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SLC 2002 > ATHLETES' CHALET > OLYMPIC SOLIDARITY

OLYMPIC SOLIDARITY

It helps great champions make themselves known.

This part of the Olympic Movement is not well known to the general public. It provides promising athletes with the means to develop their talents through scholarships.

ATHLETES' ASSISTANCE

"A veritable abyss separates the high performance athlete receiving a gold medal on the podium from the athlete cheered on by a child in a small courtyard or amidst the desert sands. Nonetheless, our ideal is the same: it should be possible for everyone, in spite of very difficult beginnings, to have an equal chance when facing the standards of high level international competition, even though, naturally, only a small fraction will get to stand on the Olympic podium."
Lord Killanin, 1979 - Président du CIO de 1972 à 1980.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Olympic Solidarity (OS) recognise the pre-eminence of the athlete within the Olympic Movement. That is why a large part of the OS budget is allocated to athlete assistance programmes.

1989 - 1993	US$ 3,000,000
1993 - 1996	US$ 6,400,000
1997 - 2000	US$ 25,000,000
2001 - 2004	US$ 43,500,000

QUESTIONS ABOUT OLYMPIC SOLIDARITY

Olympic scholarships programmes for athletes:

Olympic scholarships programmes for athletes were launched in 1989 to help some National Olympic Committees (NOC) whose athletes were not able to train in the same conditions as those from developed countries due to a lack of finance or access to a high-level sports infrastructure.

What are the objectives of the Olympic scholarship programmes?

The first objective is to create equal chances for athletes from developed countries and those from other regions of the world and to promote the universality of the Olympic Games. The athletes' performances at the Olympic Games encourage young people to practise sport, since they see them as examples to follow.

What are the advantages that an Olympic scholarship brings?

The scholarship ensures that the holder can take advantage of the following: the opportunity to train in high-level sports infrastructures, specialised coaches, medical and physiotherapeutic monitoring, an appropriate competitions calendar, favourable accommodation conditions and financial support to participate in the qualifying events for the Games.

How does one become an Olympic scholarship-holder?

The candidates are selected by the NOCs. The proposals are then submitted to OS, which decides whether to award the Olympic scholarship, and in which conditions, in consultation with the International Federation concerned.

What are the figures and the results?

Atlanta 1996:

- 215 Olympic scholarships were awarded to athletes from 75 countries.
- 158 athletes qualified and 18 athletes won 18 medals.

1997 - 2000 Olympic scholarships for young athletes:

- 301 Olympic scholarships were awarded to athletes from 96 countries, aged under 18.

Sydney 2000 :

- 632 Olympic scholarships were awarded to athletes from 121 countries.
- 472 athletes qualified and 61 athletes won 70 medals.

What is the Olympic scholarship programme in place for Athens 2004?

From August 2002, a programme will be available to NOCs and athletes for the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad in Athens in 2004.

Can athletes who practise a winter sport benefit from Olympic scholarships?

Due to the specificity of winter sports, Olympic Solidarity no longer awards Olympic scholarships to athletes who practise a winter sport. Nevertheless, OS offers NOCs a general assistance programme that allows them to help the athletes to prepare for the Olympic Winter Games under the best conditions. In Nagano, 42 NOCs received these preparation subsidies, which benefited 346 athletes. For Salt Lake City, 58 NOCs have received these preparation subsidies.