Olympic Highlights 15/04/2024
IOC
PRESIDENT
IOC President Thomas Bach was in Birmingham, Great Britain on 8 April for meetings with stakeholders of the Olympic Movement during the 2024 SportAccord World Sport & Business Summit. He met the newly elected President of SportAccord, IOC Member Uğur Erdener. They discussed the structure of the future cooperation with SportAccord and its stakeholders after the dissolution of the Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF), in order to have the most efficient organisation and to avoid any kind of duplication of activities.
The President also met the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF) led by outgoing President Francesco Ricci Bitti. They discussed the Olympic Games Paris 2024 preparations, which are well underway.
With the Winter Olympic Federations (WOF), whose President is IOC Executive Board member, Ivo Ferriani the IOC President discussed the preparations for the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, noting the progress made, but also noting the need to remain vigilant to the many challenges.
With the Council of the Association of IOC Recognised International Sports Federations (ARISF), chaired by President Raffaele Chiulli, the IOC President noted the need to avoid duplication. They were invited to join the consultation with SportAccord and other stakeholders on the most efficient organisation and coordination.
The President also met with members of the Alliance of Independent Recognised Sports Members of Sports (AIMS), whose President is Stephan Fox, and it was agreed that, after the dissolution of GAISF, the cooperation with the IOC can be more direct and efficient, and should be coordinated with the other stakeholders.
While in Birmingham, the IOC President had a meeting with the President of the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee, HRH Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal Al Saud. The President thanked him again for the warm welcome he received during his trip to Saudi Arabia in December as a guest at the Saudi National Games. They discussed the upcoming Olympic Games Paris 2024, as well as the current international situation and its impact on sport.
The following day, President Bach was in Paris, with just over three months to go until the Olympic Games Paris 2024. He was welcomed by the President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, at the Elysée Palace, where they discussed the excellent preparations for Paris 2024, and the growing worldwide excitement and anticipation for the Games. The President was joined by IOC Member in France and the President of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) and the French NOC, David Lappartient.
The IOC President also went to the headquarters of the Paris 2024 Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games where he was welcomed by its President, Tony Estanguet. They discussed the latest very positive developments in the preparations for the Games. President Bach reaffirmed the IOC’s full confidence in the Organising Committee under Estanguet’s leadership.
Earlier, the President was guest of the President of the French National Assembly, Yaël Braun-Pivet, for a meeting of the French Association Les Éco Maires. The President of the National Assembly expressed her support for the Olympic Games and informed President Bach that she was looking forward to receiving the Olympic flame at the National Assembly on France’s National Day, 14 July.
After visiting the “These Athletes who Changed the World” photo exhibition, the IOC President delivered a keynote speech on sport’s contribution to sustainable development. He was accompanied by IOC Member David Lappartient.
Back in Lausanne, the IOC President received the President of the International Canoe Federation (ICF), Thomas Konietzko. The celebrations for the ICF’s 100th anniversary and the preparations for the Olympic Games Paris 2024 were discussed.
President Bach also welcomed the members of the Executive Committee of the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF), whose President is IOC Executive Board member Ivo Ferriani. The Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, the procedures underway for the Olympic Winter Games 2030, 2034 and 2038, and the current geopolitical situation were discussed during their meeting at Olympic House.
Also this week, President Bach welcomed the President of the Iraqi NOC, Aqeel Muftin Khafif. They spoke about various topics of mutual interest linked to the situation of sport in Iraq, and the preparations for the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
The IOC President met the President of the NOC of Panama, Damaris Young. The preparations of Panama’s athletes for the Olympic Games Paris 2024 and the geopolitical situation were among the main topics discussed.
On International Day of Sport for Development and Peace (IDSDP) celebrated on 6 April, President Bach reflected on how sport and the Olympic Games Paris 2024 can play a unique and powerful role in uniting the world in peaceful competition and in building more inclusive societies. Read his full statement here.
MEMBERS
IOC Member Ingmar De Vos, who is also President of the International Equestrian Federation (FEI), has been elected as the new President of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF). The election took place on 9 April at the 48th ASOIF General Assembly held in Birmingham during the SportAccord World Sport & Business Summit. Elected for a term of four years, Mr De Vos will take up his new position on 1 January 2025. More info here on the FEI website.
OTHER OLYMPIC NEWS
The IOC has welcomed the decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which has dismissed the appeal filed with it by the International Boxing Association (IBA) against the IOC’s decision to withdraw the IBA’s recognition. Read the IOC statement published on 3 April here.
