KALYAN KUMAR MAHATA The true appellation of Apu.

IOC President holds minute of silence for Nelson Mandela

©IOC/Ian Jones

10/12/2013

At the start of today’s joint International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board meeting with the Executive Council of the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC), IOC President Thomas Bach today called for a minute of silence to coincide with the memorial service for Nelson Mandela in South Africa this morning.

“While we have assembled here, the world is gathering in Johannesburg to honour Mr Mandela,” said President Bach. “President Mandela was a hero of humanity and a great friend of the Olympic Movement.”
Yesterday, President Bach called on all 204 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) to honour Mr Mandela by flying their flags at half-mast on the day of his funeral, Sunday 15 December.
During the meeting, the President encouraged the NOCs to actively participate in the ongoing dialogue regarding the future of the Olympic Movement, known as the Olympic Agenda 2020.
The IOC EB will begin its first meeting chaired by President Bach later this morning.

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Rabindranath Tagore, 1913 Nobel Prize in Literature

KALYAN KUMAR MAHATAThe true appellation of Apu.

IOC President encourages 2022 Applicant Cities to get creative

©IOC/Richard Juilliart

06/12/2013

Delegates from the six cities vying to host the 2022 Olympic Winter Games will return home equipped with valuable insight into the bidding process following a three-day Applicant City Seminar hosted by the International Olympic Committee that concluded today in Saint-Sulpice, Switzerland.

Led by Olympic Games Executive Director Gilbert Felli and Head of Bid City Relations Jacqueline Barrett, the seminar focused on a range of important themes and requirements, in particular legacy and sustainability, which the representatives from Almaty (Kazakhstan), Beijing (China), Krakow (Poland), Lviv (Ukraine), Oslo (Norway) and Stockholm (Sweden)* were encouraged to adapt to fit their local needs to best serve their cities, regions and nations.

Thinking outside the boxSpeaking at the seminar, IOC President Thomas Bach called on the delegates to be creative with their bid projects and engage as soon as possible with their respective publics to explain the benefits hosting the Games could bring and to build support. “The IOC has a great deal of excellent information and know-how to pass on to Applicant Cities but they should also be confident enough in their projects not to restrict themselves solely to the blueprints of the past”, he said.

“Only by taking their own initiatives, based on how they see the Olympic Games benefitting their unique circumstances and the local population, will they be able to get the most out of their projects. We are here to listen as well as provide them with guidance.”

Forming part of the bid city education programme, the Seminar walked the delegates through the details of the bid process, providing them with a comprehensive introduction to the complexity, scope and scale of hosting an Olympic Games.

Drawing from a wealth of material from the IOC and previous host cities, discussions ranged from transport to finance, with a day devoted to individual workshops on sports, the athlete experience, Olympic villages, the Paralympic Games, accommodation, the Olympic Games concept, media operations, technology and marketing.

The seminar was conducted by experts from the IOC administration and specialists from former host cities, including Neale Coleman and Bill Morris from London 2012 and John McLaughlin from Vancouver 2010.

In addition to briefings and workshops on the fundamentals of staging the Games, heavy emphasis was placed on the fact that the organisation of the Games is very much a team effort, with all levels of government, commercial partners, public services, community groups, local populations and sports authorities involved in the successful organisation of such a complex event. Clear dialogue and engagement among all relevant parties is therefore crucial to building a cohesive and smooth-running bid campaign and, if awarded the event, a memorable Olympic Winter Games in 2022.

Click here for information on the Candidature Acceptance Procedure.

* The cities will be listed in alphabetical order until such time as the official drawing of lots is carried out by the IOC EB in December 2013. The order of drawing of lots will then be used until the election of the 2022 host city. 

KALYAN KUMAR MAHATA The true appellation of Apu.

Olympic Movement mourns death of Nelson Mandela and salutes “hero of humanity”

©IOC/Giulio Locatelli; Getty Images

06/12/2013

International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach today expressed the shared loss of the sporting world at the passing of Nelson Mandela.

“The Olympic Movement is mourning the loss of a great friend and a hero of humanity,” President Bach said. “However, his attitude towards sport can make us proud – proud at his understanding of the potential of sport to bring inclusion.”

President Bach, who met Mr Mandela personally, added that he was an inspiration. “When I met him, I remember asking him if he hated his enemies. He replied, 'No'. When he saw I doubted him he added: ‘If I would hate them I would not be a free man anymore.’ That sums up the man and his humanity.” 

