Sochi 2014 Torch Relay braves record low temperatures

KALYAN KUMAR MAHATA The true appellation of Apu.

©Sochi 2014

11/11/2013

The Olympic flame has experienced record low temperatures as the Sochi 2014 Olympic Torch Relay continues its journey across Russia ahead of the 2014 Olympic Winter Games.

As the Torch reached Yakutsk, the capital of the Republic of Sakha and one of the coldest cities on Earth, which lies on the continuous permafrost zone, the temperature dropped to minus 35ºC – the lowest temperature so far recorded on the Torch Relay.

The Olympic flame had just toured the Ice Kingdom – one of Yakutsk’s main tourist attractions – where it was welcomed by Chyskhaan, the ‘Lord of the Cold’. Torchbearers in Yakutsk included London 2012 weightlifting silver medallist Vladimir Balynets, Montreal 1976 wrestling silver medallist Alexander Ivanov and Seoul 1988 athletics gold medallist Maria Pinigina.

In the previous days, the Torch Relay had visited the Mir Open Pit Diamond Mine – home to the largest diamond deposits in Russia – near the city of Mirny, where temperatures reached minus 25ºC.

In the past week, the Olympic flame has also toured Yugra, the main oil region of Russia, where it visited the Priobskoye oil field – home to the largest oil reserves in Western Siberia. Five of the oil field’s employees were among the Torchbearers, including Vladimir Podgursky.

“I came here in 1988, and was one of the first to begin developing these territories,” he said. “I could not even imagine that 25 years later, I would participate in such a huge event at this field!”

The following day, the Torch Relay reached Khanty-Mansiysk, where Torchbearers included 89-year-old Victor Bashmakov – one of the oldest participants in the Sochi 2014 Olympic Torch Relay.

While in Khanty-Mansiysk, the Olympic flame toured the city’s Winter Sports Centre, which regularly hosts biathlon World Cup events, as well as the 2003 and 2011 Biathlon World Championships. Torchbearer Eduard Ryabov was on-hand to carry the Torch along the biathlon course, dressed in full biathlon gear, while Ekaterina Ilyukhina held the Olympic flame as she descended the Khvoyny Urman ski slope on a snowboard.

“It is impossible to express the sensations,” she said afterwards. “Today I carried a bit of Olympism! Root for us in Sochi!”

The relay is now set to continue its journey around Russia, as it visits every region of the country on its way to the Opening Ceremony of Sochi 2014 on 7 February 2014.

The route has been designed to ensure that around 90 per cent of Russia’s population will be within an hour of the Relay at some stage, allowing approximately 130 million residents to participate in the event.

Find out more about the Sochi 2014 Olympic Torch Relay Presenting Partners athttp://torchrelay.sochi2014.com/en/Partners

More information on the Sochi 2014 Olympic Torch Relay can be found athttp://torchrelay.sochi2014.com/en/

Sochi 2014 Olympic Torch makes historic space walk Sochi 2014 Olympic Torch makes historic space walk

KALYAN KUMAR MAHATA The true appellation of Apu.

09/11/2013

www.olympic.org

 

Cosmonauts Sergei Ryazansky and Oleg Kotov completed a unique mission today when they took the Olympic Torch on a spacewalk as part of the Sochi 2014 Olympic Torch Relay.

 

On 7 November, the ‘Soyuz TMA-11M’ spacecraft, which took off from the Baikonur cosmodrome carrying the Sochi 2014 Olympic Torch and crew members Koichi Wakata (Japan), Richard Mastracchio (USA) and commander Mikhail Tyurin (Russia), successfully docked at the International Space Station (ISS).

Russian cosmonauts Oleg Kotov and Sergei Ryazansky, who had been on the International Space Station for over a month already, welcomed the Soyuz team on board the ISS, where all the astronauts present took part in relaying the unlit Olympic Torch throughout the entire station.

