Olympic Highlights

IOC ACTIVITIES

PrEsident

The IOC Executive Board (EB) and the IAAF Council held their traditional joint meeting, just a few hours before the start of the IAAF World Championships in London. Both boards met to exchange views and to determine common approaches.

IOC President Thomas Bach said: “It is great to see the IAAF World Championships coming to London into the same stadium where we celebrated great Olympic Games 2012.” He also congratulated the IAAF on the success of athletics at the Olympic Games Rio 2016. “Overall, athletics is in good health,” he noted. For the first time, for the Olympic Games Rio 2016, the IOC evaluated the 28 sports event by event. “The evaluation showed this strength of athletics, but it also revealed some differences in the events. This is normal,” the IOC President explained.

IAAF President Sebastian Coe recalled that there would not have been a stadium in London to hold the IAAF World Championships without the Olympic Games. “This is a legacy of the Olympic Games,” said Coe, who was also the Chairman of the Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games London 2012. He reported that the Championships would be seeing the largest number of athletes, with more tickets sold, than at any other World Championships before, and huge interest from the media: “This will be the biggest World Championships and a milestone for the IAAF.”

The IAAF Council was updated on the joint allocation of the Olympic Games 2024 and 2028 to Paris and Los Angeles. There was also an update on the Independent Testing Authority (ITA), which the IOC is establishing in a joint effort with a number of International Federations. Two years ago, President Bach and President Coe had agreed on a “twin-track approach”. While the IOC was looking into founding the ITA, the IAAF was looking into founding the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU). Once the ITA is founded, the IOC will contact the IAAF and other International Federations to invite them to cooperate and join. The IOC President again made it clear that testing and sanctioning will be independent from the IOC at the Olympic Games from PyeongChang 2018 onwards.

The IOC EB and the IAAF Council also exchanged views on the measures the IAAF took following the McLaren Report ahead of the Olympic Games Rio 2016 with regard to Russian track-and-field athletes. “You can’t benchmark your responses against what other federations may be doing, because we are not comparing like with like. We had to confront some particular challenges, and this was the best roadmap to normalise this situation,” Sebastian Coe said. “The IOC accepted and supported these measures from the very beginning,” the IOC President explained.

Cooperation in the field of competition manipulation was also discussed. The IOC President invited the IAAF to join the long-running initiative of the IOC and a number of International Federations. In 2013, the “Integrity Betting Intelligence System” was created, followed by the creation of the “Olympic Movement Unit for the Prevention of the Manipulation of Competitions”. There is strong cooperation with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the Council of Europe and other governmental and non-governmental organisations. Since 2013, there has also been cooperation with INTERPOL. Together with INTERPOL, a large number of workshops have been held all around the world. Full news release here.

While being in London, the IOC President also invited all IOC Members present at the IAAF World Championships to a breakfast, which was also attended by IAAF President Sebastian Coe.

There was also an EB meeting held in London, and, amongst other topics, the Anti-Doping Rules for the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018 were approved.

At the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships in Vienna (Austria), IOC President Thomas Bach enjoyed a full day of sports action at the venue on Danube Island. He was given a tour by FIVB President Ary S. Graça, met with a number of players and did the ceremonial first serve in front of 10,000 fans on the centre court at the beginning of a match. He also had lunch with a number of beach volleyball Olympians, with whom he exchanged views on the development of their sport and the Olympic Games. In front of the athletes, President Bach awarded the IOC President’s Trophy to President Graça for the successful work of FIVB and President Graça himself to further develop their sport and for their contribution to the Olympic Movement. The night before, the IOC President attended a FIVB dinner in the world-famous Albertina Museum at the invitation of President Graça.

During the Vienna trip, President Bach, who was accompanied by IOC Director General Christophe De Kepper, also met IOC Member and Austrian NOC President Karl Stoss with the Secretary General of the NOC, Peter Mennel. They discussed the decisions of the last IOC Session in Lausanne and the potential candidature of Innsbruck/Tyrol for the Olympic Winter Games 2026.

