Olympic Highlights 30/01/2023
IOC ACTIVITIES
PRESIDENT
On 25 January, IOC President Thomas Bach chaired a meeting of the IOC Executive Board (EB), which was held remotely from Olympic House. The EB met to consider the unanimous conclusions of the Olympic Summit (9 December 2022), which comprises the leaders of all the stakeholder groups of the Olympic Movement and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC). Following this Summit, consultation calls were held with the IOC Members, the global network of athletes’ representatives, the IFs and the NOCs on 17 and 19 January 2023. The discussions had three parts: first, the sanctions against the Russian and Belarusian State and Government; second, the solidarity of the Olympic Movement with the Ukrainian athletes and the Ukrainian Olympic community; third, the possible access to sports competitions for individual athletes with Russian or Belarusian passports. Read here the full text of the declaration following the discussions.
The IOC President was in Oberhof (Germany) on 27 and 28 January for the Luge World Championships. Accompanied by International Luge Federation (FIL) President Einars Fogelis, he attended several events and spoke to a number of athletes from many nations, including Leon Felderer (Italy) from the newly elected FIL Athletes’ Commission.
President Bach attended a dinner with the FIL President and the FIL Honorary President, Josef Fendt, during which they discussed the preparations for the upcoming Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, the Winter Youth Olympic Games Gangwon 2024 and the sustainability and legacy efforts by the IOC and FIL.
Earlier during the week, President Bach had a meeting with International Judo Federation (IJF) President Marius Vizer. They discussed the preparations for the Olympic Games Paris 2024 and the unanimous conclusions of the Olympic Summit.
At Olympic House, the IOC President welcomed the members of the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) Presidential Commission: FIG President and IOC Member Morinari Watanabe and the three FIG Vice-Presidents, Ali Al-Hitmi, Nellie Kim and Suat Celen.
President Bach discussed a wide range of Olympic topics with IOC Member Jiri Kejval, who is Chair of the IOC Revenues and Commercial Partnerships Commission.
Also at Olympic House, the President met participants of the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB)’s International Leadership Programme (LEAP). This programme aims to help German sports officials and athletes obtain senior positions in international sports organisations. For the second module of the programme, the participants were in Lausanne, where they toured the headquarters of the IOC, the IFs and other institutions to understanding the structure and functioning of the international sports system. Among the participants were five Olympians who signed the Olympians Wall before being presented with their diplomas and OLY insignia by the IOC President: Fritz Dopfer (Alpine skiing), Martina Ertl (Alpine skiing, three Olympic medals), Marion Rodewald (field hockey, one Olympic gold medal), Reka Szabo (fencing, two Olympic medals) and Lenka Dienstbach-Wech (rowing).
The IOC President also met with the Professors Robert (Bob) Barney (University of Western Ontario) and Stephen Wenn (Wilfrid Laurier University), Canada. They discussed their latest book project on the topic of the postponed Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.
President Bach welcomed French Olympic historian Jean Durry – founder of the French National Sports Museum and author of several works about Pierre de Coubertin – to Olympic House. Jean Durry presented the final version of Volume 2 of his latest work, “Coubertin autographe – 1915 - 1937”.
IOC HONORARY MEMBERS
On 28 January, the IOC learned with profound sadness of the death of IOC Honorary Member Phillip Walter Coles, AM, at the age of 91. Coles represented Australia in canoe sprint at three editions of the Olympic Games - Rome 1960, Tokyo 1964, where he captained the team, and Mexico City 1968. He devoted his entire life to the Olympic Movement in Australia and beyond. In 1973, he became a member of the Executive Board of the Australian Olympic Committee, and was one of the Foundation members of the Executive Board of the Oceania National Olympic Committees (ONOC) in 1981. The IOC President said: “Phil Coles was a man who always cared about the athletes in all his different functions. Their interests were always in his mind and in his heart. He was key to getting an Australian Olympic Team to the Olympic Games Moscow 1980 against all requests for a boycott. It made him proud for the rest of his life to have led these athletes into the Olympic Stadium.” Elected as an IOC Member in 1982, he contributed actively to a wide range of IOC commissions. Read the full news release here.
OTHER OLYMPIC NEWS
The Beijing Olympic Museum (BJOM), which commemorates both the Olympic Summer Games 2008 and the Olympic Winter Games 2022, has joined the global Olympic Museums Network (OMN) as its 33rd member. Located inside the “Bird’s Nest” (National Stadium), the BJOM boasts 34,500 square metres of multi-media exhibits and displays that transport visitors into the history, sporting culture and Olympic legacy of Beijing. Full news release here.
While great strides have been made to balance the number of male and female athletes participating in the Olympic Games, the number of female coaches at elite level remains remarkably low. A new series will highlight the various initiatives taken by the IOC to tackle this important issue and share the journeys of inspirational women coaches who are beating the odds and proving that “if she believes it, she can be it”. In the first article of the series, the IOC speaks to canoe coach and two-time Olympian Myriam Fox-Jerusalmi, who has called for more female coaches at elite level. Read the interview here.
