IOC President calls sport a ‘natural partner’ for realisation of Sustainable Development Goals during speech to the United Nations
In a speech to the United Nations in New York on Saturday, International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach praised the inclusion of sport in the post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), calling it a historic moment that recognises the important role that sport plays in promoting healthy lifestyles, education, peace and social inclusion.
“Sport is natural partner when it comes to realising the ambitious agenda that will guide global development over the next 15 years,” President Bach said of the post-2015 Development Agenda that was adopted by the UN Member States on 25 September.
“United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon put it best when he said: ‘Olympic Principles are United Nations Principles,’” the IOC President continued. “The IOC shares the ambitious goals of peaceful development of humanity – and based on our shared values of tolerance, solidarity and peace, we are committed to continued cooperation with the United Nations and its Member States to make the Sustainable Development Goals a reality. Let us continue to strengthen our partnership so that we can work together for a better world.”
IOC President Thomas Bach on an Official visit to New York to participate in the 70th Session of the United Nations. President Bach addresses the UN General Assembly. Photograph by Ian Jones/IOC
Some 160 Heads of State and Government and other world leaders, including Pope Francis, are attending the UN Sustainable Development Summit 2015 this week in New York.
A Permanent Observer to the United Nations, the IOC actively supported the process of the post-2015 Development Agenda. The new agenda is a comprehensive set of universal and transformative goals and targets that build on the Millennium Development Goals. UN Member States are committed to fully implementing the agenda by 2030.
The International Olympic Committee today announced a two million dollar fund that will be made available to National Olympic Committees for programmes focused on refugees.
“We have all been touched by the terrible news and the heartbreaking stories in the past few days. With this terrible crisis unfolding across the Middle East, Africa and Europe, sport and the Olympic Movement wanted to play its part in bringing humanitarian help to the refugees. We made a quick decision that we needed to take action and to make this fund available immediately,” said the IOC President, Thomas Bach. “We have a long term relationship with the United Nations and with the UNHCR and we draw on their help and expertise. We know through experience that sport can ease the plight of refugees, many of them young people and children, be they in the Middle East, Africa, Europe or in other parts of the world. Our thoughts are with the many refugees risking their lives and the lives of their families to escape danger. ”
NOCs and other interested parties will be asked to submit projects to the IOC for funding. The fund itself is made up of one million dollars from the IOC and a further one million from Olympic Solidarity.
President Bach added that “because of the nature of the crisis the assessment of projects and the distribution of funds will be carried out extremely quickly. We are able to work on the ground with our partners in the National Olympic Committees and the expert agencies to get help to where it is needed most urgently.”
The IOC already works with a number of United Nations agencies to help refugees around the world. In April 2014 the two organizations signed a historic agreement aimed at strengthening collaboration.
The IOC has been working with the UNHCR for two decades and has already seen thousands of refugees benefit from sports programmes and equipment donated by the IOC.
Last year IOC Honorary President Jacques Rogge completed his first mission as Special Envoy of the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General for Youth Refugees and Sport.
With the goal of raising awareness on the conditions of youth refugees and the impact of sport for their well-being, Rogge visited Syrian refugees currently living in the UN camp of Azraq, located in the desert 100 kilometres east of the Jordanian capital, Amman. The camp currently hosts more than 5,000 shelters housing some 18,000 refugees.
Since 2004, the IOC and UNHCR have organised a “Giving is Winning” programme. This global solidarity campaign allows athletes, officials and sponsors of the Olympic Games, National Olympic Committees , International and National Federations, and other Olympic Movement stakeholders to donate tens of thousands of clothing items to help refugees . The campaign has already collected over 170,000 items of clothing, which have reached refugees in 23 countries across Africa, Asia, Latin America and Europe.
In 2013 and 2014, the IOC, Worldwide Olympic Partner Samsung and the UNHCR joined forces to distribute IOC Sports Kits to more than 180,000 internally displaced young people living in refugee camps in 20 countries throughout Asia, Africa and Latin America.
