Olympic Highlights 15/11/2021
IOC ACTIVITIES
PRESIDENT
On 11 November, a memorial service for IOC Honorary President Jacques Rogge was held at Olympic House, in the presence of his wife, Anne, and his children Philippe and Caroline. In remembering and celebrating his life, IOC President Thomas Bach said: “Jacques led a true Olympic life – a life dedicated to sport and the Olympic Movement. […] This is how we remember Jacques, always the gentleman fan of sport, full of excitement for the Olympic Games, living a true Olympic life. The Olympic Movement was the biggest vessel that Jacques navigated, with a steady hand on the rudder, guided by the inner compass of his integrity. Now that our dear friend Jacques has set out to sea for his last voyage, let us honour his memory by carrying the values he stood for into the future.” Alongside President Bach, Lausanne Mayor Grégoire Junod, Canton of Vaud State Councillor Philippe Leuba and IOC Director General Christophe De Kepper also gave speeches in honour of Jacques Rogge’s memory. Many IOC Members, representatives from International Federations and many friends were present at the ceremony.
In addition, a collection of tributes from those who knew and worked with Jacques Rogge during his career as an accomplished sportsman, orthopaedic surgeon and sporting leader, can be read in a special commemorative edition of the Olympic Review.
A few days earlier, at the memorial service in Lausanne for IOC Honorary Member Gian-Franco Kasper, President Bach said: “Gian-Franco was the personification of ski sport.” “When it came to his passion - developing ski and winter sport -, he was always open for constructive dialogue and cooperation. This was the foundation for the extraordinary growth and development of skiing and winter sport as a whole, that he was driving forward, both in his capacities at FIS and at the Association of International Olympic Winter Sports Federations (AIOWF)”. Alongside Gian Franco Kasper’s family, the AIOWF President and IOC EB member Ivo Ferriani, the President of the International Ski Federation (FIS), Johan Eliasch as well as the Presidents and Secretaries Generals of the Winter Olympic International Federations, joined the ceremony.
On 12 November, the IOC Executive Board (EB) and the IOC Athletes’ Commission (AC), chaired by IOC EB member Emma Terho, held a joint meeting to discuss various Olympic topics and to look ahead to the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022.
Following the joint meeting with the IOC AC, President Bach chaired a hybrid EB meeting, during which the members discussed the upcoming editions of the Olympic Games and several other Olympic topics.
The Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 presented its latest progress update to the IOC EB. Now in full operational mode, Beijing 2022 underlined that the finer details are now being worked through as it gets ready to welcome the world in February. Beijing 2022 confirmed that all 12 competition venues have been completed and passed the International Federations’ homologation. The three Olympic Villages, Main Media Centre, National Stadium, and other non-competition venues have also been handed over for use, and the overlay construction is proceeding smoothly. Organisers also continue to finalise COVID-19 countermeasures following the release of the first versions of the Playbooks for the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022. The second editions are expected to be published on 8 December. Full news release here.
Events in athletics, canoeing and wrestling from the Olympic Games London 2012 will see medals, diplomas and medallist pins reallocated. The IOC EB took this decision, following the previous disqualification of a number of athletes and the results of their events being adjusted accordingly by the International Federations involved. The reallocations concern five events in the three sports mentioned above. Full news release here.
An application for a change of nationality was accepted by the EB. Full news release here.
The fourth edition of the International Forum for Sports Integrity (IFSI) praised the IOC’s commitment in the fight against corruption in sport and the manipulation of competitions. The Forum’s participants recognised the development of International Partnership Against Corruption in Sport (IPACS) since its creation, in particular with the active involvement of all the Olympic Movement stakeholders under the leadership of the IOC. The IOC President, in his opening remarks, reiterated the IOC’s full commitment and “called upon more governments to join our efforts, because only if we stand united can we win the fight against corruption and misconduct in sport.” Welcoming the recent endorsement from the G20 Leaders’ Summit, he added : “In their declaration at the most recent G20 Leaders’ Summit in Rome, the G20 Leaders reiterated their commitment to this fight by endorsing the G20 high-level principles on tackling corruption in sport. All this shows that our actions are appreciated by the international community.” (More info about the IFSI under “Other Olympic News”.)
During the IFSI, the IOC and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) extended their memorandum of understanding (MoU) to further strengthen the cooperation between the two organisations in fighting corruption and crime in sport. The new agreement has a particular focus on preventing youth crime, violence and drug use through sport and was signed at Olympic House by the IOC President and UNODC Executive Director Ghada Waly. Read the full news release here.
