Over 1,600 participants from all walks of life are to take part this week in the Olympism in Action Forum taking place on 5 and 6 October in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The Olympism in Action Forum is a direct result of the Olympic Agenda 2020 reforms and takes place ahead of the Youth Olympic Games […]
via Olympism in Action Forum To Look At Trends That Affect Future Of Sport — finixsportsblog
The IOC and McDonald’s have announced that they have mutually agreed to bring their Worldwide TOP Partnership to an end. Timo Lumme, Managing Director of IOC Television and Marketing Services, said: The IOCs sponsorship strategy is aimed at delivering long-term partnerships that help the Olympic Movement achieve the objectives set out in Olympic Agenda 2020, […]
via IOC and McDonald’s mutually agree to end Worldwide TOP Partnership — newfanzoneblog
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) today announced that it has taken an important step forward in the protection of athletes from harassment and abuse in sport in time for this summers Olympic Games Rio 2016. In line with the reforms of Olympic Agenda 2020 to strengthen support to athletes, and following the recommendations of four […]
via IOC Implements Measures To Safeguard Athletes From Harassment and Abuse in Sport — newfanzoneblog
The series of National Federations’ Conferences, organised by The World Rowing Federation, FISA, continued with the fifth edition taking place in London yesterday, 6 March. More than 80 delegates representing 59 National Federations attended to discuss changes to the rules and governance of rowing which will be crucial to ensure the healthy future of the sport.
Participants heard presentations from FISA President Jean-Christophe Rolland, FISA Executive Director Matt Smith and IOC Sports Director Kit McConnell. In dedicated break-out sessions, delegates then discussed concrete proposals that will eventually be put to vote at the 2017 Extraordinary Congress.
In a presentation entitled “Driving Rowing’s Future”, Rolland explained the three strategic directions that FISA has identified to ensure rowing’s future: retain a strong position in the Olympic Movement, ensure the integrity of rowing and consolidate rowing’s position as a global citizen.
An important factor in retaining a strong position in the Olympic Movement is the alignment of FISA’s strategy with the 40 Olympic Agenda 2020 recommendations that were adopted by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in December 2014.
“FISA’s Strategic Plan already aligned with most of the elements of Olympic Agenda 2020 and the FISA Council was able to use the IOC’s recommendations to fine-tune our plans,” says Rolland.
McConnell joined the conference for the second year in a row to present the IOC perspective on the Olympic programme. McConnell raised key points including the switch from a sport-based Olympic programme to one that is event-based;, the limitation of the number of events at the Olympic Games to approximately 310 events; the limitation of the number of athletes at the Olympic Games to approximately 10,500; the IOC mandate to reach 50 per cent female participation at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics; and the continued objective to increase universality across all events.
In order to put rowing in the best position to meet these requirements and ensure its strong position in the Olympic Movement, FISA started a multi-step process that will culminate with the 2017 FISA Extraordinary Congress in February next year. A two-thirds majority vote will be required in order to change any of the FISA statutes and rules, including Rule 37 which is the listing of events in rowing’s Olympic programme.
“The future of our sport depends on the success of this Extraordinary Congress. We need to evolve constantly to keep rowing strong and relevant. In order to succeed we need to have a constructive debate with and among our national federation leaders about the proposed changes. That is why we launched these conferences early on in the process” says Rolland.
FISA presented yesterday the first draft proposals for changes to FISA rules, including options for changes to the Olympic programme. In order for the federation leaders to exchange views, small groups of federations from all corners of the world were created to discuss and then provide feedback to the combined meeting.
“We all know how sensitive, how important and how crucial it is when the discussions come to Rule 37 on the events in the Olympic programme,” says Rolland. “This is why we have started an analysis of the event principles for rowing and involved all of the key stakeholders in the discussion. We are in regular dialogue with the IOC and they will evaluate the rowing programme event by event. We need to have a strong rationale for each of our events; we cannot rely on history, but must be ready to adjust to new trends and a fast changing environment.”
