International Olympic Committee : News

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.

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

Kuwait Olympic Committee risks new suspension

11/23/2012 12:57:00 PM

After the NOC had been suspended for more than two years, the suspension was lifted on 14 July 2012 based on guarantees from the highest authorities in the country to pass new sports legislation that would put an end to governmental interference in the Olympic Movement in Kuwait. The deadline to implement the promises was set for 22 November, but the IOC regrets to note that the commitments have not been fulfilled. The suspension of the National Olympic Committee would serve as a protective measure by the IOC to preserve the autonomy of the NOC and the Olympic Movement in Kuwait.

The relevant authorities of the State of Kuwait bear all responsibility for this regrettable situation, which is dramatically affecting the country’s sporting family.

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.”

Save the Date: 3rd International Forum on Sport for Peace and Development

11/16/2012 11:38:00 AM

Jointly organised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the UN Office on Sport for Development and Peace (UNOSDP), with the support of the United States Olympic Committee (USOC), the biennial event aims to assess the successes and challenges of using sport as a tool for human development and peace promotion and looks at how to pave the way for future concerted action in these fields.

Creating a Common Vision

Whilst there is no doubt about the positive role sport can play in society, it remains work in progress to make sporting initiatives more powerful, sustainable and integrated into nations’ development agendas. Under the theme of “Creating a Common Vision”, high-level stakeholders from governments, the sporting community, the UN system, the academic and business worlds, civil society groups and the media will debate the impact of sport on achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) as well as how to move forward with the mainstreaming of sport in development policies and strategies. The participants will also look at other issues which increasingly affect sport and its organisation, such as the protection of youth, gender equality and integrity of sport.

Mario Pescante, Permanent Observer for the IOC to the UN and Chairman of the IOC International Relations Commission, said: “The past forums have featured excellent keynote speakers and provided high-level discussions which resulted in concrete recommendations for follow-up action embraced by all participants. I expect nothing less for New York. Once again it will be about translating the huge potential in the meeting room into concrete action on the ground, especially in relation to the developing countries. There is always more to be done.”

Wilfried Lemke, Special Adviser to the Secretary-General of the United Nations on Sport for Development and Peace, said: “The collaboration between the United Nations and Olympic family has never been better. The 2013 Forum in New York can contribute to further developing our collaboration, in particular in defining concrete intervention, and to engaging other important stakeholders such as governments, civil society, academia and the business sector. It is important that the meeting will focus on concrete outcomes for the benefit of those most in need, as action speaks louder than words”.

Follow us on www.olympic.org/IOC-UNForum2013 for updates on the Forum and the upcoming registration launch.

Click here to read the full report and the resolution of the last Forum, held in Geneva in 2011

Learn more about the IOC’s activities in the field of Development through Sport
Learn more about the IOC’s activities in the field of Peace through Sport
Learn more about the IOC’s International Relations Commission
Learn more about the International Olympic Truce Foundation (IOTF)
Learn more about the UNOSDP
Learn more about USOC

Save the Date: 15th IOC World Conference on Sport for All

9/27/2012 9:45:00 AM

The Conference, which will be hosted by the Miraflores Municipal Government and the Peruvian Institute of Sport, is being organised jointly by the IOC and the Peruvian Olympic Committee, in collaboration with SportAccord. Registration for the Conference will open in October 2012 at www.sportforall2013.org.

Speaking ahead of the Conference, Sam Ramsamy, IOC Executive Board member and Chairman of the IOC Sport for All Commission said: “I am sure that Lima will provide a vibrant and inspiring setting for our next World Conference. The focus of this edition will be on the social benefits of Sport for All, infrastructure needs and the value of partnerships, and I am looking forward to exciting discussions and exchanges among academics, experts from the field and other stakeholders.”

José Quinones Gonzales, President of the Peruvian Olympic Committee said: “Sport for All is a movement promoting the Olympic ideal that sport is a human right for all individuals regardless of race, social class and gender. The movement encourages sports activities that can be exercised by people of all ages, both sexes and different social and economic conditions.”

The World Conference on Sport for All has, since its first edition in 1986, 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.

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

For more information about the Conference, please visit www.sportforall2013.org
For more information about the IOC’s activities in Sport for All, please visit www.olympic.org/sport-for-all

The IOC’s Olympic Studies Centre at your service

9/10/2012 7:15:00 AM

As the entry point for research, teaching and publications which contribute to education and the dissemination of Olympism and its values, the OSC’s facilities are at the service of anyone conducting research or wishing to deepen their knowledge of the main topics linked to sport and Olympism, the history and impact of the Olympic Games and the Olympic Movement at large.

With specific research and study areas, it offers access to the IOC’s invaluable patrimonial collection, including the historical archives, dating back to 1894 and the foundation of the IOC and the Olympic Games, as well a unique collection of rare and ancient books dating back to the 16th century. The current acquisitions policy of the library has also led to its reputation as reference library for researchers worldwide, making available 25,000 books and a wide selection of reviews and electronic resources on the Olympic Games, Olympic Movement and sports sciences at large.

Furthermore, the valuable images archive, with an impressive range of 250,000 images and 8,000 hours of visual and audio material and over 10,000 objects and artefacts, is now accessible to academic researchers at the OSC via the digital Olympic Multimedia Library.

