Olympic Highlights 11/03/2024
IOC
PRESIDENT
This week, IOC President Thomas Bach welcomed the members of the Board of the International Hockey Federation (FIH) who met at Olympic House. He congratulated the FIH on its 100th anniversary. The upcoming Olympic Games Paris 2024 and the current geopolitical situation were also discussed. Later the IOC President and the FIH President Tayyab Ikram unveiled the competition schedule for hockey at the Olympic Games Paris 2024. The IOC President also had a meeting with the FIH President. See also under “IFs”.
President Bach also met the President of the International Luge Federation (FIL), Einars Fogelis. They discussed various Olympic subjects, particularly the success of the Winter Youth Olympic Games Gangwon 2024 and preparations for the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026.
At Olympic House, President Bach welcomed German double Olympic champion in the high jump, Ulrike Nasse-Meyfarth. At the age of only 16, she won at the gold medal at the Olympic Games Munich 1972 and is still the youngest athlete to have won a gold medal in an individual athletics event. After competing at Montreal 1976, she won a second gold at Los Angeles 1984. At the IOC headquarters, the IOC President presented Ms Nasse-Meyfarth with an OLY diploma and pin, before she signed the Olympians Wall.
Also this week, President Bach welcomed the world’s top four eBASEBALL™ players who will compete at the WBSC eBASEBALL™ Series World Finals 2023 at the Olympic Museum on 9 March. It will be the first-ever esports competition to be hosted at the Olympic Museum. The gamers were excited about the idea of Olympic Esports Games and enthusiastic about qualifying and participating. They also spoke about physical training for gamers.
The IOC President presented an OLY diploma and pin to the Belgian athletes, Aagje Vanwalleghem, a gymnast who took part in the Olympic Games Athens 2004, and to Tom Lahaye-Goffart, a biathlete who took part in the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022. Both athletes, who also signed the Olympians Wall, were part of a delegation from the Belgian Olympic Academy who, during a two-day visit to Lausanne, visited Olympic House and the Olympic Museum.
A broad range of current issues, including the upcoming Olympic Games Paris 2024 and the present international situation, were discussed during meetings with IOC Vice-President Ser Miang Ng and IOC Member Sergii Bubka.
HONORARY MEMBERS
IOC Honorary Member Julio César Maglione, who is also President of the Uruguayan NOC, has received an honorary doctorate from the Christian Youth Association University Institute (Asociación Cristiana de Jóvenes) in recognition of his remarkable career within sport. The ceremony was held in connection with the Uruguayan NOC’s centenary, which was also celebrated in October with the IOC President in attendance. Among the prominent individuals at the ceremony to honour Maglione was the former President of Uruguay, Julio María Sanguinetti.
General Mounir Sabet IOC member (EGY)
The IOC has expressed its sadness at the death of IOC Honorary Member Mounir Sabet, from Egypt, at the age of 87. Passionate about sport, and in particular the sport of shooting, he earnt a place in Egypt’s national shooting team in 1965. He served as President and Board member of the Egyptian Shooting Federation, and held leadership roles within the Egyptian Olympic Committee, African Shooting Confederation and Council of the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF). Elected as an IOC Member in 1998, he served on several IOC commissions during his tenure before becoming an IOC Honorary Member.
COMMISSIONS
Like athletes around the globe who are preparing for the upcoming Olympic Games, Paris 2024 is diligently working towards reaching peak performance this summer. With the Organising Committee refining planning and midway through final readiness exercises, the IOC’s Coordination Commission heard that everything is on track to welcome the Olympic Movement to France. This was the final Coordination Commission meeting before the Games, during which it was confirmed that the Olympic Games Paris 2024 Opening Ceremony will begin at 19:30 local time (CEST) on 26 July. Following the conclusion of meetings, the Coordination Commission Chair, Pierre-Olivier Beckers-Vieujant, reflected on progress. He said: “Paris 2024 is on track to deliver their exceptional Games vision. With the continued support of stakeholders, they are incredibly focused on what's ahead and on the ultimate goal of delivering spectacular, impactful and sustainable Games.” Full report about the meeting here.
