International Olympic Committee : News

Olympians discuss entourage and dual career

11/27/2012 11:00:00 AM

Giving and remaining the best

Frank Fredericks, Peter Van Den Hoogenband and Mike Boit shared their first-hand experience, opining on what it takes to be successful in sport and in post-athletic life. Former swimming star Van Den Hoogenband, better known as the “Flying Dutchman”, has always been led by the following principles during, as well as after, his sporting career: What am I good at? How do I get better? How do I become the best? How do I remain the best? Indeed, this strategy has worked well for him - Van Den Hoogeband is a three-time Olympic champion and is now working as Tournament Director for the European Youth Olympic Festival to be held in Utrecht (Netherlands) in 2013.

Spreading the word about the ACP

Other athletes who may need external advice on how to manage their education alongside their sporting career can benefit from the IOC’s Athlete Career Programme (ACP). Frank Fredericks, Olympic silver medallist and former Chairman of the IOC Athletes’ Commission, explained that the IOC ACP was launched in 2005 to help elite athletes successfully manage training, competition and the challenges and opportunities of day-to-day life. It focuses on three fields: education, life skills and employment. Since its inception, the IOC ACP has reached more than 10,000 athletes in over 100 countries.

Champion on and off the field

One thing is for certain: skills obtained during an athletic career are of benefit outside the sporting arena as well. “I attribute all the positive life experiences that I have highlighted to the journey which began at the 1972 Munich Olympics, where I won the bronze medal in the 800 metres and came fourth in the 1500 metres”, said Mike Boit during the conference. He added: “It is also the upbringing I received from my parents, who inculcated in me the sense of responsibility, caring and commitment.”

Engaging the family

The athlete’s family is, of course, a key part of his or her entourage. Olympic pole vault champion Sergey Bubka and the world road race record holder over 5 kilometres and 10 miles, Lornah Kipalagat, spoke about the important role of the family in preparing the athlete for optimum performances on and off the playing field. Sergey Bubka, a father as well as an Olympian, is heading up the IOC’s Entourage Commission, which deals with matters concerning the relationship between athletes, coaches, managers, sponsors and all other stakeholders that support athletes.

Read more about the athletes’ entourage and guidelines of conduct here

Visit the IOC’s Athletes’ space here

Learn more about the Athlete Career Programme (ACP) here

Learn more about the IOC Entourage Commission here

Learn more about the IOC Athletes’ Commission here

IOC World Conference kicks off in Amsterdam

11/26/2012 9:27:00 AM

IOC President Jacques Rogge said on this occasion: “This 8th World Conference on Sport, Culture and Education is a great chance to share ideas on how to tap the full potential of the power of sport to be a force for good. We will explore new ways to engage young people in a rapidly changing world. We will reassert the educational and cultural power of sport.”

Read the full speech of the IOC President here.

Young people engaged in the Conference

The two-day discussions concern the policies, practice and potential of sport and Olympism as they relate to culture and education. The Conference includes a number of young people who will share their ideas on several occasions with the other participants.

Danny Boyle receives IOC award

At the Conference opening, Danny Boyle, Artistic Director for the London 2012 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony, was announced as the winner of the prestigious IOC OlympiArt Award, a decoration given to an artist from the host country of the Games of the Olympiad and aimed at strengthening the link between the arts and the Games. Lord Sebastian Coe, Chair of the London 2012 Organising Committee, was in Amsterdam to receive the award on Boyle’s behalf.

Prizes for Sport and Art contest winners

The opening ceremony was also a fitting occasion to award the winners of the IOC Sport and Art contest. This year’s fourth edition included more than 60 artists who shared their vision of “Sport and the Olympic Values of Excellence, Friendship and Respect” through their graphic works and sculptures, demonstrating the creative and artistic strength that sport can inspire. The winning works, including one from 18 year-old Luisa Balaban from Romania, were already exhibited in London’s Guildhall Art Gallery during the Olympic Games this summer:

The winners in the graphic works category are:

	Artist	Title	Medium, Technique	Country
1.	Volha PIASHKO	IN CERCA DELL’ ARMONIA	Mixed media, collage (paper, oil, enamel)	Italy
2.	Luisa BALABAN	EXCELLENCE RISING	Paper, ink, watercolour, pastel	Romania
3.	Isabel DE CUNHA	LIMA HOPE	Acrylic on canvas	Portugal

