International Olympic Committee : News

ParticipACTION: Keeping Canadians moving for over 4 decades

3/19/2013 2:45:00 PM

Every two years the IOC World Conference on Sport for All brings together those active in the field to share their ideas as well as their programmes designed to get people moving. The 15th edition of the conference will take place in Lima, Peru from 24 to 27 April and a strong lineup of speakers has been assembled to ensure the workshops and discussions are as interactive and interesting as possible.

Go, Canada!

ParticipACTION is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to encouraging Canadians to lead active lifestyles and participate in sports. Originally established in 1971, ParticipACTION implements social marketing campaigns that inspire and support Canadians to move more.

“As the national voice of physical activity and sport participation in Canada, our goal is to create a society where daily physical activity is not only a priority, but also second nature for its citizens,” says Kelly Murumets, President and CEO of ParticipACTION. “Our vision is a Canada where physical activity is a vital and fulfilling part of everyday life.”

Armed with a simple mandate – to get Canadians moving –ParticipACTION quickly gained a reputation as a global leader in communications to promote physical activity. Over the years, the organisation has earned praise for its innovative and proactive approaches to forging partnerships to finance and implement its projects.

ParticipACTION creates societal change through social marketing and collaborative partnerships. Through initiatives like Bring Back Play, an integrated campaign that encourages mothers to bring back the unstructured active play that used to be a part of every childhood, and the ParticipACTION Network, a national network that facilitates partnership, coordination and communication among organisations dedicated to encouraging physical activity and sport participation, ParticipACTION works collaboratively with its partners to ensure that its actions set the stage for long-term sustainable change.

Shared goals

Kelly Murumets will be speaking at the 15th World Conference on Sport for All in Lima next month on Sports Day in Canada, a national celebration of sport, from grassroots to high performance levels.

For more information on the 15th IOC Conference on Sport for All and to register click here

For more information on the IOCs Sport for All actions click here

Register now for the 15th IOC World Conference on Sport for All in Peru

1/8/2013 3:30:00 PM

You can save your place now by signing up on the Conference website www.sportforall2013.org.

Conference themes and format

The following three themes will be at the centre of discussions in Lima:
- Social benefits
- Sports facilities and public spaces
- Partnerships

The debates will take place in plenary sessions, breakout sessions and practical sessions. The latter will provide participants with the opportunity to develop specific skills needed to implement and run successful Sport for All programmes. These sessions will be led by experts in various areas, such as project management, communications and fundraising. In addition, participants can also share their work in the field of Sport for All with the other participants by preparing a poster.

IOC Sport for All Grants

The Conference will also include the awarding of the IOC Sport for All Grants, which acknowledge and further encourage the implementation of high-quality programmes in the field of Sport for All. During a dedicated session, the recipients will share the key elements about their projects.

Go to the final announcement to learn more about the conference themes and format

Speakers

High-level speakers include IOC President Jacques Rogge, Chairman of the IOC Sport for All Commission Sam Ramsamy, IOC member and Minister of Sport in Colombia Andrés Botero Phillipsbourne, Special Adviser to the United Nations Secretary-General on Sport for Development and Peace Wilfried Lemke, WHO representative Timothy Armstrong, City Manager of Vancouver Penny Ballem, Mayor of Miraflores Jorge Muñoz, President of the Peruvian Sports Institute Francisco Boza and Paul Teeple, who is Director for Sport-for-Development at the Partners of the Americas.

Hosted by the Miraflores Municipal Government and the Peruvian Institute of Sport, the 15th IOC World Conference on Sport for All is being organised jointly by the IOC and the Peruvian Olympic Committee, in collaboration with SportAccord.

Since its first edition in 1986, the Conference had been dedicated to promoting broad dissemination of the Sport for All philosophy, globally. It pursues the promotion of health, fitness and well-being, and aims at encouraging more people of all ages and abilities to participate in sports activities and experience the Olympic values.

For more information about the Conference, please visit www.sportforall2013.org

Read the final announcement here.

Click here to read the full report about the previous edition, which took place in Beijing in September 2011.

Learn more about the IOC’s activities in the field of Sport for All

Learn more about the IOC Sport for All Commission

14th World Conference on Sport for All issues call for action

9/23/2011 12:05:00 PM

The 14th World Conference on Sport for All came to a successful conclusion in Beijing today with 527 participants from around the world issuing a call to action in a unanimously approved final declaration.

