IOC

PRESIDENT

The IOC and AB InBev, the world’s leading brewer, have announced a Worldwide Olympic Partnership through to 2028. Corona Cero zero-alcohol beer will be the global beer sponsor of the Olympic Games, highlighting the IOC and AB InBev’s commitment to responsible consumption and building a better world. Together, they will reach billions of Olympic fans around the world with messages of connection, moderation and celebration. The agreement was signed by IOC President Thomas Bach and AB InBev CEO Michel Doukeris at an event in London (Great Britain).

President Bach said: “Our organisations share a vision of supporting sport and athletes. As a global brand, Corona Cero will engage fans around the world in celebrating the magic of the Olympic Games and cheering for the athletes’ sporting achievements. In line with Olympic Agenda 2020+5, both of our organisations are actively contributing to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.” Doukeris said: “This partnership illustrates the opportunity for our category to positively impact and engage with billions of fans around the world, ushering in a new era of Olympic spirit and cheers while supporting favourite countries and athletes as they go for gold.” The agreement also includes marketing rights for the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and the Paralympic Games through the IOC-IPC long-term collaboration agreement. Read the full news release here.

This week, President Bach welcomed Joe Tsai, Chairman of Worldwide Olympic Partner Alibaba, to Olympic House. President Bach gave Mr Tsai a tour of Olympic House. Michael Evans, Director and President of Alibaba, Chris Tung, Alibaba Chief Marketing Officer, and Wang Jian, Founder and Board member of Alibaba Cloud, were also present, as well as Michael Payne, former IOC Marketing Director. During the meeting, the excellent cooperation between the two organisations, the digital transformation of sport and the impact of artificial intelligence as well as the upcoming Olympic Games Paris 2024 were discussed. During the visit of Olympic House, Mr Tsai signed the IOC’s “Golden Book”. He wrote: “We at Alibaba are privileged and proud to partner with the IOC, using our technology and other capabilities, to bring the universal values of sport to more people in the world.”

Twelve athletes from seven African countries, all recipients of Olympic Solidarity Scholarships for Paris 2024, were welcomed at Olympic House and the Olympic Museum during a two-day visit to Lausanne. Five of them, who took part in the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 and Rio 2016, were invited to sign the Olympians Wall in the presence of IOC President Thomas Bach who presented them with their OLY diploma and pin. Competing in athletics, boxing, judo and swimming, the visiting athletes are all currently training at the Centre Régional Jeunesse et Sports (CRJS) Petit-Couronne (France) with a view to qualifying for Paris 2024. The training programme is the result of a partnership between Olympic Solidarity and the French National Olympic Committee (CNOSF). During their stay in Lausanne, the athletes were given the chance to immerse themselves in the Olympic values, history and culture, with various workshops at Olympic House and a visit to the Olympic Museum. Read the full news release here.

President Bach addressed the members of the Executive Committee of the International School Sports Federation (ISF) who recently held a meeting at Olympic House. The place and the development of sport in the education system were discussed.

Also at Olympic House, President Bach held a meeting with the former German Ambassador to the United Nations, Christoph Heusgen, who is now Chair of the Munich Security Conference. Together they discussed the current geopolitical situation and its impact on world sport.

At the Olympic Museum, the President chaired the Olympic Foundation for Culture and Heritage (OFCH) Executive Committee meeting.

This week, President Bach paid tribute to the football legend Franz Beckenbauer who died at the age of 78 years. “He was a sporting legend far beyond football. For me personally, he was a close and loyal friend for more than four decades, someone you could always rely on”, said the IOC President. “His outgoing personality and humbleness when meeting people, as well as his numerous, personal charitable commitments, were testament to his outstanding personality. Thanks to these characteristics and his unique sporting success as a player, national coach and president of the Local Organising Committee for the 2006 World Cup in Germany, he made a greater contribution to sport in Germany than almost anyone else. Franz Beckenbauer was always a likeable and highly respected ambassador for Germany and football all over the world.”

MEMBERS

IOC Member Anita DeFrantz has been awarded the 2024 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) President Gerald R. Ford Award on 10 January at the NCAA Convention Welcome and Awards Presentation in Phoenix, USA. The award is presented to an individual who has provided significant leadership as an advocate for intercollegiate athletics on a continuous basis over the course of the individual's career. Anita DeFrantz was previously honoured by the NCAA in 1999, when she was awarded the NCAA Silver Anniversary Award. More info here on the NCAA website.

