International Olympic Committee : News

Russia hold firm for opening win

12/6/2012 9:28:48 PM

The Europeans, who were silver medallists at the Beijing 2008 Games, were cruising to the points in Group A as they led 19-11 in the early exchanges of the second half, but a golden spell by the African champions saw them level at 23-23.

However, Russia regrouped and flexed their muscles to get over the finishing line by a three-goal margin, Liudmila Postnova top-scoring with five goals and Liudmila Bodnieva, Tatiana Khmyrova and Ekaterina Davydenko all grabbing four.

Angola's performance was underpinned by five goals from Isabel Guialo.

In the second match of the morning session, Republic of Korea comfortably saw off Spain 31-27 in Group B, which was something of a surprise result.

Eun Hee Ryu was chief destroyer for Korea with nine goals, while Carmen Martin Berenguer notched seven for the Spaniards.

World's best time for New Zealand duo

12/6/2012 9:28:59 PM

Murray and Bond won their heat to qualify for the semi-finals with a victory in 6:08.50.

That time was almost six seconds quicker than the mark Pinsent and Cracknell set at the 2002 World Championships in Seville, Spain.

The pair are unbeaten since teaming up in 2009.

Bond said: 'When we were warming up, we saw there was a nice tailwind and some fast times. Yeah, they were fast conditions but we didn't really have an inclination of how fast we were going.'

Murray added: 'It's a confidence boost for us. We thought we were well prepared but you never know before you get into the finals.

'It's a confidence boost for us - we just have to keep going like that.

'We just wanted to go out there and put our preparation into practice, and show we are really well prepared going into the Olympics.

'I think we have done that but this is only the heat. We are under no illusions. We wanted to go through each step and it was just about getting over the line fast and qualify for the semi-finals.'

Volunteers, champions of the Games

12/4/2012 3:05:00 PM

For each edition of the Games, there are thousands of people, of all ages, cultures and origins, all inspired by the same will to assume their responsibilities and serve with distinction, sharing the same emotions and passion for sport and its ideals of excellence, respect and friendship. “Volunteers are true Olympians. They transmit the true spirit of the Olympic Games”, said IOC President Jacques Rogge, underscoring the role and impact of those whom he also praised as the unsung heroes behind the successful organisation of every Olympic Games.

“As a long-serving volunteer myself, I know that being a volunteer is a life-enriching and fulfilling experience, and a wonderful human adventure. Like the athletes, all volunteers who serve the Olympic Movement are also ‘champions’ in their own right at community, neighbourhood and family levels.”

A large part of the success of the Games is thus attributable to each one of these selfless people. There were more than 71,000 of them at the London Olympic Games last summer and the Winter Youth Olympic Games in January, all making the Games happen.

Finally, to summarise this essential force which are the volunteers, a quote from a volunteer at the 1996 Atlanta Games: “You become a volunteer not for what you get out of it, but for what you become by doing it.”

International Volunteer Day (IVD) was established by the United Nations in 1985. It takes place on 5 December every year and is now celebrated worldwide with thousands of volunteers involved in events, celebrations and ceremonies aimed at highlighting the role of volunteers in their communities. The main focus of IVD 2012 is awareness of and recognition for volunteers and volunteer organisations. For more info : http://www.unv.org/what-we-do/intl-volunteer-day/ and http://volunteeractioncounts.org/en/

IOC honours broadcasters for London 2012 coverage

11/30/2012 9:14:00 AM

Entries were reviewed by an international jury headed by IOC Member and Chairman of the Coordination Commission for London 2012, Denis Oswald. The winners received their prizes in Lausanne in the presence of IOC President Jacques Rogge. Members of the IOC Radio and Television Commission were also in attendance, along with representatives from the rights-holding broadcasters, the Organising Committees for the Olympic Games in London, Sochi and Rio, International Federations and the city of Lausanne.

Gold, silver and bronze trophies were awarded in five categories: Best Olympic Sports Production by Olympic Broadcasting Services, Best On Air Promotion, Best Olympic Feature, Best Athlete Profile and Best Olympic Programme.

