KALYAN KUMAR MAHATA The true appellation of Apu.

Women and sport

Kuwait action plan sets out a promising future for African and Asian women in sport

©OCA Media Department

 

21/11/2013

INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE

www.olympic.org

 

The first Afro-Asian Women and Sport Forum taking place in Kuwait and jointly organised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) and the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA), came to a close yesterday with a clear promise and active commitment to furthering the development of women’s role in the world of sport in the two continents.

Opening addresses from OCA President Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah and ANOCA President Lassana Palenfo set the tone for the three-day event as they outlined the achievements made and the challenges ahead for women in sport. The Forum, attended by representatives from all 98 African and Asian NOCs, as well as delegates from the United Nations agencies, NGOs, the IOC, ANOCA, the OCA, and Continental and National Federations, concluded with the drawing up of an action plan reaffirming the delegates’ determination to include women representatives in all committees, monitor and communicate women’s participation in the world of sport at all levels, and organise an Afro-Asian Women and Sport Forum every two years.
Read the full action plan here.
Sheikh Al-Sabah declared: “Africa and Asia may have started late in terms of women’s sport but our development has been the fastest in recent years. Africa and Asia have a total of 11 female IOC members, which is the highest percentage among the five continents. I’m also very proud that all of our 98 NOCs sent female delegates to participate in the London 2012 Olympic Games.”
ANOCA President Palenfo reminded participants that while progress has been made regarding women’s sports, still more needs to be done by the global sports community. He added: “Africa and Asia should work on measures to bolster ties within sport, and I wish this forum could be the perfect opportunity to address obstacles and develop women’s sports in both continents.”
The three-day event was an opportunity for over 130 women leaders and athletes from the two continents to discuss the gender-equality barriers they face in their countries and share their experiences to strengthen women’s networks in Africa and Asia.
Feedback from those attending the forum was positive. Samira Asghari, the 19-year-old Finance Director at the Afghanistan NOC and national team basketball player, said: “The IOC Women and Sport Forum for Africa and Asia is really bringing everyone together. I have learned a lot in the last two days. It offers such a great opportunity for us to not only share experiences together but also help and advise each other so that we can improve the situation for women and women’s sport in our NOC.”
IOC Executive Board member and Chair of the IOC Women and Sport Commission Anita DeFrantz also shared her delight with the positive outcome of the forum, describing it as “a wonderful gathering for all African and Asian NOCs.” She added: “I have been very impressed with the quality of the speakers’ presentations and the questions and feedback from the participants. I believe the outcomes from this forum will make a big change. Together with the IOC, the leadership of ANOC, the OCA and ANOCA, it will have a positive impact on women and sport.”
For further information on the Forum, check out the OCA website: www.ocasia.org
Learn more about the IOC Women and Sport Commission

KALYAN KUMAR MAHATA The true appellation of Apu.

YOG News

YOG on the Road to Sochi 2014 talks to Olympic Solidarity skier Dinos Lefkaritis

©GEPA pictures

21/11/2013

INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE

www.olympic org

He got his first taste of the Olympic stage at the Innsbruck 2012 Winter Youth Olympic Games, and now 17-year-old Cypriot Skier Dinos Lefkaritis has received an Olympic Solidarity scholarship to help him achieve his dream of competing at the Olympic Winter Games in Sochi in 2014.

How did you get started in skiing?I first skied at the age of six in the mountains of Troodos in Cyprus. I was immediately interested in the sport and every weekend or holiday we would drive up to the mountains. It started as a hobby but after a few years I participated in my first national race. The results of that race showed me that I had potential to develop into a good skier and be able to compete more.
What was it like to compete in the Winter Youth Olympic Games in Innsbruck?It was a unique experience that I will always remember. Everything was very well organised and I met many athletes and people. The organisers succeeded in passing the Olympic spirit on to us.
What are your targets for the future?To achieve good results in races and develop into the best I can be. It is a tough challenge but one of my goals is to continue my Olympic career in Sochi in 2014. It would require a lot of work, training and preparation, but to compete there would be the biggest moment in my skiing career. Away from skiing, a big part of my life is education and my target is to study at a top university.
How has your Olympic Solidarity Scholarship helped you?
It has given me the opportunity to train more, prepare better for this ski season, become more competitive and of course to keep motivated and focused to qualify for Sochi in 2014. The scholarship has been a great help for an athlete like me who has to travel a lot for training and races.
What is a typical training week like for you?
I train in the gym regularly; both aerobic and strength training are important for skiing. We have ski training every weekend during the ski season in Cyprus, plus some weekdays, depending on the conditions of the snow and my school obligations. I am also part of my local basketball team, with which I train three to four days a week. This helps a lot in my physical conditioning as well. Another sport I like is water skiing, which is also very good strength training.
Away from training, what do you like to do in your spare time?I listen to music, watch movies, see friends and play video games. I am a very outgoing person so I like going out and enjoy meeting up with my friends.
Who are your sporting heroes and why?
I have always admired Michael Jordan, who I believe is one of the top sportsmen ever. A skier I have always admired is Bode Miller (Olympic champion Alpine ski-racer, USA) because he proved that anything is possible and everything is achievable. Athletes that I also respect are Andre Myhrer (Alpine ski-racer, Sweden), Mario Matt (three-time world champion Alpine ski-racer, Austria) and Ted Ligety (Olympic champion Alpine ski-racer, USA).