At a meeting at the IOC this morning, IOC member in South Africa Sam Ramsamy, who was a leading member of the anti-apartheid movement, praised Mr Mandela for his “understanding of sport as a uniting factor.” He added: “This is a time to celebrate a great life, not to mourn.”

Mr Mandela, himself a huge sports fan, once said: “Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire, it has the power to unite people in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they understand. Sport can create hope, where once there was only despair. It is more powerful than governments in breaking down racial barriers. It laughs in the face of all types of discrimination.”

The IOC will observe a period of mourning of three-days at its head-quarters with the Olympic Flag at half-mast to mark his passing.

KALYAN KUMAR MAHATA The true appellation of Apu.

Defending Olympic women’s halfpipe champion Torah Bright looks for triple gold in Sochi

04/12/2013

Defending Olympic women’s halfpipe champion Torah Bright has given herself quite a task at Sochi 2014, where she will be competing in the halfpipe, slopestyle and snowboard cross events. “It’s just snowboard,” says the Australian, taking the challenge in her stride.

“It’s all just snowboarding but there are very subtle differences,” says Torah Bright of the three events in which she will be competing at Sochi 2014. “Halfpipe helps slopestyle, slopestyle helps halfpipe, and boardercross is a combination of both and freeriding. You don’t pop off a jump. You suck it up. You want to get to the ground as fast as possible. It’s not just you and the halfpipe or you and the slopestyle course: it’s you and five others. There’s a whole new element there for me and a split-second reaction can be the difference between getting taken out or getting through. I get asked, why the three sports? And I say: ‘Why not? It’s all just snowboarding’. If I can find the fun in anything I do, I get the most out of myself. And that’s what happening with doing these three different disciplines. I’m challenging myself every single day that I’m on the mountain in ways that I haven’t been challenged in years, especially in the mental aspect.”



A flagbearer and a champion
After carrying the Australian flag at the Opening Ceremony at Vancouver 2010, Bright went out on Cypress Mountain and won the halfpipe gold in memorable style. Qualifying for the final in first place, she then crashed out on her opening run, but more than made up for it on her second, producing a superb switch backside 720 and scoring 45 points to top the podium ahead of the USA’s Olympic champions Kelly Clark (2002) and Hannah Tetter (2006). Reflecting on what was her country’s fourth Olympic Winter Games gold, she said: “It felt really good on that one day that counted to put down the run I wanted and for it to be the best on the day. It was huge.”

A Bright hope
Bright, who took the slopestyle bronze at the 2013 FIS Snowboarding World Championships in Stoneham (CAN), says that it was her brother and coach, Benny, who first suggested she try competing in all three disciplines “I said to him: ‘Oh my gosh, no. Way too hard’. But this year something sparked in me and I said I wanted to do it. I love snowboarding more than I ever have right now because of this challenge. There’s something really satisfying about being your best and trying to better yourself every day, about daring yourself to try something new and just being open to the universe and learning.”

The 26-year-old is the only athlete to attempt this remarkable treble at Sochi, but her experience and her refreshingly relaxed approach should serve her well: “Whether I win or not does not define who I am as a human or a snowboarder. It’s a contest. It’s just snowboarding.”

Follow Torah Bright on the Athlete's Hub

KALYAN KUMAR MAHATA The true appellation of Apu.

Defending Olympic women’s halfpipe champion Torah Bright looks for triple gold in Sochi

04/12/2013

Defending Olympic women’s halfpipe champion Torah Bright has given herself quite a task at Sochi 2014, where she will be competing in the halfpipe, slopestyle and snowboard cross events. “It’s just snowboard,” says the Australian, taking the challenge in her stride.

“It’s all just snowboarding but there are very subtle differences,” says Torah Bright of the three events in which she will be competing at Sochi 2014. “Halfpipe helps slopestyle, slopestyle helps halfpipe, and boardercross is a combination of both and freeriding. You don’t pop off a jump. You suck it up. You want to get to the ground as fast as possible. It’s not just you and the halfpipe or you and the slopestyle course: it’s you and five others. There’s a whole new element there for me and a split-second reaction can be the difference between getting taken out or getting through. I get asked, why the three sports? And I say: ‘Why not? It’s all just snowboarding’. If I can find the fun in anything I do, I get the most out of myself. And that’s what happening with doing these three different disciplines. I’m challenging myself every single day that I’m on the mountain in ways that I haven’t been challenged in years, especially in the mental aspect.”



