International Olympic Committee : Information for the media

121st IOC Session and 13th Olympic Congress in Copenhagen - Information for the Media

GENERAL INFORMATION

The 121st Session (annual general meeting) of the members of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the 13th Olympic Congress will take place in Copenhagen from 2 to 9 October 2009.

The 121st IOC Session will make decisions on key policy issues and areas under its authority, including the election of the Host City for the 2016 Olympic Games on 2 October from among the four Candidate Cities: Chicago (USA), Tokyo (Japan), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) and Madrid (Spain) - the cities are listed in the order of drawing of lots.

The 13th Olympic Congress will be taking the pulse of the Olympic Movement, analysing its strengths and weaknesses, and evaluating the opportunities and the risks it faces.

The Congress and the Session, the presentations by the Candidate Cities, the vote to elect the Host City, the 2016 Host City Announcement Ceremony, the signature of the Host City Contract and all press conferences, including the joint IOC/Host City press conference, will take place at the Bella Centre in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Bella Centre

Center Boulevard 5

DK-2300 Copenhagen S

Tel. +45 3252 8811 - bc@bellacenter.dk

ACCREDITATION, ACCOMMODATION and VISA

Please click here to access our online accreditation and accommodation system. You will be able to request an accreditation to cover the IOC Session and the Olympic Congress, as well as making your own booking for accommodation in one of the proposed IOC official hotels. You will also be asked to apply for an invitation letter if you are from a country that requires a visa to enter Denmark.

Any questions regarding the accreditation application procedure should be referred to IOC Media Operations media.operations@olympic.org

The deadline for accreditation requests is 31 July 2009.

If you make your hotel reservation via the accommodation system, you will be able to collect your accreditation in your hotel when you check in.

For those who choose to make their own booking (not the IOC official hotels), you will be able to collect your accreditation as soon as you arrive at Copenhagen airport: please go to the accreditation centre situated five minutes’ walk from the airport in the lobby of the Hilton Hotel. (Volunteers will be available to escort you). Cards will be distributed only upon presentation of a valid passport.

TRANSPORT

The IOC official hotels will provide a shuttle service to and from the airport, as well as a shuttle service to and from the Bella Centre. To find out more about transport services and for a location map, please click here (PDF).

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

CONTACTS

IF YOU ARE A JOURNALIST – WRITTEN PRESS AND PHOTOGRAPHERS

Information on the press coverage of the Session

Press rate card (Word document)

IF YOU ARE A BROADCASTER - INCLUDING TECHNICIANS

Information on the broadcast coverage of the Session

Broadcast Rate Card part A

Broadcast Rate Card part B

Broadcaster questionnaire (Word document)

Distribution of images during 2016 Candidate Cities Briefing for IOC Members

The IOC has organised a pool for both moving and still images on Wednesday 17 June at The Olympic Museum:

- Moving images can be attained from Reuters TV and will also be available from the EBU.

- Still images will be distributed and available from the following agencies: Reuters, AP, AFP, EPA and Keystone.

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For further information, please contact the IOC Communications Department, Tel: +41 21 621 60 00, email: pressoffice@olympic.org

Register now for the Forum on Sport, Peace and Development

Placed under the patronage of the International Olympic Truce Foundation (IOTF) and the IOC’s International Relations Commission, the International Forum on Sport, Peace and Development will be held on 7 and 8 May 2009 at The Olympic Museum in Lausanne.

This Forum is a unique occasion to exchange experiences and opinions on how sport can contribute to development, peace and national cohesion. The discussions will focus on today’s young people, through themes such as sport for community development and young people, and sport’s contribution to achieving the Millennium Development Goals established by the United Nations; physical activity for health and current trends among young people; and mobilising young people through sport towards active participation in urban life. The Olympic Games and their legacy for education, development and peace will also be among the topics addressed at the Forum.

As well as experts on the subject, the Forum will bring together representatives of the Olympic family, governmental and non-governmental institutions, UN agencies, and educational institutions.

The forum will be broadcast live in its entirety on: www.olympic.org. For journalists who will be covering the event, the live feed will be available on TV screens in rooms Athens 1 and 2.

Media wishing to cover the Forum are requested to send an e-mail to pressoffice@olympic.org. Accreditation will be distributed at the Reception of the Olympic Museum on 7 May.

Please click here to view the preliminary programme
Please click here for useful information

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For further information, please contact the IOC Communications Department, Tel: +41 21 621 60 00, E-mail: pressoffice@olympic.org

IOC EB meetings and 2016 Candidate Cities Briefing for IOC Members in June

The Executive Board (EB) of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) will meet in Lausanne on 15 and 16 June 2009. The primary focus will be the presentation to the EB of the seven candidate sports vying to enter the Olympic sports programme. The EB will also hear the reports from IOC commissions and directors, as well as updates on preparations for the forthcoming Olympic Games in Vancouver, London and Sochi, and the Youth Olympic Games in Singapore and Innsbruck.