It was NBC’s night as the broadcaster scooped three gold medals, including a win in the Best Olympic Programme category for its overview programme “The Games of the XXX Olympiad”. It also won gold for Best On Air Promotion and in the Best Olympic Feature its film “Measure and Motion” also took a gold medal. NBC was also runner-up in the Best Athlete Profile category, receiving a silver medal for its feature on David Rudisha, the Kenyan runner who won the men’s 800 metres in London in a new world-record time.

Created in 1976, the Olympic Golden Rings is a prestigious international contest through which the IOC seeks to promote and recognise excellence in television broadcasting of the Olympic Games. The contest is organised every two years, on the occasion of the Summer and Winter Games, under the aegis of the IOC Radio and Television Commission.

The full list of awards (title / director / producer), in order of presentation on the night, was as follows:

The Best Olympic Sports Production by Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS)
Gold: Sailing / Christopher Lincoln / Gary Milkis, Ursula Romero
Silver: Canoe Kayak-Slalom / Jaime Garrido Rubira / Ursula Romero
Bronze: Rowing & Canoe/Kayak-Sprint / Matthew Coliandris / Makoto Nakamura

The Best On Air Promotion
Gold: NBC “The Games of the XXX Olympiad – NBC On-Air Promotion” / John Miller / Joseph Lee, Roger Guillen
Silver: Foxtel “Foxtel on Platform TVC” / Ash Bolland / Graham Burrells, Chantal Walker
Bronze: ZDF “Olympia Live” / Anke Scholten / Severine Rapp

Special Award
“MDS” Multi Channel Distribution Service / Kostas Kapatais, Jorge Pickering

The Best Olympic Feature
Gold: NBC Olympics “The Games of the XXX Olympiad ‘Measure and Motion’ / Mark Levy, Brian Brown, Joe Gesue, Philip Parrish
Silver: Sky Italia “Mosaico Olimpico” / Francesco Zupi
Bronze: ZDF “Olympia Live” / Anke Scholten / Nils Kaben

The Best Athlete Profile
Gold: TV Record “Sarah Menenzes – Piaui’s Pride” / Douglas Tavolaro / Thalita Leite, Fábio Harbacher, Marcos Cabral, Odair Marquesolo, Cristina Luckner, Ivana Perecin
Silver: NBC Olympics – “David Rudisha” / Jack Felling, Brian Longenecker
Bronze: ESPN Latin America “Pursuing a Dream – Miguel Correa and Ruben Rezola” / Carlos Sepiurca / Mariano Welch

The Best Olympic Programme
Gold: NBC Olympics “The Games of the XXX Olympiad” / Bucky Gunts / Mark Lazarus, Gary Zenkel, Jim Bell, Mark Levy, Joe Gesue, Molly Solomon, Rebecca Chatman
Silver: BBC Sport “Super Saturday” / Paul Davies / Carl Hicks, Dave Gordon
Bronze: Nine Network Australia “London Live – Day 16” / Shane Street, Alex Rolls / Steve Crawley, Lesley Tapsall, Tim Cleary, Matthew Callander, Brent Williams

Successful IOC Debriefing of London 2012 comes to close

11/21/2012 1:18:00 PM

Representatives from the IOC and the London 2012 Organising Committee shared their best practices and experiences from this summer’s Games with over 500 participants from Sochi 2014, Rio 2016, PyeongChang 2018, and the 2020 Candidate Cities: Istanbul, Tokyo and Madrid.

“This was the 7th edition of the Debriefing and we saw once again what a crucial part of our broader transfer of knowledge programme it is,” said IOC Olympic Games Executive Director Gilbert Felli. “London 2012 will leave behind many great legacies for the city of London, its citizens, the country, as well as the sports movement in general, and their active and open participation here has also ensured that the Olympic Movement will continue to benefit from London 2012 long into the future as well.”