It was another full week for International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach, whose schedule included stops in five countries, meetings with world leaders, and seven days championing the importance of sport in society and its ability to spread peace.
Dignitaries met included United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, French President François Hollande, President of Kosovo Atifete Jahjaga, the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, and Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko.
The packed programme started on Monday (April 13th) when the IOC President chaired the first International Forum for Sports Integrity in Lausanne. The Forum coincided with the launch of the IOC’s Integrity and Compliance Hotline, a new reporting mechanism for potential cases of competition manipulation as well as other violations of the integrity of sport. The Forum brought together representatives from world governments, the Council of Europe, the European Union, INTERPOL, Europol, United Nations agencies, sports betting operators and Olympic Movement stakeholders.
Thomas Bach.
Ahead of the Forum, President Bach held a meeting with the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Thorbjørn Jagland. The two men spoke about the close cooperation between their organisations in numerous areas related to sport in society.
Later, Swiss Federal Councillor Doris Leuthard visited the IOC President. Among other topics, they talked about relations between the IOC and the Swiss Confederation and the IOC’s 100-year celebrations in Lausanne.
The next morning (April 14th) the President welcomed members of the German Parliament and answered questions related to the Olympic Agenda 2020 and the bidding for hosting Olympic Games. Hours later he headed for New York. Upon arrival he met IOC Honorary Member Prince Nawaf Faisal Fahd Abdulaziz, with whom he discussed the development of sport in Saudi Arabia and the follow-up to the Olympic Agenda 2020 recommendations.
The IOC President also met IOC Member and US Olympic Committee President Lawrence Probst, together with USOC Secretary General Scott Blackmun. Their discussions focused on implementing the Olympic Agenda 2020 recommendations and the candidature process for the 2024 Olympic Games.
Later that same evening the President also met with representatives of the Committee to Protect Journalists and discussed the relationship with this Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO).
In a speech at the United Nations headquarters the next day, (April 15th) the IOC President said the time has come for sport to play a greater role as a force for positive change around the world. His remarks were met with broad support from UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and President of the UN General Assembly H.E. Sam Kutesa, who also spoke at the event, called “United Action Towards Sustainable Development For All Through Sport.”
Both the IOC President and UN Secretary-General called for sport to be included the new global sustainable development agenda that is scheduled to be finalised in September.
While at the UN, President Thomas Bach was named a “HeForShe” supporter by UN Women. HeForShe is a solidarity campaign for gender equality launched by Executive Director of UN Women Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka. Hundreds of thousands of men have already voiced their support for the project.
After visiting the United Nations the President held talks with Human Rights Watch and discussed the changes in terms of transparency and credibility brought about as a result of Olympic Agenda 2020.
The next day, (16th April) back in Lausanne, President Bach returned for separate meetings with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and French President François Hollande. During his meeting with Prime Minister Orbán, President Bach discussed the positive benefits sport can have in society, in particular through the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). He also updated the Prime Minister about the progress being made on implementing Olympic Agenda 2020, the IOC’s strategic roadmap for the future of the Olympic Movement. They discussed the changes to the bidding process for the Olympic Games. These include cost reductions, an emphasis on sustainability and the new Invitation Phase.
IOC President Thomas Bach hosts an official visit to President Hollande of France at the Olympic Museum. Photograph by Ian Jones/IOC
Discussions with President Hollande included a possible French Olympic bid from Paris for the Olympic Games 2024. President Bach said: “France has a lot to offer to the Olympic Movement. We also learned today that Paris 2024 will focus on the post-games legacy of the venues. This approach fits perfectly within the spirit of Olympic Agenda 2020.”
President Hollande was accompanied by Environment Minister Ségolène Royal, and Employment Minister François Rebsamen.
During the visit the President also discussed the Sustainable Development Goals and the need to include sport in the final UN declaration in September.