TOP PARTNERS
On 1 March, Toyota, the Worldwide Mobility Partner of the IOC and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), delivered the first vehicles for the official fleet that will support the Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024. An official handover ceremony for the first cars took place in front of the headquarters of the Paris 2024 Organising Committee, with Paris 2024 President Tony Estanguet receiving the keys to the vehicles from Yoshihiro Nakata, President and CEO of Toyota Motor Europe. Read the full news release here.
OTHER OLYMPIC NEWS
The former professional tennis player and now tennis executive, Katrina Adams (USA), has been named the Global Winner of the IOC’s 2023 Gender Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (GEDI) Champions Award. This was announced on International Women’s Day to celebrate Adams and other trailblazers who are working tirelessly on advancing gender equality, diversity and inclusion in sport. Adams was chosen as the Global Winner in recognition of her outstanding contribution across the areas of participation, leadership, portrayal and resource allocation. Thee 2023 continental winners alongside Adams are: Irene Limika (Kenya) for Africa; Marialoreto González Jaque (Chile) for the Americas; Jayanthi Kuru-Utumpala (Sri Lanka) for Asia; Aurélie Bresson (France) for Europe; and Patrick Johnson (Australia) for Oceania. Known as the IOC Women and Sport Awards from 2000 to 2021, the newly named IOC GEDI Champions Awards celebrate the outstanding work of inspiring changemakers who are committed to using their platform to promote the advancement of gender equality, diversity and inclusion in and through sport. Read the full news release here.
With International Women’s Day, the IOC is celebrating a monumental achievement set to be reached at the upcoming Olympic Games Paris 2024: the IOC has distributed quota places equally to female and male athletes – 50:50. For the first time in Olympic history, there will be full gender parity on the field of play. Find out more about the evolution of the participation of female athletes at the Games here, as well as initiatives delivered in coordination with the IFs and NOCs in this respect. In addition, discover the efforts made by the IOC to advance gender equality beyond the field of play here.
In addition, as the permanent host broadcaster for the Games, producing the live television, radio and digital coverage of the event, OBS is committed to providing fair and balanced storytelling for all athletes. At the Olympic Games Paris 2024, this commitment will be taken one step further behind the scenes, with a large increase in the number of female staff in key broadcast roles. OBS is also ensuring that the next generation of talent in the media industry is gender balanced. Several training programmes have been put in place to this end. Find out here.
A new Guide on the Prosecution of Cases of Competition manipulation was published on 5 March jointly by IOC and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). The Guide mainly targets public prosecutors, key actors in the criminal process, and seeks to set out a recommended framework on the prosecution of such cases. The guide is primarily directed to the prosecution before criminal courts of those involved in competition and match manipulation. However, it also provides a useful resource for International and National Federations, as well as sports’ governing bodies, bringing their own private law disciplinary proceedings.
Download the publication in English and Spanish. The Guide was officially launched on 5 March during a webinar co-organised by the International Association of Prosecutors (IAP), the IOC and the UNODC. The webinar was attended by more than 300 prosecutors across the globe, mainly IAP members, with high level speakers commenting on the new Guide underlining its importance. Friedrich Martens, Head of Olympic Movement Unit on the Prevention of the Manipulation of Competitions (OM Unit PMC), who also attended the webinar, warmly thanked IAP and UNODC for this cooperation, encouraged the prosecutors present to use the new Guide and recalled the importance of coordination between criminal and law enforcement investigations. The new Guide is a follow up to the IOC-INTERPOL-UNODC Guide Investigations of cases of competition manipulations, published three months ago, which sought to strengthen the capacity of relevant stakeholders to conduct effective and efficient investigations into allegations of competition manipulation.