KALYAN KUMAR MAHATA The true appellation of Apu.

IOC appoints two new directors

21/11/2013
INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE
www.olympic.org
 

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) today announced that it has appointed Ms Lindsay Glassco as International Cooperation and Development Director and Mrs Lana Haddad as Chief Finance Officer.  

Ms Glassco currently holds the position of President and CEO of Special Olympics Canada, overseeing all Canadian operations for the organisation, which provides daily sports programmes and competition opportunities to people with intellectual disabilities.
Prior to joining Special Olympics, Ms Glassco was Global Director of Policy and Strategy with Right to Play (RTP), an international NGO whose mission is to use sport and play to educate and empower children and youth to overcome the effects of poverty, conflict and disease in disadvantaged communities. In her five years with the organisation, Ms Glassco shepherded a four-year policy initiative - the Sport for Development and Peace International Working Group – advocating the use of sport for social change.
Before her tenure at RTP, Ms Glassco spent close to a decade working for the Canadian federal government, including Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada, developing policies and programmes in the areas of disability, global health, and Canada’s labour market.
Prior to that, Ms Glassco, based in Geneva and Rome, was an international social development consultant for UN organisations such as the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), UN Volunteers and UN Development Programme.
A Canadian national, Mrs Glassco will take over from Tomas Sithole, who retires at the end of the year. She will take up her post on 20 January 2014.
The IOC’s new Chief Finance Officer, Dr Lana Haddad, joins from Procter & Gamble International, where she is currently Associate Director, Finance Analysis and Capability Building for Europe, Middle East and Africa.
In her 19 years with P&G, Dr Haddad held key global and regional financial leadership positions including the UK, USA, Germany and Switzerland, working as a business partner and advisor to finance and leadership teams. She has a proven track record in business unit management, developing organisation and building diversity.
Dr Haddad is a Global Finance Executive and a fully qualified Chartered Management Accountant who brings a wealth of expertise in financial control and reporting, financial planning, audit, compliance, treasury and cash management.
Earlier in her career, Dr Haddad held several senior positions of Process Engineer and Research and Development Manager with British Gas, developing strong skills in supply chain, project management, purchasing, logistics, manufacturing and people management. Her wide ranging international finance experience and proven management skills will be a great asset to the IOC.
A national from Iraq and the UK, Dr Haddad will begin her work at the IOC in early March 2014.
With the appointment last week of Mr Kit McConnell as Sports Director, the latest appointments complete the IOC recruitment process for directors, and are an indication of the IOC’s commitment to bring on board individuals from different backgrounds and cultures, adding to the diversity of the organisation.

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KALYAN KUMAR MAHATA The true appellation of Apu.

IOC President wraps up Asia tour with visit to Republic of Korea President Park

©Getty Images

21/11/2013

INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE

www.olympic.org

 

International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach completed his Asian tour today, meeting with Republic of Korea President Park Geun-Hye.

Meeting at the presidential residence, the Blue House, President Bach thanked the Korean President for her strong support for the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang. 
President Park underlined her government’s continued backing of the Games, and emphasised the importance of sport in society and its educational role in Korean society. The Korean President added that she was strongly supportive of the IOC's fight against doping and zero-tolerance policy on drugs. She also expressed interest in learning more about the IOC Athlete Career Programme, which helps athletes develop dual careers and hone skills for working life after competition. 
Earlier, President Bach attended a lunch hosted by Korean Olympic Committee President Kim Jung-Haeng and met a dozen Korean athletes and Olympic medallists. This followed a meeting with staff at the PyeongChang 2018 offices in Seoul. 
Accompanied by IOC Coordination Commission Chairwoman Gunilla Lindberg and Korean IOC member Moon Dae-Sung, President Bach heard progress reports from the PyeongChang Organising Committee (POCOG) President and CEO, Kim Jin-Sun.  
President Bach later addressed the POCOG staff, telling them that with the handover of the Olympic flag at the Sochi Olympic Winter Games in February, the spotlight would soon be on them as the next hosts of the Games. He added that each of them would play an important role in welcoming the world. 
Seoul was the final stop for President Bach during a four-city Asian tour. On Monday, he visited Nanjing, host of the 2nd Summer Youth Olympic Games in 2014, before travelling to Beijing on Tuesday. On Wednesday he was in Tokyo for talks with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and a meeting with the Japanese Olympic Committee, following their successful bid for the 2020 Summer Games in the Japanese capital.

