Olympic Highlights 17/06/2024

IOC

PRESIDENT

This week, IOC President Thomas Bach’s agenda included three days of IOC Executive Board (EB) meetings at Olympic House. From 12 to 14 June, the EB discussions focused on the activities of the Olympic Movement, the IOC commissions and the IOC administration, together with reports from the Organising Committees for the upcoming Olympic Games.

The IOC President opened the EB meeting with an emotional note about seeing the Olympic rings go up on the Eiffel Tower in Paris, when he went to Trocadéro last week. He said: “Overnight, they had put up the Olympic rings at the Eiffel Tower. When I came around the corner, the space was full of people in awe. They were all looking at the Olympic rings at the Eiffel Tower. When the sun went down, the Eiffel Tower turned from bronze to gold. In the background, the dome of Les Invalides shone in gold. It was truly breathtaking. This is a perfect example of how Paris is integrating the Olympic Games into the landscape of the city”.

With just over 40 days until the Opening Ceremony on the River Seine, the team at Paris 2024 outlined the meticulous preparations undertaken to deliver the first Olympic and Paralympic Games aligned with the reforms of Olympic Agenda 2020. During its updates to the EB, the Paris 2024 Organising Committee delivered three key messages: “We're ready. We're enthusiastic. We remain focused.” Full news release here.

An update on the qualification pathway and the Paris 2024 Olympic boxing tournament was reported by the Paris 2024 Boxing Unit (PBU) to the IOC EB. Full info here.

With regard to esport, the EB is proposing the creation of “Olympic Esports Games” to the 142nd IOC Session, when the IOC Members will vote on this proposal. The IOC is already in advanced discussions with a potential host, and an announcement can be expected very soon after the last formalities have been finalised. Full info here.

Looking towards the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, the Organising Committee was joined in its report to the IOC EB by infrastructure agency Società Infrastrutture Milano Cortina 2026 (SiMiCo). Their detailed presentation focused on key venue advancements. More info here.

The LA28 team took the opportunity to update the Board on the appointment of their new CEO, Reynold Hoover, while also reporting on the latest progress being made by the Organising Committee, notably venues and city agreements, and the continued success of LA28’s commercial programme. Read more here.

The IOC EB discussed the recent debate around athletes receiving financial rewards for achievements at the Olympic Games. The IOC EB expressed its full support for fair financial rewards for athletes. It was highlighted that it is common practice among many NOCs, as well as governments, private institutions and sponsors, to provide financial rewards to athletes for their performances. The EB concurred that each of the different organisations that make up the Olympic Movement should continue to divide their work in an efficient way according to their individual roles. Full details here.

Reiterating its commitment to protecting clean athletes, the IOC has allocated a new USD 10 million fund to further support the development of the International Testing Agency (ITA) over the next Olympiad (2025-2028). During its meeting, the IOC EB was updated by the ITA on the pre-Games testing programme for the Olympic Games Paris 2024. Launched in October 2023, the programme has now entered its final phase, ensuring that comprehensive testing takes place ahead of the Olympic Games this summer. Full news release here.

In addition, the EB has accepted to delegate powers to the Court of Arbitration for Sport Anti-Doping Division (CAS ADD), a Disciplinary Commission and the IOC administration for the Olympic Games Paris 2024. Full details here.

The IOC EB has proposed to the IOC Session the election of the French Alps as the host of the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games 2030 and Salt Lake City-Utah as the host of the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games 2034. The decision will be taken by all IOC Members at the 142nd IOC Session in Paris from 22 to 24 July. The EB proposal follows the recommendations of the Future Host Commission for the Olympic Winter Games, delivered in an oral report by Commission Chair and IOC Member Karl Stoss. Full news release here.

In addition, following a recommendation by the Olympic Programme Commission, the EB also proposed seven sports for the initial sports programme for the Olympic Winter Games 2030: biathlon, bobsleigh, curling, ice hockey, luge, skating and skiing. The proposal will now be put forward to the 142nd IOC Session for a decision. For the first time for an Olympic Winter Games, and in a similar process to that of LA28, the EB also followed a recommendation by the Olympic Programme Commission to approve an intermediary step to determine the disciplines in each sport in 2025, before the event programme and athlete quota are finalised, no later than 2027. Full details here.