The French President also invited the IOC to attend the United Nations Climate Change Conference, which will take place in Paris at the end of the year. President Bach accepted the invitation.The same evening President Bach travelled to Serbia to meet with the Serbian NOC to discuss Olympic Agenda 2020, the major role of sport in society, and the recent recognition by the IOC of the Kosovo.
In the Serbian capital Belgrade, (April 17th) President Bach praised the President of the NOC of Serbia Vlade Divac for the progress made in Olympic sports. The IOC President met with representatives of the 38 National Sports Federations of Serbia. Later the President visited a school in Belgrade where hundreds of children were taking part in a programme funded by Olympic Solidarity.
From there the President travelled directly to Kosovo. The NOC was granted full IOC recognition at the 127th IOC Session in Monaco in December 2014. In Pristina, the capital of Kosovo, the IOC President held talks with President of Kosovo, Atifete Jahjaga.
The Kosovan President said that sport could “build bridges in society” and spoke of the positive benefits of being a new member of the Olympic family. She honoured the IOC President with the Medal of Merit.
Later President Bach met Prime Minister Isa Mustafa, as well as Kosovo NOC President Besim Hasani. He told them that if they prepared their athletes well for the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro next year they would become great role models for the whole country. The Prime Minister said: “You have opened a blocked door for us and it will bring enormous benefits to be part of the international sporting community.”
From the Prime Minister’s office the delegation of the IOC President went to meet athletes at the Kosovo Palace for Sport during their training sessions. The next day (April 18th) he joined a fun-run in the city centre that more than 700 children took part in. In the evening President Bach flew with his delegation to Sochi – welcomed by the Russian NOC President and the Russian IOC Members with whom he discussed the status of implementation of Olympic Agenda 2020 and the legacy of the Olympic Winter Games Sochi 2014. The President described his return to Sochi as an “emotional experience” – one year after the successful Games.
The Sochi Olympic Park has hosted a number of top-level sporting events since the Games and on Sunday (April 19th) the President had the opportunity to see how the facilities in the Olympic Park are still being used. At the Fed Cup in the Adler Arena he was able to see Germany and Russia battling it out for a place in the finals. In this arena the Russian NOC and the National Tennis Federation are setting up a Tennis Academy for talented young players.
Thomas Bach, IOC President
Only few meters away, at the Ice Cube, the IOC President watched the World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship. He was able to see for himself how athletes still enjoy competing in the fantastic venues in the Olympic Park.
The President held a number of discussions with the Russian Minister for Sport, Tourism and Youth, Vitaly Mutko about the legacy of the Sochi Games and the development of sport in Russia. He also held talks with President Putin’s key advisor, Igor Levitin.
Thomas Bach was accompanied by IOC doyen Vitaly Smirnov and by IOC member, Russian NOC President and Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Zhukov.
In Sochi, the President attended a meeting of the Association of IOC Recognised International Sports Federations (ARIFS) where he told delegates, “you are all part of the Olympic Family”. As IOC Recognised Federations he spoke about the opportunities for collaboration with the IOC in many different areas including integrity, education, anti-doping and Olympic Channel. The President made it clear that the Olympic Channel is open for Non-Olympic Federations as a platform to showcase their sports.
The morning of April 20th started with the Opening of General Assembly of SportAccord, where the IOC President responded to the ‘Welcome Address’ of SportAccord President Marius Vizer. Following this, meetings were held with a number of IOC Members, and Presidents of International Federations.
Later that day, President Bach met with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss the huge legacy of the Olympic Winter Games that were held in Sochi just over a year ago.
The meeting took place in the convention center of Sochi – which was the International Broadcasting and Media Centre during the Games. The two leaders discussed the success of the Games in Sochi and on how Russia can continue to build on the legacy. Since the Games, Sochi has hosted a number of world championships and other elite events. The President told the Russian leader that he was encouraging the International Federations to continue to take advantage of the facilities and Russian know-how. “None of that would have been possible before the Games,” President Bach told President Putin.
