KALYAN KUMAR MAHATA The true appellation of Apu.

IOC President meets President of the Republic of Finland

©Office of the President of the Republic

12/06/2014

International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach and Finnish President Sauli Niinistö today talked sport, Olympic legacy and future strategies during a meeting at Mäntyniemi, the official Presidential residence in Helsinki.

The IOC President is in the Finnish capital to speak at the 6th International Working Group (IWG) World Conference on Women and Sport, an event officially supported by the IOC.
The Finnish President, a keen sports fan, praised the IOC for its good governance and highlighted the many benefits that the Olympic Games can bring in terms of health and social cohesion. He underlined the huge benefits the 1952 Summer Games in Helsinki had brought to Finland just after the Second World War.

President Bach compared the experience with Munich ’72 and Barcelona ’92, noting how one could talk of “Olympic cities before and after staging the Games”.
The pair also discussed Olympic Agenda 2020, which will lay out a new strategic course for the future of the Olympic Movement.
The Finnish President told President Bach of the huge success of the "Move It" campaign, organised by the Finnish sports movement and government. The campaign seeks to instil values and encourage physical activity among young people, and has been implemented in 12 different languages in countries around the world.
Also present at the meeting were IOC Executive Board members and Olympians Anita DeFrantz and Claudia Bokel; IOC member and five-time Olympian Peter Tallberg; IWG Co-Chair Raija Mattila; and Finnish Sports Confederation (Valo) President Risto Nieminen.

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KALYAN KUMAR MAHATA The true appellation of Apu.

Cycling is on a steady course, UCI leadership tells IOC President

12/06/2014

International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach yesterday met Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) President Brian Cookson and other UCI executives, and received updates on a range of efforts being made by the UCI and its stakeholders to protect the clean athletes and the integrity of the sport of cycling.

“The UCI informed me of all the measures they are taking to protect their sport from manipulation of any kind, in particular doping. And these efforts are indeed impressive. It was great to see all the stakeholders equally committed to the fight for clean athletes,” said President Bach. “We also discussed the UCI’s contributions to Olympic Agenda 2020, which will be looked at in even greater detail by Working Groups beginning next week. We are grateful for their input.”
After discussions with the Professional Cycling Council (PCC), which was meeting at the IOC headquarters in Lausanne, President Bach and IOC Director General Christophe De Kepper met UCI President Brian Cookson and Director General Martin Gibbs.
The UCI President said: “I would like to thank President Bach for an extremely positive discussion covering a range of issues around the UCI’s strategy to grow cycling globally. It was very useful to talk with him about the Olympic Agenda 2020 review and, in particular, discuss how cycling can play its role in those plans. Among other things, we believe cycling can be a big part of the IOC's sustainability and legacy work by helping bid cities transform themselves into places where cycling is a preferred way of getting around, making those cities better places to exercise, live and work.”
Last December, President Bach announced that the IOC had earmarked USD 10 million to fund new research into anti-doping, in particular new techniques for detecting prohibited substances and methods. The IOC has invited national governments represented in the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to match this amount.

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KALYAN KUMAR MAHATA The true appellation of Apu.

IOC Announces Bridgestone as Worldwide TOP Partner to 2024

©Bridgestone

13/06/2014

The IOC today announced that The Bridgestone Corporation (Bridgestone) has joined The Olympic Partner (TOP) programme.

The announcement was made at a joint press conference today hosted by IOC President Thomas Bach and Masaaki Tsuya, CEO and Chairman of the Board of Bridgestone, in the 2020 Olympic Games host city Tokyo, where Bridgestone’s global headquarters are located.
Bridgestone has signed an agreement through to 2024, and will become a Worldwide TOP Partner. The product categories covered by the agreement include: seismic isolation bearings, non-motorised bicycles, and the full range of tyres manufactured by Bridgestone.
Bridgestone is the world’s largest tyre and rubber company. In addition to tyres, which are used in a wide variety of