With regard to the Youth Olympic Games (YOG), the IOC is evolving its approach to the sports programme of the YOG in order to fit it better into the local context. The YOG Dakar 2026 will be the first to benefit from this. The decision to amend the sports programme for Dakar 2026 was thus taken by the EB, which approved the new sports programme proposed by the IOC’s Olympic Programme Commission. This follows the debrief of the Winter YOG Gangwon 2024, where the IOC examined the evolution of the YOG and emphasised the need to deliver Games that totally fit the local and regional context. Full details here.

According to a report presented to the EB by IOC Member Hong Zhang, Chair of the Coordination Commission for Gangwon 2024, the Winter Youth Olympic Games Gangwon 2024 received praise from athletes and spectators alike, while also generating record levels of digital engagement across Olympics digital platforms. Read all the details here.

On the recommendation of the IOC Legal Affairs Commission, the IOC EB has agreed to recommend the amendment of several Olympic Charter rules to the IOC Session. The exact wording changes can be found here.

The IOC EB agreed to propose eight new IOC Members for election to the 142nd IOC Session. In doing so, the EB followed the recommendations of the IOC Members Election Commission. The IOC EB also proposed the re-election of 15 IOC Members within the age limit, together with the extension of the term of office of one Member and the election of two Honorary Members. Full details here.

Emma Terho, Chair of the IOC Athletes’ Commission, updated the IOC EB on the dedicated areas and initiatives that will be available to athletes competing at the Olympic Games Paris 2024, such as the Athlete365 Mind Zone and the Olympic Village Nursery. See full details here.

The EB also received updates on the IOC Refugee Olympic Team (EOR), and a number of NOCs (Afghanistan, Sudan, Israel and Palestine). Full details here.

The EB also accepted 11 applications for athletes’ changes of sporting nationality. All 11 are in view of the Olympic Games Paris 2024. More info here.

The IOC EB approved change of Lloyd Hildebrand’s silver medal at Paris 1900, from Great Britain to France. The medal won by Hildebrand will now be credited to France instead of Great Britain in the official records of the Olympic Games Paris 1900 and in the IOC’s database. Full details here.

The IOC President received India’s Olympic champion Abhinav Bindra, who is also a member of the IOC Athletes’ Commission. The President congratulated him on his very successful initiatives in India concerning Olympic education and climate action.

The IOC President presented a diploma and OLY pin to French handball player Luc Abalo who won three Olympic gold medals (Beijing 2008, London 2012 and Tokyo 2020) and one silver (Rio 2016) with the men’s national handball team. Abalo is taking part in the Olympian Artists programme for the Olympic Games Paris 2024. Last November he designed a mural of athletic portraits inspired by the Olympic values of individuals experiencing mental and physical challenges. He also signed the Olympians Wall at Olympic House.

This week, President Bach also met with IOC Members Paul Tergat and Michelle Yeoh. The upcoming Olympic Games Paris 2024 and various other Olympic topics were discussed.

TOP PARTNERS

As the countdown to the Olympic Games Paris 2024 continues, the Worldwide Olympic Partners are preparing to play a fundamental role in making the Games a success. In the “Road to Paris” series, the Partners talk about some of the essential support they will be providing and reveal their excitement at helping to shape an unforgettable Olympic experience for fans and athletes alike. You can read the interview with John Skowron, Deloitte’s Vice-Chair for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, and John Tweardy, Deloitte’s Managing Partner for Olympic, Paralympic and Major Events here.

OTHER OLYMPIC NEWS

The IOC has published the list of the first Individual Neutral Athletes (AINs) who have been confirmed as eligible and invited to compete at the Olympic Games Paris 2024. Full news release here.

As the world warms up for Paris 2024, the IOC has launched the Let’s Move and Celebrate initiative, created in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), to inspire and encourage people to embrace the joy of movement this summer. The programme invites everyone to join in the fun of sport and show their support for athletes at the Olympic Games by creating, or recreating, their own iconic athlete celebration moves. From dance steps to tributes to iconic poses, and simple sports moves, fans are invited to upload their signature moves and share them with the world on social media platforms with the tags @Olympics and #LetsMove. Let’s Move and Celebrate is also the theme of this year’s Olympic Day. Read the full news release here.