The Olympic Refuge Foundation (ORF) has announced five new Refugee Athlete Scholarship-holders who are being supported to train and compete with the aim of being selected to represent the IOC Refugee Olympic Team for Paris 2024. This brings the total number of Refugee Athlete Scholarship-holders on the programme to 74. The refugee athletes are from 12 countries, live in 24 host countries, and represent 14 sports. Full details here.
To mark World Health Day, held annually on 7 April, the IOC is celebrating the positive changes that sport and physical activity have brought to the lives of French citizens thanks to the initiatives linked to the Olympic Games Paris 2024. One of these is Olympic and Paralympic Week (SOP). The eighth edition, which took place from 2 to 6 April, mobilised two million participants from 11,500 schools across France and involved 200 athletes, a strong testimony of Paris 2024’s lasting legacy. Full details here and on the Paris 2024 website.
Ahead of the IDSDP, as the world faces a multitude of challenges, the IOC launched the Olympism365 Innovation Hub, an innovative use of sport to contribute to sustainable development. The Innovation Hub is a bespoke programme and fund that will support 50 sport for development grantees (athletes, coaches, innovators, and sporting and social organisations) around the world, through a multimillion-dollar investment that will benefit thousands of people and communities by 2026. Full news release here.
Advancing gender equality, diversity and inclusion is a commitment that starts with the IOC as an organisation, and this includes its staff. Read about the progress achieved and the initiatives undertaken here.
Having witnessed first-hand the power that sport can have in developing fundamental social skills, IOC Young Leader Najib Chajiddine wanted to help other young people have the same experiences, and so he came up with the idea for his project – United Maroc. His project – the first 3x3 basketball academy in Africa – has been supported by Paris 2024 and the French Development Agency (AFD) through the “Impact 2024 International” programme. More details about the project can be found here.
In the lead-up to the Olympic Games Paris 2024, the Olympic Museum and the Paris tourism office, Paris je t’aime, have announced the public opening of their co-production, “SPOT24 – the Olympic Exhibition on Sport and Urban Cultures”. An interactive exhibition space next to the Eiffel Tower shines a spotlight on six new and urban Olympic sports and disciplines, and the vibrant cultures surrounding them. The exhibition, which can be visited in Paris until 31 December, 2024, was inspired by the Olympic Museum’s most successful temporary exhibition to date: “Riding the Olympic Wave”, which ran from 2022 to 2023 in Lausanne. Full info here.
Protecting sports betting integrity through cross-sector collaboration was the focus of a recent full-day workshop, organised jointly by the IOC and UEFA for betting entities and IFs. With both the Olympic Games Paris 2024 and the UEFA EURO 2024 on the horizon, the full-day workshop, held on 11 April at Olympic House in Lausanne, provided an opportunity to align the approaches of sports organisations and betting entities, learn from each other, and strengthen collaboration for an efficient information exchange before and during these major events. Full details here.
The PAISAC (International Support Programme for African and Caribbean Sport) - Lausanne programme closed its third training session on 14 March 2024 at the Stade de la Tuilière in Lausanne. This programme of applied sciences in sport provides training to coaches who have an Olympic Solidarity grant. The session’s closing ceremony celebrated the following eight coaches obtaining their PAISAC diploma: K. Bakoroba (Mali, handball), Humberto Bettencourt (Cabo Verde, football), J-B Zongo (Burkina Faso, taekwondo), João Luiz Da Ros (Brazil, rugby), Teki Anderson (Côte d’Ivoire, archery), Madeleine Ndolo Mata (Cameroon, weightlifting), Gamoura Salim (Algeria, athletics) and Narcisse Deyo (Benin, badminton). PAISAC – Lausanne training is run twice a year, in spring and autumn. Each participant begins with a first phase of training over four weeks online, and this is completed by three weeks in-person training in Lausanne and Macolin (the high-performance centre in Switzerland). The PAISAC programme also offers training in French and English in Montreal, Canada.
INTERNATIONAL FEDERATIONS
SUMMER IFS
International Hockey Federation (FIH)
Every year, the FIH supports the promotion of the UN IDSDP. From 6 April, and throughout the week, the FIH has focused, through its digital platforms, on shining a spotlight on stories from all over the world that outline activities from hockey’s global community to promote social change, development and inclusion. Learn more here.
World Triathlon
World Triathlon has joined the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation’s Body Confident Sport campaign. The campaign aims to help girls and young people of all gender identities feel more comfortable being active and participating in sport. As part of the initiative, World Triathlon has been awarded a grant that will be shared between three National Federations: Great Britain, Italy and Mexico. Each will use the money to pinpoint specific areas in which they feel the most progress can be made towards helping more young women in triathlon feel that they can embrace and be emboldened by their bodies and by how amazing they are and what they can do. More details here.
