Olympic Highlights
IOC ACTIVITIES
PrEsident
The IOC President met the President of the International Boxing Association (AIBA), Ching-Kuo Wu, who is also an IOC Executive Board Member. The preparations for the boxing tournament at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 and Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018 were discussed, along with the Olympic Channel.
In a meeting with the President of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), Sebastian Coe, discussions focused mainly on the reforms of the anti-doping system of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), as well as the joint meeting of the IOC Executive Board with the IAAF Council, which will be held on the eve of the 16th World Championships in Athletics, in London, Great Britain, in August.
With the President of the International Handball Federation (IHF), Hassan Moustafa, the President discussed the success of the World Handball Championships organised in January this year, as well as the preparations for the handball tournament at the next Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.
The WADA reforms were discussed at a meeting that the President had with the President of United World Wrestling (UWW), Nenad Lalovic, who is also an IOC representative on the WADA Foundation Board.
International Fencing Federation (FIE) President Alisher Usmanov spoke with the President about the progress of preparations for the fencing tournament at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 and the excellent cooperation between FIE and the Olympic Channel.
The President welcomed the President of the European Union of Football Associations (UEFA), Aleksander Čeferin, and the Secretary General, Theodore Theodoridis, with whom they talked about the excellent partnership between the two organisations.
The President of The Association for International Sport for All (TAFISA), Ju-ho Chang, spoke with the IOC President about the various projects to promote the role of sport and physical education for all. They also discussed the sports legacy of the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018.
With IOC Vice-President Yu Zaiqing, the President spoke about the preparations for the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022, WADA reforms and other topics of mutual interest.
The IOC President welcomed a Belgian NOC delegation led by its President and IOC Member Pierre-Olivier Beckers and its sponsors. The sponsors’ support and commitment and important contribution to the organisation and success of the Olympic Games and sport in general were among the points addressed on this occasion.
The President met Antoine Hartmann, the new Secretary General of Lausanne City Council’s Department of Sports and Social Cohesion. Several topics of joint interest were addressed, such as the development of sports practice, relations between the IOC and the City of Lausanne, and the upcoming Winter Youth Olympic Games Lausanne 2020.
At The Olympic Museum in Lausanne, the President took part, alongside Chinese artist Fan Yang, in the unveiling of an exhibition of 22 of his works produced using ink wash and Chinese ink on rice paper. The President was accompanied by IOC Vice-President Yu Zaiqing.
President Thomas Bach awarded the medals to world champions Sweden at the Ice Hockey World Championship held in Germany and France. He was welcomed by IOC Member and IIHF President René Fasel. IOC President Bach watched the final match in Cologne, which Sweden won 2-1 after a shootout against Canada to claim its 10th World Championship title. At the final, the IOC President also met IOC Executive Board Member Sergey Bubka and IOC Members Denis Oswald and Britta Heidemann. While in Germany, he also met the President of the German NOC, Alfons Hörmann.
OTHER OLYMPIC NEWS
The Olympic Channel hosted IF workshops at its headquarters in Madrid (Spain) from 8 to 11 May. The event provided a platform for the Olympic Channel to foster existing relationships, and discuss further cooperation and collaboration for events, storylines, promotion, ideation and B2B services, in order to give the IFs more value through the Olympic Channel. In attendance were marketing, PR, social media and broadcast executives representing 28 Summer and Winter International Sports Federations along with members of the IOC Sports Department and the IOC Strategic Communications team. The programme entailed separate two-day workshops for the Federations. Agendas included an all-day collective seminar with Olympic Channel staff and the option for unilateral meetings to address specific needs as well as a tour of the Olympic Channel facilities. Attendees received updates on the platform, performance, distribution and programming, as well as presentations from each of the Olympic Channel content areas, including sports production, news, original programming, and digital/social media. Additional presentations came from professional services and technical solutions, and the sports data project. Case studies and best practices for content creation and cross-promotion as ways to increase engagement were key elements driving group discussion and questions throughout the workshops.
international SPORTS FEDERATIONS
SUMMER IFS
The International Hockey Federation (FIH) has published an article on a development programme implemented by the Moroccan Hockey Federation. This programme, named “Operation African Hockey Days”, is for young Africans living in Morocco. Over 600 youngsters from several African countries such as Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Mali and Senegal, are set to take part in local sports centres in Casablanca and Rabat. The Moroccan Ministry of Youth and Sport supports this initiative, which kicked off in mid-April and will last three months. Read the news here.
From 15 to 17 May, Bangkok (Thailand) hosted the first ever International Swimming Federation (FINA) International Clinic, “Swimming for All, Swimming for Life”. Participants came from 49 countries from the five continents to attend, in the presence of FINA President and IOC Honorary Member Julio César Maglione. The Clinic aimed to create unified and uniform fundamental principles, and provided participants with all the necessary technical and practical information on learning to swim in different circumstances and infrastructures, awareness of the health and safety of participants, and the organisation and the development of lessons. Read the news here.