The Olympic Museum has officially launched its new website. The launch was the culmination of a two-year project to overhaul olympics.com/museum and introduce access to a slate of new Olympic-themed resources. The museum offers a host of new storytelling, educational and visitor experience capabilities on its new platform. Full news release here.
Recently, on behalf of the IOC, IOC Television & Marketing Services Managing Director Anne-Sophie Voumard received Interbrand’s Iconic Award for Brand Leadership (IOC Lifetime Achievement) from Gonzalo Brujo, the Global CEO of Interbrand, at Olympic House.
INTERNATIONAL FEDERATIONS
SUMMER IFS
International Hockey Federation (FIH)
At a ceremony held at Olympic House in Lausanne on 6 March, the competition schedule for hockey at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 was unveiled by the FIH President Tayyab Ikram and the IOC President. The Olympic hockey tournaments will take place from 27 July to 9 August in the historical venue of the Yves-du-Manoir Stadium – an Olympic venue for the Paris 1924 Games – in Colombes, near Paris. Twelve men’s and 12 women’s teams will compete. Full details here. On International Women’s Day, the FIH published interviews with eight women who have been leading the way over the past few decades as players, coaches, umpires and administrators, and who have been creating a blueprint for success that will benefit the generations to come, as they look to these role models and follow in their footsteps. Read the interviews here.
International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF)
The deadlines for applications to the ISSF Development Fund have been announced. Established by ISSF President Luciano Rossi, the Fund aims to promote shooting sport worldwide through the provision of equipment. It will be overseen by a Board of Trustees representing all five continents. Approval by the ISSF Executive Committee will be required for larger sums. Full details here. In addition, the second episode of the Road to Paris 2024 series, on the 25m Rapid Fire men’s discipline, has been released.
World Athletics
On International Women's Day, World Athletics is celebrating the resounding success of its #WeGrowAthletics campaign, three years on from its initial launch in 2021. The campaign focus now shifts to gender equity and participation at grassroots level. Read the full details here. Furthermore, the International Fair Play Committee (CIFP), in partnership with World Athletics, has invited fans across the world to nominate moments that epitomise fair play with a view to recognising one standout athlete or moment at the World Athletics Awards later this year. The nominations period includes all World Athletics Series events and Continental Tour events throughout the course of the year, together with the Olympic Games in Paris. Full info here.
World Sailing
The fourth edition of “Steering the Course”, World Sailing’s global women’s sailing festival, will place a special focus this Olympic year on the pathway many of the sport’s role models have taken to the Olympic Games, whether in coaching, officiating or sports administration. The two festivals will take place from 17 to 26 May 2024, and from 27 September to 6 October 2024. Full details here. To mark this year’s International Women’s Day, World Sailing is releasing a series of videos celebrating female Olympic sailing heroes. For more info, click here.
NATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEES
Lithuanian NOC (LNOC)
To mark International Women’s Day and the centenary of the Olympic Movement in Lithuania, the country’s female Olympic medallists were honoured. During a ceremony held at the President’s Office, they were welcomed and congratulated by President of Lithuania Gitanas Nausėda and First Lady Diana Nausėdienė. The athletes were also presented with a commemorative limited edition book entitled “Baltic Women on the Olympic Games Awards Podium”. LNOC President and IOC Member Daina Gudzinevičiūtė, who competed in five Olympic Games and won gold (in shooting) at the Olympic Games Sydney 2000, presented the First Lady with a book signed by the Olympic medallists. Full info here. In addition, the LNOC’s Fair Play Awards ceremony recently took place at the LNOC headquarters in Vilnius. The awards were presented by LNOC President Daina Gudzinevičiūtė, and by Lithuanian Fair Play Committee President and Olympian Austra Skujytė. The awards honoured the winners in six categories: Lifetime Achievement, Fair Play, Young Athlete as a Role Model for Peers, Fair Play Project, Fair Play Organisation, and this year's new category, Fair Play Promotion. Check out the list of winners here.