The pinnacle of the event came when Oleg Kotov and Sergey Ryazan ventured out into space holding the Sochi 2014 Olympic Torch. After passing it to each other, they completed a symbolic stage of the relay.

The Olympic Torch spent more than an hour in outer space.

The Torch was not lit in orbit, as combustion is impossible in outer space, while safety regulations strictly prohibit open flames on board the space station.

The Olympic Torch will return to earth in the hands of cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin, when he and his crew land in the ‘Soyuz TMA-09M’ spacecraft on Monday. They will then immediately hand the Torch to representatives of the Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee upon exiting the capsule.

Find out more about the Sochi 2014 Olympic Torch Relay Presenting Partners at http://torchrelay.sochi2014.com/en/Partners

More information on the Sochi 2014 Olympic Torch Relay can be found at http://torchrelay.sochi2014.com/en/

Rio 2016 launches sport pictograms

KALYAN KUMAR MAHATA The true appellation of Apu.                              

 www.olympic.org

©Rio 2016

08/11/2013

The Rio 2016 Organising Committee has launched the sport pictograms for the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

For the first time in Games history, every Olympic and Paralympic discipline will be represented by its own iconic graphic symbol, which will be used to guide and inform the public during the Games – for example on venue signposts and tickets – allowing people from all over the world to immediately identify each of the different sports.

“For the first time, all Olympic and Paralympic sports are individually represented,” said Rio 2016 President Carlos Nuzman. “This is one of our unique contributions to the history of the Games. I congratulate the creative team for their dedication and hard work together with diverse groups who contributed to this launch.”

Since Tokyo 1964, each edition of the Games has depicted the sports on its programme through iconic graphic symbols that reflect the culture of the host nation. Rio 2016’s 64 pictograms – 41 Olympic and 23 Paralympic – were inspired by the word ‘pictogram’, which means ‘painted word’.

The designs were based on the Rio 2016 font, which was launched in July 2012 and forms an integral part of the Rio 2016 brand. The athlete bodies and sports equipment depicted in the pictograms were built from the font’s characters, or part of them, in a continuous stroke, with variations in thickness in order to give the impression of depth. The pebble shapes, which enclose each pictogram, are a characteristic of Rio 2016’s visual language and alter their shape according to the athletes’ different movements, while the pictograms themselves can be produced in a variety of colours.

Rio 2016’s Brand Director, Beth Lula, explained that the pictograms are important tools in a variety of contexts. “From now until 2016, the pictograms will serve as a communication platform for the promotion of the sports, for partner activations, and will be present in all the Games’ visual identity, including their application in venue decoration, signposting, tickets and licensed products, among other things.”

Olympic Torch makes journey to International Space Station

KALYAN KUMAR MAHATA The true appellation of Apu.

©Sochi 2014

07/11/2013

Exactly one month since it began its journey across Russia, the Sochi 2014 Olympic Torch is on its way into space, with a Soyuz TMA-11M containing the flame launched this morning from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. 

On arrival at the International Space Station, the commander of the ship, cosmonaut Mikhail Tyurin, will pass the Sochi 2014 Torch to Oleg Kotov and Sergey Ryazansky, who will take the torch on a spacewalk on 9 November.

The launch of the Soyuz-TMA-11M took place at 08:14 with the aid of the Soyuz-FG rocket carrier. All crew members wore badges featuring images of the Olympic Torch and the Sochi 2014 logo.

Koichi Wakata (Japan) and Richard Mastracchio (USA), under the leadership of commander Mikhail Tyurin (Russia) will accompany the Olympic Torch on its voyage. This will not be the first time that Mikhail Tyurin has carried the Torch. On 24 June he received it when the Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee presented the torch to the Roscosmos Federal Space Agency. And on 10 October he ran with the Olympic flame in his home town of Kolomna.

After docking with the ISS, Mikhail Tyurin will give the Olympic Torch to cosmonauts Oleg Kotov and Sergey Ryazansky, who have already been in low Earth orbit for more than a month. They will hold a stage of the relay on board the ISS and all the astronauts will carry the Olympic Torch, unlit, to all parts of the space station.