The Debriefing, which ran from 14 to 21 November, featured plenary sessions, breakout sessions and one-on-one meetings that allowed future Games organisers to maximise their discussions with London 2012 and the IOC and strengthen the learning process. Participants took away a number of key points from the Debriefing, in particular on the importance of vision development and implementation, product and experience, and delivering the Games.

“This was a fantastic opportunity for Rio 2016 and the other cities to learn from London,” said Nawal El Moutawakel, IOC Vice-President and Chair of the IOC Coordination Commission for Rio 2016. “We saw how much time and effort London dedicated to integrating its key stakeholders, including the athletes, spectators and partners, into its vision of the Games to deliver the best possible product. The close ties London 2012 enjoyed with the different levels of government, partners and delivery agencies was also crucial. Rio 2016 is already on the right track in both of these areas and the Debriefing will definitely help it refine its work going forward. But staging the Olympic Games is a complex project and there is no time to waste. Rio 2016 is aware of this and we know it will do a good job.”

Denis Oswald, Chairman of the Coordination Commission for London 2012, added that another key lesson from the Debriefing was the importance that London placed on vision planning and engaging the public.

“The very successful Games this summer were the result of excellent collaboration between the IOC and London 2012 over the years, and much credit has to be given to Sebastian Coe and Paul Deighton for that,” he said. “London’s ability to create a powerful vision of the Games and stick to it consistently from the day they won the right to host the Games until the day they ended is definitely something future organisers should take away from the Debriefing. London 2012 and its partners also did a brilliant job engaging the local population and the worldwide Olympic audience. I have no doubt that Rio 2016 will be looking at London’s successes and adapting them to their own project.”

London 2012 Chair Sebastian Coe commented, “The Olympic Games are different each and every time which adds to their endurance and appeal. We have, over the last week, imparted a massive amount of planning and delivery information that we learnt along our seven-year journey. Specifically we shared our engagement plans that saw millions of people across the UK join in and celebrate the Games. We talked about the importance of linking your vision with ongoing legacy priorities and we discussed the critical importance of integrated delivery with stakeholders and partners.” He continued, “Rio is a wonderful city and the Rio2016 team has a fantastic opportunity to deliver a Games which will transform the City and the lives of its young people.”.

“London organised fantastic Olympic Games and this debriefing was instrumental in uncovering the processes and the planning that made this successful edition of the Games possible. The baton has been handed to us and we will now apply the lessons learned during the past four days and add our contribution to the Olympic Movement, so that in four years’ time we can pass the baton to the next hosts having advanced the Games even further.” said Carlos Arthur Nuzman, President of Rio 2016.

The IOC’s knowledge management programme (OGKM) was created during preparations for the Sydney 2000 Games and, since then, has evolved into an integrated platform of services and documentation, which assists organisers in their Games preparations, lets them evaluate their progress and success, and helps to define the future of the Games. Among the activities offered by OGKM are a Games-time observer programme, technical manuals, workshops, an extranet, secondee programme, Games evaluation programme, and the Games Debriefing.

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For more information, please contact the IOC Media Relations Team:
Tel: +41 21 621 6000 e-mail: pressoffice@olympic.org, or visit our web site at www.olympic.org.

A factsheet on OGKM and the London 2012 Debriefing can be found here.

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Jacques Rogge: "Early legacy planning key to producing long-term benefits"

11/21/2012 8:00:00 AM

The final Olympic Games of my 12-year term as president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) were received with great fanfare this summer in London. Evidence of their success continues to reach me almost daily in the form of the question: “Were they the best Games in history?”

As much as it would please me to simply answer in the affirmative, I know such a response would be premature. My reply is always the same: “Let history be the judge.”

I say this not to take anything away from the thousands of people responsible for delivering London 2012, which was clearly an across-the-board success, but to draw attention to the considerable importance the IOC places on legacy – what an Olympic host city leaves behind long after the 16 days of sporting competition are over.

