Olympic Highlights 21/07/2022
IOC President Thomas Bach finished his visit to the United States on Monday 18 July in Los Angeles. Welcomed by LA28 President Casey Wasserman, he addressed the growing Organising Committee team. They presented the latest developments, in particular the ongoing projects for youth engagement, which are already delivering a legacy six years before the Games.
During the visit, he was able to see the PlayLA programme first hand, with children taking part in sports activities including basketball and swimming. The programme was launched in 2021 to ensure that children across Los Angeles have an opportunity to participate in low-cost or no-cost quality sports – including adaptive sports – in their neighbourhood. The USD 160 million investment from the IOC and LA28 is the single largest commitment to youth sport development in California.
During the visit, LA28 also announced the dates for the LA28 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony which is set for 14 July 2028, with the Games running through to 30 July. The LA28 Paralympic Games will then kick off on 15 August 2028, and close on 27 August. Full details here.
President Bach was accompanied throughout the day by IOC Vice-President and Chair of the IOC Coordination Commission Nicole Hoevertsz. Also present were IOC Members Anant Singh and Luis Alberto Moreno.
During his visit, the President also had the opportunity for a meeting with the IOC Member in the United States, Anita DeFrantz, who was instrumental in the organisation of the Olympic Games Los Angeles 1984 and who was Mayor of the Olympic Village during those Games. She accompanied the President throughout the visit.
President Bach also took part in a meeting with local politicians and stakeholders, including the outgoing Mayor of Los Angeles, Eric Garcetti, and a number of US Olympians.
He arrived in Los Angeles from the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon, where he met a number of athletes and watched competitions including the men's 100 metres final, where Team USA had a clean sweep. He also had the opportunity to meet legendary sprinter Allyson Felix, who bowed out of competition with a bronze medal in the 4x400 metres mixed relay.
Welcomed by World Athletics President and IOC Member Sebastian Coe, he addressed the Executive Council of World Athletics and took part in an extensive question and answer session with the Council members. IOC Executive Board member Nawal El Moutawakel and IOC Member Sergii Bubka were also present.
Whilst in Eugene, the IOC President had a meeting with the President of the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC), Susanne Lyons, and the USOPC President elect, Gene Sykes, who will take up his position on 1 January 2023.
President Bach had arrived in Eugene after attending the World Games in Birmingham, Alabama. Welcomed by the President of the International World Games Association (IWGA), José Perurena, he had the chance to see events in a number of sports including petanque, racquetball, flying disc, wushu, beach handball and korfball.
The visit to the United States began in New York last week with a meeting with United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres. The two leaders discussed the current international context. IOC Member Luis Alberto Moreno, who is also the IOC’s Permanent Observer to the United Nations, joined the meeting.
Later, there was a meeting with the Executive Director of UN Women, Sima Bahous, during which they discussed their ongoing collaboration to promote and support women and girls through sport.
Also in New York, President Bach met broadcaster NBC Universal executives Mark Lazarus, the Chair of NBC Universal, and Jeff Shell, the CEO. He also met a team from TOP Partner Visa, led by CEO Al Kelly.
Honorary members
IOC Honorary Member Ottavio Cinquanta has died at the age of 83. He was elected as an IOC Member in 1996. Two years before, in 1994, he was elected President of the International Skating Union (ISU), a position he held until 2016, when his IOC membership also ended. The same year, the IOC Session elected him as an IOC Honorary Member and the ISU Congress acclaimed him as ISU Honorary President. The IOC President said: “To me, he was an always reliable friend, whose advice was always honest. Sometimes, Ottavio was also thinking outside the box, which gave rise to interesting but always amicable discussions.” Read the full news release here.
OTHER OLYMPIC NEWS
Almost 3.5 million people around the world joined in with Olympic Day celebrations last month, as 160 NOCs marked the occasion with a wide range of sporting and engagement activities. This year, as the world continues to seek togetherness, the IOC and the Olympic Movement highlighted the power of sport to build a better world, by bringing people together in peace. As part of this, the IOC encouraged everyone to share how they were moving on Olympic Day with #MoveForPeace and #OlympicDay, while NOCs around the world offered various initiatives to engage their local populations. Click here to learn about some of those activities.
This year marks the fifth anniversary of the International Partnership Against Corruption in Sport (IPACS), which was created at the second IOC International Forum for Sports Integrity (IFSI) in 2017. The multi-stakeholder platform brings together international sports organisations, governments, inter-governmental organisations and other relevant stakeholders to strengthen and support efforts to eliminate corruption and promote a culture of good governance in sport. In light of the special anniversary, IOC Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer Pâquerette Girard Zappelli explained how everything started and gave her views on IPACS’ achievements to date. Read the interview here.