The EB meeting will be followed by the 2016 Candidate Cities Briefing for IOC Members that will take place on 17 and 18 June 2009. This briefing has been organised to permit the 2016 Cities to inform all IOC voting members on the technical aspects of their bid and to give IOC members an opportunity to put questions to the cities on their bids prior to the IOC Session in October.

Please note that the briefings made by the Candidate Cities to the IOC members on 17 June at the Olympic Museum will be closed to the media. There will, however, be a short photo opportunity before each briefing.

On 18 June, each city will have a separate room in the Lausanne Palace Business Centre where it can display models, show bid videos, answer questions, etc. In the morning, IOC members will visit each city’s presentation room. From 2 – 4.30 p.m. these rooms will be open to the media.

Media representatives wishing to cover the meetings are requested to confirm their attendance via the IOC website (please see below).

Programme of the EB and the 2016 Briefing for IOC Members

Monday 15 June 2009

Time	Meetings/Events	Place
1:50 p.m.	Photo Opportunity	IOC Headquarters
2 – 6:50 p.m.	Executive Board Meeting	IOC Headquarters
7:30 p.m.	Press Briefing	IOC Headquarters

Tuesday 16 June 2009

Time	Meetings/Events	Place
8:50 a.m.	Photo Opportunity	IOC Headquarters
9 a.m. – 1 p.m.	Executive Board Meeting	IOC Headquarters
3 – 6 p.m.	Executive Board Meeting	IOC Headquarters
6:30 p.m.	IOC President’s Press Conference	IOC Headquarters

Wednesday 17 June 2009

Time	Meetings/Events	Place
9:15 – 10:45 a.m.	Chicago 2016 Presentation and Q&A	The Olympic Museum
11:15 a.m. – 12:45 p.m.	Tokyo 2016 Presentation and Q&A	The Olympic Museum
2 – 3:30 p.m.	Rio de Janeiro 2016 Presentation and Q&A	The Olympic Museum
4 – 5:30 p.m.	Madrid 2016 Presentation and Q&A	The Olympic Museum

Thursday 18 June 2009

Time	Meetings/Events	Place
Morning	2016 Briefing for IOC members – Cities’ presentation in separate rooms for members only	Lausanne Palace Hotel
Afternoon	2016 Briefing for IOC members –presentation rooms open to the media	Lausanne Palace Hotel

Please note that all times are subject to change.

Media accreditation:

The same accreditation will enable you to cover the EB meeting at the IOC headquarters and the 2016 Briefing for IOC Members at The Olympic Museum and the Lausanne Palace Hotel. Please note that accreditation is being processed on the IOC website. For journalists whose profiles have already been entered for previous meetings, please connect to your profile with your e-mail address and tick the box for the Executive Board meeting. For journalists who have not yet registered, please follow the instructions at the link below.

Click here to access the media accreditation system

Media facilities:

IOC headquarters – media working room and conference room in the Pavilion, equipped with WI-FI. Please note that two ISDN lines will be available for radio reporters on a first come, first served basis.

The Olympic Museum – media working room next to the restaurant. WI-FI cards will be available at the Museum reception desk.

Lausanne Palace Hotel – media working room, Le Salon Olympique, equipped with WI-FI

Accommodation:

Media representatives are requested to make their own bookings.

Conference call:

Media representatives who are not in Lausanne will be able to listen live to the IOC President's press conference on 16 June by teleconference. The number and access code will be as follows:

Number to dial: +41 91 610 41 20

PIN code (access code): 35947#

Please contact the IOC Communications Department on Monday 15 June to confirm the time of the press conference.

Media representatives will also have the opportunity to access the audio recording of the press conference one hour after it takes place for a period of 48 hours.

Depending on where they are calling from, participants requesting the digital playback should dial:

+41 91 612 4330 (in Europe)

+44 207 108 6233 (in the UK)

+1 (1) 866 4162 558 (in the USA)

PIN code (access code):19783#

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For further information, please contact the IOC Communications Department, Tel: +41 21 621 60 00, email: pressoffice@olympic.org

IOC EB meetings in Denver, 25 to 27 March � Information for the Media

The IOC Executive Board (EB) will convene in Denver on 25, 26 and 27 March at the same time as the SportAccord convention.

On the first day, the EB will meet with the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF) and the Association of International Olympic Winter Sports Federations (AIOWF) which will have held their General Assemblies earlier in the week. It will then hear reports on the IOC’s latest activities, and receive updates on preparations for the forthcoming Olympic Games: Vancouver 2010, London 2012 and Sochi 2014 and forthcoming Youth Olympic Games: Singapore 2010 and Innsbruck 2012.

