Olympic Highlights 22/04/2024

IOC

PRESIDENT

The flame for the Olympic Games Paris 2024 was lit on the eve of the 100 days-to-go mark. It was ignited at the birthplace of the Olympic Games, in Ancient Olympia in Greece.

IOC President Thomas Bach attended this historic event on 16 April, alongside the President of the Hellenic Republic, Katerina Sakellaropoulou; the Vice-President of the European Commission, Margaritis Schinas; Paris 2024 Organising Committee President Tony Estanguet; the President of the French National Olympic Committee and IOC Member, David Lappartient; IOC Members in France Guy Drut and Jean-Christophe Rolland; the French Minister of Sport and the Olympic and Paralympic Games, Amélie Oudéa-Castéra; the Chair of the IOC’s Paris 2024 Coordination Commission, Pierre-Olivier Beckers Vieujant; and the Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo. The ceremony was hosted by Hellenic Olympic Committee President and IOC Member Spyros Capralos.

In his speech in front of thousands of people, President Bach highlighted Paris 2024’s dedication to upholding the Olympic values and fostering global unity. “This power of sport will make the Olympic Games Paris 2024 a great symbol of human excellence and unity of all humankind in all our diversity. These expectations are shared by billions of people around the world. In these difficult times we are living through, with wars and conflicts on the rise, people are fed up with all the hate, the aggression and negative news they are facing day in and day out. In their hearts – in all our hearts – we are longing for something which brings us together. We are longing for something that is unifying. We are longing for something that gives us hope.” President Bach also spoke of the unified commitment to the success of Paris 2024, praising the innovative spirit of the Organising Committee, expressing confidence in France’s preparations and acknowledging the growing anticipation ahead of the Games. Full news release here.

On the eve of the Olympic flame-lighting for the Olympic Games Paris 2024, the Mayors of Ancient Olympia, Ilida and Sparta gathered in Olympia to sign a declaration of the Olympic Truce, highlighting once again the role of the Olympic Games as a symbol of peace and unity, and reminding us of the Olympic truce upheld by the Greek city states during the ancient Olympic Games. The declaration was co-signed by IOC President Thomas Bach and the President of the Hellenic Republic Katerina Sakellaropoulou, as well as other prominent personalities and organisations.

On the eve of the Olympic flame-lighting for the Olympic Games Paris 2024, the Mayors of Ancient Olympia, Ilida and Sparta gathered in Olympia to sign a declaration of the Olympic Truce, highlighting once again the role of the Olympic Games as a symbol of peace and unity, and reminding us of the Olympic truce upheld by the Greek city states during the ancient Olympic Games. The declaration was co-signed by IOC President Thomas Bach and the President of the Hellenic Republic Katerina Sakellaropoulou, as well as other prominent personalities and organisations.

In a ground-breaking initiative, the IOC launched the Olympic AI Agenda*.* The initiative was introduced during an interactive event held on 19 April at Lee Valley VeloPark at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, home of the Olympic and Paralympic Games London 2012. The Olympic AI Agenda is the third in a trilogy of strategy documents launched under the leadership of IOC President Thomas Bach. It follows Olympic Agenda 2020, launched in December 2014, and Olympic Agenda 2020+5, launched in March 2021.

Introducing the topic to a global online audience and more than 100 journalists on site, President Bach explained: “When we launched Olympic Agenda, our comprehensive reform programme, in 2014, we did so under the slogan ‘change or be changed’ – for some of you here in Great Britain this may sound familiar, it’s about ‘To be, or not to be? That is the question’. Today we are making another step to ensure the uniqueness of the Olympic Games and the relevance of sport, and to do this, we have to be leaders of change, not the object of change. Today, with the ever-accelerating development of digital technology, and in particular AI, we are again at such a crossroads.” The full text of the President’s Opening Remarks can be read here.

During a 90-minute interactive session, experts from the fields of sport, technology, business and academia discussed the practical application of AI tools to sport and their implementation. The development of the Olympic AI Agenda has been supported by Worldwide Olympic Partners Alibaba, Deloitte and Intel, and Media Rights-Holders NBC and Warner Bros Discovery. Read the full news release here and watch the event here.

