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Rio 2016 inspires young people through sport and education

01/10/2014

In Brazil, almost one third of the Brazilian population is under the age of 19 and this is one of the core groups that the Rio 2016 Organising Committee is reaching out to in the hope of inspiring and motivating them through the Olympic Games.

Over the last few years, in Rio de Janeiro, many educational activities have already been taking place, with students embracing the Olympic values and ideals. The official Rio 2016 education programme (“TRANSFORMA”) was launched on 1 July in Rio de Janeiro and the dedicated TRANSFORMA website has been online since 12 April 2014, providing a whole host of materials that teachers can use in their lesson plans: http://www.rio2016.com/educacao
The TRANSFORMA programme involves:
- High-quality educational material for lessons and activities;
- Encouraging young people to try out new sports and lead a healthy and active lifestyle;
- Bringing Olympic and Paralympic values to life;
- Using the Games to promote new learning experiences.
Everyone involved is fully embracing the programme with some very positive feedback from some of the teachers involved:
“I’ve been in the project since last year; it is very exciting and motivating for the team. Everybody is happy. People are really involved in the project, and this inspires us to take this positivity, the motivation, back to school”
“I was skeptical in the beginning because educational programmes used to be implemented without being discussed at the school level. I now realize that Transforma can help schools disseminate the Olympic and democratic values they need so much.”
Take a look at some of the Rio 2016 videos (English subtitles available) and see how the spirit of the Rio 2016 Games is already transforming schools.

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Legacies thriving as Sydney marks 14 years since 2000 Olympic Games

©Getty (2)/IOC (3)

01/10/2014

Today, 1 October, marks 14 years since the Closing Ceremony of Sydney 2000, but the memories and legacies of the Olympic Games remain as strong as ever.

Australians still fondly recall Cathy Freeman’s stunning 400m gold medal and the exploits of a 17-year-old Ian Thorpe in the swimming pool, while the achievements of British rower Steve Redgrave, German kayaker Birgit Fischer and US sprinter Michael Johnson still resonate around the world.

But away from the sporting highlights, perhaps the biggest achievement of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games has been the enduring strength of the long-term legacies that the event created for the Australian city.

Fourteen years on from the Games, Sydney Olympic Park – which was built especially for the 2000 Games and housed a number of key Olympic venues – is now a thriving commercial, residential and sporting precinct, with the Olympic Stadium hosting a wide range of major events, such as the 2003 Rugby World Cup final, and the indoor arena regularly welcoming international pop concerts.
In total, the Park stages almost 6,000 events annually and plays host to almost 14 million visitors each year. It is also home to over 220 organisations, with a working population of more than 17,000 people, and generates well in excess of AUD 1 billion in economic activity annually for the New South Wales economy.

“With the completion of Sydney Olympic Park, Australia gained a fully integrated major events precinct, combining world-class venues with dedicated transport systems, managed by high-quality venue management teams, and an experienced precinct management organisation, the Sydney Olympic Park Authority,” explains Alan Marsh, the CEO of the Sydney Olympic Park Authority.
In addition to the facilities within Sydney Olympic Park, the 2000 Games also provided many other legacies, such as increased emphasis on environmental management; a massive land regeneration programme; the creation of 430 hectares of parklands; and increased sporting participation rates.
According to Marsh, the success of Sydney 2000’s legacies can be directly attributed to the planning that took place before the Games.
“The Sydney 2000 Olympic Games were the first Games to explicitly incorporate legacy planning into the Olympic bid, outlining a future for the Games infrastructure that extended beyond the hosting period,” he says. “The legacy with respect to sport, the environment and venues were well thought out in advance of the Games, particularly at Sydney Olympic Park.”