Programme of the IOC EB Meetings

Wednesday 25 March

Time	Meetings / Events
8 - 10 a.m.	Joint meeting of the EB and the Summer Olympic International Federations
10.15 – 11.45 a.m.	Joint meeting of the EB and the Winter Olympic International Federations
12 – 1.30 p.m.	Working session of the EB and the General Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF)
3 p.m. – 5.30 p.m.	EB meeting
5.00 p.m.	IOC press briefing

Thursday 26 March

Time	Meetings / Events
9 a.m. – 1 p.m.	EB meeting
3 – 6 p.m.	EB meeting
7 p.m.	IOC press briefing

Friday 27 March

Time	Meetings / Events
9 a.m. – 1 p.m.	EB meeting
1.30 p.m.	IOC President’s Press Conference

Please note that all times are subject to change.

Conference calls:

Media representatives who will not travel to Denver will be able to listen to the President's final press conference on 27 March at 1.30 p.m. The number and access code will be as follows:

Number to dial: +41 91 610 41 20

Access code: 35947#

If you do not wish to use the above Swiss phone number, please click here for your local number to dial.

As all times are subject to change, if you would like to use this service, please send us your e-mail address so that we can inform you of the exact time of the conferences.

A playback of the conference will be available for 48 hours. The number and access code will be as follows:

Number to dial: +41 91 612 4330

Access code: 15983#

SportAccord will be handling media logistics for all events as follows:

Venue:

Hyatt Regency Hotel, Colorado Convention Center

650 15th Street

Denver, CO 80202, United States

+1 303-436-1234

Accreditation and accommodation

Media wishing to cover the events are requested to register and book accommodation through the SportAccord website: www.sportaccord.com.

Please click here to register

The accreditation desk will be open from Sunday 22 March from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and will be situated in the lobby of the Hyatt Regency Hotel.

Visa and Travel Authorisation (ESTA)

Click here for Visa applications

Very important information: from 12 January 2009, all nationals and citizens of Visa Waiver Program (VWP) countries will be required by law to obtain a travel authorisation prior to initiating travel to the United States under the VWP. This authorisation may be obtained online through the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA™), a free Internet application administered by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) through a US government web site.
Please click here to access the Travel Authorisation for VISA Waiver Travellers.

Transport:

A shuttle bus service between the airport and the Sport Accord official hotels will be available from Saturday 21 to Sunday 29 March. To view the official hotels please click here.

Media facilities:

A working room will be set up in Hyatt Regency Hotel in the Mineral A room on the 3rd floor with all necessary facilities including high-speed internet lines.

SportAccord contact:

Anna Hellman, General Manager, SportAccord

Tel: +41 21 601 75 87, Fax: +41 21 601 75 69, Mobile: +41 79 310 97 22

E-mail: anna.hellman@sportaccord.com

IOC contacts:

Emmanuelle Moreau, IOC Media Relations Manager

Sandrine Tonge, IOC Media Relations Coordinator

Tel: +41 21 621 6000, Fax: +41 21 621 6356

E-mail: pressoffice@olympic.org

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For further information on the Executive Board, please contact the IOC Communications Department, Tel: +41 21 621 60 00, E-mail: pressoffice@olympic.org.

About SportAccord

SportAccord is the annual international sports convention hosted by the General Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF), the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF) and the Association of the International Olympic Winter Sports Federations (AIOWF).

Gian-Franco Kasper to chair Coordination Commission for the first Winter YOG in 2012

A month after the election by the IOC members of Innsbruck as the host city of the first Winter Youth Olympic Games in 2012, the IOC President today announced the appointment of Mr Gian-Franco Kasper, an IOC member and President of the International Ski Federation (FIS), as the Chairman of the Coordination Commission for the 1st Winter Youth Olympic Games, the group of representatives from the IOC and the Olympic Movement who will be monitoring the Youth Olympic Games preparations and guiding the Innsbruck Organising Committee over the next three years.

Mr Kasper has great experience of Games coordination as a member of the Coordination Commissions for the XIX Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City in 2002 (1999-2002), XX Olympic Winter Games in Turin in 2006 (2000-2006), XXI Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver in 2010 (since 2003) and the XXII Olympic Winter Games in Sochi in 2014 (since 2007).

Gian-Franco Kasper will accompany IOC President Jacques Rogge during the inaugural IOC visit to Innsbruck this week on 14 and 15 January.

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For further information, please contact the IOC Communications Department, Tel: +41 21 621 60 00, e-mail: pressoffice@olympic.org