Dr Jane Thornton, an Olympian and a Canadian national, has been appointed as the IOC’s new Medical and Scientific Director. In her role, she will manage the Medical and Scientific Department’s strategic initiatives, and will foster active engagement on behalf of the IOC in the areas of medicine and science. Dr Thornton will take up her post on 1 September 2024. After a transition period, she will succeed Dr Richard Budgett, who will retire in December 2024. Dr Thornton represented Canada for over a decade in the sport of rowing. She was a world champion in 2006 and took part in the Olympic Games Beijing 2008. Full news release here.

INTERNATIONAL FEDERATIONS

SUMMER IFS

Union Internationale de pentathlon moderne (UIPM)

During its meeting in Zhengzhou, People’s Republic of China, the UIPM Executive Board has voted to extend the mandate of Shiny Fang as UIPM Secretary General until the end of 2028. The Board also awarded a series competition for the 2025 and 2026 seasons. Full details here including the full list of awarded competitions and other topics discussed.

WINTER IFS

The 59th ISU Congress was held in Las Vegas, USA from 10 to 14 June. Addressing the 250 delegates from 65 countries on the inaugural day, ISU President and IOC Member Jae Youl Kim gave a presentation on the ISU Vision 2030 strategic plan, outlining major growth and innovation proposals. The ISU Congress voted in favour of the budget for 2024-2026, showing its support for Vision 2030 initiatives and marking the start of an exciting and game-changing future. Growth and innovation, athlete safeguarding and well-being were on the agenda of the Congress. The IOC President also addressed the Congress via a video message. Full details here. The Congress also approved a number of proposals for modernising ice-skating sports.

NATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEES

Albania NOC

On International Children’s Day (1 June) the coastal city of Vlora hosted the closing ceremony of the second edition of the “Sport Teams in Schools” national championship, in volleyball and basketball. More than 10,000 children, coaches, physical education teachers and parents were part of a grand parade that marched through Vlora’s main boulevard. The event is organised by the NOC with the support from the Albanian Government and the special attention of Prime Minister Edi Rama, the Ministry of Education, and sports authorities. The aim of the third edition will be to involve 12,000 children and students from 8 to 18 years old and include other sporting disciplines. More info at www.nocalbania.org.al.

Brazilian Olympic Committee (BOC)

The BOC recently launched the Brazilian Olympic Forest project in the cities of Tefé and Alvarães, in the state of Amazonas, in an action to reforest some 6.3 hectares of forest in riverine, Indigenous, and quilombola communities. BOC President Paulo Wanderley and Olympic skating medallist Rayssa Leal, the BOC’s sustainability ambassador and patron of the project, led the launch in the communities of Bom Jesus da Ponta da Castanha and the São Jorge da Ponta da Castanha village, the main locations impacted by the initiative. They planted two seedlings of Jatoba, a native species of the region, in the presence of local authorities and representatives of the local communities involved to symbolise the start of the project, which will run at least until 2030. The BOC initiative is part of the “Olympic Forest Network”, an IOC initiative that promotes the restoration of forests by NOCs worldwide. At the launch, a message from the IOC President was delivered in which he congratulated the BOC for the Brazilian Olympic Forest, a project fully aligned with the IOC’s climate commitments. Full details here.