HONORARY MEMBERS

IOC Honorary Member Pál Schmitt has been awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award, the highest distinction in Hungarian sport. The award was presented by the President of Hungary, Katalin Novák, during a gala event held at the Hungarian State Opera in Budapest.

TOP PARTNERS

Trendyol, as an Alibaba affiliate, has become an official ecommerce services partner in Türkiye, with products becoming available in 2024 in selected territories. Its agreement with the IOC is in the framework of the Alibaba Group's Worldwide Olympic Partnership, with Alibaba being a strategic investor in Trendyol. Full news release here.

OTHER OLYMPIC NEWS

Last December, the Olympic Refuge Foundation (ORF) announced the addition of eight new Refugee Athlete Scholarship-holders, bringing the total number to 70. The 70 athletes on the programme funded by Olympic Solidarity, come from 12 countries, are hosted by 23 NOCs and compete in 14 sports. Read the full news release here, including the names of the latest cohort of athletes joining the programme.

The IOC has released its official Social and Digital Media Guidelines for the Olympic Games Paris 2024 and the Winter Youth Olympic Games (YOG) Gangwon 2024, with athletes given more opportunities to share their Olympic journey with fans and peers across their personal digital platforms. Read the full news release here.

INTERNATIONAL FEDERATIONS

SUMMER IFS

International Basketball Federation (FIBA)

The FIBA Foundation has launched its annual call for projects through the "Propose a Project" platform. This will be starting on 15 January and run until 31 March. The "Propose a Project" platform aims to expand the Basketball For Good family by endorsing projects that leverage basketball to address the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Full info here.

International Tennis Federation (ITF)

The ITF, WTA, All England Club and USTA have collectively launched a proactive monitoring service that aims to protect athletes from online abuse and threats. The service went live on 1 January 2024, and covers all partner tournaments sanctioned by the organisations involved and any player who competes regularly in an ITF World Tennis Tour, or WTA Tour event, Wimbledon and the US Open. Read the news release here.

World Aquatics

World Aquatics and the Bahrain Olympic Committee, in partnership with GFH Financial Group (GFH) and the Bahrain Swimming Federation have signed an agreement for the establishment of a new World Aquatics centre of excellence located at the University of Technology Bahrain (UTB). This first-of-its-kind facility in the Middle East will join a network of six existing World Aquatics centres. Full info here.

World Athletics

Last December, World Athletics published findings of a study conducted during the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23 focused on identifying and addressing abusive and threatening behaviour aimed at athletes on the X and Instagram social media platforms. Full details about the study here.

World Triathlon

Wollongong (Australia) has been confirmed as the host of the 2025 World Triathlon Championship Finals, following approval by the World Triathlon Executive Board. AusTriathlon has joined forces with the New South Wales Government and Wollongong City Council in a landmark three-year partnership. As part of the deal, the City of Wollongong will also host two other major World Triathlon events: the 2024 World Triathlon Cup – scheduled for 20-21 April 2024 – and an additional World Triathlon event in 2026. Detailed info here.

WINTER IFS

World Curling Federation (WCF)

At its December 2023 meeting, the WCF Board approved the expansion of its Athlete Commission. The expansion will come into effect at the next Commission elections in May 2024. The number of Athlete Commission members will now increase from 6 to 10. More info here. In addition, read about the milestones reached in 2023 by the WCF Sustainability Working Group here.

RECOGNISED IFS

Union Internationale Motonautique (UIM)

The UIM has announced that Jessica Chavanne from France and Simon Jung from Slovakia have been elected 2023 UIM Driver of the Year and 2023 UIM Junior Driver of the Year respectively. Info here.

NATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEES

Czech Olympic Committee

For the sixth time, an Olympic Festival will be held in Czechia. Visitors will be able to try over 50 different sports at Lake Most in northern Bohemia during the Olympic Games Paris 2024 and welcome the Czech national team back in the largest fan zone. Since the Olympic Winter Games in Sochi in 2014, the Festival has been held during each edition of the Games – tens of thousands of fans and especially children have practised sports there, even when COVID restrictions were in place. Full details here.  Furthermore, as a partner of the “Guidance to Achieve More Equal leadership in Sport” (GAMES) project, the NOC recently presented during a seminar a national action plan for 2024-29 focusing specifically on promoting gender equality in sport and its leadership. The GAMES project started in spring 2022 and is funded by the European Commission’s Erasmus+ programme. More details here.

