Olympic Highlights 27/05/2024

IOC

PRESIDENT

On the occasion of the Olympic Qualifier Series in Shanghai, IOC President Thomas Bach visited China. Throughout his visit he was accompanied by IOC Members in China Yu Zaiqing, Li Lingwei and Zhang Hong. Also present was IOC Vice-President Ser Miang Ng.

President Bach was welcomed to China by the President of the Chinese Olympic Committee (COC), Gao Zhidan. Before witnessing the Chinese podium sweep in the women’s event of the BMX freestyle park competition at the Olympic Qualifier Series, the IOC President and the COC President discussed a wide range of Olympic matters, including the impact of geopolitical tensions on sport, preparations for the Olympic Games Paris 2024, esports activities and the Olympic AI Agenda. Also with regard to AI, both leaders highlighted the importance of giving equal access to everybody in the Olympic Movement in order to narrow the gap between athletes from privileged and less privileged NOCs. This is in line with the Olympic Movement’s principle of non-discrimination and solidarity, which ensures that every NOC which respects the Olympic Charter can participate and fully benefit. The COC welcomed the initiatives of the IOC in the field of esports and the need to ensure respect for the Olympic values. The IOC President invited the COC to participate in the IOC Esports Commission.

The IOC President, who attended the finals in all four sports (BMX freestyle, breaking, skateboarding and sport climbing), praised the efforts of the Shanghai Local Organising Committee: “Shanghai has given the Olympic Qualifier Series a fantastic start. I can only thank and congratulate Shanghai and the Chinese Olympic Committee on this electrifying event. It went far beyond our expectations.” (See full story here.)

In a meeting with the Party Secretary of Shanghai, Chen Jining, President Bach congratulated him on the success of the Olympic Qualifier Series, which welcomed 45,000 spectators. He thanked him for Shanghai’s efforts in organising the event.

Attending the finals of the Olympic Qualifier Series, the IOC President witnessed the activations of nine Worldwide Olympic Partners: Alibaba, Allianz, Coca-Cola, Deloitte, Mengniu, OMEGA, P&G, Toyota and Visa.

President Bach visited the showcases of the two Chinese partners, Alibaba and Mengniu. He met Chris Tung, the President of Strategic Development for the Alibaba Group, who showed him the pin Alibaba has developed for the Olympic Qualifier Series, as well as the official licensed products dedicated to the Olympic Qualifier Series and the Olympic Games Paris 2024, which are on sale on Tmall.

With Gao Fei, CEO of Worldwide Olympic Partner Mengniu, the IOC President discussed the upcoming Olympic Games Paris 2024, and the Mengniu CEO updated him on the company’s plans for Paris. When visiting the Mengniu showcasing space, the CEO introduced the IOC President to Liao Zhi. Liao is a dancer who wears prostheses and is Mengniu’s Ambassador for Perseverance, and she will be attending the Olympic Games Paris 2024 as part of her Mengniu role.

The President of China Media Group (CMG), Shen Haixiong, welcomed the IOC President for a visit to the CMG offices in Shanghai. Together, they inaugurated an art exhibition called “From Beijing to Paris – the Olympic Journey of Chinese Artists”, unveiled the CMG logo for the Olympic Games Paris 2024, launched CMG’s new “Morning Sports Programme” and jointly awarded certificates to the CMG representatives who will be working during the Olympic Games in Paris.

The IOC President also paid a visit to the Shanghai headquarters of HYX, which will provide the formal IOC uniforms for Paris 2024 and Milano Cortina 2026. He was welcomed by Chairman Lui Ruiqi, who gave him a tour through the building, which hosts many artefacts and fashion items.

During his stay in Shanghai, the IOC President received an honorary professorship from the Shanghai University of Sport. At the campus of the university, he visited the China Table Tennis College (CTTC), where he met young athletes who are training to become Olympians and top players of the future. He also interacted with an AI table tennis robot and played a few rallies.