The IOC will henceforth display the name of Jim Thorpe as the sole gold medallist in pentathlon and decathlon at the Olympic Games Stockholm 1912. The change came on the very day (15 July) of the 110th anniversary of Thorpe’s medal in decathlon. This development was made possible by the engagement of the Bright Path Strong organisation, supported by IOC Member Anita DeFrantz. Full details here.
A series of six short films, “Tokyo Stories”, has been released showcasing the positive impact of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. Featuring people and communities in Japan and around the world, the stories are examples of the wide-ranging ways in which the Games can drive social progress and change lives. Full details here.
INTERNATIONAL FEDERATIONS
SUMMER IFS
World Athletics and the International Fair Play Committee (CIFP) will recognise moments of fair play at the World Athletics Championships Oregon22. A jury comprising members of the CIFP and World Athletics will create a shortlist of five fair play moments from the Championships. During the week after the championships, fans will be able to cast their votes through the World Athletics social media channels for the shortlisted moment that they feel best exemplifies fair play. These votes will be combined with those of the jury to determine three finalists for the Fair Play Award. The name of the winner will then be revealed at the World Athletics Awards later in the year. More details here. In addition, during its meeting held in Eugene, the World Athletics Council selected Tokyo (Japan) to host the 2025 World Athletics Championships. The Council also announced that the 2024 World Athletics Cross Country Championships will be held in Medulin and Pula in Croatia, and the 2026 World Athletics Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee, Florida. More details here. The Council also took some other key decisions, details of which can be found here.
The first-ever Youth Equestrian Games took place in Aachen (Germany), one of the sport’s iconic venues, from 23 June to 3 July. This special event was put in place further to the postponement of the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in Dakar to 2026. Supported by the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) Solidarity Department, it was run with the full endorsement of the IOC. Some 30 athletes aged between 15 and 18 from 30 nations representing all the continents enjoyed a full sports and educational programme modelled on the YOG. More details at www.fei.org.
The Gymnastics Ethics Foundation recently published its 2021 Annual Report on its website. The report provides an overview of important developments in 2021; the nature and growing number of cases dealt with; and the impact of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. In addition, it outlines engagement activities with other expert organisations in the field of safeguarding; communication activities; the most important internal processes; and plans for the future. The Foundation’s audited financial accounts are also included in the document. The Gymnastics Ethics Foundation was founded in January 2019 by the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG). Read more here.
The International Swimming Federation (FINA) has announced that the 21st FINA World Championships Doha 2024 will take place from 2 to 18 February 2024 in Doha, Qatar, following a decision by FINA and the Doha 2024 Organising Committee. These World Championships were originally scheduled for the summer of 2023. However, the rescheduling of the 20th edition in Fukuoka, Japan, to the summer of 2023 necessitated a change in the Doha event dates. Full details here. In addition, FINA and the IOC have published the Aquatics Olympic Qualification System Principles for the Olympic Games Paris 2024. A total of 1,392 athletes will compete in 49 Olympic medal events across five aquatics disciplines. The events will take place from 27 July to 11 August 2024. Full info here.
During its meeting last week, the Executive Board of the International Union of Modern Pentathlon (UIPM) agreed that the 2022 UIPM Congress should take place online, after it became clear that there were several factors preventing member federations from being able to travel to the Congress host city of Antigua, Guatemala, in November 2022. Antigua’s hosting rights have been deferred by two years. The city will now host the 2024 UIPM Congress, which will be an elective Congress, after the Olympic Games Paris 2024. More details here.
The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) and the IOC have published the qualification system for the table tennis competitions at the Olympic Games Paris 2024. The qualification period will start in June 2023. The Olympic Games Paris 2024 will feature five events, and the total quota for table tennis remains 172 places (86 men and 86 women). Full news release here.
The International Tennis Federation (ITF) has announced the appointment of Andrew Nicholas-Wynne as Head of Officiating Compliance, and Iain Smith as Head of Officials. These two senior roles were created after a review of the previous single role of Head of Officiating. Full details here.
World Sailing has appointed experienced sports management executive Koray Ezer (photo) as its new Head of International Development. A former national champion in Türkiye, Ezer has worked in sailing for over 12 years, developing youth, senior and national windsurf teams in both Türkiye and the Sultanate of Oman. More details here.
WINTER IFS
Curling Jamaica has joined the World Curling Federation (WCF) as the 67th Member Association on a Conditional Membership as part of the Americas zone, and will be eligible to compete in the newly created Pan Continental Curling Championships. Detailed info here.
NATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEES
The Bahrain Olympic Committee (BOC) and the Bahrain Swimming Association have signed a cooperation agreement to train 10,000 children and young people within a year. This is the latest in a series of BOC initiatives and programmes aimed at improving sport in the country. The agreement was signed by the BOC Secretary General, Faris Al-Kooheji, and the Association’s Chairman of the Board of Directors, Mohammed Mujbel (photo). The programme will help identify talented young athletes for the national teams and also reduce the incidence of drowning among this age group. A similar initiative was implemented in France, with training given to 5,000 children in one year. More info at www.boc.bh.