To ensure that Sydney Olympic Park continues to build on the Games legacy, a succession of forward-planning blueprints have been designed, providing a roadmap for the ongoing development of the Park.
“The most recent of these documents, Master Plan 2030, outlines the forward vision for the Park for the next 20 years,” explains Marsh. “The goal of the Master Plan is that by 2030 the Park will be home to a daily population of 50,000 workers, students and residents and will play host to another 25,000 visitors daily.”
With plans in place to ensure that Sydney Olympic Park continues to develop as Australia’s premier major events precinct, the future looks as bright as it did when the Olympic cauldron was extinguished 14 years ago today.

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2022 Olympic Winter Games Bid Process: composition of the Evaluation Commission

29/09/2014

The IOC is pleased to announce that the Commission to evaluate the candidatures for the 2022 Olympic Winter Games - Oslo (Norway), Almaty (Kazakhstan) and Beijing (China)* - will be composed of the following members:

Chair
Alexander ZHUKOV	IOC Member President, Russian Olympic Committee Chairman of the Supervisory Board, Sochi Organising Committee for the 2014 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games	RUS
IOC Members
Barry MAISTER	Vice-President, Oceania National Olympic Committees (ONOC) Olympic Champion, Hockey, Montreal 1976 Olympian, Mexico City 1968, Munich 1972, Hockey	NZL
Adam PENGILLY	IOC Athletes’ Commission representative Olympian, Turin 2006, Vancouver 2010, Skeleton Board Member, London Organising Committee for the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games	GBR
Tsunekazu TAKEDA	President, Japanese Olympic Committee Vice President, Tokyo Organising Committee for the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games Olympian, Munich 1972, Montreal 1976, Equestrian jumping	JPN
Advisors
Caroline ASSALIAN	Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) representative Chief Sport Officer, Canadian Olympic Committee	CAN
Dwight BELL	Association of International Olympic Winter Sports Federations (AIOWF) representative President of the United States Luge Association (1989 – 1998, 2006 – 2010)	USA
Rita VAN DRIEL	International Paralympic Committee (IPC) representative Member at Large, IPC	NED
Tatiana DOBROKHVALOVA	Senior Vice-President, Sochi Organising Committee for the 2014 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games	RUS
Grant THOMAS	IOC advisor, Infrastructure Senior Vice President for Venues and Transportation, Salt Lake City Organising Committee for the 2002 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games	USA
John MCLAUGHLIN	IOC advisor, Finance Executive Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer, Vancouver Organising Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games	CAN
David STUBBS	IOC advisor, Sustainability Head of Sustainability, London Organising Committee for the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games	GBR
Tim GAYDA	IOC advisor, Sport Vice President of Sport, Vancouver Organising Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games	CAN

Joining the Commission will be IOC Olympic Games Executive Director Christophe Dubi and IOC Head of Olympic Bid City Coordination Jacqueline Barrett.
Commenting on the membership of the Commission, IOC President Thomas Bach said, “Each member of the Commission brings a wide range of expertise and experience and understands what it takes to host a sustainable, well-organised and ultimately successful Olympic Winter Games.”
“At a time where we are finalising our discussions around Olympic Agenda 2020, the upcoming visits of the Evaluation Commission will reflect some of the new orientations that we foresee for the bidding process. It is an exciting time for the Olympic Movement, and I rely on the Commission to actively contribute to the shaping of our future,” Bach added.   
In that context, the IOC has informed the Candidate Cities that the 2022 host city can anticipate a contribution of the IOC to the success of the Games of an overall estimated value of USD 880 Million. This contribution consists of a share of the revenues of Marketing programmes run by the IOC, a contribution related to broadcast revenues, services provided by Olympic Broadcasting Services as the host broadcaster of the Games and assistance provided to the Organising Committee by the IOC and related entities.  In addition, the IOC will also grant other rights and benefits and provide other forms of assistance to the Organising Committee for the success of the Games which are described in the Host City Contract. 
Changes that will already apply to the 2022 bidding process include the IOC’s obligation to determine and communicate to the city at the time of its election the full composition of the Olympic programme, and the new wording on non-discrimination relating to the Olympic Games and its participants - based on Fundamental Principle 6 of the Olympic Charter. These changes have been included in the intended final draft Host City Contract for the 2022 Olympic Winter Games which has recently been sent to the Candidate Cities.
The 2022 Candidate Cities have until 7 January 2015 to submit their Candidature Files to the IOC. 
After an analysis of these files, the Commission will visit each city between February and March and spend five full days with each bid team. Together they will examine the 14 themes of the IOC’s candidature questionnaire, which includes topics such as vision, legacy and engagement, transport, accommodation, finance and sustainability. The Commission will also visit the competition and non-competition venues proposed in the bid.
The Commission’s report, highlighting the risks and opportunities of the Candidate Cities’ projects, will be published prior to the IOC 2022 Briefing for IOC Members to take place in June 2015 and will be made available on www.olympic.org.
The election of the 2022 host city by the IOC Session will take place in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) on 31 July 2015.
* The cities are listed according to a drawing of lots carried out by the IOC EB in December 2013.   

