Olympic Highlights

IOC ACTIVITIES

PRESIDENT

During a visit to Tokyo, Japan, President Bach was invited for an audience with His Imperial Majesty Emperor Akihito. The Emperor and Empress congratulated the IOC on the great success of the Olympic Games Rio 2016 and appreciated particularly the first-ever Refugee Olympic Team. They also discussed the preparations for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. The Emperor and Empress were also pleased to hear of proposals to hold some of the sporting events from the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 in the disaster-affected area of the country.

In a meeting with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, President Bach discussed the proposal of the IOC to stage some events of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 in the area affected by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, to the north of Tokyo. Prime Minister Abe said that he strongly welcomed the idea. The proposal will now be discussed further by the IOC Executive Board and the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee to bring forward a concrete proposal. Prime Minister Abe also welcomed the plan for a four-party working group to identify cost savings for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 (see below).

During a visit to the Governor of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, President Bach proposed a four-party working group to identify potential cost savings for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. Meeting with President Bach, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike agreed on the four-party talks, which will involve the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, the International Olympic Committee, the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee and the Japanese Government. President Bach said he was “fully committed to having Games in a sustainable and feasible way” and he was sure that “significant savings” could be made on the figures contained in an interim report by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. IOC Vice-President and Chair of the IOC Coordination Commission for Tokyo 2020 John Coates added that he was confident that by working together with the Governor, the Organising Committee and the national government, these figures could be reduced.

President Bach went on to a meeting with Hirokazu Matsuno, Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, who welcomed and supported the proposals from the Olympic Summit for reforms in the fight against doping and the World Anti-Doping Agency. He also met the Olympic and Paralympic Minister, Tamayo Marukawa. Both Ministers stressed the need for all parties to work together for sustainable and successful Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.

Speaking at the World Forum on Sport and Culture in Tokyo, President Bach emphasised that the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 can be a “transformational moment for all of Japan.” In his speech, he highlighted the legacies of the Olympic Games in the most recent host cities of Rio de Janeiro and London, and went on to say that by applying the principles of Olympic Agenda 2020, Japan has all the important elements in place to deliver on its commitment to stage innovative and modern Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. President of the International Paralympic Committee and IOC Member Sir Phil Craven also spoke at the event, while IOC Member Anand Singh participated in the cultural session of the World Forum on Sport and Culture.

Visiting the headquarters of the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee, President Bach praised the staff for the preparations and reiterated the IOC’s close support in the run-up to the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. Yoshiro Mori, President of the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee, stressed the strong working relationship and cooperation between the IOC and Tokyo 2020. During the visit he was also accompanied by IOC Member Alex Gilady in his capacity as Vice-Chair of the Coordination Commission for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.

President Bach congratulated the Japanese Olympic Committee on the success of the Japanese Olympic Team at the Olympic Games Rio 2016, where the Japanese athletes won a record 41 medals.

During the visit to Japan, President Bach met with several TOP Partners: Bridgestone CEO and Chairman of the Board Masaaki Tsuya, Panasonic President Kazuhiro Tsuga and Toyota President and CEO Akio Toyoda. All three congratulated the President on the success of the Olympic Games Rio 2016 and expressed their full commitment to the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.

He also met with a number of the local Tokyo 2020 sponsors, thanking them for their support and commitment to the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. He highlighted that Tokyo 2020 has achieved unprecedented sponsorship success since launching its commercial programme.

While in Tokyo, President Bach received Honorary Doctorate degrees from Tsukuba University and Nippon Sport Science University, respectively.

Throughout the visit to Japan, President Bach was accompanied by IOC Vice-President and Chair of the Coordination Commission for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 John Coates and President of the Japanese Olympic Committee and IOC Member Tsunekazu Takeda.

Commissions

Four development grants have been awarded by the Sport and Active Society Commission, chaired by IOC Member Sam Ramsamy, to organisations running effective sport for all programmes in their communities. The winners are:
- Boxgirls International, which uses boxing as a catalyst for social change and a tool of empowerment for women and girls.
- Dreamfields Project, which provides townships and rural schools across South Africa with the necessary tools and equipment to play football.
- Salaam Bombay Foundation, which engages with 50,000 Indian children, building their self-esteem and developing their life skills with the help of sport.
- Shooting Touch, which uses the power of basketball to educate and empower at-risk young people and the communities in which they live.
A case study detailing the projects and programmes of each of the winners will be added to the IOC’s Get Moving Toolkit. Read the full announcement here.