The winners in the sculpture category are:

	Artist	Title	Medium, Technique	Country
1.	Martin O. LINSON	OMNIPOTENT TRIUMPH	Bronze	USA
2.	Levan VARDOSANIDZE	OLYMPIC HYMN	Bronze, brass, marble, wood	Georgia
3.	Fernando SERRANO MUÑOZ	THE CYCLING WOMAN	Sapeli wood carving, treated with wax, rusty iron support	Spain

Follow the Conference (which is also livestreamed) here: http://www.iocworldconferencenl2012.org/

Learn more about the Conference: www.olympic.org/amsterdam2012

Learn more about the IOC Commission for Culture and Olympic Education: http://www.olympic.org/culture-and-olympic-education-commission

Amsterdam to host debate on sport, culture and education

11/20/2012 4:39:00 PM

From 25 to 27 November 2012, representatives of the sporting community, the United Nations system, civil society organisations, special interest groups, academia, governments, non-governmental organisations, the corporate sector and the media will discuss the policies, practice and potential of sport and Olympism as they relate to culture and education.

The opening ceremony, which will include the announcement of the winners of the OlympiArt Award and the IOC Sport and Art Contest, will be attended by IOC President Jacques Rogge, Lambis V. Nikolaou (Chairman of the IOC Commission for Culture and Olympic Education), Lord Sebastian Coe (Chairman and President of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2012), Getachew Engida (Deputy Director-General, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation), Eberhard Van der Laan (Mayor of Amsterdam) and a number of Olympians.

The one-and-a-half-day conference programme will feature Olympians and young people, on several occasions, discussing topics such as the empowerment of young people, how to engage the families of top athletes in their strive for excellence and what it takes to be successful in sport and in post-athletic life.

The conference is being organised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in partnership with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and in collaboration with the National Olympic Committee of the Netherlands (NOC*NSF) and the city of Amsterdam.

Learn more about the conference here

Learn more about the programme here

If you still want to register, click here: www.olympic.org/amsterdam2012

2012 IOC World Conference on Sport, Culture and Education

8/24/2012 8:01:00 AM

Conference participants and high-level speakers include representatives from the sporting community, the United Nations system, civil society organisations, special interest groups, academia, governments, non-governmental organisations, the corporate sector and the media.

The registration process for the 8th IOC World Conference on Sport, Culture and Education is now closed.

The conference will however be live streamed for those who do not have the chance to come to Amsterdam. Visit the dedicated conference website at http://www.iocworldconferencenl2012.org/
For any questions or concerns, please contact events.amsterdam2012@olympic.org

Key topics:

The two-day Conference programme will be structured around plenary and dialogue sessions and will reflect three pillars of transition from Policy to Practice to the potential of sport and Olympism as it relates to education and culture. The Conference will also involve young people who are at the heart of many related initiatives set up by the Olympic Movement.

Items on the agenda include:
• innovative approaches for sustainable education;
• the value of sport in civil society, specifically in terms of family structures;
• cultural exchange and identity angle;
• the impact of the Youth Olympic Games and Olympic Games Cultural Olympiad;
• the socio-economic benefits of sport and quality physical education;
• follow-up of the 7th World Conference on Sport, Education and Culture, “Giving a Voice to Youth”
• contribution to preparatory discussions ahead of the 5th UNESCO International Conference of Ministers and Senior Officials responsible for Physical Education and Sport (MINEPS V) to be held in 2013.

Click here to preview the preliminary programme

Conference venue:

Amsterdam’s Maritime Museum will provide the monumental backdrop for the opening ceremony, and also host the presentation of the 2012 IOC OlympiArt Award and the presentation ceremony for the medal winners of the IOC 2012 Sport and Art Contest. The Conference will be held in the NH Hotel Krasnapolsky.

Background Information:

The IOC Commission for Culture and Olympic Education was created in 2000 to advise the IOC on the best policies and programmes to help promote culture and Olympic education.

Working with the Commission, the IOC developed an Olympic education policy that seeks to provide greater resources to help promote culture and education through sport at a national, regional and international level. Activities related to the education of young people through sport play a key role within the Conference programme.