At the OSC’s new location, researchers from around the world can now make use of a magnificent and quiet area for their reading and research, right next to The Olympic Museum (which is planning to reopen at the end of 2013).

For more information on the IOC Olympic Studies Centre, visit www.olympic.org/studies.

Paralympics Closing Ceremony lights up London

9/10/2012 4:35:00 PM

Coldplay’s Chris Martin gave a rousing rendition of the band’s hit song Paradise during an emotionally uplifting closing ceremony held to mark the end of the 2012 Paralympic Games.

Complementing a cast of hundreds, including performers with disabilities, other global stars, including Jay-Z and Rihanna, also captured the moment for a world audience inspired by the performances of 4,200 athletes from 164 nation states.

Some of the feats that have amazed viewers over 12 days of competition included Matt Stutzman, born without arms, who took silver for the US in the archery competition; the visually-impaired Ukrainian athlete Ruslan Katyshev, who claimed the F11 *long jump gold; and US swimmer Mallory Weggemann, a paraplegic who raced against rivals with function in only one limb, to claim gold in the S8** 50m freestyle.

Other heroes include: Jason Smyth, of the Republic of Ireland, who held his ground as the fastest Paralympian of all time when he ran the T13* 100 metres in a record 10.46 seconds; Rim Ju Song competing for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in the S6*** 50m freestyle, who only learnt how to swim this year; and cyclist Sarah Storey of Great Britain in the 64km road race.

The closing show at East London’s landmark stadium treated an audience of 80,000 to a spectacle of acrobatics, pyrotechnics and quirky fantasy vehicles including a giant mechanical fish, a bright green grasshopper and a steamship ablaze with light.

Captain Luke Sinnott, who lost an arm and both legs in the war in Afghanistan, opened the ceremony when he performed the rite of climbing the flagpole to unfurl the British flag.

British swimmer Ellie Simmonds, who won gold in the 400-metre S6*** freestyle medley, and British sprinter Jonnie Peacock, who won gold in the T44**** 100 metres, extinguished the flickering flames of London’s Olympic cauldron.

At the end of the ceremony the Olympic flag was passed to the Mayor of Rio de Janeiro, which will host the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Speaking at the closing ceremony, LOCOG Chairman, Sebastian Coe said: “The Paralympic Games has set new records every day, sporting records, records for crowds, for television audiences, for unbridled spirit.

In this country we will never think of sport the same way and we will never think of disability the same way.”

And declaring the 2012 Paralympics closed, International Paralympic Committee (IPC) president, Sir Philip Craven, said: “These Games have changed us all forever.”

Sport Classes explained

* T/F11-13: The three sport classes 11, 12 and 13 are allocated to athletes with varying degrees of visual impairment, with sport class 11 including athletes with the lowest vision and sport class 13 including athletes with the best vision meeting the minimum disability criteria.
**S8 SB7 SM8:  Swimmers who have lost either both hands or one arm. Also, athletes with severe restrictions in the joints of the lower limbs.
***S6 SB5 SM6: This sport class includes swimmers with short stature, amputations of both arms or moderate coordination problems on one side of their body.
****T/F42-46: These sport classes are designated for athletes with limb deficiencies, such as amputations. In the sport classes 42-44 the legs are affected by impairment and in the sport classes 45-46 the arms are affected, for example by above or below elbow amputations.

London’s Paralympics Enlightens the World

9/5/2012 11:57:00 AM

Titled “Enlightenment”, the four-hour opening ceremony on 29 August explored the theme of scientific discovery and education and set the tone for 10 days of inspirational sporting prowess. Athletes have been showing their muscle in 20 sports, ranging from cycling, powerlifting, and judo, to wheelchair rugby and goalball.

With 32 gold medals up for grabs on Day 1 when the action kicked off, China’s Yi Siling deftly took gold in the women’s 10-metre air rifle competition and cemented her reputation as the ‘shooting beauty’. Also on day 1, the guts and skill of cyclist Sarah Storey brought on the cheers and she achieved the host nation’s first gold in women’s individual C5 pursuit cycling.

Excitement was in the air when British Golden Girl Ellie Simmonds smashed the S6 400m world swimming record to claim Britain’s second swimming gold of the event. She followed up later in the week by setting a new world record and winning in the heats of the women’s 200m Individual Medley SM6.

Another thrill from the Aquatics Centre came when Ihar Boki of Belarus set his fourth world record of London 2012's swimming competition by shaving off more than four seconds in the 400m Freestyle – S13 400m Freestyle - S13 to 4:02.83.

One of the biggest surprises this week came when 80,000 spectators watched South African Oscar Pistorious, otherwise known as “The Blade Runner”, come second to Brazilian Alan Oliviera in the 200m finals in the Olympic Stadium. Pistorious, arguably one of the most famous Paralympic athletes in the world, had up until this point been unbeaten in a 200m Paralympic race. Pistorious also made headlines last month when he used the blades to compete against able-bodied athletes in the Olympics. He is still to compete in the 100m and 400m events later this week.

The Paralympics is the world’s second largest sporting event. It has come a long way from its humble origins at Stoke Mandeville Hospital, North London where neurosurgeon Ludwig Guttman organised a competition for wheelchair athletes on the occasion of the 1948 Olympics.