Olympic Highlights 25/06/2021
IOC ACTIVITIES
PRESIDENT
The IOC, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government (TMG) and the Government of Japan (GoJ), held a five-party meeting on Monday. The IOC and IPC were informed about and support the policies the three Japanese parties have decided on regarding spectators’ numbers. In light of the government's restrictions on public events, the spectator limit for the Olympic Games will be set at "50 per cent of venue capacity, up to a maximum of 10,000 people" at all venues. The five parties will continue to work together to ensure safe and secure Games for all. Read the full five parties’ joint statement here.
President Bach held a conference call with the IOC membership on 24 June. An update was given on the progress towards delivering safe and secure Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, with the Games now in full operational phase. The election of the Host for the Olympic Games 2032 was also on the agenda, following the Executive Board’s decision to propose Brisbane 2032 to the 138th IOC Session in Tokyo. During the three-hour meeting there was also an extensive Q&A session.
In a telephone conversation, IOC President Thomas Bach and the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, discussed the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 and the participation of Ukraine’s athletes in these Games. The two leaders also covered a wide range of other Olympic topics. The Ukrainian President was accompanied by IOC Member Sergey Bubka.
This week, IOC President Thomas Bach met the President of World Triathlon, IOC Member Marisol Casado, at Olympic House. During their meeting, they discussed the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 and various Olympic matters. Casado, who leads the IOC Gender Equality Working Group, also spoke about the progress for a more gender-equal Olympic Movement, in line with recommendations from Olympic Agenda 2020+5.
President Bach welcomed the new President of the International Swimming Federation (FINA), Husain Al Musallam, whom he congratulated on his recent election. Their discussions focused on the preparations for the swimming competitions at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 as well the excellent cooperation between the two organisations.
With the President of the International Fencing Federation (FIE), Alisher Usmanov, President Bach also discussed topics of mutual interest, including the upcoming Games in Tokyo.
This week, the IOC President also received IOC Member and Marketing Commission Chair Jiří Kejval at Olympic House. Together, they discussed The Olympic Partner programme and the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. As he is also President of the Czech NOC, Kejval informed the IOC President about how the Czech athletes are preparing for the Games.
On 23 June, the President gave a video interview to the Director of the Tokyo Official Film, Naomi Kawase, discussing with her the final preparations for the Games in Tokyo, one month before the Opening Ceremony.
In addition, President Bach spoke on the phone with Tomohiko Taniguchi, a former Special Advisor to former Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo and Professor at Keio University, one of Japan’s most prestigious universities. They both discussed the upcoming Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.
For the “Lausanne Capitale Olympique” run, held this year digitally, the IOC President and various athletes and personalities are guiding the participants and adding their comments along the 7km route by the shores of Lake Geneva. Organised by the City of Lausanne, this connected run is accessible at any time until end of August 2021. Full news release here.
MEMBERS
IOC Member Bernard Rajzman (r. on photo) recently immortalised his hands in the Brazilian Olympic Committee (BOC) Hall of Fame. Nominated for the 2020 class, he was honoured during the Brazilian Beach Volleyball Circuit, at Urca Beach. Rajzman is the symbol of the “Silver Generation” of Brazilian volleyball and worldwide known for creating the “Jornada nas Estrelas” (Star Trek) serve. More info here on the BOC website.
COMMISSIONS
Ski mountaineering will be put forward as an additional sport for the programme of the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026. The IOC Executive Board has forwarded this proposal to the next IOC Session in Tokyo in July. The Organising Committee for the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 had officially proposed the inclusion of ski mountaineering, governed by the International Ski Mountaineering Federation (ISMF), as an additional sport on the programme of this specific edition of the Games. Read the full news release here.
OTHER OLYMPIC NEWS
On 22 June, the IOC launched “Stronger Together”, a global Olympic campaign that celebrates athletes by showcasing their journey to the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, and how they kept moving even when the world around them stopped. The story celebrates their strength, resilience and determination to bring hope, unity and inspiration to people around the world. Timed to launch ahead of Olympic Day (23 June), the story features world-renowned athletes, including past and present Olympians Usain Bolt, Naomi Osaka, Andre De Grasse, Yusra Mardini and Nyjah Houston. Tony Hawk is also present, representing the skateboarding community as they enter their first-ever Games. Full news release here.
As part of its Olympic Day activations, the IOC, in partnership with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and Discovery, launched “In Conversation”, a series of exclusive interviews bringing together members of the IOC Refugee Olympic Team Tokyo 2020 with personalities from the world of sport, film and entertainment. Full news release here.