OTHER OLYMPIC NEWS

On 31 July, in line with Olympic Agenda 2020, the IOC released the Host City Contract 2028 following the declaration of candidature by the Los Angeles Olympic and Paralympic Candidature Committee for the Olympic Games 2028. In it, the IOC stipulates that it will make contributions to the Organising Committee representing an overall estimated value of USD 1.8 billion. In comparison to the Host City Contract 2024, the IOC is making two major changes: the IOC will advance funds to a Los Angeles Organising Committee in view of the longer planning period and to increase participation and access to youth sports programmes in the City of Los Angeles in the years leading up to the Games. “The IOC welcomes this decision of the Los Angeles Olympic and Paralympic Candidature Committee and we are pleased to release the Host City contract 2028 in a transparent and timely manner,” said the IOC President. “Los Angeles presented an excellent candidature that embraces the Olympic Agenda 2020 sustainability priorities by maximising the use of existing facilities and encouraging the engagement of more youth in the Olympic Movement. Therefore, we are very happy that, as part of this Host City Contract, we are able to increase the access of the city’s youth to sport, and encourage the healthy lifestyle of Angelenos for the next 11 years. We are very confident that we can reach a tripartite agreement under the leadership of the IOC with LA and Paris in August, creating a win-win-win situation for all three partners. This agreement will be put forward to the IOC Session in Lima in September for ratification.”

Acknowledging the exceptional role of coaches in an athlete’s life, the IOC’s first-ever Coaches Lifetime Achievement Awards opened on 2 August for nominations. Following a recent decision by the IOC Executive Board, this new annual award, endorsed by the IOC Athletes’ Entourage Commission, will recognise the importance and outstanding achievements of coaches and their contributions to Olympians’ lives and the Olympic Movement. The deadline for nominations is 15 September 2017. A selection panel composed of the Chair of the IOC Athletes’ Entourage Commission, two IOC Members on the Commission in question and two members of the IOC Athletes’ Commission will be appointed by the IOC President to identify the winners, who will be announced later this year. Full press release here.

On 28 July, the Olympic Channel and Discovery Communications unveiled a new partnership to engage a new, younger and wider audience in Europe with the Olympic Movement, bringing to life the inspiring human stories of ambition, sacrifice and achievement all year round across more screens. The agreement covers 50 markets in Europe, and will advance the shared ambition to further amplify Eurosport’s live coverage of the Olympic Games with compelling content that connects more audiences with the power of sport and the Olympic Movement 365 days a year. Full press release here.

international SPORTS FEDERATIONS

SUMMER IFS

The 51st Congress of the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) concluded in London on 3 August on the eve of the IAAF World Championships London 2017. The items on the agenda included the suspension of Russia being put to Congress, a requirement under the IAAF Constitution, and Russia was suspended with the right to be reinstated given to the IAAF Council. More details at www.iaaf.org.

The International Basketball Federation (FIBA) 3x4 Asia Cup 2017 will be held in Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia) from 27 to 29 October. It will be the second edition of the most important 3x3 competition for national teams in Asia and – for the first time – Oceania. It will also be the first time that Mongolia has hosted an official FIBA 3x3 competition. Info at www.fiba.com.

During the last week of July, the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) World Jumping Challenge Final was held in Algiers (Algeria), an event which is the culmination of a year-long qualifying series in over 40 nations where riders compete in their home countries under identical conditions. The series – which, in 2017 also acts as a Youth Olympic Games qualifier – is very focused on developing the sport in emerging equestrian nations. This was the second year running that the Final was held in Africa, following Morocco in 2016, and was a perfect test for the recently renovated venue in Algiers, which will also play host to the equestrian events of the African Youth Games 2018, the first time equestrian has been included on the programme! During his visit, FEI President Ingmar de Vos met with Algerian Youth and Sport Minister El Hadi Ould Ali, the Walī of Algiers, Abdelkader Zoukh, and National Federation President Zoubir Metidji (pictured above), to discuss transport and quarantine challenges and the development of equestrian sport in Algeria. More info at www.fei.org.