The afternoon session focused on the second pillar: ensure the integrity of rowing. The factors addressed related to FISA’s governance structure. The FISA Governance Working Group was established a year ago and has been assessing FISA’s governance structure and evaluating it against the latest recommendations from ASOIF (the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations) and the IOC on good governance. The recommendations from the Working Group were presented as proposed changes to the FISA Statutes. The delegates were asked to discuss and provide feedback on these proposals which will form the basis of the Council’s recommendations to be presented at the 2017 Extraordinary Congress.
The next National Federations’ Conference will be held on 30 August 2016 at the 2016 World Rowing Senior, Junior and Under 23 Championships in Rotterdam, Netherlands. This will be the last opportunity to discuss the proposals directly with the member federations, prior to the 2017 Extraordinary Congress which will take place in Tokyo, Japan from 9 to 12 February 2017.
A new CAS Anti-doping Division will handle cases already starting with the Olympic Games Rio de Janeiro 2016
The Executive Board (EB) of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) today agreed to delegate the decisions on alleged anti-doping rule violations during the Olympic Games to an independent body. A new Anti-doping Division of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) will handle cases from the Olympic Games 2016 onwards.
The CAS Anti-Doping Division will replace the IOC Disciplinary Commission to hear and decide on doping cases at the Olympic Games, as well as the subsequent re-analysis of samples taken at the Games.
The move comes as part of the Olympic Agenda 2020 reforms, and follows the Resolution of the Fourth Olympic Summit to make anti-doping testing independent of sports organisations.
“This is a major step forward to make doping testing independent, following the decision of the IOC Executive Board three months ago after the proposal of the Olympic Summit. It represents support for the IOC’s zero tolerance policy in the fight against doping and in the protection of the clean athletes,” IOC President Thomas Bach said.
The delegation of the results management and hearings to the CAS is another step taken by the IOC in recent weeks to make the anti-doping system more independent. Earlier it was proposed that the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) lead intelligence-gathering funded by the IOC to make testing in the lead-up to the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro as efficient and independent as possible. Out-of-competition testing during the Olympic Games will also be guided by this intelligence group from WADA, to make it more targeted and more effective.
The delegation by the IOC Executive Board to the CAS Anti-doping Division is pursuant to Rule 59.2.4 of the Olympic Charter. The IOC Anti-Doping Rules applicable to the Games of the XXXI Olympiad, Rio de Janeiro, 2016 will be amended accordingly to reflect this change.
The IOC is working to ensure a more efficient, transparent and credible anti-doping system by taking all aspects of results management and hearings out of the hands of sports organisations.
Olympians and other elite athletes seeking information on upcoming Olympic Games, how to prepare for life after sport, or simply to interact with their peers can find all that and much more on the new and improved Olympic Athletes’ Hub, a digital platform for athletes launched today by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
The Olympic Athletes’ Hub was redesigned in a move to strengthen support to athletes as outlined in Olympic Agenda 2020, the IOC’s strategic roadmap for the future of the Olympic Movement that was adopted in December 2014.
The revamped Hub is a digital one-stop-shop where athletes can learn about and share their own experiences on important topics related to their careers on and off the field of play. Special focus is placed on the protection of clean athletes from all sorts of manipulation, in particular doping, competition manipulation and related corruption. Another important topic is the health of athletes and how to avoid injuries and illnesses, as well as the prevention of harassment and abuse in sport. The Hub also includes information about athletes’ career programmes and much more.
“Strengthening the role of the athletes is one of the top priorities of the IOC as emphasised in Olympic Agenda 2020. The Athletes’ Hub helps us improve support for the athletes and communication between them. I wish such an opportunity had been there when I was an athlete,” said IOC President Thomas Bach.
The new Olympic Athletes’ Hub will continue to showcase the best social media content being created by Olympians around the world – all in one convenient location. The official accounts of over 6,000 Olympians can already be found on the site.
The web-based platform is available for download as a mobile application for android and iOS. Although the target audience is athletes, the platform is also available to team officials, coaches and the general public.