On 17 April, President Thomas Bach welcomed a delegation from the NOC of Palestine led by its President, Jibril Rajoub, at Olympic House in Lausanne. When welcoming the delegation, the IOC President said that the IOC’s thoughts are with the many innocent victims of the current conflict in the region and their families. He stressed that the IOC very much hopes a peaceful solution can be found as soon as possible. During the meeting, President Bach reiterated how sport can give hope for peace. Both NOCs in the region, the NOC of Palestine and the NOC of Israel, are recognised by the IOC and operate with equal rights within the Olympic Movement. They have been living together in peaceful coexistence for decades. Read the full new release here.

The President also received a delegation from the NOC of Guinea-Bissau, led by its President Sergio Mané. The preparations of Guinea-Bissau’s athletes for the Olympic Games Paris 2024 and the geopolitical situation were among the main topics discussed.

During a phone conversation, the IOC President and the Chinese NOC President, Gao Zhidan, discussed a number of Olympic topics, including the Olympic Games Paris 2024, the geopolitical situation and its impact on sport.

Also at Olympic House, President Bach met the Chair of the Egyptian NOC’s Athletes’ Commission, Aya Medany, who is also a member of the IOC Athletes’ Commission.

President Bach welcomed a delegation from his home town, the German city of Tauberbischofsheim led by its Mayor Anette Schmidt on a courtesy visit to Olympic House.

The President also chaired the Olympic Foundation for Culture and Heritage (OFCH) Executive Committee meeting.

A broad range of current issues, including the upcoming Olympic Games Paris 2024 and the present international situation, were discussed during a meeting with IOC Member Jae Youl Kim.

COMMISSIONS

As one of the core programmes overseen by the IOC Athletes’ Commission, Athlete365 Career+ provides essential support for athletes as they navigate life outside sport. Seventeen new Educators are now certified to deliver workshops around the world after attending a final Train the Trainer session in Lausanne from 22 to 25 March. Educators are now certified to deliver Athlete365 Career+ workshops to athletes in their respective countries, offering practical support and advice on the topics of Self Discovery and CV/Résumé. This new group of Educators will allow the IOC to reach even more athletes around the world, helping them discover their potential and plan for their post-sports career. Full news release here.

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, these 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. Read here the interview with Angels Martin, the General Manager for Olympic Games in the Major Events Unit at Atos.

Worldwide Olympic and Paralympic Partner Deloitte and the IOC have launched “The First Effect”, a campaign which highlights the impact of some trailblazing athletes who have accomplished feats that have never been managed before, and the legacy these inspiring achievements helped create. The series can be seen here, and will be showcased on Olympics social media channels, Meta, TikTok and X from 15 April through the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Launched to mark 100 days to go until the Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024, the campaign has been co-created by the IOC and Deloitte, celebrating the pioneering athletes who broke barriers and became the “first” to achieve something at the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Read the full news release here.

Ahead of the Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024, a new Olympic Channel original series – presented with Worldwide Olympic and Paralympic Partner Toyota – sees 10 inspirational athletes reflect on where their unique journeys to the Games first started, as they pursue their Olympic and Paralympic dreams in Paris. The Starting Line, which premiered on 15 April on Olympics.com, aims to inspire audiences to think about what they can achieve in their own lives when they make a start, as it looks at the challenges that each athlete has had to face, accept and overcome on their Olympic or Paralympic journey. The series also showcases the vital role played by the friends, families and communities that support each athlete behind the scenes, as well as highlighting how these athletes are now inspiring the next generation. Read the full news release here.

OTHER OLYMPIC NEWS

The IOC and nWay have announced the launch of OlympicsÔ Go! Paris 2024 – the official mobile game for the Olympic Games Paris 2024. This innovative game is a hybrid causal sports and simulation title that merges city-building elements with the sports events of the Games in Paris to provide a truly unique Olympic gaming experience. Read the full news release here.

Olympic medallist and member of the IOC Refugee Olympic Team for Tokyo 2020 Kimia Alizadeh has received Bulgarian citizenship, and is aiming to represent Bulgaria at the Olympic Games Paris 2024. In a positive step for Alizadeh, this grants her nationality, stability and protection, allowing her to focus on her sporting career away from the many challenges so often faced by refugee athletes. The composition of the Refugee Olympic Team for Paris 2024 will be announced by the IOC President during a special live-streamed event on 2 May. More details here.

Sport Coach+ is an innovative project which aims to equip 2,500 sports coaches in Ukraine and surrounding countries with the skills to more effectively manage young players who may have experienced trauma as a result of their forced displacement. The project is a collaboration between the Olympic Refuge Foundation and the International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC) Psychosocial Reference Centre. In the context of the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace (IDSDP) celebrated earlier this month, Sport Coach+ is another example of the Olympic Movement’s contribution to building more peaceful and inclusive societies through sport. Learn more here.