The International Fencing Federation (FIE) and the Fencing Confederation of Asia (FCA), offered their full support and cooperation, along with the Philippines Fencing Federation, to organise a women’s foil coaching course in Manilla (Philippines). For two weeks, 20 participants from 19 countries took part. The course was held in the context of the IOC subsidy granted to Maria Leonor Estampador, the winner of the 2016 Women and Sport Trophy for Asia. More info at www.fie.ch

During its meeting in Tønsberg (Norway) from 27 to 29 July, the Executive Committee of the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) awarded the 2018 edition of the Gymnastics Trampoline World Championships to St Petersburg (Russian Federation) and the 2019 edition to Tokyo (Japan). The 2018 World Championships will be held from 7 to 10 November at the St Petersburg Sport Complex. It will be followed by the World Age Group Competitions for gymnasts aged between 11 and 21 from 15 to 18 November. The 2019 World Championships, which will provide a qualifying path for the Olympic Games 2020, will take place from 29 November to 1 December 2019 at the future Olympic arena in Tokyo. The World Age Group Competitions will follow from 5 to 8 December. Read the full news here.

Building on the success of the FIH Quality Programme for Hockey Turf, the International Hockey Federation (FIH) has published new standards for hockey turfs, hockey fields and Hockey5s courts. Downloadable from the FIH website, these new standards mark another milestone in the development of high quality, sustainable hockey facilities. Full details here.

The 11th and latest episode of the International Judo Federation (IJF)’s #JudoForTheWorld series takes in Russia with London 2012 Olympic champions Arsen Galstyan, Mansur Isaev and Tagir Khaibulaev. After visits to Japan, Cuba, Brazil, Turkey, Australia, Zambia, Hungary, India, Nepal and Peru, this latest episode focuses on how judo has changed and had an impact on the lives of people in Russia. Details here.

This year’s United World Wrestling (UWW) “More than Medals America” Camp was held in the city of Manaus (Brazil), and included the participation of athletes and coaches from 11 South American countries. For eight days, coaches and athletes lived and trained together in the Olympic Training Centre of Manaus, where, besides training sessions, educational activities were carried out, such as anti-doping and Olympic values workshops, as well as cultural activities among other things. For Benedith Olber from Honduras, who is going to take part in the Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018, “opportunities like the More than Medals Camp are very useful for the preparation and the motivation of athletes like me and we are very grateful for it." More info at www.unitedworldwrestling.org.

The 17th edition of the FINA World Championships concluded on 31 July in Budapest (Hungary). During a press conference of the International Swimming Federation (FINA) and the Budapest 2017 Organising Committee, the newly re-elected FINA President, Julio Cesar Maglione, who is also an IOC Honorary Member, praised the great performances by the athletes as well as the support, hospitality and kindness of the Magyar people. He also added later in the day that Budapest 2017 were "the best World Championships ever”, just minutes before, together with Budapest Mayor Istvan Tarlos, handing over the FINA flag to the next FINA World Championships host, the Mayor of Gwanju, Yanghyun Yoon. More info at www.fina.org.

nationaL olympiC comMITTEES

The NOC of Algeria, in collaboration with the Algerian School Sports Federation, organised the 26th edition of Olympic Day, which was held on 4 and 5 July in Annaba. The event was launched by NOC President Mustapha Berraf, in the presence of Olympic champions Nouria Benida Merah, Abderahmane Hammad, Sid Ali Sief and Mohamed Allalou, and several figures from the national Olympic and sports movement. The NOC also paid tribute to the former athletes of all the national teams from the wilaya [province] of Annaba. The 2017 programme featured a beach volleyball tournament, a regatta demonstration, and athletics and gymnastics competitions.