The declaration was tabled by International Olympic Committee (IOC) Sport for All Commission Chairman Sam Ramsamy at the closing ceremony, and called on sports and non-sports organisations such as governments, the health sector, schools and corporations, to embrace the spirit of Sport for All and promote participation by all sectors of society in sport and physical activity.
Among the action points contained in the declaration, the participants called for increased collaboration between the various entities involved in promoting the benefits of Sport for All activities, the use of tools such as social media to get the message out and promote dialogue, and the organisation of Sport for All events wherever possible.

Read the full text of the declaration here.

The format of the Conference was altered this year to include a wider range of participants and encourage interaction and collaboration. The focus of the Conference this year was on practical applications and best practices that could be shared among participants and implemented worldwide.

With that in mind, representatives from governments and sports bodies were invited to attend and share their experiences in workshops and interactive panel sessions designed to encourage greater and more fruitful discussions.

“We have had a really excellent World Conference, and I would like to thank the organisers for their work,” said IOC President Jacques Rogge. “Our philosophy and approach to this year’s Conference was to share ways to get people of all ages and abilities more active. We have accomplished a lot this week in a very interactive and stimulating environment, and our declaration is an important step in the right direction.”

The Conference, which was hosted by the Chinese Olympic Committee and Beijing Municipal Government and organised by the IOC and Beijing Olympic City Development Association, was also the first of its kind to welcome a large number of local and international media.
The 15th World Sport for All Congress will take place in 2013 in Lima, Peru.

###

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

Videos

YouTube: www.youtube.com/iocmedia

Photos

For an extensive selection of photos available shortly after each event, please follow us on Flickr
To request archive photos and footage, please contact our Images team at: images@olympic.org

Social media

For up-to-the-minute information on the IOC and regular updates, please follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Innsbruck 2012

1st edition of the Winter Youth Olympic Games, Innsbruck, Austria,13 to 22 January 2012 Follow us on Twitter and Facebook

14th Sport for All Conference kicks off in Beijing

9/21/2011 2:53:00 PM

The 14th World Conference on Sport for All got under way today at the China National Convention Centre in Beijing with workshops, plenary sessions and other meetings designed to promote health, fitness and well-being by encouraging people of all ages and abilities to participate in sports activities and embrace the Olympic values.

The focus of this year’s Conference, running from 21 to 23 September, is on the practical implementation of Sport for All programmes, and was reformatted from earlier conferences to place greater emphasis on interactive knowledge-sharing and the exchange of best practices. Experts from around the globe will share their experiences on a wide range of Sport for All activities with an estimated audience of 600 people this week.

Hosted by the Chinese Olympic Committee and the Beijing Municipal Government, the Conference has been jointly organised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Beijing Olympic City Development Association (BODA) in collaboration with SportAccord. The Sport for All Conference is one of the IOC’s key advocacy initiatives in this field. It has, since its formation, been dedicated to promoting broad dissemination of the Sport for All philosophy globally.

“We can always do more”

“Our hope is that when you go back to your respective cities and countries, you will be able to implement on the ground what you have learnt or discovered during this Conference,” IOC President Jacques Rogge told participants at Wednesday’s Opening Ceremony. “I think we all agree: In the end it is not just about talking, but about taking action and seeing concrete results. We can always do more to get more people moving and taking exercise.”

IOC Sport for All Commission Chairman Sam Ramsamy concurred: “In today’s society, Sport for All has to play a very significant role in ensuring that citizens at large participate in sports activities. Elite sport is a beautiful objective and a high ideal for many participants. At the same time, sport offers many other values in abundance, such as fair play, volunteerism, community involvement, a healthy lifestyle, and much more. This is our focus in Sport for All.”

Sport for All Grants

In light of the focus of the 14th Sport for All Conference — the practical implementation of Sport for All programmes — the IOC’s Sport for All Commission decided to create a grant to support the outstanding work of entities actively engaged in promoting Sport for All, particularly in the developing world, and disseminating the health and social benefits of sport in general.

The three winners of the grant correspond to the three main themes of the Conference:

• Health and social benefits of physical activity (Eco Sports Group - Bosnia and Herzegovina)
• Programmes and policies (Ethiopia - Sport Builds Bridges)
• Development and promotion of Sport for All (Health Qigong Administrative Centre of the General Administration of Sport of China and the Chinese Health Qigong Association)

“The practice of sport is a human right. Every individual must have the possibility of practising sport. This is one of the fundamental principles of Olympism,” said President Rogge. “This is why I am very pleased about the Sport for All Commission’s project to reward three of the many outstanding Sport for All initiatives around the world ... we thank them all for their valued contributions and wish them continued success in the future.”