Four Olympians have been appointed by the IOC President as members of the Athletes’ Commission, following their candidature for the elections of the Athletes’ Commission during the Olympic Games Rio 2016, and in consultation with the Chair, Angela Ruggiero. Taekwondoist Nadin Dawani (JOR), modern pentathlete Aya Medany (EGY), badminton player Saina Nehwal (IND) and basketball player Luis Scola (ARG) join 16 other members, including four athletes who were recently democratically elected by their peers at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, to form the IOC Athletes’ Commission. Read the full announcement here.

The IOC has learned of the death of Maurizio Tecardi, a longstanding Member of the Olympic Philately, Numismatic and Memorabilia Commission. For his dedication to the Olympic Movement, he was awarded the IOC President’s Trophy in 2013 by then-IOC President Jacques Rogge.

Other Olympic News

The IOC announced on 18 October that two athletes have been sanctioned for failing anti-doping tests at the Olympic Games London 2012. Apti Aukhadov (RUS), competing in the men’s 85kg weightlifting event, has been disqualified from the Olympic Games London 2012, in which he ranked second and was awarded the silver medal. Re-analysis of Aukhadov’s samples from London 2012 resulted in a positive test for the prohibited substances Dehydrochlormethyltestosterone (turinabol) and Drostanolone. Maksym Mazuryk (UKR), competing in the men’s pole vault event (qualification, group A), has been disqualified from the Olympic Games London 2012, in which he ranked 18th. Re-analysis of Mazuryk’s samples from London 2012 resulted in a positive test for the prohibited substance dehydrochlormethyltestosterone (turinabol). Read the full announcement here.

international sports federations

Summer IFs

The 185th Congress of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) voted in favour of a revised UCI Constitution that sets out new democratic processes, including the restriction of the number of terms of office for the President (to three). The UCI becomes one of the first International Federations to formally adopt this limit. Read the full announcement here.

A delegation from the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) recently visited Indonesia ahead of the XVIII Asian Games due to take place in Jakarta in 2018. The delegation, consisting of FEI Secretary General Sabrina Ibáñez, Olympic Director Catrin Norinder and Director of Games and Championships Tim Hadaway, met with representatives of the Indonesian Olympic Committee, the Organising Committee for the 2018 Asian Games and the Indonesian Equestrian Federation PORDASI to discuss the development of the Games’ equestrian venue.

Morinari Watanabe has been named as the next President of the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) after his election victory at the FIG Congress in Tokyo. Mr Watanabe, currently Secretary General of the Japan Gymnastics Association and an FIG Executive Committee member, will take up his new position on 1 January 2017, succeeding Bruno Grandi, who has led the FIG for 20 years. Read the full announcement here. Speaking at the FIG Congress, IOC President Thomas Bach paid tribute to the outgoing FIG President, Bruno Grandi, and presented him with the IOC President’s Trophy to honour his contribution to sport. The full story is available here.

United World Wrestling (UWW) has announced that the 2018 and 2019 Wrestling World Championships will be scheduled for the month of October instead of late August or early September. Read the full announcement here.

The International Swimming Federation (FINA) has announced the FINA Men’s Water Polo World League 2017 European preliminaries calendar. See the full calendar here.

The International Modern Pentathlon Union (UIPM) has launched its first Coaches Certification Programme, an educational pillar aimed at making coaching careers in the sport more sustainable.

The International Triathlon Union (ITU) has confirmed its newly elected Athlete’s Committee, which includes 10 representatives from nine countries. Read the full announcement here.

Winter IFs

The International Skating Union (ISU) is restructuring its Development Programme, following the decision of the 56th Ordinary ISU Congress to create a new Development Commission. The ISU Council has made it a priority to appoint three ISU Development Commission members and to review the policy and operating structure of the ISU Development Programme. The full story is available here.

Recognised IFs

The International Surfing Association (ISA) has announced that it has awarded USD 20,000 scholarships to 35 young surfers from 21 countries around the world as part of the 2016 ISA Scholarship Programme. The ISA Scholarship Programme offers financial aid to surfers who are under 18 years old to further their education, pay for travel to surf contests, pay for contest fees and upgrade their surfing equipment. Athletes are considered based on their needs as well as their dedication to surfing and academic performance. Read the full announcement here.

nationaL olympiC COMMITTEES

The NOC of Azerbaijan has launched an Olympic education initiative to spread the Olympic values and key messages of Olympic Agenda 2020 to communities throughout the country. The first event took place at the Azerbaijan State Academy of Physical Culture and Sport, where Olympic medallist Rustam Orujov shared his experience of the Olympic Games and his views on the future of the Olympic Movement with over 50 students and young people. The NOC of Azerbaijan will continue to take this initiative to other parts of the country through similar events and presentations.