RECOGNISED IFS
International Ski Mountaineering Federation (ISMF)
In Candanchu, in the Spanish Pyrenees, the ISMF Olympic Solidarity Development Camp recently welcomed over 60 young athletes aged between 16 and 20 and coaches from 11 nations. Organised by the Spanish National Federation and funded by Olympic Solidarity, the camp aimed to equip young athletes with the skills and resources needed to advance their careers in ski mountaineering. Moreover, it provided a unique opportunity for cultural exchanges, fostering unity and collaboration among participants from diverse backgrounds. Full details here.
NATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEES
Czech Olympic Committee
The NOC continues to support the IOC’s ongoing support for athletes displaced by the war in Ukraine. In collaboration with the Czech Red Cross, the NOC has joined Sport Coach +, a regional initiative led by the Olympic Refuge Foundation (ORF) together with International Federation of the Red Cross Psychosocial Centre (IFRC PSC). Eight members of the Czech Red Cross were trained and will subsequently pass on their experience and knowledge to 300 coaches to be able to create a safe environment and support for people affected by displacement. This is a year-long project involving eight countries in addition to Czechia and Ukraine itself: Slovakia, Poland, Germany, Bulgaria, Romania and Moldova (the countries with the largest number of Ukrainian refugees). ORF Director Jojo Ferris and ORF Senior Programmes Manager Jeroen Carrin attended the Prague training course. More detailed info here.
Dominican Republic NOC
The NOC President, Garibaldy Bautista, received international taekwondo leaders Juan Manuel López, President of the Pan American Taekwondo Union, and Jeongkang Seo, Secretary General of World Taekwondo. Together, they discussed taekwondo’s development in the Americas and across the world, and the Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024. The two men were in Santo Domingo for the Olympic regional qualifying tournament. More details here.
Moroccan NOC (CNOM)
To mark the IDSDP, the CNOM celebrated sport and its ability to bring people together, foster social cohesion and make the world a more peaceful and inclusive place. Through its various programmes and activities, the CNOM aims to use sport as a tool to promote the Olympic values, encourage tolerance and support the personal development of individuals, particularly young people. More info here.
Paraguayan NOC
At the NOC’s Ordinary General Assembly, the 2023 annual report and balance sheet were presented and approved by the participants. The General Assembly, attended by NOC President and IOC Member Camilo Pérez López Moreira, brought together the members of the NOC’s Executive Committee and the presidents and leaders of national sports associations and federations. More info at www.cop.org.py.
ORGANISING COMMITTEES FOR THE OLYMPIC GAMES
PARIS 2024
The Paris 2024 Olympic Aquatics Centre, inaugurated on 4 April with French President Emmanuel Macron and Paris 2024 President Tony Estanguet in attendance, is fast becoming a symbol of Paris 2024’s vision of hosting more responsible, more inclusive and more sustainable Olympic Games. President Macron was proud to inaugurate a venue that will have a long-lasting legacy, not only for athletes but also for the general public. Discover how in this news release.
The arrival of the Olympic flame in Marseille on 8 May will kick off four months of festivities across France. The Torch Relay will be an opportunity for all French people to take part in the celebrations of the Games as close to home as possible: events and concerts will be part of the collective celebration of the Games. Paris 2024 and Coca-Cola, Presenting Partner of the Torch Relay, unveiled the programme for the Torch Relay concerts on 5 April. Find out more here.
Read here the press release by the French government and Paris 2024 on the results of a survey carried out in January 2024 on the introduction of 30 minutes of daily exercise into French schools.
RECOGNISED ORGANISATIONS
SportAccord
The SportAccord World Sport & Business Summit 2024 brought together more than 1,700 participants from 65 different countries over the course of one week in Birmingham (Great Britain). The agenda featured high-level meetings, conferences, exhibitions, networking and social events. Topics of discussion ranged from sustainability, innovative technology, fan engagement and new event models to governance, esports and athlete well-being. Full details here.
World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)
WADA’s senior leadership met with the CEOs of biopharmaceutical companies and members of the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA) in Athens (Greece) to discuss how the pharma industry and the anti-doping community can work even closer together in the protection of clean sport. On the sidelines of the biopharmaceutical CEO roundtable, WADA President Witold Bańka and IFPMA President Albert Bourla, who is also the Chairman and CEO of Pfizer, signed a letter of intent, which builds on the previous memoranda of understanding signed by the two organisations in 2010 and 2020. Full info here. In addition, WADA has published its 2022 Testing Figures Report. News release here.