Olympic Highlights 08/05/2023
IOC
PRESIDENT
On 2 May, IOC President Thomas Bach chaired a meeting of the IOC Executive Board (EB) held remotely from Olympic House. The EB discussed the current international situation, the upcoming editions of the Olympic Games and various Olympic institutional issues. The agenda also included the financial results of the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022. See also under “Other Olympic News”.
With International Hockey Federation (IHF) President Tayyab Ikram, the IOC President spoke about the preparations for the hockey tournament at the Olympic Games Paris 2024, the international situation and the position of the Olympic Movement.
Also at Olympic House, the IOC President met the President of the Lebanese Olympic Committee, Boutros Edmond Jalkh. The preparations of the Lebanese athletes for the Asian Games Hangzhou 2023 and the Olympic Games Paris 2024, the Olympic Solidarity programmes and the internal governance of the NOC were discussed.
The preparations for the Olympic Games Paris 2024, the international situation and the position of the Olympic Movement were the main topics of discussion during a video conference with the IOC Members in France, Guy Drut, Jean-Christophe Rolland, David Lappartient and Martin Fourcade.
With IOC Honorary Member Habu Gumel, President Bach discussed a wide range of Olympic topics, including the international situation and the position of the Olympic Movement.
This week, the IOC President welcomed Jean-François Manzoni, President of the International Institute for Management Development (IMD), who was on a courtesy visit to Olympic House. The ongoing excellent cooperation of the two organisations was discussed.
OTHER OLYMPIC NEWS
The IOC will contribute its share of the surplus of USD 10.4 million from the organisational budget of the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 to support the legacy of these Games. This was announced by IOC President Thomas Bach in Beijing on 6 May. The IOC’s share of the surplus will be given to the Chinese Olympic Committee (COC) and is intended to support the development of sport in China, in particular, the continued engagement of 346 million Chinese people in winter sports, with a special focus on young people. Earlier, the Beijing 2022 Organising Committee (Beijing 2022) revealed that it had achieved a surplus of USD 52 million (CNY 0.35 billion) from its organisational budget of USD 2.29 billion (revenues) (CNY 15.39 billion) with the successful Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022. This excellent result was also possible thanks to the considerable IOC contribution to the success of the Games which exceeded the support given to previous Olympic Winter Games. Read the full news release here.
On 5 May, the IOC, together with the Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC), has released the event details and ticketing information for the inaugural Olympic Esports Week, taking place in Singapore’s Suntec Centre from 22 to 25 June 2023. This includes all the thrilling Olympic Esports Finals action across 10 events – and sport shooting has now joined the line-up, with the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF)’s challenge featuring Fortnite. Full details here.
During a webinar organised by the IOC, NOCs from all continents were further alerted to the threat of competition manipulation and trained on how to best educate their athletes and officials on this important topic. The meeting provided a timely opportunity to share smart tools and informative material, and to allow some 70 NOCs to exchange best practices, and learn from each other. In this connection, several NOCs indicated that working with their Believe in Sport Ambassadors for this purpose has proved to be highly effective. The Believe in Sport Ambassadors are active or retired athletes, coaches or referees who work directly with their respective NOC and/or IF in their efforts to prevent competition manipulation. Full details here.
Playing Fields, a new original six-part documentary series, introduces the new wave of athletes paving the way in their sports across the African continent – discovering their incredible stories of perseverance, optimism and the strength of the human spirit. Produced by the Olympic Channel and documentary studio XTR, and directed by local filmmakers, Playing Fields premieres on 18 May 2023 on Olympics.com. In each of the six episodes, Playing Fields meets these trailblazing Olympians and aspiring Olympians from Burundi, Gabon, Nigeria, Ghana, Angola and South Africa on their road to Paris 2024. Read the full news release here.
INTERNATIONAL FEDERATIONS
SUMMER IFS
International Basketball Federation (FIBA)
The FIBA Central Board recently held a meeting in the Philippines capital of Manila, one of the co-hosts for this year's FIBA Basketball World Cup. During the meeting, it was decided to award the hosting rights of the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2026 to the German Basketball Federation, and the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 to the Qatar Basketball Federation. Among the many key topics discussed were the competitions in 2023 and the Olympic Games Paris 2024. Full details here.