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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.
VideosYouTube: www.youtube.com/iocmedia

PhotosFor an extensive selection of photos available shortly after each event, please follow us on Flickr.
To request archive photos and footage, please contact our Images team at: images@olympic.org.
Social mediaFor up-to-the-minute information on the IOC and regular updates, please follow us on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.

 

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Buenos Aires 2018 vows to bring sport to the inner city

©Julian Carrara (2)

28/09/2014

Exactly one month after the Closing Ceremony of the Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Games, all attention has now turned to Buenos Aires 2018 with the first visit of the IOC Coordination Commission headed by four-time Olympian and IOC Member, Frank Fredericks. Outlining their vision, the local organising committee (BAYOGOC) particularly impressed the Commission members with its goal of bringing sport to the inner city for all inhabitants to enjoy and experience, in particular the 2.6 million young people residing in Buenos Aires.

Speaking after the meetings concluding today, IOC Coordination Commission Chair Frank Fredericks said; “Under the expert guidance of CEO Leandro Larrosa, the organisers have really understood the true spirit of the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) – to put young people at its heart. Thanks to the close cooperation Buenos Aires 2018 has with the all levels of government and the Argentinian Olympic Committee (AOC), the organization has made impressive headway with strong foundation plans already underway. With its world-famous passion for sport and culture, we truly believe that Buenos Aires will deliver a phenomenal Youth Olympic Games.”


Significant progress has been made on the venue master plan with a proposed four-cluster concept grouping the sports in a compact framework – all of which the Coordination Commission visited over the course of the two-day meetings. To give a taste of the vibrant culture and spirit of the city, Buenos Aires 2018 has put forward a festival-style concept to feature in each cluster for all spectators to experience. Taking inspiration from the ‘Sports Lab’ inaugurated at Nanjing 2014, these festivals will not only showcase and offer sporting experiences to the visitors, but will also provide family entertainment and cultural activities.

Three major development projects will get underway in 2015 including tenders out for the athletics and aquatic venues and the construction of the Youth Olympic Village (YOV) which will begin early next year. The YOV will be situated in the south of the city, an area of Buenos Aires targeted by the local government in need of urban development. From the YOV, 65 percent of the athletes will be able to walk to their competition venues. In addition, with the recent launch of the city’s metro-bus link, excellent transport links are already in place which will provide fast connections around the city and between venue clusters.

In the true essence of the YOG, the local organising committee are involving young people in all levels of the organization; including an ‘Athlete Commission’ and a newly established ‘Youth Commission’ – a group of young consultants chosen by the AOC from local schools and universities – and the employees within BAYOGOC from junior to director level. All functional areas are now operational and a modest 20 members of staff have been recruited. 

In line with their mission to bring sport to the city, many of the 330 local sports clubs within Buenos Aires will be called upon to help with the organization of the Games and to provide training facilities for the athletes. In addition, Buenos Aires 2018 have already made fast progress by not only discussing the project with the National Federations, but using the time in Nanjing this summer to meet with almost all of the International Federations to present their preliminary proposals for sport competitions.

Nationwide, an engagement programme is already being rolled out to target 1.5 million young people to both identify talent and encourage participation in sports launched by the high performance sports body of Argentina.