As part of its mission to foster research and education, the Olympic Studies Centre (OSC) has published a new page on the Olympic World Library (OWL) dedicated to Pierre de Coubertin’s writings. The page currently contains 221 digital articles and publications (which will go up to 300 in the coming weeks). This important collection can now be accessed from anywhere in the world via a dedicated search bar and by a timeline of date of publication. Discover the page here.

INTERNATIONAL FEDERATIONS

SUMMER IFS

International Basketball Federation (FIBA)

The FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2026 Pre-Qualifying Tournaments will be held in Mexico and Rwanda between 19 and 25 August 2024. Besides the 12 nations competing at the Women's Olympic Basketball Tournament Paris 2024, the next best 16 teams in the world (four per region) will be in action in the first step on the Road to Berlin and, ultimately, the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2026 in Germany. Full info here.

International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF)

The ITTF hosted a special “100 days to Paris” event in Macao with Olympic champions Ma Long and Chen Meng, ITTF President and IOC Member Petra Sörling, ITTF Deputy President Liu Guoliang, ITTF Group CEO Steve Dainton, and ITTF Secretary General Raul Calin. A light display lit up night-time Macao on a 160-metre skyscraper with a special animation celebrating the milestone. More details here including the final stages of the Journey to Paris for the athletes.

Union Internationale de pentathlon modern (UIPM)

The UIPM has released the first episode of a new TV show entitled A Passion For Paris, shining a spotlight on elite pentathletes as they prepare for the Olympic Games Paris 2024. The show merges athlete profile interviews with competition coverage and the first episode revolves around the season-opening UIPM 2024 Pentathlon World Cup in Cairo, Egypt. More info here.

World Aquatics

The World Aquatics Support Programme provides essential funding for the strategic development of National Federations. Read here how National Federation leaders from Colombia and the Cook Islands emphasise the value and benefits of the financial assistance provided by World Aquatics.

NATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEES

Cabo Verde Olympic Committee

The NOC has been certified by the International Certification Company (EIC) with a quality management system certificate. The NOC becomes the third NOC after Japan and Guatemala to earn this certificate. More info here. The NOC also held in March a “Team Cape Verde on the road to Paris 2024” Benefit Dinner, bringing together 350 people from various companies and organisations. Supported by the Presidency of the Republic and the French Embassy in Cape Verde, the event served to raise funds for the Olympic mission and featured an auction of items donated by athletes, national teams and other personalities. In addition, as part of the promotion of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 and Olympism, the NOC organised a carnival parade in the country's capital for the first time. Elementary schools were invited to take part in the event, with a single theme, “From the Ancient Olympic Games to Paris 2024”, to celebrate the carnival. Around 1,000 children took part to learn about and play around the Olympic theme. Info at www.coc.cv

Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee (CTOC)

In commemoration of the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace, the Peace through Sport Committee of the CTOC invited several prominent athletes, coaches and their friends to establish ties in the “White Card” programme this year. By gathering together five friends to take a group picture with their hands forming the word "PEACE" or facing the camera to form one letter of the word "PEACE" at a time, the athletes and their friends merge the photos and upload them to their personal Facebook or Instagram accounts to promote peace through sport. Info at www.tpenoc.net

German NOC (DOSB)

On 17 April in Paris, the DOSB and the French NOC (CNOSF) entered into a new cooperation agreement aimed at further strengthening the close cooperation between the two NOCs. The agreement was signed by NOC Presidents Thomas Weikert and David Lappartient. One hundred days before the Olympic Games Paris 2024, the focus of the collaboration is on the sporting highlight of the year and the resulting opportunities to expand Franco-German friendship and promote intercultural dialogue and peaceful coexistence, especially among young people from both countries. Areas of cooperation also include non-Olympic sports, exchanges on refugee programmes and the possibilities of integration through sport. More details here.

Lithuanian NOC (LNOC)

Exactly 100 days before the Olympic Games Paris 2024, the Olympic departure gate was opened at Vilnius Airport. From now on, passengers will have the opportunity to learn about Lithuania’s Olympic history and symbolically pedal a bicycle to Paris. The project is the fruit of cooperation between the LNOC and Lithuanian Airports. An educational wall celebrating Lithuania’s Olympic centenary achievements will be set up in the area near gate A-15, which will also feature a piece of street art. To celebrate the centenary of the Olympic Movement in Lithuania, passengers will be invited to ride a bicycle on a special LTeam platform in Vilnius, and symbolically reach the Olympic city of Paris by cycling 2,000km together. Full details here.