applications

, Bridgestone manufactures a broad range of diversified products that include industrial rubber and chemical products, and sporting goods. As a Worldwide TOP Partner, Bridgestone will partner with the IOC and all 204 National Olympic Committees and their Olympic teams.
Bridgestone will also partner with the organisers of future Olympic Games, including the Rio 2016, PyeongChang 2018 and Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, as well as the 2022 and 2024 Olympic Games, the host cities of which have yet to be elected. Bridgestone will supply tyres and related services to support the transport operations at Games time, including the vehicles for the athletes, media and officials.
IOC President Thomas Bach said “The TOP programme is a truly global sponsorship programme, as it benefits all future Games organisers and all the National Olympic Committees and their athletes, ensuring that athletes from all over the world, and not just the largest countries, are able to compete at the Games. Indeed, the IOC redistributes over 90 per cent of its revenues to the wider sporting movement. Bridgestone is a global leader in its field, and we are delighted to welcome the company to the TOP programme and are excited about the long-term commitment they have shown to the Olympic Movement.”
Commenting on Bridgestone’s TOP sponsorship, Bridgestone CEO and Chairman Masaaki Tsuya said, “As a global corporation, Bridgestone is excited to partner with the entire Olympic Movement, a group of organisations that not only brings together the world’s athletes at the greatest athletic festival, but also blends this celebration of sport with a spirit of service to community, social responsibility, a respect for diversity and a commitment to the fundamental principles of Olympism.” He continued by saying, “We look forward to a long and mutually beneficial relationship where, through this partnership, we will communicate on a global basis our commitment to society as well as our brand message.”
Tsunekazu Takeda, the IOC’s Marketing Commission Chairman, President of the Japanese Olympic Committee and Vice-President of the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee, said “I am delighted that a leading Japanese company, Bridgestone, will become the 11th Worldwide TOP Partner and the second TOP Partner to commit through to 2024. The long-term, global support the TOP Programme provides is essential to the entire Olympic Movement, as well as to the staging and operations of each Games. As the first Partner the IOC has signed under my Chairmanship of the Marketing Commission I am also personally very happy that we were able to make this global announcement in Tokyo.”

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The International Olympic Committee is a not-for-profit independent international organisation made up of volunteers, which is committed to building a better world through sport. It redistributes more than 90 per cent of its income to the wider sporting movement, helping athletes and sports organisations at all levels around the world.

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For more information, please contact the IOC Media Relations Team:
Tel: +41 21 621 6000 e-mail: pressoffice@olympic.org, or visit our web site at www.olympic.org.

Bridgestone Public Relations Dept.:
Tel: +81-3-6836-3333, or visit Bridgestone’s website at http://www.bridgestone.com/20140613/
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KALYAN KUMAR MAHATA The true appellation of Apu.

Three-time Olympic champion and Athlete Role Model Kaori Icho on her love for wrestling

©Getty Images

10/06/2014

It’s a big summer ahead, not only for the 3,800 athletes training for the Youth Olympic Games, but also for the Athlete Role Models who will be there as mentors. We caught up with Japanese wrestler Kaori Icho. Kaori is one of the most successful female wrestlers in the history of the sport having won eight World Championships in addition to her three Olympic titles.

Have a watch as she talks about her love for sport.
Appointed an Athlete Role Model for the upcoming Games in Nanjing, Kaori will be accessible to the young athletes in the Youth Olympic Village. She will also be present at a series of educational activities and workshops that will focus on areas ranging from skills development to the environment and social responsibility.
The Youth Olympic Games are being held from 16 to 28 August in Nanjing, China, with the wrestling competition taking place 25-27 August.

Follow our Facebook and Twitter pages for YOG updates!

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KALYAN KUMAR MAHATA The true appellation of Apu.

IOC President to speak at 6th IWG World Conference on Women and Sport

10/06/2014

The President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Thomas Bach, will speak at the Opening Ceremony of the 6th International Working Group (IWG) World Conference on Women and Sport, taking place in Helsinki, Finland, from 12 to 15 June 2014. The event is officially supported by the IOC and held under the motto “Lead the Change, Be the Change”.

Other IOC representatives to feature in the programme include IOC Executive Board members and Olympians Anita DeFrantz and Claudia Bokel. De Frantz led the IOC’s Women and Sport Commission for many years, and Bokel is Chair of the IOC Athletes’ Commission. Finnish IOC member and five-time Olympian Peter Tallberg, as well as the President of the International Paralympic Committee and IOC member, Sir Philip Craven, will also give an address at the Opening Ceremony.