In addressing the AIOWF General Assembly in Lausanne, the IOC President thanked the Olympic winter sports community for its contribution to setting the stage for outstanding Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022. He also highlighted the fact that the Olympic Games must always stand above political conflict in order to bring the world together in peaceful competition.
Speaking at the IF Transition Seminar, also held in Lausanne, the President thanked all the Summer IFs and the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF) for their contribution to the great success of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 and looked ahead to the upcoming editions of the Olympic Games.
At The Olympic Museum, President Bach attended a reception bringing together the Summer Olympic IFs to which he presented the Olympic torch for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, in recognition of their contribution to the success of the first-ever postponed Olympic Games.
There were meetings this week with IOC Vice-Presidents Ser Miang Ng and Nicole Hoevertsz; EB members Prince Feisal Al Hussain, Gerardo Werthein and Emma Terho; as well as with IOC Members Anita DeFrantz, Craig Reedie, the Grand Duke of Luxembourg, Pierre-Olivier Beckers-Vieujant, Kirsty Coventry, Dagmawit Girmay Berhane, Khunying Patama Leeswadtrakul, David Haggerty, Pau Gasol, Maja Martyna Włoszczowska and Humphrey Kayange, during which several Olympic topics were discussed.
With the President of the Sudanese NOC, Ahmed Abuelgasim Hashim, they discussed the situation in Sudan.
The President and IOC Athletes’ Commission member Abhinav Bindra talked about the situation of sport in India.
President Bach also welcomed the IOC Athletes’ Commission, Finance Commission, Future Host Commission for the Winter Games, Legal Affairs Commission, Olympic Solidarity Commission and Audit Committee. These commissions held their meetings at Olympic House.
A meeting was held with Alain Dehaze, CEO of The Adecco Group, the world’s leading talent solutions company. The IOC has announced an extension to its support agreement with The Adecco Group, to help strengthen its support for athletes through Athlete365 Career+. (See also under “Other Olympic News”.)
Also this week, the IOC President held meetings with Nigel Huddleston, UK Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport; Bjørn Berge, Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe; and Jeffrey Schlagenhauf, Deputy Secretary General of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), who all took part in the International Forum for Sports Integrity.
During the Olympic Golden Rings awards ceremony held at Olympic House, President Bach presented Olympic Orders to Peter Diamond, Vice President of NBC Olympics, and Besim Hasani, the former President of the Kosovo Olympic Committee.
MEMBERS
IOC EB member Nenad Lalovic was re-elected as President of United World Wrestling (UWW) during the IF Congress held in Belgrade, Serbia, on 31 October. Lalovic, first elected to the post in 2013, will serve until 2026. More info here.
IOC EB member Ivo Ferriani has been elected by the Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF) as its President representing the AIOWF. The election took place during the GAISF General Assembly held on 12 November. He begins his term as President immediately, and will serve for two years. AIOWF President since 2020, Ivo Ferriani has also been President of the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) since 2010. More details here.
IOC Member Prince Albert II was recently named as Honorary President of the International Powerboat Federation (UIM) at the 2021 General Assembly, which was held virtually. More info here on the UIM website.
IOC Member Aicha Garad Ali has been appointed as Vice President of World Taekwondo by IF President Chungwon Choue. The announcement was made during the first-ever orientation meeting for the recently elected World Taekwondo Council and for the appointment of the remaining Council Members and Vice Presidents. Full details here.
IOC Member Watanabe Morinari has been re-elected as President of the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG), for a three-year term (2022-24) during the FIG Congress in Antalya, Turkey (see also under IFs).
IOC Members Jean-Christophe Rolland and Tricia Smith have been re-elected as President and Vice President respectively of World Rowing. Their elections for a third term took place during the World Rowing Congress, held virtually (see also under IFs).
COMMISSIONS
Meeting in hybrid form, the Olympic Solidarity Commission, chaired by IOC EB member Robin Mitchell, made a series of important decisions, all aimed at strengthening the support provided to NOCs and their athletes in the next three years. Reflecting on the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, the Commission noted the outstanding results of the 827 athletes – 465 men and 362 women – who were supported on their journey to the Games by an “Olympic Solidarity Scholarship for Athletes Tokyo 2020”. The Commission was informed that the NOCs are due to receive the IOC’s subsidy recognising their contribution to the success of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, amounting to a total of USD 28.5 million. The Commission approved a subsidy to cover additional COVID-19 countermeasures costs incurred by the NOCs in their preparations for and participation in the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022. Full news release here.
