Olympic Highlights 14/11/2022
IOC ACTIVITIES
PRESIDENT
IOC President Thomas Bach welcomed the President of the Swiss Confederation, Ignazio Cassis, to Olympic House in Lausanne on 10 November.
The two leaders discussed the IOC's strong and reciprocal attachment to Lausanne and Switzerland, and the impact of the IOC and other international sports organisations on the Swiss economy. President Cassis emphasised the importance of the IOC for Switzerland as its host country. They also spoke about the current geopolitical situation and the role of sport as a bridge-builder in these troubled times.
Also present at the meeting were IOC Executive Board member Denis Oswald, the President of the Vaud Council of State, Christelle Luisier Brodard, and the Mayor of Lausanne, Grégoire Junod. In a tweet after the meeting, President Cassis commended the IOC’s commitment to sport and peace.
President Bach also gave President Cassis a tour of Olympic House, one of the most sustainable buildings in the world. The President of the Swiss Confederation then signed the IOC’s “Golden Book”, in which he wrote: “Dear President, Sport is a magnificent vehicle of emotions and unity, while respecting differences and our planet. We especially need it in these turbulent times. Thank you for your welcome.” President Cassis was joined on this occasion by the IOC staff members from Switzerland, who had welcomed him with a round of applause and enjoyed a group photo with him.
Few hours before the visit of the Swiss President, President Bach met Christelle Luisier Brodard, who also heads the Department of Institutions, Territory and Sport. They discussed the excellent partnership between the Canton of Vaud and the IOC. Luisier Brodard, who also signed the IOC’s “Golden Book”, was accompanied by the Head of the Physical Education and Sport Section, Nicolas Imhof.
The IOC President also welcomed former Greek President Prokópis Pavlópoulos, and gave him a tour of the IOC headquarters, one of the world’s most sustainable buildings. Pavlópoulos signed the IOC’s “Golden Book”, mentioning a “pilgrimage to the IOC headquarters and to the origins of the Olympic ideal”. President Bach recalled the important place of Greece in the history of the Olympic Games and within the Olympic Movement. Together, the two underlined the longevity of the Olympic values and the power of sport and the Olympic Games to build a better and peaceful world.
President Bach welcomed the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) and its partners to Olympic House this week. They held their partners meeting in Lausanne and heard about Olympic Agenda 2020+5 and the IOC’s various initiatives with regard to the Olympic Games, sustainability, Olympic Solidarity, the Olympic Refuge Foundation and the IOC’s digital operations. The day concluded with a dinner at The Olympic Museum.
On this occasion, the President and DOSB President Thomas Weikert also discussed various topics of mutual interest, including the forthcoming editions of the Olympic Games and the geopolitical situation.
The IOC President welcomed a delegation from the NOC of Malaysia, led by its President, Mohamad Norza Bin Zakaria. They talked about subjects of mutual interest, in particular the preparations by the Malaysian athletes for the forthcoming Olympic Games and the current international situation.
The IOC President welcomed the participants in the 4th seminar of the “Parcours Ambition Internationale 2022” programme run by the French NOC for French sports leaders, managers and athletes aimed at encouraging their international engagement. They talked about various Olympic topics, including the preparations for the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
The participants included Olympians Alexandre Camarasa (water polo, Rio 2016), Denis Mesples (equestrian, London 2012) and Delphine Reau (shooting, Sydney 2000 silver medallist and London 2012 bronze medallist), who signed the Olympians’ Wall before receiving their diplomas and OLY pins from the IOC President.
At Olympic House, the President presented a diploma and OLY pin to two-time Australian Olympic champion Nick Green, who then signed the Olympians’ Wall. Green, who won gold in the men’s coxless four at the Olympic Games Barcelona 1992 and Atlanta 1996, is currently the Senior Commercial Leader - Olympic & Paralympic Partnership for Worldwide Olympic Partner Allianz’s Australian arm.
The President also took part in a workshop organised by the IOC Athletes' Department and Human Resources with Olympians who have undergone a career transition and are now working for the IOC. The goal of the workshop was to build on the framework of recruiting more Olympians to the Olympic Movement. Accompanied by the IOC Director General, he discussed with the participants the outcomes of the workshop and shared their insights.
On 10 November, President Bach welcomed schoolchildren from the Lausanne region who were at Olympic House as part of the “Bring Your Child to Work Day”. He showed them around his office and answered their questions about his daily work as President of the IOC. This day is organised as part of the programme run by several Swiss cantons to introduce primary and secondary school children to various different professions.
