International Olympic Committee : News

Diary of a Young Ambassador

12/7/2012 5:14:00 PM

It’s a sentiment I tried to impart on the Czech Junior Team in my role as a Young Ambassador for the first Winter Youth Olympic Games in Innsbruck in 2012, that and, of course, the meaning of the Olympic values and how to live by them in everyday life. My second objective was to share my experiences with Czech school pupils, hoping that one day some talented hard working kid out there will get to feel the “Olympic spirit”.

The first time I felt the “Olympic spirit” was during the XXI Olympic Winter Games held in Vancouver. As a child I had watched all the Olympic Games on TV and dreamed to participate one day. After 17 years of hard work, my dream came true! I LIVED Vancouver to its fullest. I met new friends and Olympic legends who I had seen on TV. I left Vancouver with another dream… I hoped my adventure with the Olympic Movement would not stop now that the Games were over.

Thankfully it was just the start. At the first Winter Youth Olympic Games in Innsbruck, I witnessed the faces of athletes from my country change during the Games. They left motivated for the next Games and full of great memories, just like I did in Vancouver, only two years ago, prior to their experience, and I felt I had done what was expected of me as a Young Ambassador.

In January 2013, I will attend the AISTS Master of Advanced Studies in Sports Administration and Technology in Lausanne. I realised that having had the chance to work with and for the Olympic Movement, I now have a goal: to be part of the Olympic family, not only as an athlete, but also as a key player.

By Kamila Hájková

Highlights of the week

12/7/2012 11:54:00 AM

IOC ACTIVITIES
PRESIDENT

On 4 and 5 December, IOC President Jacques Rogge chaired the IOC Executive Board’s (EB) final meeting of the year in Lausanne.

The EB took a number of decisions, including the suspension of the Indian NOC for failing to comply with the Olympic Charter and its own statutes, among other things. The EB also lifted the suspension of the NOC of Kuwait following guarantees of its autonomy. Decisions were also taken concerning the ticket sale model and doping offences committed by four medallists at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games. The organising committees of the forthcoming editions of the Olympic Games (Sochi 2014, Rio 2016, PyeongChang 2018) and Youth Olympic Games (Nanjing 2014 and Lillehammer 2016) informed the EB of the state of progress of their preparations.

It was also announced that United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon would be awarded the Olympic Order in gold.

Prior to the EB meeting, President Rogge attended the joint meeting between the EB and the Executive Council of the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC), chaired by IOC member Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah.
A full report on the EB meeting can be found at www.olympic.org (“News” section).

President Rogge met several IOC members in Lausanne this week.

The IOC President’s Trophy was awarded to Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Mother of United Arab Emirates Nation, for outstanding merit in the development of sport, notably her dedication to the advancement of women in sport.

After the EB meeting, President Rogge travelled to Rome (Italy) to attend the General Assembly of the European Olympic Committees (EOC), during which he was presented with a trophy by the EOC President and IOC EB member, Patrick Hickey.

MEMBERS

Denis Oswald was honoured by the Law Faculty of the University of Neuchâtel on the occasion of his retirement from the post of professor. Holder of the chair in sports law and director of the International Centre for Sport Studies (CIES), he gave a farewell lecture on “The Olympic Games and the law”.

COMMISSIONS

The Finance Commission met this week, with Richard L. Carrión in the chair.

OTHER NEWS

On 5 December, the IOC joined the international community to celebrate International Volunteer Day. Volunteerism is the very foundation and one of the core values of the Olympic Movement. As President Rogge declared, “Like the athletes, all volunteers who serve the Olympic Movement are also ‘champions’ in their own right at community, neighbourhood and family levels.” See www.olympic.org (“News” section).

INTERNATIONAL SPORTS FEDERATIONS
SUMMER IFS

The International Swimming Federation (FINA) announced that the Challenge Stadium in Perth (Australia) would host the first World Youth Water Polo Championships from 1 to 9 December. The competition would involve 34 teams (15 women’s and 19 men’s) from 24 countries.
Meanwhile, a record 160 countries will take part in the 11th World Championships (25m) to be held in Istanbul (Turkey) from 12 to 16 December. More than 800 swimmers are expected to compete. Prior to these championships, Istanbul will also be the venue of the 17th FINA World Sports Medicine Congress, with the main theme “Enhancing performance: the healthy aquatic athlete”. Details at www.fina.org

Around 100 medical experts participated in the 4th Annual Conference of the Medical Commission of the International Rugby Board (IRB), which was held recently in Dublin (Ireland). During the conference, which focused on the improvement of athlete welfare, the IRB launched a programme of medical education courses. The IRB also recently confirmed that the next two editions of the Junior World Championships will be held in New Zealand in 2014 and Italy in 2015. More information at www.irb.com

The International Tennis Federation (ITF) has launched Tennis Xpress, a new programme aimed at adults as part of its global campaign Tennis Play and Stay. Find out more about the campaign at www.tennisplayandstay.com

The International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) has published two special editions of its VolleyWorld magazine, devoted entirely to volleyball and beach volleyball at the London Olympic Games. These retrospective issues look back at the success of the summer’s two Olympic tournaments in London. They can be downloaded at www.fivb.org

WINTER IFS

The new version of the Anti-Doping Rules of the International Ski Federation (FIS), valid from 1 January 2013, is available at www.fis-ski.com.

NATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEES

We recently learned that the President of the Belgian NOC, Pierre-Olivier Beckers, welcomed his Serbian counterpart, Vlade Divac, in mid-November. They discussed possible collaboration between their two NOCs. Information at www.olympic.be

The Bahrain NOC honoured its female employees on Bahrain Women’s Day at a ceremony attended by NOC chief executive Khalid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa and general secretary Ahmed bin Hamad Al Khalifa. This year, Women’s Day was linked to the world of sport under the theme “Women. Sport. Determination. Achievement. Aspirations”. The NOC chief executive reaffirmed the NOC’s continued support of Bahraini women and vowed to strengthen women’s sport.

The Canadian NOC recently announced unprecedented funding of around $100 million for high-performance sport, games preparation, national sports federation development and support for the Toronto 2015 Pan American Games team. This funding will be part of the 2013-2016 high-performance plan for athletes, coaches and national federations over the next four years. It includes direct funding by the NOC and the Canadian Olympic Foundation. Information at www.olympic.ca

Last week, the President of the Colombian NOC, Baltazar Medina, inaugurated a new Olympic chair at San Buenaventura University in Medellin. He was then awarded the honorary title of specialist in physical education, recreation and children’s sport at the Cooperative University of Colombia. Finally, the NOC President was named sports leader of the year.
On 1 December, the NOC and the Department of Culture, Recreation and Sport organised a forum on women in sport, which looked at topics including gender equality and women’s participation in sport. Information at www.coc.org.co

The result of collaboration between the Pan American Sports Organisation (PASO), the American NOC (USOC) and Olympic Solidarity, the Americas Best Practices Symposium on National Olympic Committee Management and Sport Performance was held in Miami (Florida) at the end of November. The event was attended by more than 80 delegates from 41 American NOCs, the PASO executive committee, and USOC and Olympic Solidarity leaders. The symposium provided a forum for the NOCs to share best practices in key functional areas that are essential to the success of an NOC. The PASO executive committee also held a meeting that included discussion of the London Olympic Games, NOC and athlete support programmes implemented through Pan American Olympic Solidarity, preparations for the 2015 Pan and Parapan American Games and the election of the host city for the 2019 editions. More information at www.teamusa.org

A host of celebrities from the world of sport and show business gathered at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London to celebrate the success of British Olympians at the London Games and support the future of the British team at the British Olympic Ball. The event was attended by over 70 Olympic medallists, including Victoria Pendleton, Greg Rutherford, Jade Jones, Tom Daley, Rebecca Adlington, Alistair and Jonathan Brownlee, Anthony Joshua and Gemma Gibbons. The new President of the British Olympic Association, Sebastian Coe, also attended the event, during which he gave a speech. More information at www.olympics.org.uk

The President of the Irish NOC, Patrick Hickey, has presented Fingal County Council with the 2012 IOC Trophy for “Sport and Sustainable Development”. The trophy was presented to Lord Mayor Cian O’Callaghan and County Manager David O’Connor. Fingal County Council is the local authority for the region in which the NOC offices are located and both bodies work closely on various sporting initiatives. At the ceremony, Patrick Hickey stressed that the Council had worked hard to encourage citizens of all ages to participate in sport and had given fantastic support to the visit of the London 2012 Olympic torch to the NOC headquarters. Full story at www.olympicsport.ie

The President of the NOC of Sao Tomé and Principe, João Manuel da Costa Alegre Afonso, has been elected as 2nd Vice-President of the International Canoe Federation (ICF).

The Czech President, Václav Klaus, has awarded state honours to two people from the world of sport: the double Olympic javelin champion, Barbora Špotáková (photo) and the legendary football goalkeeper and 1976 European Championship winner, Ivo Viktor. Both were honoured for their services to sport at a ceremony held at Prague Castle.
Meanwhile, the Czech NOC has elected Jiří Kejval as its new President, replacing Milan Jirasek, who had held the post for 16 years. As the outgoing Vice-President for Finance and Marketing, Kejval was elected unanimously by the NOC General Assembly in Prague. A former international rower, Kejval is also Chairman of the Czech Rowing Association. Secretary General Petr Hrubec was re-elected in his post. Information at www.olympic.cz