President Putin praised the strong legacy of the Games, which had achieved the vision of creating a world-class winter sports destination and put Sochi on the global sports calendar.
The two also discussed the important role of sport in society. The Russian President emphasised that the Russian authorities continue to work closely with the IOC, and he praised the “excellent relations” with the IOC as “leader of the Olympic Movement.”
Following the Meetings and the Opening Show of SportAccord, the IOC President returned to Lausanne with his delegation, where he received the next morning (April 21st) the President of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko.
The two leaders discussed sport as a means to promote education, health, development, peace and reconciliation with the Ukraine President. The meeting was also attended by Sergey Bubka, President of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine, and IOC Executive Board Member, and Valeriy Borzov, IOC Member in Ukraine.
President Poroshenko was accompanied by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the First Vice-Prime Minister of Ukraine.
Athletes’ welfare was at the heart of their meeting, as they spoke about an IOC initiative that has helped Ukrainian athletes in areas affected by civil strife. The IOC established an emergency fund of USD 300,000 last year to be used for the benefit of the Ukrainian athletes.
President Bach reiterated that the role of sport was to bring people together. The IOC President added that the United Nations resolution on the autonomy of sports explicitly encourages full participation at sporting events, and the conciliative nature of Olympic sport events.. He noted that boycotts are incompatible with this UN request for respect of the values of sport. The Ukrainian President said he was “against sports boycotts” and also emphasized that “Ukraine is welcoming athletes from all countries”.
The two leaders talked about the SDGs, which are being finalized by the United Nations this year, and the IOC President reiterated the need to include sport in the final declaration.
The Ukrainian President described the reform process he was implementing in Ukraine, adding that sport is playing a key role in education, health and social policy. He said it was vital to use the “values of sport in this respect”. The IOC President offered the assistance of the IOC with regards to these programmes. President Bach offered help from the IOC to aid in peace and reconciliation in the country.
President Poroshenko invited President Bach to visit Ukraine. The IOC President accepted the invitation
International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach today said the time has come for sport to play a greater role as a force for positive change around the world during a speech at the UN headquarters in New York.
His remarks were met with broad support from UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and President of the UN General Assembly H.E. Sam Kutesa, who also spoke at the event, called “United Action Towards Sustainable Development For All Through Sport.”
“Sport has a unique role in society,” President Bach said. “Sport is the only area of human existence that has achieved its own universal law. The rules of sport are recognised and followed wherever sport is played. They are based on a global ethic of fair play, respect for opponents, tolerance and friendship. In sport all people are equal.”
Thomas Bach
The IOC President continued: “Sport and physical education programmes provide a strong incentive for school attendance and contribute to a broad spectrum of life skills. Sport teaches respect for rules and respect for others, tolerance, non-discrimination, team-building, communication, decision-making and problem-solving. It promotes self-esteem, personal responsibility and self-discipline. Active children are learning more effectively. Sport is not a distraction from education – it is an important part of education.”
The IOC President underscored how Olympic Agenda 2020, the IOC’s strategic roadmap for the future of the Olympic Movement, is driving change that is sending “a strong message that the Olympic Movement is ready to engage with society in new and more meaningful ways.” This includes a new global sustainable development agenda that will be finalised later this year.
“We are showing in a transparent way that more than 90 per cent of the revenues the IOC generates are distributed to the sporting movement and to athletes worldwide,” President Bach said. “This means that the IOC distributes USD 3.25 million a day, every day of the year, for the development of sport worldwide.”
The United Nations has long recognised the contribution of sport for development and peace, and collaboration between the IOC and the UN has played a central role in spreading the acceptance of sport as a means to promote internationally agreed development goals.