The IOC President discussed a number of current Olympic issues with IOC Vice-President Ser Miang Ng, and IOC Member Tricia Smith.
MEMBERS
IOC Member Kirsty Coventry represented the IOC at the Partnerships in Community-Based Crime Prevention high-level forum at the United Nations (UN) headquarters in New York, USA. The Forum was chaired by Hikihara Takeshi, Chair of the 31st Session of the UN Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice. Addressing the UN Member States, Coventry made an appeal for increased cooperation and partnerships to leverage the contributions of sport in preventing violence and crime and building peaceful, safe communities. She also attended the launch event of Sport against Crime: Outreach, Resilience, Empowerment (SC:ORE), a joint IOC - UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) initiative that supports the effective use of sport to prevent and combat violence and crime. On this occasion, she said: “Sport-based policy and programmes in the context of community-based interventions can play a critical role in empowering youth and community members to become active agents of positive change and support crime prevention efforts,” said Coventry. “SC:ORE is an important part of our collective work on sport, peace and safe communities through Olympism 365.”Full news release here.
OTHER OLYMPIC NEWS
During its annual meeting on 8 November, the International Partnership against Corruption in Sport (IPACS) discussed important topics, including the finalisation of the Governance Guidelines, the outcomes of the recent workshops on Games-related procurement, the launch of a network composed of criminal justice authorities and sports organisations, and the new composition and expansion of the Steering Committee. More than 110 IPACS key stakeholders from governments, sports organisations and intergovernmental organisations had accepted the invitation to follow the meeting. Full details here.
This week, the IOC has launched the Climate Action Awards. An initiative supported by Worldwide Olympic and Paralympic Partners (TOPs) Airbnb, P&G and Deloitte, the Awards are aimed at supporting NOCs, IFs and athletes in their efforts to manage their carbon emissions and understand their impact on the environment. The Awards focus on three categories of actions, each supported by a relevant TOP Partner. Read the full news release here.
INTERNATIONAL FEDERATIONS
SUMMER IFS
During the International Canoe Federation (ICF) Congress in Pattaya, Thailand, a number of important decisions were taken unanimously. The ICF Congress agreed to transfer its drug testing programme to the International Testing Agency; signed an international Athletes’ Charter; embraced a comprehensive “Fit For Future” strategy; and approved the renaming of the new Olympic event from extreme slalom to kayak cross. The Solomon Islands and Comoros Federations were also welcomed to the ICF, taking the overall number of ICF National Federations to 171. After praising the delegates for their support and vision, ICF President Thomas Konietzko said that the unity displayed during Congress showed that the ICF can meet any challenge presented to it. More info at www.canoeicf.com.
The Hungarian Wrestling Federation organized the first-ever high-performance regional coaching course with the participation of 32 coaches from seven different countries. The course was conducted from 2 to 5 November with the support of the Olympic Solidarity, United World Wrestling (UWW), the Hungarian NOC and the Hungarian Federation. The course was held at the KIMBA Wrestling Academy, a premiere training facility in Budapest where they recently organized an international Greco-Roman training camp with over 100 participants. Full info here.
The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) has announced that seven Ukrainian athletes are currently taking part in the World Para Table Tennis Championships in Granada (Spain), and two of them, Lev Kats and Ivan Mai, took gold in the final of men’s doubles class 18 (photo). The ITTF and its Foundation, along with the IOC through its Solidarity Fund for the Ukrainian Olympic Community, have been supporting Ukraine, contributing to the team’s participation in the Championships. Table Tennis United, through the ITTF Foundation, has been helping the Ukrainian team as it navigates through the ongoing crises caused by the war in their country. Full info here.
The International Tennis Federation (ITF) and the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) have joined over 600 global organisations as signatories of the International Working Group on Women and Sport’s Brighton plus Helsinki Declaration. The official signing took place on 6 November in Glasgow (Great Britain) on the eve of the Women’s World Cup of Tennis. As signatories, the LTA and ITF commit to upholding the 10 principles that enable women and girls to freely and safely participate, compete and build careers in sport and physical activity. More details here.
World Sailing has announced that two Paralympians are taking part in the Route Du Rhum solo transatlantic race, which started on 9 November. Paralympic sailor Xu Jingkun became China’s first competitor in the race. He was joined on the start line by Damien Seguin, France’s triple Paralympic medallist. The race is a 6,562 kilometre journey, crossing the Atlantic Ocean between Saint-Malo in Brittany, France, and Pointe-à-Pitre on the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe. More info here.
NATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEES
The Olympic Committees of Brazil (BOC) and Panama (POC) recently signed a four-year cooperation agreement in Rio de Janeiro to promote sports exchanges and other actions to exchange information to strengthen the relationship between the two countries. The document was signed by both NOC Presidents, Paulo Wanderley on behalf of the BOC and Damaris Young on behalf of the POC. The two parties also committed to promoting training courses related to sport for athletes, coaches, managers and scientists. During her stay in Rio, the POC President also visited the BOC Training Centre at Maria Lenk Water Park. Full details here.
The NOC of the Dominican Republic and the French Embassy in the country will be offering a broad programme of activities in connection with the Olympic Games Paris 2024. Brigitte Veyne, Embassy Counsellor for Cooperation and Cultural Action, and NOC President Antonio Acosta recently presented the key aspects of the programme, which will include a walk next March involving athletes from both countries, a joint event for Olympic Day and events to promote culture and sport at national level. More details here. In addition, the NOC marked National Sport Day on 7 November, with NOC President making an appeal for unity among the sports movement. A wreath was laid at the bust of Wiche García Saleta, one of the country’s great sporting figures, at the Olympic Centre. Also in attendance were Vice-Minister for Sport Franklin De La Mota, IOC Member Luis Mejía Oviedo and a number of NOC executives.
The Hellenic Olympic Committee (HOC) signed a renewal of the cooperation agreement with the French Embassy in Greece to promote the Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024, Hellenic Olympic cultural heritage and the French language. The cooperation started in 2018. The agreement was signed by the HOC President, IOC Member Spyros Capralos, the French Ambassador to Greece, Patrick Maisonnave, the President of the Hellenic Olympic Academy, Giorgos Alikakos, and the Advisor for French Culture at the Embassy and Director of the French Institute, Nicolas Eybalin, with Greece’s Deputy Minister for Sport Lefteris Avgenakis also in attendance. The agreement aims, among other things, to promote the values of Olympism, the spirit of mutual aid, tolerance, integration and the French-speaking world. Full detailed info here.
Loh Kean Yew (badminton) and Yu Mengyu (table tennis) were named Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year 2022 at the Singapore Sports Awards ceremony (photo), organised by the Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC) and Sport Singapore. The awards recognise the achievements of the athletes, teams and those who help shape Sporting Singapore. SNOC President Tan Chuan-Jin, who is also Speaker of the Singapore Parliament, was the guest of honour and presented the awards to the winners. More info at www.singaporeolympics.com.
On 8 November, the Spanish NOC, in collaboration with the National Sports Council, organised a conference on “Motherhood and Sport”. The participants discussed how to combine motherhood and sport, and the need to create specific measures so that female athletes do not have to give up their careers when they have children. Olympic medallist Ona Carbonell was the ambassador for this first edition, and talked about her own experience, accompanied by some of the people who helped her achieve her dream of competing at the Games after having a child. Full details here.
The Venezuelan NOC Board has approved the creation of the "Morochito" Rodríguez Scholarship, named after Venezuela’s fist Olympic gold medallist. The scholarship – for athletes, coaches and sports federations – will be offered alongside the IOC Olympic Solidarity and Panam Sports scholarships.
ORGANISING COMMITTEES FOR THE YOUTH OLYMPIC GAMES
DAKAR 2026
The Dakar en Jeux festival has lit up Senegal four years ahead of the Youth Olympic Games Dakar 2026. A series of events created by and for young people, including sports initiations and demonstrations, music concerts and cultural activities, took place in Dakar, Diamniadio and Saly. Over eight days, more than 1,500 athletes took part in 26 sports initiations and demonstrations. Alongside the sporting elements, around 30 artists performed at numerous concerts and cultural activities. The festival will take place every year until the YOG in 2026. Full news release here.
RECOGNISED ORGANISATIONS
During the European Union (EU)’s Anti-Doping Conference, held on 7 and 8 November in Prague, Czech Republic, the President of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), Witold Bańka, called on the EU to prioritise the protection of clean sport on the agenda of all future EU presidencies and in all future versions of the EU Work Plan for Sport. In his speech, he stressed the importance of continued cooperation between WADA and the EU to protect athletes right across the continent and beyond. Full details here.