Two days later, on 9 November, the cosmonauts will take the Sochi 2014 Olympic Torch on a spacewalk. Sergey Ryazansky will carry cameras and video equipment while Oleg Kotov will follow him with the Torch. The cosmonauts will spend four hours in outer space. The Olympic space expedition will be broadcast live on television.

The Olympic torch will return to earth on 11 November and will be carried by cosmonaut Fedor Yurchikhin who is currently on the ISS.

Find out more about the Sochi 2014 Olympic Torch Relay Presenting Partners athttp://torchrelay.sochi2014.com/en/Partners

More information on the Sochi 2014 Olympic Torch Relay can be found athttp://torchrelay.sochi2014.com/en/

www.olympic.org

IOC President outlines his vision for the partnership between the worlds of sport and politics at the UN General Assembly

KALYAN KUMAR MAHATA The true appellation of Apu.   
                                                                                                      www.olympic.org

06/11/2013

Assembly unanimously approves Olympic Truce for Sochi Games

Newly elected International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach has outlined his vision of how sport and politics can work together to build a better and more peaceful world. He was speaking at the 68th Session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly today, where a resolution was adopted urging all member states to observe the Olympic Truce during the XXII Olympic Winter Games and XI Paralympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, beginning next February.

Speaking at the Session in New York, President Bach emphasised the key role that sport can play in the service of society, by promoting fair play, tolerance and understanding, and by supporting health and education.

He underlined the position of sport as the only human activity where there are “universal laws” and a “global ethic”. And for this reason, he underlined the need to protect the autonomy of sports organisations around the world.

“Regardless of where in the world we practise sport, the rules are the same. They are recognised worldwide. They are based on a common ‘global ethic’ of fair play, tolerance and friendship", he said. For this reason, to apply what he called these “universal laws” politics must respect this sporting autonomy. Sport can hold its international competitions and promote its values only if this autonomy is understood and accepted, he told the Assembly.

President Bach said that the sporting world accepted that this autonomy must be practised “responsibly”, and that sport could never “operate in a law-free environment”. Indeed, sports organisations needed to “justify” their autonomy and demonstrate good governance. He said that the IOC had set a good example in this regard by demanding that the Universal Principles of Good Governance of the Olympic Movement be accepted as a minimum standard at all levels of sport.

In exercising this autonomy, the IOC President stressed that the sports movement must remain politically neutral, but that this did not mean being “apolitical”: “Sport must include political considerations in its decisions. It must consider the political, economic and social implications of its decisions,” he said.

He then called on those in the audience to take back a message to their countries: “In the mutual interest of both sport and politics, please help to protect and strengthen the autonomy of sport.”

The concept of the Olympic Truce was introduced to the modern Olympic Games in 1992, and the UN General Assembly has adopted a similar resolution before every edition of the Games since 1993. But the idea of an Olympic Truce dates back to the 9th century BC, when warring states would suspend hostilities during the Games.

The President added that the Truce was a great example of how the world could work together in partnership. With the Olympic Games, the IOC was able to set an example of global peaceful interaction.

“The Olympic Games, the Olympic athletes and in particular the Olympic Village are a powerful symbol of this,” he said. “They break down the barriers of cultural differences. They serve as an example of mutual respect and non-discrimination.”

He underlined to those present the common principles shared by the IOC and the United Nations, but also pointed out that the values of sport can make a valuable contribution only if autonomy is respected and boycotts in sport are resisted.

“Precisely because many of our principles are the same, it must always be clear in the relationship between sport and politics that the role of sport is always to build bridges. It is never to build walls. Sports stand for dialogue and understanding,” he said, “which transcend all differences. Sport and the Olympic Movement especially understand the global diversity of cultures, societies and life designs as a source of richness. We never accuse or exclude anyone,” he added.

