Olympic Highlights
IOC ACTIVITIES
PRESIDENT
The IOC President, Thomas Bach, met the Turkish Sports Minister, Akif Çağatay Kılıç, accompanied by IOC Vice-President Uğur Erdener, his adviser Iskender Okay and Turkish Spor Toto President Mehmet Muharrem Kasapoğlu. The two leaders discussed the role of sport in society. The Turkish Minister commended the IOC President on the success of the Olympic Games Rio 2016. For his part, President Bach congratulated the Minister on the performances of the Turkish Olympic team. Both agreed to cooperate on refugee issues.
At the inauguration of the House of European Athletics in Lausanne, the IOC President highlighted the excellent relations and cooperation between the two institutions, and called on the European Athletic Association (EAA) to continue to embrace change in order to meet the challenges and seize the opportunities that exist in athletics today. The IOC President was welcomed at the new EAA headquarters by the President of the Association, Svein Arne Hansen, in the presence of the Senior Vice President of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) and IOC EB Member, Sergey Bubka, as well as the State Councillor of the Canton de Vaud, Philippe Leuba, and the Deputy Mayor of Lausanne in charge of sports, Oscar Tosato.
The IOC President met representatives from the Worldwide Olympic Partners at the TOP Leadership Group meeting at The Olympic Museum. The President underlined the important role the Partners play in supporting the Olympic Movement and thanked them for their critical support particularly in the lead up to the Olympic Games Rio 2016. The Partners congratulated the President on the success of the Olympic Games Rio 2016 and expressed their commitment to ensure that the Olympic Games and the Olympic Movement are truly global. During the meeting, the Partners debriefed Rio 2016 and discussed preparations for future Olympic Games and Youth Olympic Games, as well as Olympic Agenda 2020, sustainability initiatives, IOC Athlete programmes, Olympic Channel, and social media opportunities.
The President held meetings with Jean-Claude Killy and Guy Canivet, Vice-Chair of the IOC Ethics Commission, with whom he discussed various subjects.
He also met with new IOC Members, also members of the IOC Athletes’ Commission, Sarah Walker, Britta Heidemann, Yelena Isinbayeva and Seung Min Ryu. Together with the Chair of the Athletes’ Commission, Angela Ruggiero, President Bach held a meeting with the newly appointed members of the Commission, Aya Medany, Nadin Dawani and Patrick Singleton, the new representative of the World Olympians Association.
During a meeting with the IOC Athletes’ Commission, the IOC President explained the success of the Olympic Games Rio 2016. The Olympic Channel and the Refugee Olympic Team were also discussed as well as the Olympic Summit proposal for the reform of the anti-doping system and the IOC`s decision for the protection of clean athletes ahead of the Olympic Games Rio 2016, especially in regard to the participation of the Russian Athletes.
Jacques De Navacelle, great-grandnephew of Pierre de Coubertin, met the IOC President and gave him an update on the founding of an association by the Coubertin family. The excellent cooperation between the IOC and the Coubertin family was also highlighted.
President Bach also welcomed Michael Mronz, General Manager of the Aachen-Laurensberger Rennverein e.V., organisers of the International Equestrian Event, CHIO Aachen (Germany).
President Bach hosted the dinner for the IOC Medical and Scientific Commission and the IOC Athletes’ Commission.
HONORARY MEMBERS
Lassana Palenfo (right) was awarded the gold medal of the International Judo Federation (IJF) by Federation President Marius Vizer (left), in recognition of his commitment and significant contribution to the practice and promotion of the sport. Lassana Palenfo was President of the African Judo Union for many years and stepped down ahead of the Olympic Games Rio 2016. Read the full press release here.
COMMISSIONS
During their third visit to Buenos Aires, the members of the Coordination Commission for the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in 2018, chaired by Frank Fredericks, took part in an idea-sharing session on the YOG with a group of young Argentinean athletes who have been providing guidance to the Organising Committee (BAYOGOC) from the outset, to help push the boundaries on innovation and to ensure the Games are not only for young people, but also by young people. During the two days of meetings, the Commission approved the revised venue master plan, comprising four parks, which will bring sport and the YOG to people all across the city. Read the full press release here.
The first visit of the Coordination Commission for the Winter Youth Olympic Games Lausanne 2020, chaired by Danka Bartekova, ended on a high note, with preparations deemed well under way just over a year since the city was elected. On the programme were two days of debriefing and workshops at the University of Lausanne between the organisers of Lillehammer 2016 and Lausanne 2020, which included various levels of government, the Swiss NOC and public authorities from the Swiss and French hosts. Read the full press release here.
OTHER OLYMPIC NEWS
Kenyan athlete Tegla Loroupe, one of the greatest female long-distance runners in history, was recently honoured as the 2016 UN Person of the Year in Kenya, for her work in support of peace, women’s rights and education. This distinction recognises her exemplary career, which includes her role as Chef de Mission of the IOC’s Refugee Olympic Team at the Olympic Games Rio 2016. In Brazil, Tegla Loroupe was a guide and mentor for the 10 athletes of the first-ever Refugee Olympic Team created by the IOC. Read the full press release here.
Lord Michael Bates, a member of the International Olympic Truce Foundation (IOTF), has been appointed Minister of State at the Department for International Development of the British Government. For each edition of the Olympic Games, Lord Bates embarks on a walk from Olympia to the host city, to promote the Olympic Truce during the Games.
Preparing Buenos Aires for the YOG in 2018 and protecting the integrity of sport throughout Argentina were the focus of a National Integrity in Sport Workshop held jointly by the IOC and INTERPOL in Buenos Aires on 20 October 2016 (see photo above). A Train the Trainer Workshop was organised on 21 October for representatives of more than 20 Argentinian National Sports Federations, empowering them to deliver integrity training to athletes, referees, officials and coaches. Read the full press release here.