The 2nd International Conference on Gender Equality in Sport, initiated and led by the Olympic Committee of Israel in partnership with key stakeholders such as the Ministry of Culture and Sport, the US embassy in Israel, the Israel Paralympic Committee, the Israel Women's Lobby and leading universities, took place on 10 July at the Levinsky-Wingate Academic Center in Netanya. The conference shone a spotlight on the challenges of women in sport in Israel, in order to raise awareness and initiate action to promote gender equality in practice. It also provided a platform for sharing applicable insights regarding gender in sport from Israel and the world by inspiring Israeli academics, coaches and athletes, as well as senior figures from the world of sport and government from Israel and abroad. The conference was opened by Annamarie Phelps, Chair of the European Olympic Committees (EOC) Gender Equity Commission, with speeches from NOC President Yael Arad, CEO Gili Lustig and Suzy Yogev, Chair of the NOC Gender Equality Commission. Info at www.olympicsil.co.il.
The President of the Olympic Council of Malaysia, Norza Zakaria, was invited to participate in the Olympic Day celebrations organised by the NOC of Thailand in Phayao province. He gave the signal to start the 10 and 5km runs alongside IOC Member Khunying Patama Leeswadtrakul and Thai NOC President Prawit Wongsuwon. Nearly 5,000 people took part in the runs and the other activities such as 3x3 basketball, skateboarding, boxing, paddle board and kayaking. Olympic Day was also celebrated under the theme of sustainability, environmental-friendly and inclusivity issues. Info at www.olympic.org.my and https://olympicthai.org/en/
At the beginning of July, the Moroccan NOC’s communications team attended the sixth workshop held remotely by the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) on the creation of digital content. The NOC also took part in the 2nd Chefs de Mission seminar for the upcoming Islamic Solidarity Games, which will be held from 9 to 18 August this year in Konya (Türkiye). More details on www.cnom.org.ma.
Ruth Beitia (photo) received the London 2012 high jump bronze medal at a medal reallocation ceremony held on 11 July at the Spanish NOC headquarters in Madrid. She was presented with her medal by NOC President Alejandro Blanco. This comes on top of the gold medal she won at the Olympic Games Rio 2016, making Beitia Spain’s most successful track and field Olympian. As well as her family members and friends, the President of the Royal Spanish Athletics Federation, Raúl Chapado, and her coach, Ramón Torralbo, also attended the ceremony. Full details here.
ORGANISING COMMITTEES FOR THE OLYMPIC GAMES
PARIS 2024
Meeting on 12 July, the Paris 2024 Board of Directors approved the proposed solutions to optimise the Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024 Venues Master Plan. Following initial validation by the IOC Executive Board on 23 June, Paris 2024 is continuing its efforts to optimise the plan, which ensures enhanced competition conditions, helps keep control of the budget and preserves the legacy of the Games for local residents and regional authorities. The Paris 2024 Board of Directors has approved the potential solutions identified and asked the organisation to continue working with the stakeholders involved, before the proposals are officially presented to the IOC and IPC for final validation. Full news release here.
RECOGNISED ORGANISATIONS
The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) has announced the new dates for the 19th Asian Games, which will now be held in Hangzhou (People’s Republic of China) from 23 September to 8 October 2023. The Games were originally planned to be held in Hangzhou from 10 to 25 September 2022 but, due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, they were postponed by the OCA Executive Board on 6 May 2022. A task force was created by the Executive Board to finalise the new dates for the Games. Full details here.
The International Committee of the Mediterranean Games (ICMG) continued its cooperation with the IOC on the manipulation of sports competitions during the 2022 Mediterranean Games held at the end of June in Oran (Algeria). Evangelos Alexandrakis from the Olympic Movement Unit on the Prevention of the Manipulation of Competitions (“OM Unit PMC”) and Dieter Braekeveld from Interpol gave talks for the athletes in the Mediterranean Village regarding match-fixing and sports competition manipulation. Over four days, almost 400 athletes attended the lectures. In addition, a joint session with the Algerian NOC for all Algerian national federations was also organised, and the two sides agreed on concrete action that the Algerian sports authorities will take to combat the phenomenon. Full details here.
The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has transferred to the International Ski Federation (FIS) the governance of three Para snow sports. Para alpine skiing, Para cross-country skiing and Para snowboard joined the FIS as of 13 July 2022 following approval from the FIS membership and the IPC Governing Board. Full details here.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has published its Independent Observer (IO) Team Report on the anti-doping programme at the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022. IO teams provide an independent review of all aspects of the anti-doping programmes delivered at major events around the globe, including the Olympic Games. Full info here.