IOC, UN and World Leaders Join Forces Against Deadly Diseases

9/20/2011 9:30:00 AM

Speaking to a special session of the UN General Assembly, IOC President Jacques Rogge urged world leaders to expand the role of sport organisations in the fight against noncommunicable diseases (NCDs).

The high-level meeting at the UN headquarters in New York (USA) brought together heads of state and governments; delegates from UN Member States; representatives from civil society; and heads of UN agencies to address a health risk that ranks as the leading cause of death worldwide. At least 63 per cent of all deaths are linked to heart attacks, strokes, cancers and other NCDs.

“The impact of NCDs goes well beyond the lives lost and the daily suffering of millions of people. These preventable diseases are a major obstacle to economic growth and social development in countries around the world,” President Rogge said in reaffirming the IOC’s commitment to combating NCDs by promoting physical activity and healthy lifestyles.

The World Health Organisation has recognised physical activity as one of three pillars for the effective prevention of NCDs, alongside good nutrition and avoiding tobacco.

President Rogge outlined the many ways the Olympic Movement promotes healthy lifestyles. The IOC’s Sport for All Commission is at the forefront of efforts to encourage physical activity at all levels. One of the Commission’s initiatives - the annual Olympic Day celebration on 23 June - has proven to be an effective way to get young people more active in countries around the world.

To help put sport to work against NCDs, the IOC President urged meeting participants to:

• Advocate for more safe and accessible public spaces for physical activity and sport.

• Build new partnerships with sectors beyond sport — transport, finance, urban planning, industry and others — to expand the impact of sport in urban areas.

• Work with government authorities and educators to increase the amount of time that students devote to physical education.

• Encourage the development of sports infrastructures and sports organisations.

It was President Rogge’s first appearance before the General Assembly since the IOC gained official UN Observer status in late 2009.

“Many Member States and United Nations agencies or programmes understand the value of sport in promoting development, sustainability, health and the objectives of the Millennium Development Goals. Encouraging others to integrate sport into those efforts will bring us closer to making our goals a reality,” he said.

President Rogge’s visit to New York came on the eve of the 14th World Conference on Sport for All in Beijing (China), a high-level summit to promote best practices and share new ways to encourage physical activity, especially among young people.

Discover President Rogge's full speech

Read news about Sport officially recognised to boost Millenium Development Goals.

IOC to award Sport for All projects

8/12/2011 11:51:00 AM

For the first time ever, the IOC will award outstanding Sport for All initiatives in different continents that have encouraged physical activity for people of all ages, both sexes and from diverse social, physical and economic backgrounds. The three winners were selected by the IOC’s Sport for All Commission and will be revealed during the 14th World Conference on Sport for All, which will take place in Beijing, China, from 20 to 23 September 2011. An IOC grant of up to USD 20,000 will support them to sustain and further develop their activities.

Case studies on stage in Beijing

All of the three selected projects use sport to address social issues, are based on strong partnerships and of a sustainable nature. The project leaders will join the Conference in Beijing to share their success stories. Sport for All expert Nick Keller, founder of “Beyond Sport” , will moderate the session. His organisation promotes, develops and supports the use of sport to create positive social change across the world.

About the 14th World Conference on Sport for All

The focus of the event will be on the practical implementation of Sport for All programmes, and the conference comprises plenary sessions, panel discussions, interactive workshops, poster sessions, networking opportunities and social events, and thus leaves considerable room for fruitful exchanges.

Learn more about the programme

Hosted by the Chinese Olympic Committee and the Beijing Municipal Government, the Conference is being jointly organised by the IOC and the Beijing Olympic City Development Association (BODA) in collaboration with SportAccord. As one of the most recent Olympic cities, Beijing has lately experienced a boom in Sport for All activities, and as such will be a vibrant meeting point for experts in this field.

Last opportunity to register

Registration is still open a few more days, until 15 August 2011, and you can save your place here.

Visit the official Conference website
Learn more about the IOC’s Sport for All activities

14th World Conference on Sport for All – Abstracts submission still running

3/18/2011 3:39:00 PM

The deadline for submission of abstracts for the 14th World Conference on Sport for All has been extended for another month. Experts and practitioners in the field of Sport for All still have until 15 April to submit abstracts for oral and poster presentations for the event, which will be held in Beijing, China, from 20 to 23 September 2011.

The abstracts should address one of the following Conference themes:

• Follow-up of the 2010 World Conference on Sport for All;

• Health and social benefits of physical activity;

• Programmes and policies: the practical and theoretical foundations of Sport for All;

• Development and promotion of Sport for All, in particular the roles of different stakeholders; and

• Future directions.