“As a direct result of Olympic Agenda 2020, which places athletes at the heart of the Olympic Movement, the IOC has developed the Olympic Athletes’ Hub – the IOC virtual home for all athlete content,” said IOC Athletes’ Commission Chair Claudia Bokel. “The IOC is committed to supporting athletes on and off the field of play. The Olympic Athletes’ Hub is a tangible example of this, which we hope that athletes will find useful, fun and informative.”
Athletes who sign up to the Hub can access content tailored to them, including special offers from The Olympic Partners (TOP) and other Olympic Movement stakeholders.
This is a deeply shocking report and very saddening for the world of sport. The IOC trusts that the new leadership of the IAAF with its President Sebastian Coe will draw all the necessary conclusions and will take all the necessary measures. In this context the IOC welcomes the clear commitment expressed by IAAF to do “whatever it takes to protect the clean athletes and rebuild trust in our sport.”
The protection of the clean athletes is a top priority for the International Olympic Committee. This is why in Olympic Agenda 2020 the IOC has undertaken far reaching measures in this commitment.
With regard to the Olympic Games, the IOC will continue to take whatever measures needed to safeguard clean athletes, clean sport and good governance. In the most recent Olympic Summit meeting we have decided to make testing independent from sports organisations and have entrusted WADA to come up with proposals.
The IOC will also carefully study the report with regard to the Olympic Games. If any infringements on the anti-doping rules by athletes and or their entourage should be established, the IOC will react with its usual zero tolerance policy.
We support the attempt of the independent commission to bring all the facts to light in the interest of the integrity of the sport and the protection of the cleans athletes.
With regard to the police inquiries against the former IAAF President Mr. Lamine Diack the IOC Ethics Commission has today decided to recommend the provisional suspension of his IOC honorary membership.
International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach commented favourably today on the high level of compliance in equestrian sport with the 40 recommendations in Olympic Agenda 2020 during an official visit to the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) headquarters in Lausanne (SUI), the Olympic capital.
“Olympic Agenda 2020 is the strategic roadmap for the future of the Olympic Movement and it is impressive to see how compliant the FEI and equestrian sport already are with many of the recommendations”, President Bach said. “We have targeted gender equality as a key goal of Agenda 2020 and equestrian sport has always been at the forefront on this, with men and women competing against each other for the medals.”
“Equestrian sport has been part of the Olympic movement since 1912 and the growth of the sport has been phenomenal, but it is good to know that the FEI was already working on a number of these areas, including good governance and a full review of the competition formats, even before we rolled out Agenda 2020. The sport touches many cultures and people of all ages and I have great admiration for what equestrian athletes achieve through the unique relationship between horse and rider, it’s truly awe-inspiring.”
During a presentation to the IOC President, FEI President Ingmar De Vos stressed how the FEI and equestrian sport are proactively embracing Olympic Agenda 2020. “We see it as an invitation to continue on the path we are already on to grow and develop the sport, a launch pad to further improve our sport and make it relevant in the modern sporting climate. We are confident that we tick many of the Agenda 2020 boxes, and we’re working hard to add the tick to the missing ones. We are pushing the boundaries, while respecting the traditions of our sport.”
Ingmar De Vos explained how the ongoing review of the competition formats, in full consultation with the member National Federations, athletes and stakeholders, is aimed at making equestrian sport more dynamic, easier to understand, and accessible for a wider fan base and for youth audiences. Sport presentation is also key and the FEI is continuing to work on development and further expansion of broadcast coverage of equestrian events.
President Bach, German team gold medallist in fencing at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal, also met with three fellow Olympians – China’s youngest Olympic Eventer Alex Hua Tian, German Dressage rider Kristina Bröring-Sprehe, team silver medalist at London 2012, and Brazilian Jumping athlete Pedro Veniss, who is bidding to make a return to the Olympic stage on home soil in Rio. And there was a surprise equine athlete, the Spanish stallion Sarango, who greeted Thomas Bach and the athletes during the visit to FEI HQ.
President Bach and the IOC delegation met with FEI President Ingmar De Vos and FEI Secretary General Sabrina Zeender on the date marking 275 days to go to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. The IOC delegation also included Director General Christophe de Kepper, Pierre Fratter-Bardy, Head of Summer Sports, and Mark Adams, Director of Communications.