Dominican Republic NOC

In the framework of a programme to promote the Olympic Games Paris 2024, the NOC and the French Embassy in the Dominican Republic interviewed world 400m champion and double silver medallist at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 Marileidy Paulino. Besides meeting athletes who have already qualified for the Games, this programme also comprises training sessions, seminars and the participation of Olympians. Full details here. In addition, a course for judo coaches (level 1) was held this week at the Olympic Centre’s National Judo House. The course, organised with support from Olympic Solidarity and the International Judo Federation (IJF), in coordination with the Dominican Judo Federation, saw 25 coaches from seven countries take part. IJF Academy Director Envic Galea was also present and underlined the impact of these courses, which are organised throughout the world, and their contribution to the development of judo. More details here. 

Estonian Olympic Committee

Swimmer Eneli Jefimova and decathlete Karel Tilga have been named Estonian Athletes of the Year 2023, while swimming coach Henry Hein has taken the Coach of the Year prize and the women’s volleyball team has won the award for the Team of the Year. The winners were revealed at the annual gala event in the presence of the President of the Republic, Alar Karis, and NOC President Urmas Sõõrumaa. This year, the gala was held to celebrate the NOC’s 100^th anniversary. Full details here.

Hellenic Olympic Committee (HOC)

Organised last December by the HOC Athletes’ Commission, the first Greek Olympic Athletes’ Forum was a great success and took place in the presence of numerous Olympians and top athletes. Also present were the Deputy Minister of Sport, Yannis Vroutsis and HOC President and IOC Member Spyros Capralos. The aim of the initiative by the Chair of the Athletes’ Commission, Voula Kozompoli, was to discuss any problems and issues that athletes face on a daily basis and to provide the Ministry of Sport with specific comments on the formulation of the new sports law. More details here.

Sports Federation and Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China (SF&OC)

In view of the upcoming Winter Youth Olympic Games Gangwon 2024, the SF&OC organised the flag presentation ceremony for the delegation at the Olympic House on 8 January. Three young athletes aged 16-17 will compete in Alpine skiing and short track speed skating. More details here.

Olympic Committee of Israel

Ahead of the Olympic Games Paris 2024, the NOC is spearheading a national sustainability initiative in sport. In line with the IOC’s commitment to sustainability, the NOC, chaired by IOC Member Yael Arad, has officially signed the UN Sports for Climate Action Framework. The NOC Sustainability Commission, chaired by Adi Wolfson, has integrated a sustainability strategy into its core activities, aiming to inspire and assist sports bodies in embracing sustainability principles and engage the public through information and education. Info at www.olympicsil.co.il.

Lithuanian National Olympic Committee (LNOC)

The 2023 best athletes in Olympic and Paralympic sport have been honoured at the Lithuanian Sports Awards ceremony. This year's awards also marked other important occasions for the Lithuanian Olympic community to be celebrated in 2024: the 35th anniversary of the LNOC, the Olympic Games Paris 2024 and the centenary of the Olympic Movement in Lithuania. A total of 11 awards were handed out at a recent event organised by the LNOC, the Lithuanian Paralympic Committee and the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport. Full details about the ceremony and the winners here. Organised by the LNOC and funded by Olympic Solidarity, the Advanced Sports Management course – which came to an end last December – was attended by two dozen experienced administrators from sports organisations. Over six sessions, they learnt about strategic planning, team dynamics and communication. More details here. In addition, pre-school and general physical education teachers were recently honoured and awarded at the President’s Office of the Republic of Lithuania. The ceremony highlighted the significant contribution of these educators in promoting physical activity in Lithuania. More info here.

Moroccan NOC (CNOM)

Last December, the CNOM organised an Olympic tour for pupils from Paul Valery school in Tangier. During the tour, a video looking back at the history of Morocco’s participation in the Olympic Games was shown, and a presentation was given on the Moroccan athletes already qualified for the Olympic Games Paris 2024. The CNOM also presented the school with a smart painting featuring a collage design of all the Moroccan Olympic champions. The tour ended with the planting of an olive tree on the school premises. More details here. 