The Brazilian Olympic Committee recently held the 15th event of its social programme “COB in the Communities” at the Alemão Complex in the Santa Cruz neighbourhood of Rio de Janeiro. Supported by Olympic Solidarity, the programme brings sport and Olympic education to children from poor communities. About 150 children took part in the event, where they watched a theatrical performance on the history of the Olympic Games and the importance of the Olympic values in addition to participating in sports clinics. Read more about the event here.

Over 200 athletes and guests participated in the first-ever Career Exhibition for local athletes, called the “HKACEP Athletes Career Exhibition”, held at Olympic House, in Hong Kong, China. In order to facilitate athletes’ smooth career transformation upon their athletic retirement as well as to strengthen the connection between athletes and their potential employers, over 20 corporates from different industries took part in the exhibition, providing the latest job market information and job opportunities through career-related seminars and workshops. The full story is available here on the website of the Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China.

The Japanese Olympic Committee has announced that two JOC Honorary Members and Olympians of the Olympic Games Tokyo 1964, Kiyoko Ono and Saburo Kawabuchi were awarded the Olympic Order for their outstanding service to the Olympic Movement. The Olympic Order was presented by IOC President Thomas Bach, during his visit to Tokyo.

The IOC has learned that US hurdler Simone Schaller, who competed in the 1932 and 1936 Olympic Games, has died at the age of 104. She was believed to have been the oldest living Olympian.

The Uruguayan Olympic Committee recently held a workshop to support athletes transitioning from the sporting career to working life. Held in cooperation with Adecco, the workshop provided the participants with expert advice on the training and skills needed to prepare for the workplace outside of sport. More info at www.cou.org.uy.

ORGANISING COMMITTEES FOR THE OLYMPIC GAMES

PYEONGCHANG 2018

The President of the PyeongChang 2018 Organising Committee, Lee Hee-beom, recently participated in the first World Winter Sports Expo and Forum in Beijing to build strong partnerships for the Olympic Games (see photo above). He delivered the keynote address for the event and met with Guo Jinlong, President of the Beijing 2022 Organising Committee, and Liu Peng, President of the Chinese NOC, to discuss plans to strengthen cooperation among the Organising Committees of PyeongChang, Tokyo and Beijing. Read the full story here.

Tokyo 2020

The Organising Committee for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 recently hosted a “Tokyo 2020 New Sport Support Kickoff Event” to promote the five new sports that were added to the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 this August. The event was held on the same day as the 50th anniversary of the creation of the National Sport and Health Day in Japan, and is part of the Tokyo 2020 Official Programme of sport and health. Read the full announcement here.
A Kick-Off Event was held jointly by the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, the Arts Council Tokyo and Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd. to launch the programme of cultural activities of the Tokyo 2020 Cultural Olympiad, a festival of Japanese culture that will run from October 2016 up to the close of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. Read the full story here.

Recognised Organisations

More than 50 representatives from the 28 Summer Olympic IFs and the new sports to be added to the Olympic programme in 2020, met at The Olympic Museum in Lausanne, to share with the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF) and the IOC their experience and feedback from the Olympic Games Rio 2016. Led by ASOIF and chaired by President Francesco Ricci Bitti, the meeting offered the chance to debrief about opportunities and challenges faced by the IFs in the run-up to and during the most recent Olympic Games, thereby identifying important learnings for the future. A small delegation from Tokyo 2020 participated as observers. Read the full story here.

At a recent ceremony in Ancient Olympia, the International Olympic Academy (IOA) celebrated Olympism together with the Hellenic Olympic Team (see photo above). In the presence of Olympic medallists Anna Korakaki, Spyros Gianniotis, Kostas Filippidis and many other athletes who competed at the Olympic Games Rio 2016, the IOA honoured the athletes not only for their sporting success, but also their exemplary behaviour during their stay in Brazil. Read the full story here.

Generations for Peace has announced a new programme to scale up its peace-building activities in Tunisia. The two-year programme, entitled ‘Youth Resolve: Strengthening Youth Resilience to Violent Extremism in Tunisia through Positive Sport and Arts Alternatives’, is being implemented in partnership with the Tunisian Youth Development Academy, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Youth and Sports. Generations for Peace is a Jordan-based global non-profit organisation founded by HRH Prince Feisal Al Hussein and Sarah Kabbani, dedicated to sustainable peace-building and conflict transformation through sport, arts, advocacy, dialogue and empowerment. Read the full announcement here.

During the 38th Congress of the International Workers and Amateurs in Sports Confederation (CSIT) in Riga (Latvia), Italian Bruno Molea was appointed as new CSIT President. He took over the presidency of Austrian Harald Bauer, who resigned due to business reasons. Bauer, CSIT President since 2008, recently signed a contract as CEO of the Austrian “Sporthilfe”, an organisation for sponsoring top Austrian athletes. More info at www.csit.tv.