Practical-based and scientific submissions are encouraged. In addition, abstracts summarising case studies and examples of Sport for All initiatives are also welcome.

Contributions must be submitted via the online submission system by 15 April. The authors who are accepted will be able to present their work orally at either a parallel session or during a workshop, or prepare and showcase a poster.

Please click here to download the full information on the call for abstracts.

Last places for the 2010 World Sport for All Congress!

4/22/2010 8:35:00 AM

If you want to get one of the last places for the 13th World Sport for All Congress, register now at https://www.jyu.fi/en/congress/sportforall2010. The event will be held in Jyväskylä, Finland, from 14 to 17 June 2010. Once again, experts from different fields will share experiences and the latest findings in promoting sport for everyone.

Key event

The World Sport for All Congress is organised every second year and is a key event in the calendar of the Olympic family, specialised NGOs, researchers, governments and UN bodies.

In plenary and in parallel

During the four-day Congress, guest speakers will give presentations during five plenary sessions on the following topics:

- Follow-up of the 12th World Sport for All Congress and the 2009 Olympic Congress
- Evidence-based debate: what are the challenges in choosing the target groups in Sport for All?
- Counteracting the spread of the physical inactivity epidemic
- Local, continental and global strategies to promote Sport for All
- Future directions

The plenary sessions will be followed by parallel sessions with contributions, either from a scientific, practical or policy-related view-point.

Organised by the LIKES Research Centre and the University of Jyväskylä, the Congress will be hosted by the Finnish Olympic Committee under the patronage of the International Olympic Committee, in collaboration with the World Health Organization and Sportaccord/GAISF.

2010 World Sport for All Congress: extension for submission of abstracts

3/1/2010 9:00:00 AM

The deadline for submitting abstracts for the upcoming 13th World Sport for All Congress has been extended to 15 March 2010. This gives you the chance to still play an active role in this event, which will be held in Jyväskylä, Finland, from 14 to 17 June 2010.

Jointly organised by the University of Jyväskylä and the Likes Research Centre, and hosted by the Finnish Olympic Committee, under IOC patronage, in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) and SportAccord/GAISF, the Congress attracts representatives of the Olympic family, specialised NGOs, researchers, governments and UN bodies. Held every second year, it is a platform for the exchange of experiences and best practices, as well as for the identification of the newest trends and the presentation of latest research in this field.

In plenary and in parallel

During the four-day Congress, invited speakers will give presentations during five plenary sessions with the following topics:

The plenary sessions will be followed by parallel sessions with contributions, either from a scientific, practical or policy-related view-point, on the following suggested topics:

1. Quality of life, health and prevention of diseases through Sport for All (SFA)
2. Social integration and SFA
3. Recreation and SFA
4. Economic aspects of SFA
5. Target groups of SFA (children, adults, elderly, people with disabilities, etc.)
6. Role of educational institutions in SFA (school sport, etc.)
7. Challenges for new technologies to advance SFA
8. Models of SFA (individual, social, environmental, legislation, etc.)
9. Local conditions for SFA (environment, nature and sport facilities)
10. Developing countries and SFA
11. Sport disciplines and SFA (past, present and future)
12. Sport for All vs. competitive and elite sport
13. Policies, strategies and programmes to promote SFA and future strategies to include SFA in all policies (United Nations, EU, governments, sport organisations, etc.)
14. Monitoring and surveillance of SFA initiatives
15. Country report
16. Others

How to contribute

How to register

The IOC Sport for All Commission

Official web site of the Congress

Last places for the 12th World Sport for All Congress!

9/25/2008 12:00:00 AM

If you want to get one of the last places for the 12th World Sport for All Congress, register now at http://www.sportforall2008.olympic.org.my.

Under the motto “Sport for All – Sport for Life”, the event will take place in Genting Highlands, Malaysia, from 3 to 6 November 2008.

Experts and participants from the Olympic family, universities, the UN system, governments and NGOs will discuss the following themes:

- Physical activity for young people
- Role of Sport for All in the world of information technology

- Sport for All’s responses to the challenges of ageing populations
- Sport for All and social justice
- Focus on the Olympic and Sports Movement’s Sport for All initiatives

How to adjust sports facilities to the needs of young people? How to advance Sport for All programmes by using different means of information technology? Ageing or inactivity: which is the villain for functional deterioration? And how to promote the Olympic values through Sport for All? These are just a few of the topics which will be addressed during lively sessions at the Congress.

Join now - registration closes on 30 September 2008.

Learn more about the speakers and the programme