Oman Olympic Committee (OOC)

More than 400 citizens and residents participated in the “Physical Activity Day” activities organised by the OOC, represented by the Oman Sports and Active Society Committee in cooperation with the Department of Culture, Sports and Youth in Musandam. The event aimed to promote health and physical fitness by encouraging participants to practise physical activity and adopt a healthy lifestyle, and by creating an opportunity for interaction between people of different ages through sports and activities. More info here. A rehabilitation and recovery workshop related to musculoskeletal tissue was also organised by the OOC represented by Oman Sports Medicine and Anti-Doping Committee. The workshop was attended by 23 physical therapists. More info here. Read also here the outcome of the meeting of the Athletes’ Advisory Committee affiliated with the GCC Executive Office.

Paraguayan NOC

Some 1,500 children took part in an event organised by the NOC to celebrate Epiphany on 6 January. The event was held in the Olympic Park, in the present of the President of the Republic, Santiago Peña, First Lady Leticia Ocampos, NOC leadership, athletes and the Paraguayan team mascot, Tirika. The children practised various sports activities. Info here. At the end of December, the NOC’s Olympic gala paid tribute to all those who gave outstanding sports performances in 2023. All the winners are listed here.

Spanish Olympic Committee

At the 18^th edition of its gala, the COE recognised the best athletes of the pre-Olympic year. The event was broadcast live for the first time on Spain’s second TV channel (RTVE) and on COE.TV, and held in the presence of the Minister for Education, Vocational Training and Sports, Pilar Alegría, as well as many athletes, federation presidents and representatives of the sports world. In total, 19 prizes were awarded in 10 categories – see the list here.

Thailand NOC

The 3rd and final Olympic Day celebration in Thailand in 2023 was held on 2 December in the Kanchanaburi Province. On the programme were walking-running events over 13km and 4.7km routes at the new Kanchanaburi landmark, the Sky Walk, as well as sports competitions for young people, such as futsal, 3x3 basketball, air badminton and rock climbing. Last year, three Olympic Day celebrations were organised in three different provinces. The first one was held on 25 February in Nan Province and the second was held from 23 to 25 June in Mukdahan Province.

Uzbekistan NOC

The National Sports Awards 2023 ceremony recently took place in Tashkent. Organised by the NOC, the event was attended by the Head of the Department of the Presidential Administration of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Odil Abdurakhmanov; the Minister of Youth Policy and Sports, Adham Ikramov; the Vice-President of the Olympic Council of Asia, Otabek Umarov; and the NOC Secretary General, Oybek Kasimov. Discover here the names of the winners.

ORGANISING COMMITTEES FOR THE OLYMPIC GAMES

PARIS 2024

For the first time in the history of the Games, each day of the Olympic Torch Relay and the Paralympic Torch Relay, relay teams of 24 people, made up of champions, everyday athletes, volunteers, referees, coaches, etc., will be organised to spread the energy of sport and teamwork throughout the country. On 10 January, Paris 2024 revealed the first team of relay torchbearers, including famous athletes, who will carry the flame as team relay captains. Find out the captains’ names by clicking on this news release. 

ORGANISING COMMITTEES FOR THE YOUTH OLYMPIC GAMES

GANGWON 2024

The IOC, the Gangwon 2024 Organising Committee (YOGOC) and the Gangwon-do Province, with the support of the Ministry of Science and Information and Communication Technology, have announced the launch of a metaverse focused on the Winter YOG Gangwon 2024 as an extension of the Gangwon-do Province’s Metaverse. This unique virtual world offers a variety of interactive experiences to users all over the globe, helping to make Gangwon 2024 as inclusive and accessible as possible, particularly for young fans. Full news release here. Global online marketplace AliExpress, as part of its partnership with the YOGOC, unveiled the Gangwon 2024 Licensed Merchandise Online Store in Seoul. The IOC, within the framework of Alibaba Group's Worldwide Olympic Partnership, appointed AliExpress as the official e-commerce services partner for Gangwon 2024, further showing their joint dedication to fostering the Olympic spirit in the Republic of Korea. Full news release here.

RECOGNISED ORGANISATIONS

Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA)

IOC Member Mustapha Berraf and Equatorial Guinea NOC President Alejandro Martin Owono Evuna signed an agreement, with the Equatorial Guinea Minister for Youth and Sport Patricio Bakolo Medja also in attendance. The agreement sets out the terms and conditions for the organisation of the 3^rd African Beach Games in the city of Riaba in 2027. Full news release here.

World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)

The 2024 List of Prohibited Substances and Methods and the 2024 Monitoring Programme entered into force on 1 January 2024. The 2024 List was approved by WADA’s Executive Committee during its meeting on 22 September 2023 and was first published on 28 September 2023. New release here.