On World Refugee Day, 20 June, the Olympic Refuge Foundation celebrated the launch of a new programme in Colombia. Called “Ven y Juega” (Come and Play), the new Protection and Social Cohesion through Sport programme aims to improve social cohesion among young refugees and migrants from Venezuela, and their host communities, as well as internally displaced and returning Colombians. Since launching in 2017, the Olympic Refuge Foundation has coordinated 11 programmes in seven countries (Democratic Republic of Congo, Jordan, Kenya, Mexico, Rwanda, Turkey and Uganda). As a result, more than 200,000 young people have so far been reached by sports programmes designed to improve their well-being and social inclusion. Its goal is for one million young people affected by displacement to access safe sport by 2024. Full news release here.
The IOC and SEGA of America have announced the launch of Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 - The Official Video Game™ worldwide on consoles and PC platforms. The game offers fans of all ages the opportunity to take to the global stage in 18 fun-filled, arcade-style Olympic events and disciplines. Full news release here.
The Olympic Foundation for Culture and Heritage (OFCH) has announced the programme for its inaugural Olympic Agora, set to take place around the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 in the heart of the host city. On view from 1 July to 15 August 2021, the new initiative will present a series of art installations and an exhibition on the Olympic spirit and ideals. Virtual tours of all Olympic Agora presentations and related programming will be available to local and international audiences free of charge on www.olympics.com/olympic-agora. Full news release here.
INTERNATIONAL FEDERATIONS
SUMMER IFS
The Gymnastics Ethics Foundation (GEF) has published its 2020 Annual Report, which summarises the key activities of its second year of operation. The report also gives an overview of cases that were dealt with; the Foundation’s communications activities; the most important internal processes; and the plans for the future. More info here on the website of the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG).
The International Surfing Association (ISA) has announced that El Salvador will again host the ISA World Surfing Games in 2023, after the country successfully organised the 2021 edition of the event. As part of the agreement to continue to bring major surfing events to El Salvador, the ISA World Junior Surfing Championship is planned to be held in El Sunzal/La Bocana in 2022. More info here.
World Sailing has announced that the 50th edition of the Youth Sailing World Championships will be held at Mussanah Sports City, Oman, from 11 to 18 December 2021. This venue has hosted several Olympic class sailing events. In April, the venue hosted the 2021 Mussanah Open Championship, a Tokyo 2020 qualification event for African and Asian nations. Full details here.
On 21 June, Volleyball World launched the world’s first “Equal Jersey” campaign, which will see the sport’s top players champion gender equality by wearing a special edition jersey featuring their own name and that of a player of the opposite gender. The special edition jerseys will be worn during the finals of the Volleyball Nations League on 25 and 27 June. The Equal Jersey design is part of a wider campaign in Volleyball World’s new brand positioning and visual identity. Full details here on the website of the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB).
National olympic committees
As part of its commitment to gender equality, the Brazilian Olympic Committee (BOC) recently created the Women's Sports Department, which is exclusively dedicated to the development of projects for female athletes, coaches and managers. Isabel Swan (see photo), an Olympic sailing bronze medallist at Beijing 2008 (470 class), has been chosen to head the department. Her work will involve conducting a detailed analysis of the participation of women in Brazilian sport, both in and out of competition. Currently, 55 per cent of BOC staff is made up of women, who occupy seven of the entity's 12 executive and management positions. More details here.
To mark Olympic Day, the Colombian NOC organised sports events in several cities around the country. In Bogotá, the sports community gathered in El Tunal Park to celebrate the Day by moving, learning and discovering. In eight of the country’s departments, the municipal and departmental sports bodies organised a range of activities. More details here. Then, on 24 June, the official uniform for the Colombian Olympic team was unveiled. The uniform is made from 100 per cent recycled fabrics, made in Colombia from plastic bottles that were collected throughout the country. More details here.
The official competition apparel for the Estonian Olympic athletes for Tokyo 2020 was recently unveiled. The following athletes served as the models: wrestler Epp Mäe, hurdler Rasmus Mägi, rowers Allar Raja, Kaspar Taimsoo, Jüri-Mikk Udam and Tõnu Endrekson, long jumper Ksenija Balta, decathlete Janek Õiglane, heptathlete Grit Šadeiko, marathon runner Roman Fosti and badminton player Kristin Kuuba. The casual wear was also shown. More info here on the Estonian NOC’s website.