A flagbearer and a champion
After carrying the Australian flag at the Opening Ceremony at Vancouver 2010, Bright went out on Cypress Mountain and won the halfpipe gold in memorable style. Qualifying for the final in first place, she then crashed out on her opening run, but more than made up for it on her second, producing a superb switch backside 720 and scoring 45 points to top the podium ahead of the USA’s Olympic champions Kelly Clark (2002) and Hannah Tetter (2006). Reflecting on what was her country’s fourth Olympic Winter Games gold, she said: “It felt really good on that one day that counted to put down the run I wanted and for it to be the best on the day. It was huge.”

A Bright hope
Bright, who took the slopestyle bronze at the 2013 FIS Snowboarding World Championships in Stoneham (CAN), says that it was her brother and coach, Benny, who first suggested she try competing in all three disciplines “I said to him: ‘Oh my gosh, no. Way too hard’. But this year something sparked in me and I said I wanted to do it. I love snowboarding more than I ever have right now because of this challenge. There’s something really satisfying about being your best and trying to better yourself every day, about daring yourself to try something new and just being open to the universe and learning.”

The 26-year-old is the only athlete to attempt this remarkable treble at Sochi, but her experience and her refreshingly relaxed approach should serve her well: “Whether I win or not does not define who I am as a human or a snowboarder. It’s a contest. It’s just snowboarding.”

Follow Torah Bright on the Athlete's Hub

KALYAN KUMAR MAHATA The true appellation of Apu.

In Sochi, Julie Chu wants to be on the top of the podium

05/12/2013

A winner of three Olympic medals to date, Julie Chu is the oldest member of a USA women’s ice hockey team that is determined to end Canada’s stranglehold on the gold, which stretches back to 2002

Julie Chu has been a key member of the USA’s women’s ice hockey team since the turn of the millennium and will be competing in her fourth Olympic Games at Sochi. The 31-year old forward, who currently plies her trade in Canada with Montreal Stars, first set her hands on a hockey stick when she was eight.

“In a way, hockey found me,” she recalls. “My sister and I signed up for figure skating at age eight, but I wasn’t the most graceful person and I couldn’t do any of the moves. I’d see the hockey boys on the other side of the rink playing, and I remember wanting that camaraderie, wanting to be part of something more dynamic and fun. It only took me two months to ditch figure skating and switch to hockey. I like the competitiveness of it. The game is very fast. Its two-way action keeps you on your toes, always engaged.”

© Getty

The gifted Chu was 19 when she made her Games debut at Salt Lake City 2002, where the Americans lost 3-2 to their eternal rivals Canada in the final. Four years later in Turin, the USA were knocked out by Sweden in the semi-finals but recovered to win the bronze, with Chu supplying two assists in a 4-0 defeat of Finland. The final at Vancouver 2010 once again pitted the two North American neighbours against each other, with the hosts winning 2-0, a result that prompted a philosophical Chu to comment: “Three Games, three medals, but no golds.”

Top of the world

“We’ve had four years of non-stop success since the last Games,” said the US captain recently. “Our team works very hard. We motivate each other and have lots of fun, which is important and helps us to face each day with a smile and lots of enthusiasm.” Chu and her team-mates won two world titles in those four years, landing gold in Switzerland in 2011 and again in Canada in 2013, beating their northern neighbours 3-2 in both finals.

Along with her mother Miriam, Chu is also devoting her considerable energies to promoting IOC partner Procter & Gamble’s “Thank You, Mom” campaign across the United States. 

A two-time Clarkson Cup winner - with Minnesota Whitecaps in 2010 and Montreal Stars in 2011 - as well as a five-time world champion with the USA, and currently the biggest star in the Canadian Women’s Hockey League, Chu is one of the stand-out performers in a team that is desperate to deliver USA its first Olympic gold since the inaugural women’s competition at Nagano 1998. “I think my team-mates would say that I was a positive person, who works hard and tries to bring some good energy to the team,” added Chu, who will be intent on using that energy to take the USA all the way in Sochi.

© IOC/R. Juilliart

And as she explains, she and her team-mates are leaving nothing to chance. “We’re training six days a week on the ice, as well as three days a week off ice. So it’s pretty special for us to be together full-time as a group, which we don’t always get to be in non-Olympic years. Heading into Sochi we’re making sure that we’re doing everything right to prepare well and we’re going for a gold medal. We want to be the best in the world and we’re working on that right now.”

Follow Julie Chu on the Athletes' Hub.