Organising Committees highlight Games preparation progress to IOC Session
The Organising Committees of the upcoming Olympic Games shared positive progress reports on their preparations with the 136th IOC Session earlier today.
Tokyo 2020, Beijing 2022, Paris 2024, Milano Cortina 2026 and Los Angeles 2028 detailed their achievements in recent months despite the challenges posed by the global COVID-19 pandemic.
Their reports highlighted opportunities that this unprecedented situation has presented, with each organisation considering ways to optimise Games delivery in line with the recommendations of Olympic Agenda 2020 and the New Norm, whilst also considering measures necessary to deliver safe and successful Games over the coming years.
Tokyo 2020
The Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee announced earlier that it has secured all venues for next year’s Games and subsequently confirmed the competition schedule. Read more here.
Beijing 2022
As Beijing enters its readiness phase, the Organising Committee highlighted several key areas of progress. It reported that the majority of venues were now complete, with several already hosting events. The three Olympic Villages, National Indoor Stadium and Capital Indoor Stadium are also on track to be finished by the end of this year.
Further success was illustrated through Beijing 2022’s volunteer programme, with over 840,000 people applying for a Games-time role since December 2019.
The team in Beijing also noted the progress of their commercial activities, with more than 30 local partners already engaged and nearly 2,000 official products licensed so far.
Paris 2024
Paris 2024 provided updates on several venues, with planning and preparatory work already underway on the permanent venues to be constructed. The organisers detailed the appointment of a developer for the Aquatics Centre (diving, water polo and artistic swimming) and La Chapelle Arena (badminton), formerly the Paris Arena 2. Another highlight was the optimisation of the Olympic Village, reducing the total capacity down from 17,000 beds at previous Games to 14,250 after consultation with National Olympic Committees.
Paris 2024 also outlined its commercial progress, having confirmed three new marketing programme partners since the 134th Session last year – EDF, FDJ and Le Coq Sportif.
The organisers presented their engagement strategy, delivered through two dedicated programmes – “Terre de Jeux 2024” for institutional partners, and “Le Club Paris 2024”, which targets the general public through an online platform. In 2020 alone, Paris 2024’s initiatives have already reached nearly half a million people through a schools project that promotes cross-cultural awareness.
Milano Cortina 2026
Milano Cortina provided the Session with an insight into the development of the organisation following the transition from a candidate city into a fully operational Organising Committee.
The organisers also detailed the extensive knowledge-sharing process they have been undertaking with the IOC. Such support has helped them develop their organisational structure, key priorities for the coming months and, looking ahead, their sustainability and legacy strategy.
The Milano Cortina team have also been collaborating with the IOC on their Games masterplan, working closely with all of the regions that will host events in 2026, and through regular communications with delivery partners.
In parallel, the Milano Cortina organisers have been developing their digital platforms, updating their website and launching their social media channels as they continue to build engagement.
Los Angeles 2028
The Los Angeles 2028 Organising Committee team are also continuing to build their organisation. With 65 employees across three offices, they have been busy reviewing their Games plan, progressing venue use guarantees and increasing commercial support. The latter was highlighted by the announcement of their first “Founding Partner”, Delta Air Lines, earlier this year.
Further engagement activities were also detailed by the Los Angeles 2028 organisers as they remain determined to deliver on their youth sports promise. As a part of the Tripartite Agreement negotiations, LA 2028 and the IOC agreed that up to USD 160 million would be invested in local youth sports in the decade leading up to the Games. But in response to COVID-19, the City of Los Angeles temporarily closed recreation facilities, so the start of the programme is currently on hold.
You can find the documents related to the 136th Session of the IOC here.