Combat Sport Initiative of the Year” award at the Peace and Sport Awards 2023, in recognition of their impactful work in supporting underprivileged communities around the world.  This year’s Hope and Dreams Sports Festival received special praise as a best practice that deserves to be highlighted and recognised. Organised by World Taekwondo and the THF in collaboration with the World Baseball and Softball Confederation (WBSC), the Festival was held in February in the Azraq Refugee Camp and Jordan’s capital, Amman. Around 300 young refugee athletes took part in taekwondo and baseball5 competitions. The Peace and Sport Awards 2023 were held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on the occasion of the Peace and Sport Middle-East Forum ahead of the World Combat Games. Full details here. See also on the Peace and Sport website.

NATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEES

Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee (CTOC)

The 46th Session of the Chinese Taipei Olympic Academy focused on the theme “Innovating Physical Education and Olympic Values Education”. This year’s Session was attended by a number of international speakers, including Isidoros Kouvelos, President of the International Olympic Academy, and Mark Chay, Co-Chair of the Olympic Esports Week 2023 Organising Committee. Throughout the four-day Session, approximately 85 participants, including five internationals from Malaysia, Singapore and Palau, were able to gain a profound understanding of the core Olympic values of excellence, friendship and respect through in-depth talks, experience sharing, panel discussions and group projects. Info at www.tpenoc.net.

Spanish NOC (COE)

The COE Motherhood and Sport Commission, chaired by Olympic medallist Ona Carbonell, met recently to issue new proposals to help combine motherhood and elite sport. The Commission also continued its work on creating an advisory network to provide athletes with useful information for early motherhood, with specialist doctors, psychologists, physiotherapists, midwives and professionals in this sector. At the end of the meeting, which marked the Commission’s first year of work, the second Motherhood and Sport Day was held at the COE headquarters, the objective of which was to raise awareness of, reflect on and inform people about all aspects and stages of motherhood and sport. More details here.

ORGANISING COMMITTEES FOR THE YOUTH OLYMPIC GAMES

DAKAR 2026

The second edition of the Dakar en Jeux festival got underway on 31 October. It will bring a week of celebration of sport and culture to the host areas of the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) Dakar 2026 – the first Olympic to be event on the African continent. Following the success of last year’s inaugural festival, the 2023 edition will see an even greater focus on bringing sport and the Olympic spirit to Senegalese communities in the lead-up to Dakar 2026. This festival is a key engagement initiative of the Dakar 2026 Organising Committee. Full news release here.

RECOGNISED ORGANISATIONS

International Olympic Academy (IOA)

The IOA President, Isidoros Kouvelos, and the President of China Media Group, Shen Haixiong have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the promotion of the Olympic values in China. The MoU lays the foundations for close cooperation between the IOA and CMG and includes the creation of Olympic Education Programmes for Chinese youngsters and CMG executives, joint online and offline activities for the celebration of Olympic milestones, and the exchange of knowledge and best practices. The signing ceremony took place at the Chinese Embassy in Athens, Greece, on 28 October. Full details here.

World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

In collaboration with the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU), WADA has hosted an Anti-Doping Intelligence and Investigations Network Expert Group session in Monaco. On 25 and 26 October, the session welcomed around 25 participants from WADA Intelligence & Investigations, National Anti-Doping Organisations, IFs and the International Testing Agency (ITA) to discuss ongoing investigations and share their respective experiences. Full details here. In addition, WADA will launch a new application process for the funding of scientific research in December 2023. A webinar will present details and timelines of the new call system on 22 November. More info here.