International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF)
The ITTF has officially launched the bidding process for the World Singles Qualification Tournament for the Paralympic Games Paris 2024. The tournament is scheduled to take place in May 2024, and will see a total of 11 male and 10 female athletes qualifying for the Paralympic Games. More info here.
International Volleyball Federation (FIVB)
The new 2023-2024 Volleyball Empowerment cycle is officially open, with all 222 National Federations (NFs) able to apply for application-based development support while also completing the Volleyball Empowerment survey to be considered for targeted national team support. For this edition, applications from NFs can be submitted in English, Spanish and French. The overall goal of the programme - launched in 2021 - is to empower and improve the level of national teams and athletes, providing them with the skills needed to play at the highest level. Full details here.
Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI)
During the meeting of its Management Committee from 2 to 4 May in Cagliari, Sardinia (Italy), the UCI unveiled the calendars for several UCI World Cups and reinforced gender equality in the programme of cycling events. As well as approving its 2022 Financial Report, the Management Committee also welcomed the UCI's latest initiatives to promote the integrity of cycling, in particular the recent launch of a campaign dedicated to the protection of individuals in cycling, as part of the Cycling Integrity programme. The other meeting highlights can be found here.
United World Wrestling (UWW)
Iranian Komeil Ghasemi, 2012 Olympic champion and Rio 2016 silver medallist, is now a UWW educator. In Cambodia's Southeast Asian Championships last year, Ghasemi took his first step by passing the certification test. As the coach of Cambodia's national team for two years, he sought to enhance his skills and knowledge. Then, after acing the Level 1 Coaching, Training, and Introduction to Refereeing course, conducted by Olympic Solidarity in collaboration with UWW, Ghasemi was invited to the Coaches Course in Thailand in March 2023. More details here.
World Athletics
On 4 May, World Athletics announced with sadness that Tori Bowie, the 2017 world 100m champion and multiple Olympic medallist, has died at the age of 32. Alongside her individual world gold, Bowie also formed part of USA’s title-winning 4x100m team in London at the 2017 World Championships, and claimed an Olympic medal treble in Rio 2016, getting gold in the 4x100m, silver in the 100m and bronze in the 200m. She won her first global medal at the World Championships in Beijing in 2015, and at the 2019 World Championships in Doha, she competed in both the 100m and the long jump. She last competed in a 200m race in Florida in June 2022. More details here.
A few days before, Olympic and world medallist Calvin Davis died on 1 May at the age of 51. He won a bronze medal in 400m hurdles at the Olympic Games Atlanta 1996 during his debut season in the discipline. Earlier, the US athlete was part of USA’s gold medal-winning 4x400m team at the 1995 World Indoor Championships in Barcelona. Davis went on to compete at the 2001 World Championships in Edmonton and moved into coaching. Full details here.
World Rugby
Bernard Lapasset, the former Chairman of World Rugby, then known as the International Rugby Board, died on 2 May at the age of 75. He was previously President of the French Rugby Federation from 1991 to 2008. A fine administrator and a visionary, he presided over the sport’s transformation and modernisation on and off the field, successfully campaigning for rugby’s return to the Olympic Games. In 2009, the IOC Session decided to include Rugby Sevens on the programme for the Olympic Games Rio 2016. After his second term at the helm of World Rugby in 2016, he focused his efforts on Paris’s candidature to host the 2024 Olympic Games, working alongside Tony Estanguet. Since 2018, he had been Honorary President of the Paris 2024 Organising Committee. Lapasset received the Vernon Pugh Award for Distinguished Service at the World Rugby Awards in 2019, and the Olympic Order in 2022 for his contribution to the Olympic Movement. Full news release here. Read also here the text from Paris 2024.
NATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEES
Argentine NOC
To mark Earth Day, the Argentine NOC organised the first Argentine Congress on Sustainability in Sport on 21 and 22 April 2023 in Buenos Aires. In what is the NOC’s centenary year, the aim of the Congress was to raise awareness about the issue, in line with the NOC’s engagement with the signing of the United Nations Sports for Climate Action Framework. At the Congress, presentations were delivered by professionals and academics on three topics: water, energy and waste management. Some 120 people took part in the Congress, including provincial sports ministers, presidents of clubs and federations, athletes and educators. More info at www.coarg.org.ar.
Olympic Committee of Israel
One year after the death of Alex Gilady, the Olympic Committee of Israel and Keshet Broadcasting announced the launch of a new Excellence Scholarship in his memory. An IOC Member from 1994 to 2022, Gilady was also a media personality, one of the founders of Keshet Media Group and Vice-President of NBC Sports. In light of his expertise in the field of Olympic sports journalism and in general, in Israel and globally, the NOC Executive Board, in collaboration with the Keshet Media Group, has decided to launch an Excellence Scholarship in the field of sports communication, which will enable the development of sports media professionals and encourage excellence and professionalisation in the field. The scholarship will be awarded in two rounds - one this year in preparation for Paris 2024, and the second in 2025 in preparation for Milano-Cortina 2026. More details at www.olympicsil.co.il.
Moroccan NOC (CNOM)
As part of the exchange programme with the NOC of Togo, the CNOM held a videoconference on 25 April to discuss communication and the education and Olympic values promotion programmes. More details on www.cnom.org.ma.
RECOGNISED ORGANISATIONS
Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA)
The Chefs de Mission of the African NOCs that will be taking part in the 2nd African Beach Games met recently in Hammamet, Tunisia. This was a preparatory meeting ahead of the Games from 23 to 30 June 2023 at the Yasmine Hammamet resort. Alongside ANOCA President and IOC Member Mustapha Berraf, Tunisian Youth and Sports Minister Kamal Deguiche and the Governor of Nabeul (the host region of the competition), Sabah Malek, also attended the meeting. More details here.
Oceania National Olympic Committees (ONOC)
Regional leaders, development organisations and the Olympic and sports movement have committed to strengthening the use of sport as a tool for sustainable development in Oceania in the lead-up to, and beyond, the Olympic Games Brisbane 2032. The commitment was made during the Sport and Sustainable Development Strategic Partners Forum, which was convened by ONOC and the IOC, in conjunction with the Pacific Regional Sports Taskforce (PRST), during the recent ONOC General Assembly in Brisbane. Full details here.
International Paralympic Committee (IPC)
The IPC has confirmed that its 2023 IPC General Assembly and Conference will take place in Manama (Bahrain) from 27 to 29 September 2023. More than 300 representatives from the IPC’s 209 members – made up of National Paralympic Committees, International Federations, Regional Organisations and International Organisations of Sport for the Disabled – are expected to attend. More details here.
International World Games Association (IWGA)
At the IWGA Annual General Meeting on 3 May in Madrid, Spain, the delegates of the member federations present confirmed José Perurena as IWGA President until 2026. Perurena has led the IWGA since 2014. The new IWGA Vice-President is Tom Dielen, the Secretary General of World Archery, who replaces Max Bishop in this position. A new Executive Committee was also confirmed. Its term of office is limited to the three years until 2026. More info here.
World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)
On 1 May, WADA published its webinar schedule for May 2023. It can be found here.
Fédération Internationale Cinéma Télévision Sportifs (FICTS)
Some 41,000 students from 98 schools in Milan and the Veneto region will take part in the 60th edition of the “Trofei di Milano 2023 – Education, Culture and Sport for Young People” – inter-school sports and training activities organised by FICTS in collaboration with the 2026 Milano Cortina Foundation and with support from the Istituto per il Credito Sportivo bank. This project is designed to spread sports culture and the Olympic values among young people at schools, in the lead-up to the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026. All sports activities will be eco-sustainable and open to people with disabilities, and they will end in Milan on 13 May, exactly 1,000 days before the opening of the Games. Full info here.