INTERNATIONAL FEDERATIONS
SUMMER IFS
Union Cycliste Internationale
More than 60 Event Safety Managers for the world’s major road cycling races gathered recently at the UCI World Cycling Centre in Aigle, Switzerland, for the first dedicated courses and exam for people in this role. UCI experts led sessions on a wide range of topics, including race course preparation, start and finish venues, rider safety, convoy and regulators, medical services, “Radio-Tour”, and safety topics related to TV production. Detailed info here.
Fédération Internationale de Football Association
FIFA has launched FIFA Digital Skills, an educational programme designed to develop the expertise of professionals in the global football community on all things digital, through a dedicated e-learning platform and a series of live masterclasses. Representatives from FIFA’s 211 member associations now have access to masterclasses from some of the world’s biggest and most innovative brands. Through the platform’s peer-to-peer learning function, users can also host tailored sessions focused on their own experiences. Full info here. In addition, FIFA has announced that in 2022, almost 400,000 visitors from over 135 different countries visited the FIFA Museum in Switzerland and internationally. Full details here.
World Sailing
World Sailing has announced that the host venue of the 2023 Youth Sailing World Championships will be the coastal resort town of Armação dos Búzios, Brazil, and the 2024 edition is being planned for Lake Garda, Italy. The 2023 edition will take place from 8 to 16 December 2023, the 2024 edition from 13 to 20 July 2024. More info here.
WINTER IFS
World Curling Federation
Former WCF President, Kate Caithness CBE has become the first recipient of the newly created “Honorary Member of the World Curling Federation” title. This new honorific is a gift that may be offered by the WCF Board, and can be awarded to those who have given outstanding service to the Federation and have completed their full term on the Board. Full details here.
NATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEES
NOC of Argentina
The French versions of Olympic Education Guides 1 and 2 have been launched by the NOC of Argentina. With the English and Spanish editions already available, this new educational material has been released as part of the NOC’s 100-year anniversary celebrations. The launch of the French version was inspired by two of the major upcoming international sporting events to be taking place in French-speaking countries: the Olympic Games Paris 2024 and the Youth Olympic Games Dakar 2026. The Guides can be accessed and downloaded free of charge. More details here.
Dominican Republic NOC
To raise more awareness about the Olympic Solidarity programmes, the Executive Committee of the Dominican Republic NOC has decided to organise information sessions for national sports federations. One such session was held recently at the NOC headquarters. It was led by Luis Chanlatte, the NOC Secretary General and Executive Director of the NOC’s Olympic Solidarity programme. Presentations were given, among other things, about the programme’s activities and benefits, the Olympic scholarships for athletes and coaches, and courses for sports leaders.
NOC of Portugal
More than 100 athletes and coaches attended the 2023 National Meeting of Olympic Hopes, organised by the NOC of Portugal on 21 and 22 January at the High Performance Centre in Jamor. The meeting aimed to prepare young hopefuls for the Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028 and Brisbane 2032. Patrícia Mamona, triple jump Olympic silver medallist at Tokyo 2020, and Telma Monteiro, judo Olympic bronze medallist at Rio 2016, were present to share their Olympic experiences and inspire all those attending. On the first day, athletes took part in activities related to Olympic education, integrity, nutrition, communication and the fight against doping. The coaches participated in the “Olympic Hopes” seminar and the “Evaluation and Control of Training” workshop. On the second day, evaluation and training control tests were carried out for the athletes in the laboratory at the Centre. More details here.
Spanish NOC
The Spanish NOC has become the first partner of the Olympic World Library (OWL), the online library managed by the IOC Olympic Studies Centre that serves as a library catalogue, an information portal and a search engine entirely devoted to Olympic knowledge. With more than 36,000 titles and 11,500 digital documents, the OWL is the number one resource for Olympic knowledge, and gives access to all publications by the IOC, the Organising Committees of the Olympic Games as well as a large collection academic books and articles on all Olympic themes. The NOC President, Alejandro Blanco, and the President of the Spanish Olympic Academy, Raúl Chapado, were behind the agreement, which sees the Academy become the first organisation in the world to join the OWL. More details here.
ORGANISING COMMITTEES FOR THE OLYMPIC GAMES
PARIS 2024
True to its ambition to open the Games to as many people as possible, Paris 2024 has created a number of initiatives so that those who may normally miss out on major sporting and cultural events can attend the Games in person. Paris 2024 is launching a charitable ticketing scheme in partnership with the French charity Secours Populaire. Everyone who buys tickets for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games will have the opportunity to donate EUR 2 to enable people living in low-income households to experience this unique event for themselves in 2024. Read the full news release here.
RECOGNISED ORGANISATIONS
World Antidoping Agency
During a WADA forum, graciously co-hosted by the Government of Jamaica in Kingston, WADA called on sports ministers and other government representatives from countries across the Caribbean to collaborate more to strengthen anti-doping efforts in the region. Featuring representatives from 13 countries, including nine sports ministers, senior representatives from four other nations and the Caribbean Regional Anti-Doping Organisation, the forum was part of a series of such events that WADA has been holding to gather and exchange views with governments around the world. News release here.