The NOC of Argentina, in cooperation with the Organising Committee of the Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018, celebrated Olympic Day on 1 July. The programme featured sport, music, talks by Olympians and national federations’ sports demonstrations. In total, 41 national federations presented their sports and invited the public to try them out. Attending this celebration were the NOC authorities, the Buenos Aires 2018 Organising Committee and the City of Buenos Aires. Over 3,500 people of all ages took part in the traditional Olympic Day Run, the various sports activities and taster sessions, and were also able to mingle with the athletes present. More info at www.coarg.org.ar.

On 3 August, the President of the Spanish NOC, Alejandro Blanco, attended a tribute to the Olympic sailing athletes who competed at the Olympic Game Barcelona 1992. Organised as part of the Barcelona 1992 25th anniversary celebrations, the ceremony was held at the Royal Nautical Club in Palma de Mallorca in the present of the King of Spain, Felipe VI, himself a participant at the 1992 Games, where he was also the flagbearer for the Spanish team at the Opening Ceremony. The event was held in the framework of the 36th King’s Cup organised from 29 July to 5 August. More info at www.coe.es.

A Level 2 Sport Administration Course was recently organised by the Swaziland Olympic and Commonwealth Games Association. The lecturers were Muriel Hofer, Pearl Dlamini and Thoba Mazibuko. Muriel Hofer encouraged the 15 participants to implement the knowledge learnt to improve the standard and sustainability of their sport. She further announced that graduation will be held in January 2018, combining it with that of the Level 1 participants. More info on www.socga.org.sz.

Organising Committees for the Olympic Games

Tokyo 2020

On 1 August, the Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (Tokyo 2020) launched a competition inviting members of the public in Japan to submit design proposals for the Olympic and Paralympic mascots. From 1 to 14 August, residents of Japan can design their own set of mascots and submit these through the Tokyo 2020 website. To mark the inauguration of the competition, Tokyo 2020 held a ceremony at Kuramae Elementary School in Asakusabashi in Tokyo, attended by over 200 schoolchildren. At the event, four-time Olympian Ai Sugiyama and three-time Paralympian Aki Taguchi mingled with the children and shared their stories and experiences of being athletes and competing at the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Read the full news here.

recoGNISED Organisations

From 23 to 29 July in Gyor (Hungary), the 14th European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF) brought together over 2,500 athletes from 50 NOCs taking part in 10 sports. European Olympic Committees (EOC) Acting President Janez Kocijančič, EOC Secretary General Raffaele Pagnozzi and a number of EOC Executive Committee members, together with Hungarian NOC President Krisztián Kulcsár and his team, attended the Opening Ceremony and followed the competitions. Organised by the NOC of Hungary and the city of Gyor, this 14th Summer EYOF has been hugely successful, with widespread praise for the organisation of the festival coming from athletes, chefs de mission and EOC Executive Committee members. The next edition will take place in 2019 in Baku (Azerbaijan), the host of the inaugural 2015 European Games. More info on www.eurolympic.org.

On 26 July, exactly two years before the Opening Ceremony of the Pan-American Games in Lima (Peru), the Organising Committee unveiled the official Games mascot. Milco is inspired by Peru’s traditional Cuchimilco ceramic, known locally as “Huaco”. The mascot was chosen following an online poll that attracted nearly 44,000 votes. The unveiling ceremony was held at the Videna High Performance Centre in Lima, hosted by Lima 2019 Organising Committee President Carlos Neuhaus, and attended by senior figures in the Peruvian Government, athletes and Games ambassadors. Info at www.lima2019.org.

The 13th edition of the Beijing International FICTS Festival will be held during Beijing International Sports Film Week (www.sportsfilm.org) from 10 to 14 August. Franco Ascani, President of the International Federation of Sports Movies and TV (FICTS) will officially open the event. Organised in the framework of the Worldwide Championship of Cinema and Sport Television, “World FICTS Challenge”, by the Beijing Olympic Development Association (BODA) in collaboration with FICTS, the event’s aim is to further promote the development of sports films and Olympic legacy. Beijing International Sports Film Week – whose theme is “Winter Olympic Dream with Sports Emotions” – features screenings, exhibitions, awards and meetings.