Leandro Larrosa, CEO of Buenos Aires 2018 commented on the preparations; “This is a life changing project, not only for young athletes, but for future generations in Argentina and we are happy in the knowledge that the IOC Coordination Commission will be by our side to guide us throughout this exciting process.  There is a great social legacy we want to achieve with this Games, we want to get all our kids into sport and inspire kids around the world to do the same.”  He continued, “This last few days working with the IOC has been a great learning curve and has energized the team to deliver our exciting project.”

The six-person IOC Coordination Commission headed by Fredericks is made up of several Olympians including Danka Bartekova, the youngest IOC Member and Young Ambassador from the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore in 2010.

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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.

###

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.

VideosYouTube: www.youtube.com/iocmedia

PhotosFor an extensive selection of photos available shortly after each event, please follow us on Flickr.
To request archive photos and footage, please contact our Images team at: images@olympic.org.

Social media
For up-to-the-minute information on the IOC and regular updates, please follow us on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.

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IOC meets Gambia National Olympic Committee and Gambian government representatives

26/09/2014

The IOC held a meeting with the Gambian National Olympic Committee (GNOC) and the Gambian government on 24 September in Lausanne, which was chaired by IOC Delegate Member for Autonomy Patrick Hickey, to address the regrettable situation faced by the GNOC since April 2014, when the GNOC office was closed by government decision. Despite numerous requests from the IOC to the highest authorities of the country, the GNOC office has not yet re-opened, and the GNOC is unable to operate normally.

During the meeting, the government delegation and the GNOC were given the opportunity to express their views and the IOC to answer and clarify any questions raised. In particular, the IOC confirmed, once again, that the GNOC election process which took place more than a year ago had been held in accordance with the Olympic Charter, the GNOC Constitution and all IOC directives and that, as a result, there was no reason to question it. The same goes for the people who were elected at that Elective General Assembly on 3 August 2013, who have been recognised by the IOC as the legitimate GNOC representatives.

The IOC, the GNOC and the government delegation came to the conclusion that this situation, which has been affecting Gambian athletes and the Olympic and sports movement in the country for too long, must now be resolved.

As a consequence, a number of actions have been requested by the IOC as follows:

1. The GNOC office and properties must be returned to the GNOC without any limitation or condition.

2. Any “travel ban” issued against the GNOC officers must be lifted and cancelled.

3. As part of the consultative process which should take place between the government, the GNOC and the National Federations to revise the sports legislation in the country, the IOC has offered its assistance, to help the government and the responsible entities to ensure that the new Sports Bill, which is currently being drafted, is fully compatible with the basic principles which govern the Olympic Movement.

4. Commitment to build harmonious relations and fruitful cooperation between the government and the Olympic Movement in The Gambia, which should work as partners, in the framework of their respective responsibilities, to develop sport and the athletes in the country as a common objective.

The case is expected to be reviewed at the next IOC Executive Board meeting in October, and appropriate decisions will be taken depending on the progress made.

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Olympic Movement supports International Day of Peace

21/09/2014

Today is the International Day of Peace. The International Olympic Committee (IOC), which has established a strong partnership with the United Nations (UN) and its various agencies, is committed to promoting peace through sport and the Olympic ideals, at the Olympic Games and beyond.