FEI 1st Vice President and Chair of the FEI Jumping Committee John Madden, FEI Executive Board member and Chair of the FEI Dressage Committee Frank Kemperman, and Giuseppe Della Chiesa, Chair of the FEI Eventing Committee were also part of the FEI delegation that met the IOC President.
“Equestrian is the only Olympic sport where men and women compete against each other for medals in all the disciplines,” Kristina Bröring-Sprehe said. “It’s only when you get a bit older that you realise just how special this is, and it’s one of the many reasons why equestrian sport is so popular with women of all ages. Knowing how important gender equality is to the Olympic movement, it’s been really empowering to talk to Thomas Bach about this today.”
“Eventing is my real passion”, said Alex Hua Tian, the man who carried the hopes of 1.2 billion Chinese at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. “It’s not just a sport, but a way of life, and we have a unique partnership with our horses where big decisions have to be made, communicated and executed in a heartbeat. Trust, courage and precision is what our sport is all about, as well as building on joint strengths, and forgiving and compensating for each other’s weaknesses. We have a very deep relationships with our horses, and it has been fascinating to discuss this with the IOC President today.”
“Brazil is one of the most culturally diverse countries in the world and, just like the equestrian community, the Brazilian people are vibrant and welcoming”, said Pedro Veniss, who was part of the Brazilian Jumping team at the 2008 Olympic Games. “Our melting pot of cultures in Brazil and in our sport is very exciting. As a Brazilian equestrian athlete, I am so proud that we are staging the first Games in South America and I can’t wait to be a part of it.”
“The Rio 2016 Olympic Games is now just around the corner, and it has been a huge pleasure for us all at FEI HQ and our equestrian ‘family’ to have IOC President Thomas Bach with us today,” FEI President Ingmar De Vos said. “We are looking forward to seeing our top athletes, both human and equine, displaying their unique talents to all those who are lucky enough to get to Rio and see the action in person, as well as all those watching from home. The Games will be incredible.”
#RoadToRio
The Rio 2016 Olympic equestrian action gets underway on 6 August at the Olympic Equestrian Centre in the Deodoro Olympic Park, the second largest Rio 2016 Games cluster.
Two hundred of the world’s best human and equine athletes will compete for medals in the Olympic disciplines of Eventing, Dressage and Jumping over 12 days of intense competition.
Marking 100 days to go, the International Olympic Committee today announced its latest social media campaign asking athletes to share their love of sport and get active with the #iLoveYOG hashtag as they gear up to the second Winter Youth Olympic Games in Lillehammer, Norway, this February.
Kicking off this campaign is one of the biggest and most inspirational names in winter sport, South Korean Olympic figure skating champion, Yuna Kim. Also known as “Queen Yuna”, the skating legend and YOG Ambassador got behind the campaign by opening her official Instagram account using the hashtag, which has already gained over 80,000 followers.
Following the success of #YOGselfie last summer in Nanjing at the second Summer edition of the Games, which saw 58 million people posting their “sporty selfies” on social media, the IOC aims to engage young athletes and fans in this latest campaign and ultimately get people active and involved in the YOG.
During Games time, between 12 and 21 February 2016, printing stations will be available around Lillehammer for people to print their pictures posted on social media. Collectively, these thousands of images will create a giant mosaic – a piece of artwork that will then be donated to Lillehammer as part of the legacy of the Games.
In line with Olympic Agenda 2020, the Youth Olympic Games aim to engage with fans and young people around the world to encourage them to get active and enjoy the benefits of sport. The IOC sees social media as key to the success of this mission, and as outlined by Sir Martin Sorrell, CEO of WPP, the world’s largest marketing communications group, the IOC is striving “to use these Games as an incubator, as an accelerator and as a way of understanding what young people want.”
Supporting these social media efforts to engage and inspire fans, the IOC has also teamed up with other winter sports stars: US Alpine skier Lindsey Vonn, Norwegian Alpine skier Kjetil Jansrud, Norwegian slopestyler Silje Norendal and Norwegian ice hockey player Mats Zucarello. Collectively, these YOG Ambassadors reach millions of young fans through their social media accounts and support the IOC and Lillehammer 2016 in their campaigns to raise the profile of the forthcoming YOG.