The Olympic Games are the largest sporting event in the world and for most host cities they are the biggest and most complex project they will ever undertake. Their organisation affects the whole of the city and its population and often includes urban, economic, social and environmental development that requires the broad and cohesive involvement of city leaders, regional and national authorities, Games organisers, local communities, commercial partners and all the members of the Olympic Movement.

The IOC actively encourages each city that bids for an Olympic Games to consider from the outset how they could utilize the event to bring positive, long-lasting benefits to its area and citizens. This sort of planning typically begins a decade before the start of a Games.

By the time Chairman of the London 2012 bid committee Sebastian Coe spoke at the host city election in Singapore in 2005, for example, the London organisers already had a firm and highly detailed vision for what they wanted to deliver in 2012 and beyond.

It included the regeneration of a massive industrial wasteland in East London, providing the local community with world-class sporting venues to train and compete in, new parks and residential areas, better transport connections and infrastructure, employment and business opportunities, sustainable construction, an increase in volunteerism, and the creation of the next generation of sporting champions by inspiring young people everywhere to become more involved in physical activity.

The organisation of the London 2012 Games themselves cost around 2 billion pounds, much of which was covered by the IOC and private funds. But the local authorities earmarked a further 9.3 billion pounds to leverage the Games as a catalyst for rapid city development and improvement, both tangible and intangible, that would otherwise have taken decades to achieve.

London 2012 has already delivered on many of its promises and by continuing to pursue others we are optimistic that the citizens of London will benefit from the Games long into the future.

The foundations for London’s achievements in this area were firmly built on the knowledge and expertise of past Olympic Games organisers. Massive urban regeneration projects undertaken by Barcelona 1992 and Sydney 2000, environmental and sustainability standards set by Lillehammer 1994 and Vancouver 2010, and programmes to encourage volunteerism and youth participation by Beijing 2008 are just a few of the success stories from past organisers that London used as a springboard for its own Games.

As the link between past, present, and future host cities, the IOC assists Games organisers through a comprehensive transfer of knowledge programme. Organisers of upcoming Games in Russia (Sochi 2014), Brazil (Rio 2016), and South Korea (PyeongChang 2018) are already benefitting from the programme, which includes an important debriefing that the IOC organises to give future host cities a comprehensive look at what worked well at previous Olympic Games and what could be improved.

This year it was London’s turn to pass the torch at the London 2012 Debriefing in Rio de Janeiro from 17-21 November. The Debriefing focused on all aspects of Games operations, from the moment a bid city wins the right to host a Games to long after the Games conclude. These meetings were also attended by representatives of the 2020 candidate cities Istanbul, Tokyo and Madrid, as well as other stakeholders responsible for staging the Games.

The London organisers had a great deal to pass on to their successors, who were given crucial insight into, among other things, producing and remaining focused on a long-term vision for their Games, the importance of collaboration between all parties during the planning and preparation phases, and ways to integrate the public into the event.

The Debriefing is by no means meant to provide a cookie-cutter template for future hosts. Rather, it is intended to provide valuable lessons that host cities can adopt and adapt to fit their own unique circumstances. We encourage upcoming Games organisers to innovate and expand on what they learn and ultimately improve upon the best practices of their predecessors.

London managed to do exactly that in preparing for and delivering the Games of the XXX Olympiad. It may still be too soon to call them the greatest Games ever, but ask the same question again in 20 years and you might just get a “yes.”

Olympic marketing partners: Opportunity knocks for future Games organisers

11/20/2012 2:13:00 PM

That’s a key message the IOC’s Managing Director of Television and Marketing Services, Timo Lumme, would like future organisers of the Olympic Games to take away from the IOC Debriefing of the London 2012 Games in Rio.

“You have to recognise that the partner group offers an unequalled and unique opportunity to do a multitude of things. They provide far more than just financing for the Games: they provide a fantastic amount of experience and know-how, including platforms to leverage and promote the Games,” Lumme said.