The Georgian NOC organised at its headquarters the final stage of the “Olympism at Schools” Project, with the support of Olympic Solidarity and in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and the National Association of Sport, Fitness and Physical Education. Held from 18 April to 18 June 2021, the project involved about 600 public schools in 11 regions of Georgia. Its aim was to promote Olympism and the Olympic Movement, as well as the importance of a healthy lifestyle. A sports quiz, a painting/drawing contest on Olympism and other activities were on the programme. Medals, certificates and commemorative gifts were given to the regional school winners. More info at www.geonoc.org.ge.
The NOC of Kazakhstan is devoting the whole of June to the significance of the Olympic values under the motto: “Biz Birgemiz! Faster, Higher, Stronger – Together”. On 23 June, the Olympic Day relay between the five regions of the country ended in the capital, Nur-Sultan, with an urban sports festival featuring 3x3 basketball, streetball, street workout performances and teqball. The other regions organised the following events: Almaty held a climbing tournament; Petropavlovsk organised a cycling race with Olympic champion Alexander Vinokurov; Ust-Kamenogorsk staged track and field championships for children; and in Aktau, Olympic boxing medallist Adilbek Niyazymbetov and judoka Aibek Imashev held masterclasses in boxing and judo. More details here. In addition, following the local tradition, all the babies born on 23 June received certificates and letters from Olympians. More info here. Furthermore, like every year, UNESCO and the NOC celebrated Olympic Day among children and adolescents with special needs. This year, teenagers from the children’s hospice in Almaty got to meet their favourite athletes, tell their own stories and listen to others, to recharge themselves with energy and motivation.
On Olympic Day, the Mongolian NOC signed a “silver” cooperation agreement with the Bogd Bank. The ceremony took place during the reopening of the renovated Mongolian Olympic Museum in Ulaanbaatar. Acting NOC President Choijgavaa Naranbaatar and Bank Executive Director G. Saruul signed the agreement, which will see close collaboration between the two institutions until the Olympic Games Paris 2024, for the benefit of Team Mongolia and Olympic Movement in Mongolia.
As part of its Olympic Day celebrations on 23 June, the Moroccan NOC invited the population to take part in the Nt7rko Jmi3 campaign by publishing a short video (20 seconds max.) of themselves practising their favourite sport on social media. More details on www.cnom.org.ma.
Team Serbia’s Olympic collection for Tokyo 2020 was presented at a fashion show at Olympic House in Belgrade. Ten athletes who will represent Serbia at the Games played the role of models. The most important criterion when selecting the technology and materials used in the design of the collection was for them to be suitable for the weather conditions during the Games in Tokyo. More details on the Olympic Committee of Serbia website, www.oks.org.rs.
The official face mask for the Spanish team going to the Games in Tokyo was presented at a ceremony held at the Spanish NOC headquarters on 23 June. The mask is the result of an agreement between the NOC and Airnatech. It is made in Spain and will provide the athletes with a high level of protection and security. The ergonomically designed red mask offers a filtration capacity of 99.9 per cent with 50 per cent breathability, and it is reusable. More details here.
The Venezuelan NOC celebrated Olympic Day by organising a number of events. At the NOC headquarters, the participants attended a ceremony to present the certificates for the “Yulimar, volamos contigo” (Yulimar, we’re flying with you) project (photo), the presentation of the Jesús Eduardo Lizarraga award, the inauguration of the Casa Venezuela, and the presentation of the Venezuelan Olympic team uniforms and the Tokyo 2020 card album. Around the country, the national sports community organised various events to mark Olympic Day. More details here. In addition, as part of the “Abanderado por el Pueblo” (the people’s flagbearers) programme, the Venezuelan public voted for Yulimar Rojas and Antonio Díaz as the flagbearers for the national team at the Opening Ceremony in Tokyo. More details here.
ORGANISING COMMITTEES FOR THE OLYMPIC GAMES
TOKYO 2020
With one month to go until the opening of the Olympic Games, on 23 June Tokyo 2020 announced the launch of the Official Mobile App. The app brings together all the essential Games information in one place, including event results, competition schedules, introductions to sports and venues, and other news and updates. It can also be customised to each fan’s preferences. The app is available in Chinese, English, French, Hindi, Japanese, Korean and Spanish. Full details here.
BEIJING 2022
Beijing 2022 has published its Legacy Report, highlighting the impact that the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games are having on local communities, including through increased employment, infrastructure and the engagement of 300 million people in winter sports. Beijing 2022 has incorporated legacy throughout the planning process for the Winter Games in Beijing. The Legacy Report was produced by Beijing 2022 in cooperation with Beijing Sport University. Full news release here.