As part of Olympic Solidarity’s programme of technical courses, a course for weightlifting coaches was recently organised by the Uruguayan NOC and the Uruguayan Weightlifting Federation. Ecuadorian coach Carlos Mora Campos, who coaches the national team and is currently technical advisor at the High-Level Olympic Centre of the Ecuadorian NOC, led the course, in which 18 Uruguayan coaches took part. Information at www.cou.org.uv

ORGANISING COMMITTEES FOR THE OLYMPIC GAMES
RIO 2016

The Rio 2016™ Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games (Rio 2016™) has held its first official meeting with the NOCs. Organised by the NOC Services department, the meeting took place from 2 to 4 December. The objective of Rio 2016™ was to give the NOCs an overview of the 2016 Games, and to offer visits to the Olympic venues and the Olympic Village. Press release at www.rio2016.com

YOUTH OLYMPIC GAMES
NANJING 2014

The Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Games Organising Committee (NYOGOC) has unveiled its official mascot, “NANJINGLELE”. The mascot was presented at a grand ceremony held at the Nanjing Olympic Centre, one of the main competition venues for the upcoming Games, by Chinese Olympic champions Sun Yang, Huang Xu and Wu Jingyu, official dignitaries and a group of young people who are working as advisors for NYOGOC. Information at www.nanjing2014.org and www.olympic.org .

RECOGNISED ORGANISATIONS

To mark the United Nations International Day for Persons with Disabilities on 3 December, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) launched a short online film "London 2012 - Best Games Ever", featuring the highlights of this summer's Paralympic Games and celebrating the performances of Paralympic athletes. Meanwhile, according to figures published by the IPC, the London Paralympic Games were watched by a cumulated TV audience of 3.8 billion, the same figure as for Beijing 2008. The Games were broadcast in more than 115 countries and territories, a new record. More information at www.paralympic.org

Lillehammer 2016: By young people, for young people!

12/7/2012 12:05:00 PM

The results, we’re sure you’ll agree, are pretty impressive. The group of 16- and 17-year-olds was responsible for everything, from storyboarding and filming, to producing and composing the music. The finished film will be used in an official presentation in the lead-up to the YOG to demonstrate just how Lillehammer 2016 will be “by young people, for young people”.

Watch out for a few familiar faces from the Innsbruck 2012 Youth Olympic Games too!

IOC disqualifies four medallists from Athens 2004 following further analysis of stored samples

12/5/2012 5:30:00 PM

The four athletes are Yuriy Bilonog (1st, men’s shot put; Ukraine), Svetlana Krivelyova (3rd, women’s shot put; Russia), Ivan Tsikhan (2nd, men’s hammer throw; Belarus), and Iryna Yatchenko (3rd, women’s discus throw; Belarus).

In all four cases, the IOC Executive Board has ordered the relevant National Olympic Committees to return to the IOC, as soon as possible, the medals and diplomas awarded to the athletes.

The full decisions can be found via the following links:

Yuriy Bilonog (oxandrolone metabolite) Disciplinary Commission recommendations EB Decision
Svetlana Krivelyova (oxandrolone metabolite) Disciplinary Commission recommendations EB Decision
Ivan Tsikhan (methandienone metabolite) Disciplinary Commission recommendations EB Decision
Iryna Yatchenko (methandienone metabolite) Disciplinary Commission recommendations EB Decision

In addition, the IOC notes that one pending case remains.

The IOC stores samples for eight years after each edition of the Games so they can be re-tested should more sophisticated detection methods become available or new substances be added to the list of banned substances.

The IOC, in close collaboration with the World Anti-Doping Agency, decided to further analyse a number of samples from the Athens Games as a result of targeted testing based on intelligence and new methods.

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Tel: +41 21 621 6000 e-mail: pressoffice@olympic.org, or visit our website at www.olympic.org.

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IOC Executive Board looks into Olympic Games ticket sale model

12/5/2012 7:22:00 PM

The IOC Ethics Commission made a report based on revelations by the Sunday Times concerning possible breaches of the IOC’s Code of Conduct by National Olympic Committees (NOCs) and Authorised Ticket Resellers (ATRs).

The British newspaper had carried out an undercover investigation into violations of the ticketing agreements between NOCs, ATRs and LOCOG in the run-up to the London 2012 Olympic Games.

The Executive Board approved the Ethics Commission proposed recommendations, which were based on a thorough analysis of the evidence provided by the Sunday Times and several hearings.

Given that the Olympic Charter does not allow for sanctions to be issued to individuals performing functions within NOCs, the EB tasked the four NOCs whose officials clearly tarnished the reputation of the Olympic Movement to take measures in the form of warnings and/or reprimands. Should they fail to do so, it is at the discretion of the EB to initiate further measures, such as denying accreditation to IOC events, including the Olympic Games, the Youth Olympic Games and Sessions.

The EB also approved recommendations made based on the reports provided by the organisers of the London 2012 Olympic Games.