He called for the IOC and the United Nations to stand “side by side” in a partnership which could lead to even more fruitful cooperation, particularly in the areas of education, development, integration and building peace.

The resolution, entitled “Sport for Peace and Development: Building a Peaceful and Better World through Sport and the Olympic Ideal”, was formally submitted to the General Assembly on behalf of the Olympic Movement and the Russian Federation by Dmitry Chernyshenko, President and CEO of the Sochi 2014 Organising Committee.

And the IOC President underlined that the Organising Committee is working with young people all over Russia as well as internationally to draw their attention to peace, tolerance and participation.

Closing his remarks, the President once again underlined the common shared values between the United Nations and the IOC, which was granted observer status by the UN General Assembly in 2009.

“Together with the political authorities, the IOC wishes to set an example for peace and solidarity in the quest for a more humane society,” he said. “Our partnership clearly illustrates that ‘Olympic principles are United Nations principles’.”

The Sochi Olympic Winter Games will take place from 7 to 23 February 2014 and be followed by the Sochi Paralympic Winter Games from 7 to 16 March 2014. The resolution calls for the Olympic Truce to be respected from seven days before the start of the Olympic Games until seven days after the Paralympic Games.

Complete text of the resolution

Full text of President Bach’s speech

Learn more about the Olympic Truce

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Entries flood in from all over the world for IOC’s Nanjing 2014 Medal Design Competition

KALYAN KUMAR MAHATA The true appellation of Apu.

05/11/2013

From Bangladesh to Belarus, entries have flooded in from all corners of the world for the International Olympic Committee’s competition to design the medal for the Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Games. And, with just four weeks to go until the deadline for submissions, IOC President Thomas Bach has urged young designers not to miss this historic opportunity. 

President Bach, who will oversee his first Youth Olympic Games next year, said: “This competition offers a fantastic opportunity for young designers to be part of the Olympic Movement and I have been very impressed with the high quality and level of creativity shown in the designs received so far.”

He added: “With entries coming from all corners of the world, this competition reflects the passion people have for sport, and demonstrates how the Youth Olympic Games can inspire everyone, not just competing athletes, to embrace the Olympic values and get involved in the Youth Olympic spirit.”

To date, entries have been received from over 30 countries, with the youngest candidate aged just 13 years old and the oldest 55.

A judging panel including world-renowned designer Thomas Heatherwick, the man behind the iconic Olympic cauldron at the London 2012 Olympic Games,  as well as sports names such as Olympic short-track speed skating champion Yang Yang and Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games 400m hurdles champion Aurélie Chaboudez, will meet in Lausanne in December to select the winner of the competition and two-runners-up. The winning design will then feature on the face of the gold, silver and bronze medals awarded in Nanjing from 16 to 28 August 2014. The winning designer will win a trip to Nanjing 2014 which includes tickets to the Opening Ceremony, as well as a full collection of medals featuring their design.

Key dates:

• The competition opened on 2 September and design submissions will be accepted until 30 November:www.medaldesigncompetition.com
• The jury will meet in Lausanne to select a winner and two runners-up on 11 December 2013.
• The winner will be announced in late December 2013.

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Olympic Summit held at IOC Headquarters

                            ©IOC/Richard Juilliart (2)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   03/11/2013

Responding to an invitation from IOC President Thomas Bach, the senior representatives of the Olympic Movement’s key stakeholders met today at the IOC headquarters in Lausanne for the 2nd Olympic Movement Coordination Meeting.

The meeting formed part of the on-going open dialogue and consultations that the IOC is looking to increase with its main stakeholders on the main topics of interest and concern to the Olympic Movement.

On this occasion, the subjects addressed included the fight against doping, the fight against match-fixing and illegal betting, the sports calendar and autonomy and good governance in the Olympic Movement.