“Let us use sport to leave a transformative and sustainable legacy for our children and grandchildren. It is sport’s motivational appeal that gives hope and helps improve the lives of many,” said the UN Secretary-General. “I sincerely hope that the Member States of the United Nations, while they negotiate to shape the future development agenda [see] the importance of sport, not only in health, but in peace and harmony, reconciliation, mutual understanding and respect for others, and fair games and rule of law and human rights – all these will be duly reflected so that we all can work together to build this world better for all, where all the peoples human dignity and human rights and happiness and prosperity and wellbeing will be respected.”
Ban Ki Moon
Ireland’s permanent representative to the UN, Ambassador David Donoghue, is one of facilitators in the negotiations for the development of the Sustainable Development Goals. He said: “It is clear that sport is a key contributor to many of the goals and targets of the MDGs. As we move towards agreement on a post-2015 Development Agenda, I hope that it will be possible to acknowledge in some way the role of sport in supporting development and peace.”
Also speaking at the event were the President of the UN General Assembly H.E. Sam Kutesa, President of the International Paralympic Committee Sir Philip Craven and IOC Member Angela Ruggiero.
Following the event, President Bach had a meeting with the Executive Director of UN Women, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, before he attended a luncheon hosted by the UN Secretary-General.
NANJING, Aug. 16, 2014 (Xinhua) — Artists perform during the Opening Ceremony of the Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing, capital of east China’s Jiangsu Province. (Xinhua:Fei Maohua)(lyq)
The 2014 Summer Youth Olympic Games got under way today in Nanjing, China with a pulsating Opening Ceremony that quickly spread around the world thanks to thousands of selfies taken by athletes and spectators at the request of International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach.
In the true spirit of the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) the IOC reached out to its 42 million fans as well as the followers of the spectators and athletes in the stadium. IOC President Thomas Bach spoke directly to the 3,800 young athletes taking part in the Games at the Nanjing Olympic Sports Centre to encourage them to share the moment.
“Dear young athletes, these are your Games. This is your moment. So, young athletes, please join me: Let us all capture it – so get your smart phones out and let’s set a record for selfies,” President Bach said, before being joined on stage by five YOG athletes – Lilia Maamar (Equestrian) from Morocco, Jaheel Hyde (Athletics) from Jamaica, Dilixiati Dilana (Basketball) from China, Ivana Jorovic (Tennis) from Serbia, and Gabrielle Fa’amausili (Swimming) from New Zealand – with whom he took his own “YOG selfie”. Everyone in attendance was then asked to post their selfies to #YOGselfie.
NANJING, Aug. 16, 2014 (Xinhua) — Olympic Rings is seen during the opening ceremony for Nanjing 2014 Summer Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing, capital of east China’s Jiangsu Province, Aug. 16, 2014. (Xinhua/Cheng Min)
“By sending this selfie … you are sending a strong message around the world,” President Bach continued. “You are showing your passion for sport and for fair competition. You are demonstrating that Olympic sport reaches beyond competition. It is also about sharing, learning and making friends across our globe.”
The Opening Ceremony was produced by Chen Weiya, the executive director of the Opening Ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. In the true spirit of the YOG, the show got off to a lively start and remained that way throughout the extravaganza in a ceremony tailored to appeal to young people and demonstrate the youthful vitality and spirit of the YOG. There were 4,000 performers in total, 95 percent of whom were young students from Chinese universities.
The Ceremony highlighted the great history of Nanjing and China, its icons and landmarks, including the Purple Mountain Observatory and the Yunjin brocade. Explorer Zheng He’s expeditionary voyages to the west and the development of the Silk Road were also showcased, as was the Nanjing 2014 theme song “Dianliang Weilai,” or “Light Up to Meet the Future,” which was performed by an international selection of singers from China, the Republic of Korea and Russia.
The Opening Ceremony was attended by such dignitaries as President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, and IOC Honorary President Jacques Rogge.