Milestones in women’s and girls’ empowerment in sport

In the run-up to the Helsinki summit, IOC President Thomas Bach said: “Women’s participation in sport and sports administration is a key priority for the IOC. A great deal has been achieved on and off the field of play in recent years – all sports at the Olympic Games are now open to women, for example, and every National Olympic Committee has now sent female athletes to the Games – but we all know that change in this area does not come easily.”
During the last two decades, the IOC has worked continuously to promote women in, and through, sport at all levels which has shown tangible results, for instance: from 23 per cent of the athletes at the 1984 Los Angeles Games being women to more than 44 per cent in London 2012; and from two IOC female members in 1981 to 24 in 2014. In 1991, the IOC decided that any new sport on the Olympic programme must include both men’s and women’s events. On the educational front, the IOC has developed educational tools to help promote safe sporting environments. In addition, efforts to recruit more women into leadership positions have been and remain a priority.
Watch a clip about amazing women’s performances at the Games here.

Advocating for women in sport

The IOC was one of the first organisations to sign the 1994 Brighton Declaration on Women and Sport, following the first IWG World Conference, which called on governments, civil society, businesses, academia, research institutions and sports organisations to advocate for gender parity. Since then, over 400 entities have endorsed the Declaration, including a number of National Olympic Committees and International Sports Federations.
Read the IOC Factsheet “Women in the Olympic Movement”.
Granted United Nations (UN) Observer status in 2009, and with a historic agreement signed a few weeks ago, the IOC is working with the UN in areas including gender equality and the empowerment of women, young people, peace-building, health, education, environmental sustainability and combating HIV/AIDS.
Advocacy initiatives for gender equality in the Olympic Movement include the yearly IOC Women and Sport Awards, which recognise a woman, man or organisation that has worked to develop, encourage and strengthen the participation of women and girls in physical activity, in coaching or in administrative and decision-making structures.
Learn more about the IOC Women and Sport Awards
Learn more about the IOC Women and Sport Commission

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KALYAN KUMAR MAHATA The true appellation of Apu.

IOC President joins 100th anniversary celebrations of Italian NOC in Rome

©CONI

10/06/2014

International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach was in Rome on Monday to mark the 100th anniversary of the National Olympic Committee of Italy (CONI).

The centenary celebrations were also attended by President of the Italian Republic Giorgio Napolitano; Rome Mayor Ignazio Marino; President of the Italian Senate Pietro Grasso; CONI President Giovanni Malago; and IOC members in Italy, including Franco Carraro and Mario Pescante. 

A golden line-up of Italian sports stars was also in attendance, including Alpine skier Alberto Tomba and high jumper Sara Simeoni, two Olympic champions who were named male and female athletes of the Italian centennial.
Speaking at the celebrations, President Bach, who won his fencing team gold medal at the Montreal Games against Italy, said: “I always found my Italian rivals to be not only extremely determined, yet when the contest was over great friends and companions. For me, this is still a lasting legacy – the friendships we made are one of the reasons why I have such admiration for Italian sport.”
The President then went on to praise the work of the NOC over the last 100 years: “CONI has become the benchmark for many NOCs and sporting organisations around the world. We have learnt a lot from Italian sports organisation and for this we are grateful. Therefore, I would like to congratulate and pay my respects not just to the President of CONI, Giovanni Malago, but to all the Presidents in your illustrious history and the great legacy they have left.”
President Bach earlier held private talks with the President of the Italian Republic, Giorgio Napolitano.

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KALYAN KUMAR MAHATA The true appellation of Apu.

Lillehammer mascot competition – Ladies and Gentleman, we have a winner!

06/06/2014

The results of the Facebook vote are in and we are delighted to announce that the winner is this wonderful lynx!

Having been cut down from over 50 entrants to a final shortlist of three, the competition went public, with fans invited to vote for their favourite via Facebook. In a race which went down to the wire, the lynx secured the victory by the slimmest of margins – just 30 votes.
We can’t wait to see what the lynx gets up to before and during the Winter YOG in Lillehammer, stay tuned for what’s next!
Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for more YOG news!

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