A comprehensive debriefing specifically for Olympic marketing partners was held in Rio just prior to the official debrief from 17-21 November to give those in attendance the time to look at all aspects of the partner relationship with organising committees, including services, hospitality, partner and venue operations, and others.

“The word partnership is important,” Lumme added. “The partners are clients but they are also facilitators and activators of the Games vision. So the notion of debriefing and educating, if you like, is to make future organisers understand the strategic importance of having both a revenue programme and leveraging marketing partners to fulfil their overall Games vision in many, many different ways.”

The IOC marketing team began transferring the knowledge they and their stakeholders gleaned from London 2012 shortly after the Olympic cauldron was extinguished on 12 August. The official debriefing this week, Lumme said, allows his team to pass along these messages in a broader way to more people.

“And one of those messages is: The more you integrate them, the more you can benefit from the various things that they can bring. They have a wealth of experience and they are willing to put resources behind that. Paramount to staging a successful Games is figuring out how to maximise the partner relationship.”

Want to host a successful Olympic Games? Then think like an athlete!

11/19/2012 9:03:00 AM

Enter Brazilian judoka Leandro Guilheiro. The double Olympic bronze medallist and three-time Olympian is one of a number of athletes and former athletes in Rio this week offering their insight and expertise to participants of the IOC Debriefing of the London 2012 Games. These include organisers of Sochi 2014, Rio 2016, PyeongChang 2018 and representatives of the three cities bidding to host the 2020 Olympic Games: Istanbul, Tokyo and Madrid.

Leandrinho, as he is affectionately known, has been there, done that in terms of the Olympic Games. Having competed at Athens 2004, Beijing 2008 and London 2012, the 29-year-old is clearly no Olympic greenhorn. He knows what is required of organisers to keep the heart of the Games ticking optimally over the 16 days of competition.

“The Olympic Games are very complex so it is important for organisers to try to understand the vision of the Games from the point of view of the athletes,” he said Sunday, following a Q&A session on athlete experience during the London 2012 Debrief. “The Games are for the athletes and it is important to know how we think, what we think and how we experience the Games. For me personally, I have a lot to offer Rio 2016 and other future host cities as I have participated in three Games and can compare each one.”

For Leandrinho, the London Debrief is an excellent opportunity to not only educate future host cities, but to inspire them.

“Everything is so fresh, it’s amazing,” he says. “You can see how hard everyone (responsible for putting on the Games) works day to day, and this is a nice way to learn, to motivate and to share the Olympic spirit. It’s like growing up together.”

The Olympic spirit shows no sign of abating inside Leandrinho, who has his sights firmly set on competing in his fourth straight Games, this time on home soil at Rio 2016.

“Competing at home would be a dream. My Olympic dream. It would be amazing participating in front of my family and my friends. I don’t know if it’s the weather, the environment, or that everything is so positive here, but I always perform well at home.”

Thanks to the valuable insight he is offering future Olympic host cities this week, Leandrinho is helping to ensure that the Olympic dreams of athletes around the world not only come true, but also live up to their expectations.

The IOC’s Official Debriefing Of The London 2012 Games Opens In Rio

11/18/2012 11:40:00 PM

The London Debriefing, which is the seventh edition of the event, will see the organisers of the London Games share their knowledge and experience with the organisers of future Games editions – Sochi 2014, Rio 2016, PyeongChang 2018, and the 2020 Candidate Cities. The week of meetings kicked off with a welcome event, which included speeches from Nawal El Moutawakel, IOC Vice-President and Chair of the IOC Coordination Commission for Rio 2016; Denis Oswald, Chairman of the Coordination Commission for London 2012; Gilbert Felli, IOC Olympic Games Executive Director; Sebastian Coe, Chairman of the London 2012 Organising Committee (LOCOG); Carlos Arthur Nuzman, President of Rio 2016; Eduardo Paes, Mayor of Rio de Janeiro; Luís Fernandes, the Executive Secretary of the Ministry of Sport; and Luiz Fernando Pezão, the Vice-Governor of the State of Rio de Janeiro.