The second edition of the Summer Youth Olympic Games will take place between 16 and 28 August.
IOC President Thomas Bach and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon review increased collaboration after signing top-level agreement between the two organisations.
International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach and United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon met today at the IOC headquarters in Lausanne, less than two months after having signed a historic agreement in New York aimed at strengthening collaboration between the two organisations at the highest level.
During a one-hour bilateral meeting, the two leaders discussed a number of issues and the joint action being taken by the two organisations on various concrete projects.
The two leaders reviewed the situation in South Sudan, where war has forced millions of people from their homes, pushing them to the brink of famine. The IOC President informed the UN Secretary-General about a recent joint meeting he held between representatives of the Sudanese National Olympic Committee (NOC) and members of the South Sudanese sporting movement. Following the recent signing of the MoU between the IOC and the UN, the South Sudanese said they were able to contact local representatives on the ground in South Sudan to work on potential projects. In parallel, the IOC has started to work with the NOC of Sudan, International Federations and training centres in the region to identify and assist athletes with the potential to qualify for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
The meeting also covered a possible joint initiative in the Central African Republic. The project, initiated by the local NOC and supported by the IOC, would involve more than 1,800 athletes and sports representatives promoting sport as a tool for peace. The initiative would also encourage political leaders to work towards finding peaceful solutions to conflicts. Concrete activities would include peace “caravans”, sports competitions between neighbourhoods and regions playing for “fair play and peace” trophies, as well as conferences and debates. Being very active in the country, the UN proposed that a feasibility study be conducted with regard to the implementation of the project.
The IOC President proposed IOC-UN collaboration on an initiative supporting athletes living in refugee camps. The two organisations have years of experience of working together in refugee camps in countries plagued by violence and war. Using the UN’s extensive networks in such camps, promising athletes would be identified, and, with the help of the IOC and Olympic Solidarity, would receive training and assistance.
President Bach underscored the IOC’s commitment to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The IOC recognises that the post-2015 development agenda is a historic opportunity to establish a global framework for sustainable development, and encourages UN Member States to consider sport as a cost-effective and valuable tool for achieving the SDGs.
UN Secretary-General pays official visit to IOC President in Lausanne
The leaders also discussed the upcoming visit of IOC Honorary President Jacques Rogge to Jordan to meet Syrian refugees. Rogge was recently appointed as Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Youth Refugees and Sport. In this role, he will support the UN Secretary-General in advancing peace, development and an inclusive society through sport.
Details of the trip are still to be finalised, but the visit will be the occasion to assess on the ground the benefits sport-based initiatives can bring to young refugees and local communities.
The IOC President also briefed the UN Secretary-General on the progress being made on the Olympic Agenda 2020, a strategic roadmap for the future of the Olympic Movement. Fourteen Working Groups are meeting between 16 and 24 June to work on the thousands of contributions the IOC has received. Each group is made up of key stakeholders of the Olympic Movement and outside experts, including the UN Secretary-General’s Special Adviser on Sport for Development and Peace, Wilfried Lemke.
The meeting ended with an update on the inauguration of the new IOC Sport for Hope Centre in Haiti, which is due to take place in July and be attended by both President Bach and UN Secretary-General Ban.
During a short media encounter that followed the meeting, President Bach said: “We believe that sport can be a strong driver for social change, and today’s visit by the UN Secretary-General strengthens once again our determination to use the values of sport to help build a better world. Whether it is with youth, refugees or wherever people are in need we are ready to serve. Sport can play a role, and we want to be at your side.”
Secretary-General Ban said: “The United Nations and the International Olympic Committee are committed to work together to harness the power of sport to promote development, advance human rights and build peace.”
After touring the IOC headquarters, the IOC President and UN Secretary-General visited the Olympic Museum. There the two leaders stopped for a photo in front of the original Olympic flag, which turned 100 years old today. One of the most recognisable symbols of the Olympic Games, the flag was created for the Olympic Jubilee Congress in 1914 in Paris, in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Olympic Movement.