For more information on the Youth Olympic Games, please visit: http://www.olympic.org/yog.
The leading representatives of the Olympic Movement met today in Lausanne for the fourth Olympic Summit convened and chaired by International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach. The Summit reviewed the implementation of Olympic Agenda 2020, with a particular emphasis on protecting the clean athletes, good governance and autonomy, The Olympic Channel, and the new Olympic Games Candidature Procedure. The participants fully backed the next steps for implementation of the recommendations leading up to and including 2016.
President Thomas Bach said: “This fourth Olympic Summit shows the unity of the Olympic Movement behind the Olympic Agenda 2020 reforms. We cannot overstate the importance of good governance, which leads to credibility. We need credibility for our sports organisations as well as for our sports competitions. With regard to the credibility of sport and the protection of clean athletes, the Summit has taken a major step forward to making anti-doping testing independent from sports organisations.”
Following the Summit, the IOC issued the following communique to Olympic Movement stakeholders.
The 128th Session of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) officially got under way tonight with a music-themed Opening Ceremony at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The IOC Members were greeted by Olympic Council of Malaysia President and IOC Member HRH Prince Tunku Imram, who delivered the welcome speech.
In the keynote speech, IOC President Thomas Bach detailed the great impact the Olympic Agenda 2020 reforms, approved at the last IOC Session in December 2014, have already had on the Olympic Movement. He called on the IOC Members to continue the process of change with the same energy as on the day the strategic roadmap for the future of the Olympic Movement was passed, 8 December 2014.
President Bach said: “We have a big year ahead of us and a big agenda to tackle. These are exciting times. There are a lot of ‘firsts’ on our plan – the first Olympic Games in South America; the launch of the first Olympic Channel; the first full participation of the IOC with the United Nations to shape the future of the global community.
“Let us use these many ‘firsts’ as an inspiration to celebrate our unity in diversity. The Olympic Agenda 2020 has set us on the right path forward. If we are united in our vision and our values, then our future will be one of progress.”
The IOC President was followed at the podium by the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Dato’ Sri Najib Tun Razak.
The evening took a musical turn from there, with a song commissioned exclusively for the event by HRH Prince Imram getting things started. “Together in the Spirit of the Games” was composed by the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra for performance by the Malaysian Philharmonic Youth Orchestra. The Youth Orchestra then performed more traditional Malaysian music, including the popular song “Tanah Pusaka.”
The election of the host cities for the Olympic Winter Games 2022 and the Winter Youth Olympic Games 2020 will be the highlights of the upcoming IOC Session, which begins tomorrow and concludes on 3 August. The entire IOC Session will be broadcast live on Olympic.org. Tune in to see where the Games will go in 2022 – to Almaty (Kazakhstan) or Beijing (China)*; and which city will host the Winter Youth Olympic Games in 2020 – Brasov (Romania) or Lausanne (Switzerland)**.
* cities listed in the order of drawing of lots
** cities listed in alphabetical order
The International Olympic Committee (IOC)’s Coordination Commission for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 today completed its second official visit to the Japanese capital, citing the Organising Committee’s adherence to key milestones, strong government support and its embrace of Olympic Agenda 2020 as highlights of the visit.
Led by Commission Chair John Coates, the IOC delegation also included Vice-Chair Alex Gilady, a number of IOC Members, and representatives of the athletes, National Olympic Committees, International Federations and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC). It noted the excellent work done by the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee in implementing Olympic Agenda 2020 reforms into its venue master plan and other aspects of preparations. By making greater use of existing facilities (including those from the Olympic Games Tokyo 1964) and working to ensure that new venues deliver on the needs for the Games and the subsequent legacy, the application of Olympic Agenda 2020 for Tokyo 2020 has already resulted in approximately USD 1.7 billion in savings from the revised construction budget.