Oman Olympic Committee (OOC)

The Oman delegation for the first Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Youth Games recently arrived in the United Arab Emirates, where the Games will be held from 16 April to 2 May. The delegation included more than 200 people – athletes, technical and administrative staff, and a medical team. The delegation is headed by Khalid bin Mohammed al Zubair, OOC Chairman. Recently, the OOC held an introductory meeting headed by Taha al Koshari, OOC Secretary General, and delegation director Kadhim al Balushi, for reviewing Oman’s participation in the event. More details here.

Paraguayan NOC

The Paraguayan Olympic Park recently hosted the Paralympic Training Day and the Paralympic Festival in the framework of the ELI 3 project (On your marks, get set… inclusion - En sus marcas, listos… inclusión) Paraguay 2024. On this occasion, sports demonstrations and talks were organised on the Paralympic Movement, the concept of disability and the Paralympic values, featuring various national international speakers. The event was held in the presence of NOC President Camilo Pérez López Moreira, International Paralympic Committee (IPC) President) Andrew Parsons – both IOC Members – and the President of the Paraguayan Paralympic Committee, Juan Fernández. More details here. In addition, the high-performance sports centre for young Paraguayan talent (CARDIF - Centro de Alto Rendimiento Deportivo de las Divisiones Formativas) was inaugurated in the Olympic Park. Every day, this centre will host over 2,000 young athletes aged 14 to 18, with a unique continental-level infrastructure. Also present at the inauguration were the President of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) and IOC Member, Gianni Infantino, Sports Minister César Ramírez, and numerous sports leaders. More info here.

Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC)

Tan Wearn Haw has been appointed by the SNOC to lead the Team Singapore contingent at the Olympic Games Paris 2024. Tan, a multi-medallist at the South East Asian and Asian Games, competed in sailing at the Olympic Games Sydney 2000. A former CEO of the Singapore Sailing Federation and founding Director of the National Youth Sports Institute, he also volunteers on various non-profit organisations including the Global E-Sport Federation, and the Singapore Olympic Foundation-Peter Lim Scholarship Committee. More details here.

Slovak Olympic and Sports Committee

On 14 April, the NOC launched a series of activities for the Olympic Games Paris 2024 under the title “Our Colours, Our Hearts”. Besides celebrating the Games, they will promote the Olympic values and the ideals of fair play. Hundreds of events will take place throughout Slovakia during the next three months. The activities were kicked off with a relay during the National Run Devín - Bratislava, in which Olympians, Paralympians, young athletes, NOC staff, partners of the Slovak Olympic team, members of regional Olympic clubs, the Slovak Olympic Academy and the NOC´s Fair Play Club took part. In total, there were more than 140 participants. The NOC has also launched an Olympic postcard and video postcard project, an art competition and an Eco-Olympics for the pupils and students throughout Slovakia. The Paris 2024 Olympic Festival in Slovakia will be held around the Kuchajda lake in a New Town part of the Slovak capital from 25 July to 11 August, close to the House of Sport and NOC Slovakia headquarters. There will be sports, cultural, fun and educational activities every day, and live Olympic coverage from Paris. More details here.

ORGANISING COMMITTEES FOR THE OLYMPIC GAMES

PARIS 2024

On 17 April, exactly 100 days before the start of Olympic Games Paris 2024, the outfits that will be worn by the French Olympic and Paralympic athletes were revealed. Berluti, the French luxury brand founded in 1895, and a Maison of the LVMH Group—a Premium Partner of Paris 2024 - was chosen to produce the outfits. In consultation with a panel of athletes who took part in ceremonies from Barcelona 1992 to Tokyo 2020, an idea emerged to combine comfort and elegance for an unforgettable ceremony. Read more about the French team uniforms here.

RECOGNISED ORGANISATIONS

International Sports Movies TV Federation (FICTS)

The FICTS General Assembly, in collaboration with the representatives of the 130 affiliated countries, recently set up the International Observatory on Artificial Intelligence in Sport and Cinema (IOAISC). The initiative promotes technological innovation and dialogue with the IOC towards the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026. The FICTS President, Franco Ascani – through the IOAISC – aims to explore the potential of the digital archive and growing interest in esports and gaming. IOAISC, with the support of various organisations, brings together experts, companies and institutions to develop the AI market in sports and cinema. More details here.