INTERNATIONAL SPORTS FEDERATIONS
SUMMER IFS
Representatives from 11 National Federations took part in a meeting about the Basketball World Cup 2023 and its bidding process (see photo above). The Central Board of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) will announce the host of the tournament in late 2017. Read the full press release here.
United World Wrestling (UWW) recently held a number of wrestling coaching courses (level 1) in Buenos Aires, Canberra (Australia) and, for the first time, Pyongyang (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) (see photo above). The courses were organised in collaboration with the respective National Federations and NOCs under the banner of the Wrestling Academy. A total of 54 male and female participants attended the course, including many Olympians and several Olympic Solidarity scholarship holders. More info on www.unitedworldwrestling.org
The International Swimming Federation (FINA) has announced the dates of the women's European tournament of the FINA Water Polo World League 2017 and the calendar for the seven stages of the Marathon Swimming World Cup 2017 (in open water). More info on www.fina.org
World Sailing has announced that five sailors have been elected to its Athletes’ Commission following a vote by their peers who competed at the Olympic Games Rio 2016. They will serve a term of eight years on the Commission, from 2016 to 2024. Read the full press release on www.sailing.org
WINTER IFS
The World Curling Federation (WCF) has announced that five new members have been appointed to its Athletes’ Commission. Read more about them here.
Twenty-two young athletes from 12 countries have been taking part in a 30-day training camp at the Stubai and Hintertux glaciers in Tirol, Austria, since 16 October. Under the framework of the International Ski Federation (FIS) Development Programme, the training camp is conducted on a yearly basis and brings together young athletes from National Ski Associations for an entire month. Read the full press release here.
NATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEES
For the sixth consecutive year, the Argentinean NOC accompanied more than 10,000 women taking part in the 2016 edition of the 5km race “Women Run” in Buenos Aires, organised by Worldwide TOP Partner McDonald’s (see photo above). Olympic athletes including Olympic sailing champion Cecilia Carranza Saroli were in attendance and met the participants. Read the full press release here.
The Azerbaijan NOC continues to promote the Olympic values and the key messages of Olympic Agenda 2020 to communities in the country. In this context, athletes who competed at the Olympic Games Rio 2016 gave a press conference and took part in a meeting at Baku State University. The athletes shared their experiences from the Games with students (see photo above).
At the end of October, nearly 250 Belgian athletes who took part in the Olympic and Paralympic Games Rio 2016 were received at the Royal Palace of Laeken by King Philippe, Queen Mathilde and Princess Astrid. Also present at the reception were Belgian NOC President and IOC Member Pierre-Olivier Beckers-Vieujant, NOC Secretary General Philippe Vander Putten, Chef de Mission Eddy De Smedt and various sports federation presidents. Read the full press release here.
An agreement signed by the Sergio Arboleda University in Bogotá and the Colombian NOC will launch the first International Master’s in Sports Law from the second half of 2017, in collaboration with the University of Lleida (Spain). The announcement was made in late October by the Rector of Sergio Arboleda University, Rodrigo Noguera (right), and NOC President Baltazar Medina (left). Read the full press release here.
The El Salvador NOC has reported that nearly 100 children aged between 2 and 8 took part in the El Salvador Special Olympiads Young Athletes’ Programme. The programme featured motor skills exercises and a range of sports and activities. Read the full press release here.
The Hellenic Olympic Committee (HOC) paid tribute to the lighting and handover ceremonies of the Olympic flame team at a ceremony held at the HOC headquarters. HOC President Spyros Capralos (right) and HOC members thanked all the members of the team, including High Priestess Katerina Lehou, choreographer Artemis Ignatiou (left), composer Yiannis Psimadas and assistant choreographer Alexandra Nikolopoulou. More info on www.hoc.gr
The Lithuanian NOC has signed an agreement on the organisation of a pre-Games training camp for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 with the prefectural government authorities of Kanagawa and Hiratsuka City (see photo above). The NOC will also take part in exchange programmes with local communities. The Lithuanian NOC is one of the first NOCs to sign such an agreement with a partner city in Japan. More info on www.ltok.lt
The President of the Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee, Hong-Dow Lin (left), awarded the IOC Trophy for Sport and Innovation to the Agency of Corrections, Ministry of Justice, in recognition of its contribution to the development of sport for all in the country. The agency organises badminton courses at Taipei Juvenile Detention House and basketball courses in other juvenile detention facilities across the country. The aim of the programme is to encourage the young people at these correction facilities to learn about teamwork and positive attitudes in life through sport. More info on www.tpenoc.net
Under the auspices of Olympic Solidarity, a level 3 tennis coaching course was successfully organised by the Uruguayan NOC and the Uruguayan Tennis Association. Led by Richard González, tutor of international courses for the International Tennis Federation (ITF), the programme brought together participants from Uruguay and other South American countries. Read the full press release here.
The Olympic Festival of the Venezuelan NOC began on 28 October in Caracas (see photo above), and will be held in a number of other cities throughout the country until 12 November. On the agenda are activities and events in 17 sports organised by the NOC, in collaboration with the national sports federations. Several top-class athletes will be taking part in the Festival.
RECOGNISED Organisations
As part of the partnership between Generations For Peace and Worldwide TOP Partner Samsung, a sixth international training programme for Generations For Peace volunteers recently concluded in Amman (Jordan). Thirty-five participants from eight countries were able to hone their skills in order to strengthen their future programmes, which benefit children, young people and adults by reducing violence and transforming conflict in their communities through sport. Read the full press release here.