The IOC President also paid a visit to the Institute of Olympic Studies and Research, which belongs to the global network of more than 70 Academic Olympic Studies and Research Centres around the world, managed by the Olympic Studies Centre in Lausanne.

President Bach also hosted a dinner for all IOC Members present in Shanghai and the presidents of the International Federations involved in the Olympic Qualifier Series: the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), the International Federation of Sport Climbing, the World DanceSport Federation and World Skate.

On Chongming Island, the IOC President attended the inauguration of the Shanghai Velodrome, a UCI World Cycling Centre Continental Development Satellite, and inaugurated the centre together with the UCI President, IOC Member David Lappartient. At the venue, the IOC President spoke to a number of top Chinese track cyclists who are currently preparing for Paris 2024. Full news release here.

Back in Lausanne, IOC President Thomas Bach welcomed Swiss Confederation President and Federal Council member Viola Amherd to the Olympic Museum on Friday 24 May, at a meeting of more than 90 ambassadors to Switzerland. She was accompanied by Switzerland’s Foreign Minister and fellow Federal Council member Ignazio Cassis.

Welcoming the ambassadors, President Bach highlighted the central role of political neutrality and solidarity for the mission of the Olympic Games.

“The fundamental idea behind the Olympic Games is to unite the entire world in peaceful competition,” he told them. “At the Olympic Games, the athletes of the territories of all 206 National Olympic Committees and the IOC Refugee Olympic Team embody this peace mission. Based on our political neutrality, we welcome all National Olympic Committees of the world who respect our constitution, the Olympic Charter, without any discrimination for any reason,” he said.

For this reason, he also explained why the IOC is so at home in Switzerland: “ When our founder, Pierre de Coubertin, moved the IOC headquarters from Paris to neutral Lausanne in 1915, he found ideal conditions: a country with a stable political and legal system; a similar commitment to political neutrality; the hospitality of its people; and a beautiful setting ideally suited for sports of all kinds,” said the IOC President. “We continue to appreciate all these wonderful conditions today, as do the over 50 International Sports Organisations that call Switzerland their home. This is a mutually beneficial relationship with our hosts, as studies show that the presence of the IOC and so many International Sports Organisations contributes around 1.7 billion Swiss francs to the local economy,” he added.

Afterwards, President Bach had a private meeting with President Amherd, where she informed him about the status of the preparations for a Swiss project for the Olympic Winter Games 2038 and the support it enjoys throughout the country. They also discussed the upcoming Olympic Games Paris 2024. IOC Executive Board member Denis Oswald was also present.

Later, President Bach joined the Congress of the “Association Internationale des Maires Francophones” (AIMF), also at the Olympic Museum. They were invited to Lausanne by the city’s Mayor, Gregoire Junod, who was joined by Christelle Luisier Brodard, President of the Canton of Vaud Council of State.

Meeting under the theme of “International Cooperation”, there were more than 500 mayors and representatives from 50 countries. The current President of the Association is Anne Hidalgo, the Mayor of Paris, where the Olympic Games will open in just two months’ time. She told her fellow mayors that Paris was ready to host marvellous Games and that the Olympic spirit would unite the world.

The IOC President welcomed a delegation from the NOC of Kazakhstan to Olympic House, led by its recently elected President, Gennadiy Golovkin. The preparations of Kazakh athletes for the Olympic Games Paris 2024 and the current geopolitical situation were among the main topics discussed. The NOC President, who won a silver medal in boxing at the Olympic Games Athens 2004, received his diploma and OLY pin from the IOC President and signed the Olympians Wall.

With the President of the Spanish NOC, Alejandro Blanco, President Bach spoke about the preparations of Spanish athletes for the next editions of the Olympic Games, particularly for Paris 2024.

President Bach also met with IOC Member Uğur Erdener, who chairs the IOC Medical and Scientific Commission, and IOC Honorary Member Habu Gumel. Various current Olympic issues were discussed.