This year’s International Day of Peace celebrates the Right of Peoples to Peace, and marks the 30th anniversary of the UN Declaration on the Right of Peoples to Peace, which recognises that the promotion of peace is crucial for the full enjoyment of all human rights.
Sport cannot impose or maintain peace, but it can inspire it. Sport certainly has a vital role to play as it continues to demonstrate that it can facilitate dialogue between different communities and be a catalyst for mutual understanding in our society. The UN has long recognised the value of sport, and as such the IOC has cultivated a strong relationship with this organisation and its partner agencies, which most recently resulted in the signing of a historical agreement aimed at strengthening collaboration between the two bodies at the highest level.
Using sport to encourage development and peace has been at the core of the IOC’s mission since its creation in 1894. Pierre de Coubertin, the IOC’s founder, was explicit in his desire to use the Olympic Games as a forum to promote harmony among individuals and nations. His vision has become a reality. During the Olympic Games, nations from across the world unite on and off the field of play, as the athletes, regardless of their backgrounds, peacefully coexist in the Olympic Village, bringing the Olympic values to life.
An Olympic truce for peace
Taking into account the global context in which sport and the Olympic Games exist, the IOC decided to revive the concept of the Olympic Truce on the occasion of the Olympic Games, with a view to protecting, as far as possible, the interests of athletes and sport, as well as creating a valuable window of opportunity for the peaceful resolution of conflict.
Since 1993, the UN has endorsed this initiative, and one year before each edition of the Olympic Games, the UN urges its Member States to observe the Olympic Truce and to seek, in conformity with the goals and principles of the United Nations Charter, the settling of all international conflicts through peaceful and diplomatic means. This endorsement also recognises the importance of the IOC initiatives for human well-being and international understanding.
Organising Committees of the Olympic Games have also gradually integrated the Olympic Truce into their educational activities leading up to the event, introducing Olympic Truce walls for both athletes and officials to sign in support of peace.
For more information, read the Olympic Truce factsheet.
Building a better world through sport
The IOC undertakings in favour of peace-building extend beyond the period of the Olympic Games, and have led to the implementation of a number of “sport for peace” initiatives and activities in cooperation with UN programmes, NGOs and National Olympic Committees.
To mention but one example, in El Salvador, the IOC teamed up with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Ministry of Public Security and Justice to implement the “Sport for Peace and Development” project, which integrates sport into a national programme against poverty and violence. The project is conducted in some of the most violent municipalities in the country, and includes the rehabilitation or construction of playgrounds as well as the organisation of special sports activities.
For further examples of projects and actions on the ground, click here.
Learn more about Peace through Sport.

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Death of Alpha Ibrahim Diallo, IOC Honorary Member in Guinea

15/09/2014

It is with great sadness that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has learned of the death of Alpha Ibrahim Diallo at the age of 82.

A graduate in journalism and civil administration, Mr Diallo joined the IOC in 1994. He was a member of the Executive Board from 2003 to 2006 and also served on the following commissions: Sport for All (1995), Radio and Television since 1996, IOC 2000 (1999), Olympic Solidarity (2002-2006) and International Relations since 2002. He became an Honorary Member in 2013.
Mr Diallo enjoyed playing football and basketball, and it was his passion for sport that led to his long career serving the Olympic Movement at home and abroad. During his 15 years at the head of the NOC of Guinea, he played a key role in supporting athletes and in promoting the values of physical activity in his country. On a continental level, Diallo was a Member of the ANOCA Executive Committee from 1986 to 1990, before becoming President from 2001 to 2005. He also served as a member of the ANOC Executive Committee before becoming its Vice-President in 2001.
Mr Diallo led a busy diplomatic career as an ambassador, a role that saw him posted in Algiers, Rabat and Tunis, Cairo and the Middle East. He then held a number of positions within the Guinean Government as Directeur de Cabinet to the Prime Minister (1975-1982), Secretary General of the Communications Ministry (1992-1994) and Minister of Communications and Culture since 1997. He was also an Ambassador and permanent representative to the United Nations in New York from 1983 to 1985.
A man of culture, Diallo was the founding President of the African National Broadcasting and Television Union (URTNA) and Chairman of the first Pan-African Cultural Festival held in Algiers in 1969.
The IOC expresses its deepest sympathies to Mr Diallo’s family.

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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.

###

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.
VideosYouTube: www.youtube.com/iocmedia
PhotosFor an extensive selection of photos available shortly after each event, please follow us on Flickr.
To request archive photos and footage, please contact our Images team at: images@olympic.org.
Social mediaFor up-to-the-minute information on the IOC and regular updates, please follow us on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.

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