El Moutawakel explained how the event would ensure that the London 2012 Games experience would help future host cities: “We are committed to sharing previous host cities’ best practices in order to help in all possible ways. The debriefing is an extensive knowledge transfer programme which guarantees that the success of previous Games editions can be repeated or even enhanced in the following host cities.”

Carlos Arthur Nuzman underlined how important the Debriefing and the IOC’s knowledge transfer programme were to future Games hosts: “The process of knowledge transfer is continuous and transparent ― and the Debriefing event is probably the clearest example of this. I would like to thank the IOC for developing this concept, which provides crucial assistance to Organising Committees.” Sebastian Coe emphasised the role that LOCOG would be playing at the Debriefing: "We want to assist Rio and other future organisers with the London experience. We will share our learning and we are willing to help out in all areas, especially when it comes to the legacy for young people".

The opening also saw a symbolic exchange of gifts, which included the presentation by Coe of the Brazilian “petal” from the London 2012 Olympic cauldron to Rio 2016 and Brazilian Olympic Committee President Carlos Arthur Nuzman. This was followed the next morning, during the opening plenary meeting, by a symbolic transfer of a baton between London 2012 and Rio 2016. The opening plenary session also included a discussion involving Brazilian Olympic medallist Leandro Guilheiro, who spoke about what he expected from a Games as a competing athlete and encouraged Games organisers to deliver like the athletes would when preparing for a competition.

The IOC’s knowledge management programme (OGKM) was created during the preparations for the Sydney 2000 Games and, since then, has evolved into an integrated platform of services and documentation, which assists organisers in their Games preparations, lets them evaluate their progress and success, and helps to define the future of the Games. Among the activities offered by OGKM are a Games-time observer programme, technical manuals, workshops, an extranet, secondee programme, Games evaluation programme, and of course, the Games Debriefing.

The London 2012 Debriefing Begins In Rio

11/17/2012 8:00:00 AM

This is the seventh event of its kind run by the IOC and is a key element in the IOC’s Transfer of Knowledge Programme. The Debriefing will see the staff of the London 2012 Organising Committee (LOCOG) sharing their knowledge and experiences with representatives from Sochi 2014, Rio 2016, PyeongChang 2018 and the three Candidate Cities for 2020.

The Debriefing will look at all of the principal areas of organising the Games and will give the various participants an opportunity to exchange ideas with each other after having had time to digest the results of the London Games. This event was preceded by a technology-specific debriefing and will be followed by an event looking at the Paralympic Games.

Speaking ahead of the opening, the IOC’s Olympic Games Executive Director, Gilbert Felli, said, “One of the main roles that the IOC plays in helping to organise the Games is providing the Organising Committees and their partners with access to the latest knowledge and experiences from the Olympics. We do this throughout the year with our Olympic Games Knowledge Management (OGKM) Programme but the Official Games Debriefing, along with the observer and secondee programmes at Games time, are invaluable to the host cities. They allow them to get the latest experience and lessons from the people who have just done the job, and this immediate knowledge transfer is consistently praised by the cities as being very beneficial to their planning.”

The London 2012 event is expected to see about 500 participants from across the various Games organisers and Candidate Cities take part in a combination of plenary, breakout and one-to-one sessions that will look at different topics like culture, media operations, ceremonies, the Olympic Torch Relay, sport, National Olympic Committee and International Federation services, workforce, venues, and commercial programmes. The experience of key client groups, such as the athletes and spectators, will permeate many of the different groups but will also be looked at in their own right as part of the discussion around the services offered to different Games participants.

The IOC’s Knowledge Management Programme (OGKM) was created during the preparations for the Sydney 2000 Games and since then, has evolved into an integrated platform of services and documentation, which assists organisers in their Games preparations, lets them evaluate their progress and success, and helps to define the future of the Games. Amongst the activities offered by OGKM are a Games-time observer programme, technical manuals, workshops, an extranet, secondee programme, Games evaluation programme, and of course, the Games debriefing.