COMMISSIONS

The election of the hosts of the Olympic Winter Games in 2030 and 2034 has moved a step closer following successful visits by the IOC Future Host Commission to the French Alps and Salt Lake City-Utah. The Commission, led by IOC Member Karl Stoss, President of the Austrian Olympic Committee, recently spent nine days visiting proposed sports and non-competition venues in each Preferred Host’s masterplan, supported by a number of experts from the IOC. Read the full news release here.

TOP PARTNERS

P&G has announced that its leading brand, Pampers®, will be supporting the first-ever Olympic Village nursery during Paris 2024. Drawing on its extensive range of household and personal care brands, P&G will help meet the everyday demands of up to 22,250 athletes and staff in the Olympic and Paralympic Village, offering a range of accessible and inclusive products and services. Full news release here. In addition, P&G and Paris 2024 have unveiled the medal podiums for the Olympic and Paralympic Games. The podiums feature a design inspired by the famous metal arches created by Gustave Eiffel. Learn more here.

OTHER OLYMPIC NEWS

As the five-year milestone of its inauguration approaches, Olympic House has recently achieved LEED Platinum v4.1 certification for its operations and maintenance. This certification represents the highest form of recognition within the renowned Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building programme, recognising Olympic House’s sustainability performance. Full news release here.

Championing the Refugee Olympic Team as they get set to compete at the Olympic Games Paris 2024, the IOC launched the “1 in 100 Million” campaign on 15 May. It aims to shine a spotlight on the 36 inspirational athletes who have faced incredible challenges to reach their starting line, and calls on everyone to get behind the team when they represent the over 100 million displaced people on the world’s biggest sporting stage. Full info here.

The Olympic Games Paris 2024 are set to generate between EUR 6.7 and 11.1 billion in net economic benefits in the Paris region, with an intermediate scenario projecting EUR 8.9 billion in net economic impact, an independent study has revealed. The report was published by the Centre de droit et d'économie du sport (CDES) of the University of Limoges, a research institute in France that specialises in the economic and legal aspects of sport. Read full details here.

The IOC has announced the production of three new sports documentary series for the Olympic Games Paris 2024 in collaboration with Netflix. The series, due to begin streaming ahead of the Opening Ceremony on 26 July, will take fans on the journey with the world’s best athletes and teams as they chase their Olympic dreams. The collaboration with Netflix continues the ambitions set out in Olympic Agenda 2020+5 to engage more people in more ways with the Olympic Games during and between the event. Full news release here.

Olympic media partner Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) has launched a new campaign rallying Olympic fans to form a “Home Crowd” in support of the IOC Refugee Olympic Team competing at the Olympic Games Paris 2024. To further highlight the stories of refugee athletes and their journeys to the Games, WBD has appointed Yusra Mardini as a Eurosport reporter for Paris 2024, focusing on the Refugee Olympic Team. Mardini is a Syrian refugee and swimmer who competed at the Olympic Games Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020. Full news release here.

The transformation of the Olympic Way at the Rio Olympic Park has been completed. The recently inaugurated Rita Lee Park, named in honour of Brazil’s influential “Queen of Rock”, provides local communities and tourists with a public space for sport and physical activity, continuing the legacy of the Olympic and Paralympic Games Rio 2016. To learn more about how the City of Rio is fulfilling the Games legacy plan, click here.

It was with profound sadness that the IOC learnt of the death of former Olympic Museum curator Jean-François Pahud at the age of 84. A sports and art teacher from Lausanne, Pahud was a brilliant long-distance runner and later became a national coach. He was heavily involved in sport, particularly athletics, serving as Vice-President of the Athletissima international meet and President of Lausanne Sport Athlétisme, and was a founding member of the 20km de Lausanne. He was passionate about sport, culture and Olympism and was part of the Olympic Museum in Lausanne for more than two decades. In 1982, he became the first curator of the interim museum on Avenue Ruchonnet, before continuing in the role when the museum relocated to the shores of Lake Geneva, where it grew in size and became the epicentre of Olympic Games collections and one of the most visited museums in the world. In 2002, Pahud received the Olympic Order.