President Bach again calls for those involved in conflict to ‘have a direct personal dialogue’
International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach and United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon signed a historic agreement today at the UN Headquarters in New York aimed at strengthening collaboration between the two organisations at the highest level.
The agreement underlined that the IOC and the UN “share the same values of contributing to a better and peaceful world through sport.”
The IOC, which was granted UN Observer Status in 2009, has long enjoyed strong ties with individual UN agencies, working with them globally on a number of initiatives that use sport as a tool for development and peace. Today’s agreement means the IOC will now work with the UN Secretariat on a range of projects around the world.
Speaking at the announcement, IOC President Thomas Bach said, “Sport can change the world, but it cannot change the world alone. When placing sport at the service of humankind, we need and we want partnerships with other payers in society. The Olympic Movement is willing and ready to make its contribution to the most laudable efforts of the United Nations to maintain and build peace and to bring along social change.”
The agreement, which was signed in the presence of the President of the General Assembly, recognises the goal of the IOC and the Olympic Movement to contribute to building a peaceful and better world by educating youth through sport without discrimination of any kind. It also calls for respect of the autonomous organisation of sport.
The two organisations call for sporting initiatives to promote social integration and economic development, including:
a) Access to sport for all among communities, in particular the most disadvantaged and marginalised populations
b) Quality physical education in school settings
c) Youth empowerment, education and skills development
d) Girls’ and women’s empowerment
e) Peace-building and community dialogue
f) Healthy life-styles promotion
g) Environmental sustainability
Within this framework, the IOC, together with National Olympic Committees, International Sports Federations, Organising Committees and individual athletes, will work together with UN member states, UN Special Envoys, Special Advisors and Goodwill Ambassadors, UN Specialised Agencies and UN Funds.
“The first-ever Memorandum of Understanding between our organisations is a logical step after years of ever closer collaboration in using sport to promote development and peace,” said Secretary-General Ban. “Sport has great power to bring people together, improve public health and promote teamwork and mutual respect.”
On the occasion of the signing it was also announced that IOC Honorary President Rogge was appointed as the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Youth Refugees and Sport. The overall objective of the role will be to support the United Nations Secretary-General in advancing peace, development and an inclusive society through sport. On substantive issues, the Special Envoy will work closely with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.
In his speech the IOC President reiterated his plea from the opening and closing ceremonies for the Olympic Winter Games in Sochi when he called on political leaders of the world to “respect the Olympic message of goodwill, of tolerance, of excellence and of peace.” He once again urged all those implicated in confrontation to act on the Olympic message of dialogue and peace.
“Please have the courage to have a direct personal dialogue at the highest level in the spirit of mutual respect, good will and peace,” he said.
Accompanying President Bach were IOC Honorary President Jacques Rogge, IOC member in Norway and Olympic champion Ole Einar Bjørndalen, United States Olympic Committee Secretary General Scott Blackmun and US Olympic marathon runner Meb Keflezighi.
The delegation took part in a meeting convened by the United Nations Secretary-General on Sport for Development and Peace at the United Nations Headquarters, marking the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace, the first edition of which took place on 6 April.
Keflezighi, a silver medallist at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games and most recently the winner of the Boston Marathon on 21 April, spoke of how sport changed his life after he was first exposed to organised sport after moving to the United States from Eritrea at the age of 10.
“Sport is its own school of life, and some say I have earned a PhD. Sport taught me self-discipline, commitment and perseverance. It taught me that success is achieved in small steps, through hard work and lessons learned from your mistakes,” Keflezighi said. “In addition to these life skills, sport gave me something else that was extremely important to a refugee from a war-torn country. Sport gave me hope. I want to commend the IOC and the UN for using sport to bring hope to refugee camps and peace to regions plagued by violence. I know that these efforts are making a difference.”
-Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Paula Radcliffe, Marie-José Pérec and Wilson Kipketer among 12 athlete ambassadors-
International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) President Lamine Diack today announced plans for ‘Athletics for a Better World’ (ABW) a new social responsibility programme that will use the universality of athletics to make a positive difference in the world. The IAAF will cooperate closely with organisations including Peace & Sport, The United Nations and The IOC in the development of the programme, alongside 12 ‘Athlete Patrons’ – including Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Marie-José Pérec and Paula Radcliffe – with many more organisations and athletes expected to follow.
The announcement was made at an IAAF panel, entitled ‘The Power of Sport’ at the SportAccord Convention in Antalya, Turkey, which was chaired by five-time Olympian Charmaine Crooks and attended by IAAF President Diack, heptathlon legend Jackie Joyner-Kersee and Italy’s world junior high jump champion Alessia Trost.
ABW will provide a platform for organisations and people around the world – including Member Federations, athletics associations, partner organisations, sponsors and athletes – that want to use athletics as a tool for social change. The aim is for these organisations to be stronger together and benefit from the IAAF’s global reach, marketing channels and sporting credibility.
A short-film, ‘Stronger Together’, produced by ‘Buddy Films’ and directed by Paul Gowers, was shown to the global sports family at SportAccord to outline the IAAF’s vision for ABW and to encourage them to become part of the programme. The film can be viewed at http://www.iaaf.org/athletics-better-world.
ABW will support athletics-based initiatives across four pillars: health, the environment, social inclusion and peace. From peace races to athletics sessions for the local community, anyone using athletics to make a difference will be welcomed into the ABW community.
IAAF President Diack said: “Athletics is the most universal of all sports. And our position as the No.1 Olympic sport gives us a global responsibility: to use the power and reach of athletics to make a difference in the world. We know that by empowering the athletics community worldwide to work with key development organisations, we can be stronger together and use the power of sport to inspire lasting change.
“We are thrilled that the United Nations, The IOC and Peace & Sport will be working closely with us on this and we look forward to welcoming more organisations and athletes in the coming months as we build the foundations for a programme that can change the lives of millions of people.”
Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Athletics for a Better World Ambassador, added: “Sport has had a huge impact on my life – it’s given me focus and goals to strive for. As an athlete, I know I have the opportunity to inspire other people. So I am honoured that The Jackie Joyner-Kersee Foundation will be working alongside some of the world’s most dedicated and experienced social development programmes through ABW. I know that many other athletes are planning to get involved with ABW and I am excited about the difference we can make together.”
Fellow ABW Ambassador Alessia Trost also commented: “I am glad to have the opportunity to be part of this great event celebrating sports. I sometimes ask myself why do I practice, why do I train and the answer is that I do it because I strongly believe that sport means culture. Track and field gives people the awareness of being able to find out their best, anywhere and anytime.”
The 12 athlete patrons are from every part of the world and include: Jackie Joyner-Kersee (USA), three-time Olympic champion; Alessia Trost (ITA), world youth and world junior champion; Kajsa Bergqvist (SWE), world champion and Olympic medallist; Paula Radcliffe (GBR) world champion and marathon world record-holder; Wilson Kipketer (DEN), three-time world champion; Koji Murofushi (JPN), Olympic and world champion; Joanna Hayes (USA), Olympic champion; Valerie Adams (NZL), double Olympic champion and four-time world champion; Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (JAM), double Olympic champion and five-time world gold medallist; Fabiana Murer (BRA), world champion; Marie José Pérec (FRA), triple Olympic and double world champion; and Tegla Loroupe (KEN) triple world half marathon champion.
The IAAF welcomes interest from organisations and individuals who are already using sport to have a positive impact on communities. All partners will have access to IAAF athletes, supporting content and donations. ABW will be promoted through the IAAF’s marketing platforms, social media channels and at events, reaching millions of people worldwide.
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