OTHER OLYMPIC NEWS
Over 500 participants joined the fourth edition of the International Forum for Sports Integrity (IFSI), led by the IOC and held virtually on 9 November from Lausanne. Representatives of the Olympic Movement, governments, intergovernmental agencies, betting entities and other experts acknowledged the importance of strengthening their cooperation in order to protect the credibility and integrity of sport. The participants recognised the development of the IPACS, since its creation, with the involvement, on the sports side, of all the Olympic IFs and a great number of non-Olympic IFs and NOCs, as well as a growing number of governments (over 40 as of today) willing to tackle the issue of corruption in sport. The review of the Olympic Movement Code on the Prevention of the Manipulation of Competitions, aimed at strengthening safe reporting mechanisms, awareness-raising programmes and compliance processes, was also fully supported by the participants. The outcome of the Forum is summarised in a document in which, amongst the conclusions, the participants called upon both the national authorities and sports organisations to continue their joint efforts to identify best practices to prevent corruption in sport and competition manipulation. Read the full release here and the conclusions of the Forum here.
The IOC has announced an extension to its support agreement with The Adecco Group to help strengthen its support for athletes through Athlete365 Career+. The agreement ensures that athletes around the world will receive even greater support and assistance as they transition into life after sport. The IOC and The Adecco Group began working together in 2005 on what was then known as the IOC Athlete Career Programme. Since then, the programme, now known as Athlete365 Career+, has provided career development resources and training to more than 50,000 athletes, helping them to maximise their employment opportunities. Full news release here.
On 8 November, the IOC announced the winners of the Golden Rings, the prestigious award for the best broadcast coverage of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. The awards were presented across 12 categories. The winners were selected by an international jury headed by IOC Member Anant Singh, who is a leading professional in the film and media industries, Chair of the IOC Communications Commission and a member of the IOC's Olympic Channel Commission and the Digital & Technology Commission. Full news release with the winners’ list here.
The Lake Placid Olympic Museum, which commemorates the Olympic Winter Games of 1932 and 1980, has joined the global Olympic Museums Network (OMN) ahead of a major refurbishment and reopening in 2022. The Lake Placid Olympic Museum was elected to the Olympic Museums Network during the 16th General Assembly of the OMN, held virtually recently. The OMN was founded in 2006 at The Olympic Museum in Lausanne, and today is a 32-member multi-national organisation that creates a unique, integrated platform to promote Olympism and the values of sport and the Olympic Games. Full news release here.
INTERNATIONAL FEDERATIONS
SUMMER IFS
World Athletics has launched its Safeguarding Policy, which is designed to ensure that those in positions of authority in athletics adopt practices that actively prevent harassment, abuse and exploitation within the sport. The new policy aims to create a safe and welcoming environment at all levels of the sport, where everyone involved is respected, valued and protected. It defines the specific roles and responsibilities of Member Federations, Area Associations and World Athletics in protecting athletes and other participants in the sport. Full details here.
The 2021 World Rowing Ordinary Congress was held virtually on 6 November with the participation of delegates from 62 member federations. Jean-Christophe Rolland and Tricia Smith were re-elected as President and Vice President for a third term, and Gerritjan Eggenkamp was re-elected for a full term as Treasurer. There were also elections for the three Council member positions on the Executive Committee. During the Congress, the 2022 Strategic Event Attribution Process (SEAP) was launched. The SEAP was developed to recognise the significant investment by government authorities in facilities for the sport of rowing and offers them a chance to take a more strategic approach to staging international events. Full info here.
To mark its 100th anniversary, the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) invited French graffiti artist Ludovilk Myers to transform the statue of the White Horse, located on the outer façade of the HM King Hussein I Building, the FEI Headquarters in Lausanne, into a one-of-a-kind urban art intervention. Myers’ playful art, scattered with funny shapes and colours, stands in opposition to the darkness that we sometimes experience in our everyday world. His exhibitions in Paris, Zurich, Munich and other European cities continue to gain attention. Created in 1921 in Brussels, Belgium, the FEI moved to Bern in Switzerland and then Lausanne 30 years ago, but the HM King Hussein I Building was officially opened in 2011. More details here.
From 5 to 7 November, the 83rd Congress of the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) took place in Antalya. Delegates from 130 countries made the journey to Turkey and took major decisions to determine the future of the IF. They re-elected Morinari Watanabe as FIG President and elected other FIG Authorities. More details here. Several changes to the FIG statutes were also approved, while seven national gymnastics federations were admitted as affiliated members. The FIG now has a total of 156 member federations. A new e-learning platform, which will be rolled out in early 2022, was also presented. The next FIG Congress will be held in October 2022 in the city of Tonsberg, Norway. Full details here.