Regarding the fight against doping, the participants endorsed the IOC Executive Board’s guidance paper on World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), which was previously accepted by the Olympic Movement candidate for the WADA presidency, Craig Reedie. The participants reaffirmed their support for the candidate and the submission by the IOC, on behalf of the Olympic Movement, for the revision of the World Anti-Doping Code, which reinforces the Olympic Movement’s zero-tolerance policy.

The participants also asked the next WADA President to address a number of issues at the next Olympic Movement Coordination Meeting in 2014, and called on WADA to strengthen its role in research and as a service organisation. They also called for closer cooperation between International Sports Federations (IFs) and National Anti-Doping Organisations (NADOs) and between NADOs and national governments.

With regard to the fight against match-fixing and illegal betting, participants agreed to increase their coordinated efforts, under the IOC’s leadership, in order to preserve the basic principles of the Olympic Movement and the integrity of sport.

It was agreed that the IOC will set up a special unit within the IOC to coordinate efforts in this regard. This unit will work on risk prevention and the dissemination of information, and will support the harmonisation of rules of the Olympic and Sports Movement. These rules will be based on examples from some of the IFs already working on this issue, such as FIFA, which has already applied severe sanctions.

The participants re-affirmed the IOC’s leadership role. With respect to the sports calendar, the participants agreed that any new initiative has to respect the uniqueness of the Olympic Games. It means that neither the Olympic Programme nor Games revenues should be adversely affected in any way.

In order to ensure the respect of these principles, the participants agreed to the creation of a consultative working group under the leadership of the IOC, composed of the main stakeholders of the Olympic and Sporting Movement, which will compile a comprehensive sporting calendar of current events. This working group will also discuss the priority of current and future sports events within the global calendar.

The meeting also reaffirmed that autonomy is a prerequisite for the successful functioning of the international sports movement. Only autonomy allows the worldwide application of sporting rules. But at the same time, autonomy does not mean independence from the laws of a country. Sports development requires good cooperation with governments and public authorities. 

The participants decided to create an experts’ network of Olympic Movement stakeholders under the leadership and coordination of the IOC.

This network will deal with two main issues: the preservation of autonomy and strengthening good governance and the integrity of sports organizations. It will improve the exchange of information and sharing of best practices on autonomy and governance-related matters. In this regard it was agreed to renew efforts to achieve full implementation among Olympic and sports organizations of the “Basic Universal Principles of Good Governance” approved at the last Olympic Congress. In the event of conflict the network will appoint a specific taskforce to mediate and to help resolve issues.

Finally, the IOC President presented subjects that form part of his mandate’s priorities, such as the sustainability of the Olympic Games through reconsidering the bidding procedure, reviewing the Olympic programme, and leaving a positive legacy; protecting the athletes’ health and integrity and caring about their lives after their sporting careers; and developing a strategy for bringing young people into sport. He invited the participants to share their ideas on these subjects and to be part of the permanent dialogue and on-going reflection that the IOC wishes to increase with its main stakeholders. This dialogue will have continuity through the IOC’s own bodies.

All the participants indicated their appreciation for the opportunity to be part of this open dialogue and have already accepted an invitation from the IOC President to attend the third Olympic Movement Coordination Meeting, which will be held in the first half of 2014.

*LIST OF PARTICIPANTS:

Thomas BACH, IOC President
Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad AL-SABAH, ANOC President
Joseph S. BLATTER, FIFA President
Claudia BOKEL, Chairperson of the IOC Athletes’ Commission
John D. COATES, AC, IOC Vice-President
Lamine DIACK, IAAF President
Nawal EL MOUTAWAKEL, IOC Vice-President
René FASEL, AIOWF President
Patrick HICKEY, IOC EB Member
Peng LIU, Chinese Olympic Committee President
Julio César MAGLIONE, FINA President
Lawrence PROBST III, United States Olympic Committee President
Craig REEDIE, IOC Vice-President
Francesco RICCI BITTI, ASOIF President (via video link)
Marius VIZER, SportAccord President
Ching-Kuo WU, IOC EB Member
Alexander ZHUKOV, Russian Olympic Committee President

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