INTERNATIONAL FEDERATIONS

SUMMER IFS

International Basketball Federation (FIBA)

The final six teams for the Olympic Games Paris 2024 have been confirmed, following the 3x3 Olympic qualifying tournament in Debrecen (Hungary) held from 16 to 19 May. The 3x3 Olympic competition will take place at Place de la Concorde from 30 July to 5 August. Discover which teams have qualified here. Hong Kong, China, will host the FIBA 3x3 World Tour 2024 season grand finale, for the first time ever. On 23 and 24 November, the world's best 3x3 men's teams will battle it out for the World Tour title. This year's World Tour features 17 stops around the globe. More info here.

International Canoe Federation (ICF)

The ICF outlined its mission to use leading AI-driven technology to deliver global sustainable goals at its events when attending the Alibaba Cloud Global Summit in Paris, France. ICF President Thomas Konietzko and Secretary General Richard Pettit joined leaders, innovators and tech enthusiasts at the annual gathering in the French capital on 23 May. Alibaba Cloud, the Worldwide Olympic Partner and official cloud service provider, has been helping the ICF to find ways to measure and improve the sustainability of its events around the world since the two organisations signed a Memorandum of Understanding last year. Under a new strategic partnership between them, the ICF will explore the potential of employing Alibaba Cloud’s AI-driven ESG (Environment-Social-Governance) solutions to reduce environmental impact and carbon footprint at its events and jointly organise sustainable activities to promote collaborative efforts. Full story here.

International Tennis Federation (ITF)

The ITF has launched a new multi-episode YouTube series. Its “Day in the Life” series will give viewers a unique insight into the daily routine of the game’s top junior players from across the world. Watch the series on the ITF YouTube channel here. In addition, the region of Emilia Romagna (Italy) will host the 2024 ITF Beach Tennis World Championships. The event, organised in collaboration with the Italian Tennis and Padel Federation (FITP), is scheduled to take place from 2 to 8 September 2024. More info here.

International Volleyball Federation (FIVB)

The FIVB has announced that the launch of the FIVB Volleyball Foundation is scheduled to take place on 30 May 2024. A charity auction will be held to raise money for groundbreaking projects that serve local communities. The auction will feature unique volleyball memorabilia donated by legends of the game, including Olympic and world champions. Full details here.

World Aquatics

World Aquatics, in collaboration with the Bhutan Aquatics Federation, has opened the first-ever competition swimming pool in the country. This swimming pool, located in Thimphu, is part of the Pools for All Programme, which aims to ensure that all National Member Federations have access to the best possible aquatics facilities to promote aquatic sports. Constructed under the supervision of, and with financing from, World Aquatics, the new pool is situated at an altitude of 8,200 feet (2,400 metres), making it the highest swimming pool in the world. Full info here.

World Rowing

The final Olympic and Paralympic spots in rowing were claimed for the Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024 during an intense session of racing in Lucerne, Switzerland, on 21 May. The finals of the 2024 Final Olympic and Paralympic Qualification Regatta were contested on the Rotsee, with the last 37 slots available for Paris across the 19 boat classes to be claimed. The Olympic Rowing Regatta will take place from 27 July to 4 August 2024 at Vaires-sur-Marne. Read more about the qualified teams here.

World Sailing

The World Sailing Council has voted to adopt new eligibility rules for transgender athletes at the federation’s 2024 Mid-Year Meeting. The Transgender Participation Policy will apply to all World Sailing events – including World Sailing Championships, Youth Sailing World Championships, and the world or continental championships of the Olympic classes – and the Olympic Games, including qualifying competitions, and will come into effect from 1 January 2025. Full details here.