British Olympic Association (BOA)

Ahead of the Olympic Games Paris 2024, Team GB and YoungMinds – the leading mental health charity for young people – have launched Out In The Open, a brand-new video series hosted by triple Olympic Champion in artistic gymnastics Max Whitlock. The three-part series sees Max sit down with a different Team GB star each episode, opening up a relaxed and frank conversation around the varied pressures and challenges that athletes face, both in competition and in their day-to-day lives. The episodes will be aired on Team GB’s YouTube channel. The project has been supported by Olympic Solidarity. More info at www.teamgb.com

Lithuanian NOC (LNOC)

For the second time, the city of Šiauliai hosted the Olympic Day celebration, which this year was dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Lithuanian Olympic Movement. Organised by the LNOC, the Lithuanian Olympic Fund and Šiauliai City Municipality, the event involved more than 100 different sports and entertainment activities. Around 20,000 people are estimated to have attended the event during which they had the opportunity not only to try various sports, but also to meet and talk to Olympians. 2024 Olympic Day began with a traditional symbolic torch relay. More details at www.ltok.lt

Oman Olympic Committee (OOC)

Ahead of the upcoming Olympic Games Paris 2024, the French Embassy in the Sultanate of Oman, in collaboration with the OOC, represented by the Oman Women’s Sports and Gender Equality Committee, organised a round table on “Women and Sports”. The purpose of the event is to enhance the role of women in sports through local, regional, and international efforts, sharing experiences to achieve a more inclusive and balanced future in sports. It was placed under the patronage of Sayyidah Sana bint Hamad Al-Busaidi, Chairwoman of Oman Women’s Sports and Gender Equality Committee, and in the presence of Véronique Aulagnon, French Ambassador. Six prominent female speakers shared inspiring examples of how women can be empowered through sport, presenting their success stories and insights on enhancing women’s participation in various sports activities and achieving a balance between their sports, professional, and personal life. Full story here.

Slovak NOC

100 years ago Slovak athletes competed at the Olympic Games Paris 1924 for the first time under the Czechoslovakian flag. However, none of the Olympic Team official uniforms from that time were preserved, either in Czechia or in Slovakia. This gave the NOC the idea of creating replicas of the original clothing from Paris 1924. The idea also attracted the interest of theatre costume and set designer Professor Peter Čanecký. Thanks to the skilled hands of the Slovak National Theatre’s Art and Decoration Studio, the original leisure suits and sports outfits from 1924 have been recreated. The public will soon be able to see the replicas at an exhibition at the Slovak Olympic and Sports Museum, entitled “Remembering Paris, Tokyo and Los Angeles”. More info about the 4F Slovak Olympic collection for Paris 2024 can be found here.

Spanish NOC (COE)

With a month and a half to go until the Olympic Games Paris 2024, the COE and its partner, Joma, have unveiled the official clothing collection that Spanish athletes will wear at the Games. As a brand increasingly committed to environmental sustainability, Joma has used eco-friendly fabrics such as recycled polyester and organic cotton, and techniques like dyeing without chemical compounds for the entire collection. The Paris 2024 Games will be the NOC’s third collaboration with Joma, following Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020. More information here.

As part of Warner Bros. Discovery’s Olympic programming in the lead-up to Paris 2024, a new series is coming to Eurosport. Titled ‘Rumbo a París’ (‘En route to Paris’) and produced in collaboration with the NOC, this original series will air weekly from 10 June to 26 July, showcasing the journey of a group of Spanish athletes as they work towards Olympic qualification. More information here.

Additionally, the Asociacion Deportes Olímpicos (Association of Olympic Sports – ADO) organised an event entitled ‘ADO, creating stories together’ at the NOC headquarters in Madrid. This event brought together athletes and representatives from the sponsor companies of the Spanish Olympic team for the Olympic Games Paris 2024. More details here.

RECOGNISED ORGANISATIONS

Association of the National Olympic Committees (ANOC)

ANOC’s June newsletter is focused on digital communications and the 1st ANOC Digital Communications Seminar held in Prague, Czechia from 27 to 30 May. Alongside information on the seminar, the newsletter provides details about ANOC’s tools for NOCs including the Paris 2024 Social Media Handbook and NOC Video Studio Program Paris 2024. Read the newsletter here.

International Paralympic Committee (IPC)

A record 26 candidates have been nominated for election during the Paralympic Games Paris 2024 to fill six summer representative roles on the IPC Athletes‘ Council. The election for the IPC Athletes’ Council will take place from 26 August to 5 September during the Paralympic Games in PLY House, in the Paralympic Village, and the Athlete Lounge at Chateauroux Village for athletes in Shooting Para sport. Full details including the list of candidates are available here.