The IOC’s World Conference on Sport, Culture and Education, which takes place every two years, is an important interactive platform to take stock of the progress made and to develop a significant impetus for the way forward. The previous Conference, held in Durban, South Africa, attracted more than 500 participants and concluded with a strong action plan within the relevant domains of activity.

UN partnership:

UNESCO is the United Nations’ specialised agency for education. Since its creation in 1945, the organisation has worked to improve education worldwide. The signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the IOC and UNESCO has enabled a long-standing partnership between the two leading organisations.

NOC*NSF:

The Netherlands Olympic Committee * Netherlands Sports Confederations (NOC*NSF) is the umbrella body for organised sports in the Netherlands. The 95 member organisations include 76 national federations, which account for 28,000 sport clubs with almost 6 million members. This makes up a third of the Dutch population.

NOC*NSF uses the power of sport to unite and to inspire everyone in the Netherlands to greater achievements. This is articulated in the mission statement of NOC*NSF: ‘’To each, his or her Olympic dream’’. The Dutch NOC also celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2012.

IOC launches 2012 Sport and Art Contest

7/15/2011 2:07:00 PM

In order to blend sport with culture, the IOC has launched the 4th edition of its Sport and Art Contest in the run-up to the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Artists from all countries that have a recognised NOC can participate by entering either sculptures or graphic works on the theme of “Sport and the Olympic values of excellence, friendship and respect”. An international jury, to be set up by theIOC’s Commission for Culture and Olympic Education and which will include art experts and academics from all continents, will select three winners in each category (sculptures and graphic works) in June 2012. The winners will receive cash prizes.

For the previous edition in 2008, the works were displayed at The Olympic Museum in Lausanne, and the best eight works in each category were exhibited in Beijing during the Games.

Click here for general information and the rules
Click here for the entry form
Click here for the declaration form by the artist

Learn more about the IOC Commission for Culture and Olympic Education

Durban Conference calls for stronger youth involvement

12/8/2010 1:36:00 PM

The 7th World Conference on Sport, Education and Culture, which was held in Durban, South Africa, from 5 to 7 December 2010, closed with an exciting youth caucus and a set of recommendations which show the way forward. The inclusion of young people in the programme proved to be a huge success and was suggested for adoption for future events.

Young people on the panel

“Giving a Voice to Youth” was indeed more than the Conference motto in Durban. Young people who had participated as athletes, young reporters or ambassadors in the first Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in August took the floor in all debates to contribute their ideas and experiences.

Thumbs up for the Youth Olympic Games

The final plenary session was the youth caucus and featured YOG participants, representing countries such as Barbados, Austria, Singapore, Brazil, New Zealand, Slovakia and South Africa, as well as local South African students. Many of the YOG participants described the experience in Singapore as “life-changing”, and vividly recounted the friendships they had made and events they had witnessed. In the light-hearted, yet informative 90-minute session, the IOC's revolutionary Culture and Education Programme (CEP) was given a rousing “thumbs up” from the entire youth caucus.

Conference recommendations

This notion was included in the final recommendations of the Conference which were agreed upon by the more than 600 delegates attending as the future direction to be taken. Moreover, the Conference recommends that certain elements of the Youth Olympic Games should be extended beyond the Games and, for the benefit of young people, integrated into other programmes and events at continental, regional and national levels. Following the example of Durban, young people should be involved in future forums and conferences of the Olympic Movement and be consulted on actions related to policies and programmes that concern them. It is also advised that, as part of the country’s legacy for hosting the Olympic Games, the dedicated culture and education programmes should be continued after the Games.

Read the full text of the recommendations here.
Learn more about the Conference here.

Experts and young people discuss Sport, Education and Culture in Durban

12/5/2010 10:51:00 AM

The 7th World Conference on Sport, Education and Culture kicked off in Durban, South Africa. The opening ceremony featured many high-profile speakers, including IOC President Jacques Rogge, IOC Commission for Culture and Olympic Education Chairman Lambis Nikolaou, UNESCO Deputy Director General Getachew Engida and South African Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula.

The objective of the Conference is to enrich and link the agendas of all those participating – the Olympic Movement, the United Nations, the academic world, other experts in the field of education and culture and, last but not least, a number of young people.