Speaking at the close of the meeting, Chairman Coates said: “We have been very pleased to see the continued progress being made by the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee and its government stakeholders. The project remains on track and has made some significant strides forward, particularly in areas like confirming the venue master plan, bringing on board new commercial partners and creating strong governance structures.” He continued, “The Tokyo organisers have truly embraced Olympic Agenda 2020 in their preparations. It is very reassuring to see the immediate benefits that Tokyo has been able to gain from the different recommendations in terms of organising sustainable Games with a strong legacy. We look forward to continuing to work with them to ensure that they can fully maximise the benefits of Olympic Agenda 2020.”
Tokyo 2020 Chairman Yoshiro Mori said: “We were delighted to be able to hold a series of extremely productive meetings with the Chair of the IOC Coordination Commission, Mr John Coates, and all the members of the Coordination Commission. We were also very pleased to receive praise from the members for the progress we have made with our preparations.” He continued, “After next year’s Rio 2016 Games, the world’s focus will be squarely on Tokyo. During the meetings, I became increasingly aware of the need to further step up our preparations and to demonstrate our readiness to take the baton from Rio by ensuring that our own preparations remain firmly on track by the time of the next IOC Coordination Commission meeting. We look forward to continuing to work closely with the IOC and the IPC, and to further ensuring that together we are able to deliver truly inspirational Games.”
The Commission toured the future Olympic sites of Makuhari Messe and Tokyo Bay. Makuhari Messe will host taekwondo, fencing and wrestling, while venues like the Olympic Village, triathlon, marathon swimming, beach volleyball, rowing, canoe-sprint and equestrian-cross country are all situated in the Bay area. Recent changes to the venue master plan mean that more areas of Tokyo will be involved in the hosting of the Olympic Games and legacies will be maximised.
Coates further commented, “I’d also particularly like to thank the International Federations for their excellent work and collaboration with Tokyo 2020 on the venue master plan review. Without their support, we would not have been able to achieve the very positive result that we have for the legacy and sustainability of these Games. This is a very positive sign for the future development of the Olympic Agenda 2020 recommendations.”
The Commission was pleased to receive a report that all parties involved in the construction of the new National Stadium are working together to advance the project and ensure that it is delivered in time for the Games.
The visit also provided an opportunity for the Commission to meet the new Minister in charge of the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games, Toshiaki Endo, who was appointed to the post by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on 25 June. The IOC delegation wished the new Minister all the best in his role, which will further strengthen collaboration and cooperation among all key stakeholders, including the national and regional governments.
The Coordination Commission noted with satisfaction the continued strong support for the Games from all levels of government. The relationship between the IOC, Tokyo 2020 and local stakeholders remains excellent. The Commission also congratulated Tokyo 2020 for its active engagement with the public, which has resulted in the continuation of the massive public support for the Games seen during the bid phase.
Commercial backing for the Games is robust. Tokyo 2020 has already successfully signed a total of 13 domestic Tier 1 Gold Partners, and two Official Partners since the start of the year. This is a strong indication of the high interest in the Games from the Japanese business community.
An update was also given regarding the sports programme for Tokyo 2020. As part of the Olympic Agenda 2020 reforms, organising committees for the Olympic Games can make a proposal for the inclusion of one or more additional events on the Olympic programme for that edition of the Games. Tokyo 2020 recently announced that it has shortlisted eight International Federations for inclusion in 2020 – those governing baseball/softball; bowling; karate; roller sports; sport climbing; squash; surfing; and wushu. Tokyo 2020 will make a decision on the event or events to be proposed to the IOC in September 2015. A final decision will be made by the 129th IOC Session in Rio de Janeiro in August 2016.
During its visit, the Coordination Commission heard presentations on a number of topics, including governance, finance, commercial matters, sport and venues, Paralympic Games, athlete preparation, legacy, sustainability, engagement and communications.
The Commission’s third visit to Tokyo is scheduled for May 2016. There is expected to be a total of 10 Commission visits to the 2020 host city over its seven-year lifecycle. These inspections are supplemented by Project Review visits by the Coordination Commission Executive, as the IOC provides guidance and advice to Tokyo 2020 in its Games planning and operations.
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