International Surfing Association (ISA)

The ISA has announced the return of the ISA World Masters Surfing Championship in 2024. The seventh edition of the event will be hosted by Surf City El Salvador from 18 to 24 October at the iconic point-break of El Sunzal. More details here.

World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC)

On 10 May, were celebrated the World Baseball Softball Day and the 10th anniversary of the WBSC. A week-long series of workshops and meetings at the WBSC headquarters in Pully, Switzerland, involving several stakeholders like the WBSC staff, the Associated Members and the WBSC Athletes’ Commission which hosted its first Athletes Summit from Olympic House. More details here. Read also about the meeting of the WBSC Executive Board here.

NATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEES

Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee (CTOC)

A talk on gender equality was organised by the CTOC and co-hosted by the CTOC Gender Equity Commission and the Taiwan International Sports Volunteers Association. The talk was entitled “A level playing field across time and space – exploring the path to gender equality in the Olympics” and featured a range of sports experts and Olympic athletes. Among the range of participants were students, educators and professionals from the sports industry. More details here. The CTOC has also announced the opening of registration for the World Masters Games 2025 (WMG2025), which will take place in Chinese Taipei from 17 to 30 May 2025. More at the WMG2025 official website, https://wmg2025.tw/en/home.

NOC of the Dominican Republic

NOC President Garibaldy Bautista recently received the Cuban Ambassador in the Dominican Republic, Ángel Arzuaga Reyes, with whom he discussed the development of sport and the cooperation between the two countries in this regard.

British Olympic Association (BOA)

Gold medal-winning curler Eve Muirhead OBE has been named Team GB’s Chef de Mission for the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026. She will be the second ever female Chef de Mission for Team GB, following in the footsteps of fellow Olympian Georgina Harland, who led the team at Beijing 2022. A four-time Olympian who debuted in Vancouver in 2010, Muirhead was most recently Chef de Mission for Team GB at the Winter Youth Olympic Games Gangwon 2024. Details here. And see how Team GB plans to host free-to-enter Official Fan Zones for the Olympic Games Paris 2024 here.

Moroccan NOC (CNOM)

In cooperation with the Moroccan Department for the Promotion of School Sport, the CNOM organised an Olympic visit on the sidelines of the National School Basketball Championships, held in mid-May in Mehdia. One of the aims of the visit was to raise awareness about the importance of sport and the Olympic values among young people. In addition, the CNOM, along with 73 other NOCs supported by Olympic Solidarity, took part in the 17^th International Session for National Olympic Academies and NOCs, organised by the International Olympic Academy (IOA) from 13 to 20 May in Olympia (Greece). More info at www.cnom.org.ma.

Oman Olympic Committee (OOC)

The OOC, represented by the Oman Sports Medicine Committee, organised a first aid and resuscitation course at the headquarters of Oman Olympic Academy from 20 to 22 May. The course provided participants with the knowledge and skills necessary to deal with sports injuries and emergency situations, including practical and theoretical exercises. There was also a distribution of cardiopulmonary resuscitation devices (AED) to sports federations and a number of sports committees as an initiative of the Oman Sports Medicine Committee to enhance their capabilities when dealing with emergency cases and providing immediate first aid at training and match venues to ensure the safety of athletes. More details here. During its meeting held on 19 May, the OOC Executive Office discussed several important topics, notably the review of the OOC’s proposal to establish Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) sports federations as the optimal framework for addressing the organisational and technical challenges of sports competitions in the GCC. Info at www.ooc.om.

NOC of Paraguay

A workshop was organised recently for athletes looking ahead to the Olympic Games Paris 2024 and the Pan American Youth Games Asunción 2025. Two themes were addressed: the use of marks, and doping. The workshop’s aim was to educate and inform the athletes on these subjects for the upcoming competitions. More details here. In addition, the 33 participants on the 2023 advanced sports management course received their diplomas in a ceremony organised in early May in the presence of NOC President and IOC Member Camilo Pérez López Moreira. The course was organised with the support of Olympic Solidarity. Info here.