During a festive opening ceremony that featured a drum band playing traditional and contemporary songs, Jacques Rogge said: “I am very pleased that this Conference is being held for the first time on the African continent. This continent which, this summer, once again showed the whole world that it was capable of successfully organising a major international sports event.” Looking at the Conference topics, he added: “The task we face is immense. But more than ever, we have the duty to offer a better future to our young people, and this brighter future can come also through sport.”

The event, organised in partnership by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and UNESCO, is taking place from 5 to 7 December under the motto “Giving a voice to youth”. More than 500 representatives from over 130 countries have signed up. Among them are several young people who participated in the first Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in August 2010 as athletes, reporters or ambassadors. They will take the floor in all the debates and offer their first-hand input on their experiences in the fields of sport, education, culture and society.

Learn more about the conference here.
Click here to read the full programme.

Youngsters gear up for 7th World Conference on Sport, Education and Culture

12/3/2010 10:36:00 AM

Several young people who participated in the first Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in August 2010 as athletes, reporters or ambassadors are currently on their way to Durban, South Africa, to participate in the 7th World Conference on Sport, Education and Culture. The event, organised in partnership by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and UNESCO, will take place from 5 to 7 December under the motto “Give a voice to youth”. More than 500 representatives from over 130 countries have signed up.

A first for Africa

The Conference is being held for the first time on the African continent, and will be opened by IOC President Jacques Rogge, IOC Commission for Culture and Olympic Education Chairman Lambis Nikolaou, UNESCO Deputy Director General Getachew Engida, South African Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula and other high profile speakers.

Youth Caucus as a highlight

The discussions in the following two days will take place in plenary and parallel sessions and centre on topics such as values-based education, the role of young people in promoting inter-cultural dialogue through sport, the Cultural Olympiad, a place for sport in the education curricula, and how to develop a culture of healthy lifestyles, to name just a few. Young people will take the floor in all the debates and offer their first-hand input on their learning experiences in these fields. The Conference will conclude with a youth caucus, “How sport plays a part in MY life”, in which the YOG participants will share their own stories with their South African peers.

International Year of Youth

The character of this event is in line with the 2010 International Year of Youth: Dialogue and Mutual Understanding, proclaimed by the United Nations. UNESCO will present the objectives and activities of this initiative and demonstrate how sport is being used to fight racism and discrimination.

Learn more about the Conference here.
Click here to read the full programme.

7th World Conference on Sport, Education and Culture – Final Programme and Call for Contributions

11/30/2010 5:23:00 PM

There are only a few days to go now until the start of the 7th World Conference on Sport, Education and Culture, which will take place from 5 to 7 December 2010 in Durban, South Africa.

The final programme featuring all the speakers, sessions and discussions is now available on the dedicated conference page at www.olympic.org/durban2010. There is also still time to submit work that addresses one of the conference themes.

The country reports, working project-based initiatives and reflection pieces (e.g. open-ended essays) in the thematic areas will extend the scope and depth of the conference. Attendance at the conference is not a prerequisite for submissions and/or selection. Learn more about the call for contributions here.

7th World Conference on Sport, Education and Culture - Call for Contributions

11/19/2010 2:20:00 PM

The IOC is launching a “Call for Contributions” to the 7th World Conference on Sport, Education and Culture to be held in Durban, South Africa. This marks an opportunity to submit work that addresses one of the conference themes. Country reports, working project-based initiatives and reflection pieces (e.g. open-ended essays) in the thematic areas would also be welcome (see General Conditions, Section 5 for further details). It should be noted that registration and/or attendance to the conference are not a pre-requisite for submissions and/or selection. Every author may only present one contribution.

The objective of this call for contributions is to extend the scope and depth of the conference. This can be achieved by creating an opportunity for dialogue, generating an “ideas” pool, and ultimately mainstreaming the concepts and experiences.
Submissions selected through the Conference Selection Committee will be published by the IOC.
Criteria for selection will be based on:

1. Originality and innovative approach of work
2. Impact/importance of the work in regard to the issue addressed and relevance to the conference platform
3. Quality and clarity of written content

Please click here to download the General Conditions for submission of contribution.
Please click here to go to the Submission Form.
Please click here and here to view a model(s) for contribution.