These include immediate measures on an administrative level for a number of NOCs that include no ticket resale opportunities, change of ATR solutions and reduced consideration for ticket allocations with regard to the Sochi 2014 and Rio 2016 Games.

The EB committed to reviewing the existing ticket sales model to ensure that such situations, particularly those involving the NOCs and ATRs, do not reoccur in the future.

As such, the IOC has already begun to review possible long-term solutions by creating a Task Force designed to issue any possible recommendations to the IOC Executive Board for consideration by May 2013.

Read the Ethics Commission report here.

Put your hands together for the volunteers!

12/5/2012 11:44:00 AM

Indeed, without the 1,200 volunteers at the Innsbruck 2012 Youth Olympic Games, there would have been no YOG. So, to mark International Volunteer Day (5 December), we would like to take the opportunity to say a big thank-you to them and their counterparts at the London 2012 London Olympic Games in this exclusive video.

Keep your eyes open for one very special, and particularly hairy, volunteer!

IOC President honours HH Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Mother of United Arab Emirates Nation

12/5/2012 1:31:00 PM

IOC President Dr Jacques Rogge said that the Trophy was awarded to Her Highness for outstanding merit in the development of sport, notably her dedication to the advancement of women in sport.

Her Highness serves as Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of the Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak Ladies Sports Academy and has inspired the launch of an annual international award for female athletes in her name as part of a series of initiatives to promote and develop the cause of women in sport.

IOC Executive Board meeting comes to close

12/5/2012 7:40:00 PM

Representatives from Sochi 2014, PyeongChang 2018 and Youth Olympic Games organisers Nanjing 2014 and Lillehammer 2016 updated the EB on the progress being made in their cities, with no major issues to report. Members of Rio 2016 presented to the EB during the first day of meetings on Tuesday.

The EB also received an update on the building of the IOC’s second Olympic Youth Development Centre, under the auspices of the Sport for Hope Programme. The centre will be built in Haiti, with construction set to begin imminently. As with the first centre in Zambia, the one in Haiti will serve elite athletes as well as the local community, and will feature sporting venues as well as educational and administrative facilities.

Regarding the case of South Korean footballer Park Jong Woo, whose bronze medal was withheld by the IOC after an alleged political statement following his team’s match against Japan at the London 2012 Games, the EB decided to set up a Disciplinary Commission to look into the matter, based on the recent decision by FIFA to ban the player from international competition for two games.

Decisions were also taken on the Olympic Games ticket sale model and doping offenses concerning medallists from the Athens 2004 Olympic Games.

Finally, it was announced that United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will be awarded the Olympic Order in gold.

The IOC EB will meet next from 12 to 13 February 2013 in Lausanne.

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/

Final Executive Board meeting of 2012 gets under way in Lausanne

12/4/2012 5:58:00 PM

The Board welcomed the Executive Council of the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC), led by its recently elected President, Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah (Kuwait), who expressed his organisation’s overall satisfaction with the success of the London 2012 Olympic Games and reiterated its support for the fight against doping and illegal and irregular betting.

The EB decided to suspend the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) due to its failure to comply with the Olympic Charter and its statutes, failure to inform the IOC in a timely matter, and as a protective measure against government interference in the IOA’s election process.

With this decision, the IOA is no longer entitled to exercise any activity or right, including financial support, conferred upon it by the Olympic Charter or the IOC until the suspension is lifted by the IOC Executive Board.

In particular, the Executive Board confirms that the IOA is not entitled to hold any elections until all pending issues are resolved and the EB decides to lift the suspension.

The EB also confirmed the lifting of the suspension of the NOC of Kuwait following guarantees of its autonomy. The NOC and national federations are now able to operate in full compliance with the Olympic Charter and the rules of the International Federations.

Having obtained the agreement of the two NOCs and International Federation concerned, the three-year waiting period for authorisation of the change of sporting nationality for skier Elise Pellegrin was cancelled, allowing the French-born Pellegrin to now compete for Malta at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Games.

In the case of canoeist Krisztina Fazekas (Zur), who won the gold medal in the women’s K-4 500m event at London 2012, the EB confirmed retroactively that the athlete was eligible to represent Hungary at the Games and does not question the results of the event.

Finally, the EB decided to issue a warning to Irish sailor Peter O’Leary who admitted betting on an Olympic sailing event at the Beijing 2008 Games, but denied any competition fixing. No proof of any match-fixing of the competition in question was found.

In addition, at the time of the Beijing Games, the IOC had just begun its campaign to educate athletes via NOCs and IFs on the risk of irregular and illegal betting, and it seems that, in this particular case, the athlete was not aware that he could not bet on an Olympic event.

While the EB views any breach of its betting rules as a serious matter, the EB considered the special circumstances of this case when taking this decision.

Read here for the full decision.