Oman Olympic Committee (OOC)
The “Discovering, Nurturing and Developing Sports Talents” project from the Kingdom of Bahrain won first place at the end of the “GCC Women’s Sports Hackathon” event, organised recently in Muscat by the OOC, represented by the Oman Women’s Sports and Gender Equality Committee. More details here about the workshops and sessions also organised at this event.
Spanish NOC (COE)
The COE and Sanitas recently renewed their cooperation on sustainable development, aimed at promoting healthy lifestyles and protecting the environment. The two organisations will thus expand the Healthy Cities programme run by Sanitas, which each year invites the population to take up a twofold challenge: walk 6,000 steps a day and leave their car at home one day a week. For each person who takes part, Sanitas undertakes to plant a tree. During last year’s eighth edition, the company planted more than 24,000 trees in various Spanish cities, and 2,500 in Senegal. More details here. The COE and the Spanish Paralympic Committee will also be working with the Madrid Book Fair, between 31 May and 16 June, to highlight the links between sport and literature. An Olympic and Paralympic Day will be held on 13 June. More details here.
ORGANISING COMMITTEES FOR THE OLYMPIC GAMES
PARIS 2024
The posters for the Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024 were unveiled on 4 March at the city’s Musée d’Orsay. The posters were created with French illustrator Ugo Gattoni. With their rich details, they are the dream-like portrayal of a stadium-city, echoing the “Games wide open” slogan and reflecting the project’s ambition: to bring sport into the city. Detailed info here.
RECOGNISED ORGANISATIONS
Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF)
During its recent meeting in Lausanne, the ASOIF Council discussed several items which will be put to the 48th ASOIF General Assembly on 9 April, such as the election of a new ASOIF President, with current President Francesco Ricci Bitti’s third and final term coming to an end on 31 December 2024. Other topics on the Council’s agenda included the ongoing Fifth Review of IF Governance, and the proposal of Statute amendments to be put to the General Assembly. Full details here.
Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA)
On International Women’s Day, ANOCA President and IOC Member Mustapha Berraf published a message in which he underlined that “this year, parity will be a guiding principle in the organisation of several international sports competitions”, before recalling that “advocacy for women's rights in Africa also, and above all, involves sport and Olympism”. Full text of the message here.
International Paralympic Committee (IPC)
On 8 March, the IPC announced the three winners of the 2024 International Women’s Day Recognition Awards: Karen O’Neill from the Americas Paralympic Committee (Leadership), Noor Husain from NPC Bahrain (Emerging Leadership), and the Canadian Paralympic Committee (IPC Member) have each received the 2024 International Women’s Day Recognition Award. The Awards primarily recognise women in the Paralympic Movement who inspire and emulate the Paralympic ideals and serve as positive role models. Full details on the winners here. The IPC Governing Board has published strict eligibility criteria that Russian and Belarusian athletes and support personnel must meet and adhere to in order to participate as neutrals at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. Detailed info about these regulations can be found here.
World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)
WADA Vice-President and Olympic champion short-track speed-skater Yang Yang has been appointed as a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), in recognition of her ongoing role in upholding the values of fairness and integrity in sport and wider society. As part of her new role, Yang Yang recently visited Kakuma refugee camp in north-western Kenya to help raise awareness of the work of the UNHCR and the growing humanitarian needs of refugees in Kenya and globally. Full news release here. Read also here the announcement of the appointment of Francisco León, as Director of WADA’s Latin America and Caribbean Region Office, which is located in Montevideo, Uruguay. In addition, WADA will run its Athlete Engagement and Major Event Anti-Doping Legacy (MEAL) Programme at the 13th African Games, which will be held in Accra, Ghana, from 8 to 23 March. On the eve of the Games, the African Union Commission (AUC), with support from WADA, hosted a High-Level Forum on Anti-Doping in Sport. More details here.