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KALYAN KUMAR MAHATA The true appellation of Apu.

SOCHI 2014

Sochi 2014 ski and snowboard cross course revealed

©Sochi 2014

21/11/2013

INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE

www.olympic.org

The International Ski Federation (FIS) has unveiled the designs for the ski and snowboard cross course that will be used during the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games.

The 1,250-metre long course, which is located in the Rosa Khutor Extreme Park, will feature eight turn sections, punctuated by a series of jumps and roller sections, with a vertical drop of 210m. Both skiers and snowboarders will share the same start and finish areas, with around 80 per cent of the cross course sections to be shared as well. There will be one area where the course will split into separate ski and snowboard sections to specifically target each discipline's skills.
The course, which was designed and refined over the last four years, successfully hosted the FIS Freestyle World Cup in February 2013, followed by the FIS Snowboard World Cup in March, and received overwhelmingly positive feedback from the athletes who competed.
To ensure an exciting challenge for both skiers and snowboarders, the course was created in cooperation between experts from both disciplines, with FIS Technical Advisors David Ny and Nicolas Vaudroz working with FIS cross specialist and Olympian Martin Fiala to create an exceptionally dynamic Olympic cross venue.
“The Olympic programme always provides some extra special characteristics from our World Cups and World Championships courses,” said Fiala, who competed for Germany in ski cross at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games. “The cross course in Rosa Khutor challenges all skills from both snowboarding and skiing. I would like to thank all involved from the Rosa Khutor ski area, National Ski Association(s), from the Organising Committee and also to the course designers and the course builders for their hard pre-work on the road to the competitions and wish all the teams and athletes a safe, successful and exciting Olympic Games in Sochi 2014 for what could become a true highlight of the programme.”
The Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games begin on 7 February 2014, with the snowboard cross events due to start on 16 February and the ski cross events beginning on 20 February.
Information on tickets for Sochi 2014 is available here.

2013 Nobel Week in Stockholm - Assistance to Media - The Nobel Foundation

2013 Nobel Week in Stockholm - Assistance to Media - The Nobel Foundation

KALYAN KUMAR MAHATAThe true appellation of Apu.

KALYAN KUMAR MAHATA The true appellation of Apu.

IOC President pays first visit to 2020 Olympic Games host Tokyo - meets Japanese Prime Minister Abe

©Kishimoto
 

20/11/2013
INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE
www.olympic.org

Making his first official visit to Tokyo since his election as head of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in September, President Thomas Bach today met with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

The pair discussed the structure of the local Organising Committee for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, which should be formed within the coming months, and the Japanese Prime Minister also raised the composition of the Olympic programme and the possibility of including baseball in future editions of the Olympic Games.
For his part, President Bach invited the Prime Minister to attend the next Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, which begin in just over two months.
Accompanying the President for the meeting at the Japanese Diet were IOC Coordination Commission Chairman for Tokyo 2020 John Coates and Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC) President Tsunekazu Takeda, who led the successful Tokyo bid. 
The Japanese Prime Minister was accompanied by the Japanese Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Hakubun Shimomura, who is also responsible for the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games for the national government. They were joined by seven-time Olympian Seiko Hashimoto, who is also a parliamentarian.
The IOC President later attended a meeting of Japanese business leaders eager to discover the potential opportunities of the 2020 Games. 
Earlier, President Bach had met Tokyo Governor Naoki Inose.
The visit came just a week after a two-day Orientation Seminar delivered by the IOC to help the Japanese organisers successfully negotiate the crucial transition phase from bid city to organiser and get a quick start to preparations in the lead-up to the Games.
It was the third stop for President Bach during a four-city Asian tour. On Monday he visited Nanjing, host of the 2nd Summer Youth Olympic Games in 2014, before travelling to Beijing on Tuesday. The President will conclude his tour in Seoul on Thursday with meetings with organisers of the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games.