World Sailing joins sports organisations around the world in committing to “Race To Zero”, the global campaign to cut emissions to zero run by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). World Sailing was one of the founders of the UN's Sports for Climate Action Framework and has been diligently working towards climate targets from its Sustainability Agenda 2030. The World Sailing Executive Office has already taken steps to become carbon neutral by 2022, halving emissions across the sport by 2030 and aiming to achieve net zero by 2040 in all operations. More info here.
NATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEES
Providing Benin’s athletes the opportunity to explore how to manage their career, post-competitive career and social and professional lives was the goal of the NOC of Benin with the organisation of the first Benin Athletes’ Forum at the end of October in Cotonou. Around 50 athletes from various sports disciplines took part and discussed the issues related to promoting athletes. More info here.
The Brazilian Olympic Committee (BOC) recently inaugurated an exhibition of items used by Brazilian athletes at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 at its headquarters in Rio de Janeiro. Olympic and world champion gymnast Rebeca Andrade was the guest of honour at the launch, and was thrilled to see on display one of her training suits used in Tokyo, where she won one gold and one silver medal. She was welcomed by BOC President Paulo Wanderley, and Director of Communication and Marketing Manoela Penna. The exhibition has also the Tokyo Olympic torch and 25 other items from the BOC´s memorabilia collection, such as mascots, pins and medals related to the Tokyo Games. More details here.
The Moroccan NOC took part in workshops organised by the Olympic Foundation for Culture and Heritage on cultural and educational programmes based on the Olympic values, held on 2 and 4 November. More info at www.cnom.org.ma.
The NOC of Zambia (NOCZ), in partnership with the Norwegian Olympic and Paralympic Committee and the Sports Confederation (NIF), organised the 5th edition of the NIF Partner’s Inclusive Sport Festival for young boys and girls at the end of October. Held at the National Heroes Stadium in Lusaka, the Festival was celebrated under the theme “Inclusive Sport; play safe, keep safe, COVID is real”. This annual Festival is aimed at creating more opportunities for young athletes, both able-bodied and differently-abled, to take part in the sport of their choice in a structured, safe, inclusive and fun environment and provide a platform to share an Olympic Values Education Programme (OVEP) session, and healthy lifestyle and safe sport sessions with the young athletes amongst other activities. Over 600 young boys and girls from Livingstone, Maheba Refugee Camp in Solwezi and Lusaka participated. Full details here.
ORGANISING COMMITTEES FOR THE OLYMPIC GAMES
LOS ANGELES 2028
LA28, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and LA Parks have launched PlayLA, an initiative to provide affordable and accessible sports programmes to young people from the city. The initiative is made possible by the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games Organising Committee and the IOC, which are investing USD 160 million to make sport more accessible to kids across Los Angeles ahead of the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2028. This initiative is the single largest commitment to youth sports development in California. Through the LA Parks Department, PlayLA will ensure every kid aged between 5 and 17 years old has an opportunity to participate in low-cost, or no-cost, quality sports programming in their neighbourhood. Full news release here.
RECOGNISED ORGANISATIONS
The Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA) has announced that the 38th Seminar for African NOC Secretaries General will take place in Niamey, Niger, from 26 to 28 November 2021. The participants will reflect this year on NOCs’ strategic plans. A session devoted to the new RELAY online continental activity programme platform will be held during this meeting. More info at www.africaolympic.com.
To celebrate its 70th anniversary, the French Pierre de Coubertin Committee (CFPC) went to Lausanne where on 5 November its representatives gathered at the tomb of Pierre de Coubertin, placing a wreath of flowers there in memory of his great contribution to the universal patrimony of humankind. At Olympic House, CFPC President André Leclercq, who is also a member of the International Pierre de Coubertin Committee (CIPC) and a former Vice President of the French NOC, was awarded the Pierre de Coubertin Medal by IOC President Thomas Bach, who underlined the need for France to promote Pierre de Coubertin and his legacy. The CFPC President spoke about the CFPC motto, “Olympism: a universal culture of fraternity” and the theme of the CFPC’s 2021-24 Olympiad entitled “In the footsteps of Pierre de Coubertin”. The visit was concluded by a CFPC trip to The Olympic Museum the following day. More details here on CFPC website and here on French NOC website.