Spanish NOC (COE)

As part of the licensing agreement between the IOC and Warner Bros. Discovery Global Consumer Products (WBDGCP), a special collection of Looney Tunes products has been created and recently unveiled for the Spanish team. The COE and WBDGCP have agreed to allow COE partner Joma to use the licence to create a special line of clothing on the Olympic theme. The collection was unveiled in the Parque Warner Madrid featuring a parade by various athletes. Full details here. Badminton player Carolina Marín will receive the Princess of Asturias Award for Sports 2024. Ms Marín, recently named “Queen of Europe” is an Olympic champion (Rio 2016), three-time world champion and seven-time European champion. Full details here, and here on the Spanish Badminton Federation’s website.

ORGANISING COMMITTEES FOR THE OLYMPIC GAMES

PARIS 2024

At the 77^th Cannes Film Festival, Paris 2024 and the IOC announced that brothers Jules and Gédéon Naudet have been selected to produce the Official Film of Paris 2024. For the first time, the film will be preceded by a documentary series inviting the people of France behind the scenes of the world’s largest sports event. The series will be broadcast on France Télévisions and produced by Eléphant Adventures. Over the course of five months, from 100 days to go until 8 September 2024, Jules and Gédéon Naudet are going behind the scenes of Paris 2024, following the athletes, partners and teams to produce an exclusive account of the organisation and presentation of the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad. Full news release here.

As part of its ongoing efforts to promote fairness, inclusion and respect for diversity, Pride House · Paris 2024 presented its legacy for more inclusive sport and a better way of “living together” to mark the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia on 17 May. As a legacy project of the Olympic Games Paris 2024, the Organising Committee and Fier-Play are committed to working together to harness the momentum of the Olympic and Paralympic Games to drive lasting social and cultural change in the French and global sporting landscape. The result is a collaboration that opens up new avenues to promote LGBTI+ inclusion in sport worldwide. Full news release here.

In addition, Paris 2024 has launched the official Games ticketing app, “Paris 2024 tickets”. The app, which can be downloaded onto smartphones, is the essential tool for downloading, transferring or even reselling tickets for the Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024. On competition day, only a ticket presented on the “Paris 2024 tickets” app will allow access to the venues. Full details here.

RECOGNISED ORGANISATIONS

Association of the National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA)

ANOCA President and IOC Member Mustapha Berraf has published a message about artificial intelligence (AI) in which he calls on all African NOCs to get on board. “Each NOC is a driver of development and must make progress in this area without wavering. I strongly urge you to follow the Olympic AI Agenda closely to fully grasp its import!” he wrote. Full text of the message here.

International Paralympic Committee (IPC)

To mark 100 days to go until the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, the IPC has launched a promotional film that addresses the romantic stereotypes of what some people think the Paralympics represent versus the brutal reality of high-performance sport. Paul McCartney’s 1984 seminal song We All Stand Together is the soundtrack for the film “The Paralympic Dream”, which, like the original music video, features stunning animated scenes. The advert, which also has a 30- and 15-second cut-down in English, has been made available in nine languages, and has an audio-described and subtitled version. More details here.

World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)

During the 19^th edition of the Asia/Oceania Region Intergovernmental Ministerial Meeting on Anti-Doping in Sport, held in Tashkent (Uzbekistan) on 22 and 23 May, WADA’s senior leadership team looked to the future of anti-doping in the region, encouraging the 34 countries represented to take bigger strides in bolstering their anti-doping programmes. At the conclusion of the meeting, the participating government officials, ministers and anti-doping stakeholders adopted a resolution pledging their support for the continued and sustained development of anti-doping programmes across the region. A key element of the resolution was the acknowledgement of the importance of not politicising the fight against doping in sport. Full details here. WADA has also published new Guidelines for Major Events. See news release here.