The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) is continuing its pledge to assist the development of its continental governing bodies by signing a Strategic Commercial Agreement with ITTF-North America. The new agreement adds to a similar deal signed with ITTF-Oceania last month and will be the framework for future agreements with the other ITTF continental governing bodies with which discussions are underway. The deal involves the ITTF investing significant financial and human resources in the region to assist its commercial growth, and the popularity of the sport in the region which has an enormous amount of potential for table tennis. Read the news here.
The International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) Executive Committee and Board of Administration met in early May in Marrakech (Morocco). The Committee and Board members considered proposals and ideas put forward by the FIVB commission chairs. The Board meeting was opened by IOC Member Nawal El Moutawakel, and a video message from the IOC President was also played. The participants also attended a volleyball festival, during which Brazilian Olympic champion Giba played against Moroccan Olympic track and field champion Saïd Aouita. Full info at www.fivb.com.
nationaL olympiC comMITTEES
Mongolia has just created its first “International and National Arbitration for Sport” body to resolve sports-related disputes that may arise in the country. The inauguration was held on 11 May in Ulaanbaatar in the presence of IOC Honorary Member Shagdarjav Magvan and Mongolian NOC President Demchigjav Zagdsuren. The NOC President signed an MoU with G. Batzaya, the President of the new organisation. Training will be organised through seminars, meetings and conferences with international arbitrators.
The Swedish team preparing for the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018 took part in an Olympic camp organised on the Greek island of Crete. Some 180 athletes and coaches came together for a week of training, testing and information on what to expect in PyeongChang. The week opened with a short ceremony to plant an olive tree as a sign of the friendship and cooperation between the Swedish and Hellenic NOCs. The participants included Swedish Olympic triple medallist Therese Alshammar (swimming) and Greek silver medallist Spyridon Giannotis (water polo). More info on www.sok.se.
The Turkish Olympic Committee (TOC) brought together 650 children and their parents on Saturday 13 May to celebrate another successful year of engaging children with sport through the Nike-backed “Active Kids” project. Children from five primary schools in Istanbul marked the end of the 2016-17 “Active Kids” season with a series of fun and competitive games. A team of Nike employees were in attendance to help trainers with the overall running of the event and hand out medals, prizes and gifts. The project was first launched by the TOC during the 2014-15 academic year, and is run jointly with Nike Turkey. It also has more than 90 expert organisations which help promote and research the benefits of physical activity. This successful project is helping the TOC tackle the global epidemic of physical inactivity amongst young people. More info on www.olimpiyat.org.tr
organisING COMMITTEES FOR THE OLYMPIC GAMES
Tokyo 2020
The Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee (Tokyo 2020) and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) have agreed to sign a unique partnership agreement aimed at advancing “decent work” through socially responsible labour practices amongst the Games’ delivery partners. The partnership, announced during a visit by Guy Ryder, the ILO’s Director-General in Japan, will be formalised with an MoU to be signed as soon as possible. This is Tokyo 2020’s first partnership with a UN organisation, and the first time that the ILO has officially partnered with an Olympic and Paralympic Organising Committee. The partnership will encourage the firms to play a positive role in promoting decent work through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Read the full news here.
organisING COMMITTEES FOR THE YOUTH OLYMPIC GAMES
lausanne 2020
Construction recently began on “Vortex”, the spectacular new student housing complex that will serve as the Olympic Village in Lausanne, based at the University of Lausanne’s campus. Before being used by students in autumn 2020, in the January, “Vortex” will house the athletes of the Winter Youth Olympic Games (YOG) Lausanne 2020, making this complex a perfect example of the efficient use of an Olympic project for host city development, as it will provide a lasting legacy for higher education in the region. For the local authorities, the YOG project has accelerated the discussion and the planning around the project, allowing it to take shape faster than originally planned. For Patrick Baumann, President of the Lausanne 2020 Organising Committee, “Vortex represents the best of what Olympic projects can do to a host city: help develop infrastructure that is very much needed and that can be used long after the Games […] We are also very proud to be such a good case study of a smart Olympic legacy.” Full news here.
Recognised organisations
In Montreal (Canada) on 18 May, the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA’s) Foundation Board took decisive action on a number of key priorities for WADA that will shape the way forward for the Agency and for clean sport. The full-day meeting included Board approvals related to: the development of a graded sanctioning framework for non-compliance by World Anti-Doping Code signatories; host city selection for the 2019 World Conference on Doping in Sport; next steps for the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA); an Investigations Policy and Framework; principles to assist the IOC for establishing an Independent Testing Authority (ITA); the development of an International Standard for Education and Information; and the 2016 year-end accounts. Read the full report here.