Olympic Torch Relay to visit every state in Brazil

KALYAN KUMAR MAHATA The true appellation of Apu. A Creative Commons license.

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29/01/2015

The Olympic flame will travel across 26 states and through 250 cities and towns on a 20,000km journey around Brazil in the lead-up to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

As the Organising Committee announced the first details for the Rio 2016 Olympic Torch Relay on 29 January, it was revealed that the flame would be carried by at least 10,000 torchbearers to every corner of Brazil, on a route designed to reach approximately 90 per cent of the population.
As is traditional, the lighting ceremony of the Olympic flame at the home of the ancient Olympic Games, Olympia, will mark the start of the Olympic Torch Relay. From Greece, the flame will arrive in Brazil approximately 100 days before the start of the 2016 Games and will then begin its journey around the country. The culmination of the journey will come on 5 August at the Maracanã Stadium in Rio when the flame will light the Olympic cauldron at the Rio 2016 Opening Ceremony.

Carlos Nuzman, President of the Rio 2016 Organising Committee, said the Torch Relay would give the opportunity for millions of Brazilians to be involved in the build-up to the Olympic Games. “Upon being awarded the right to host the 2016 Olympic Games, we promised to involve the entire country, thereby ensuring it would be an event made by Brazilians, for Brazilians and with a Brazilian spirit for the world to enjoy. To stage the Olympic Torch Relay across the whole country is to fulfil that promise and give millions the chance to participate in an unforgettable celebration.”
Continuing its longstanding support of the Olympic Torch Relay, Coca-Cola, together with Nissan and Bradesco, will be a Presenting Partner in Brazil. Flavio Camelier, Vice President of Coca-Cola Brazil for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, said: “We are writing yet another chapter in the history of our partnership with the Olympic Torch Relay. Since the Barcelona Olympic Games, in 1992, we believe in its power to thrill, to provide unique moments and to spread the Olympic spirit throughout the whole world.”
The nomination process for the torchbearers will be held throughout 2015 and will be conducted in collaboration with the Presenting Partners, while the design of the torch and more details about the route will be announced later in the year.
Find out more about the Rio 2016 Olympic Torch Relay at www.rio2016.com

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“Getting the couch potatoes off the couch”: IOC joins forces with UNESCO to improve Physical Education in schools

KALYAN KUMAR MAHATA The true appellation of Apu. A Creative Commons license.

29/01/2015

The International Olympic Committee (IOC), in partnership with UNESCO and several other international organisations, has cooperated on new Guidelines, released today, urging governments and educational planners to invest in the quantity and quality of physical education that they offer. 

The action-orientated Quality Physical Education (QPE) Guidelines, which are in line with the IOC’s mission to include sport in school curricula worldwide and to promote Olympic values-based education, were presented today during a meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee for Physical Education and Sport (CIGEPS) at the IOC headquarters in Lausanne.  
IOC President Thomas Bach said: “Physical Education in schools is crucial if we are to get the couch potatoes off the couch. Sport has a central role to play in the education system, not just to fight against obesity and sedentary behaviour, but studies have shown time and again the positive effects physical activity has on the social and intellectual development of young people. Collaborating closely with UNESCO, we will ensure physical education is an integral part of school curricula to promote a healthy mind in a healthy body.”  
Working in schools is the best way to reach young people and tackle inactivity. The Guidelines are a tool to help governments reverse the decline in investment in physical education in schools, which has been happening in many countries recently. They give a framework to help policy-makers reshape physical education policy as well as providing practical advice for implementing the Guidelines.  
In conjunction with the online publication of the QPE Guidelines, and recognising that physical education and sports-related programmes need to reflect local settings, a pilot phase will be launched to test and assist with the implementation of these Guidelines at the national level. The IOC will specifically provide support to five pilot countries, through their National Olympic Committees (NOCs), from March 2015 to April 2016.  
The IOC has long been at the forefront of using sport as a tool for education. Through its Olympic Values Education Programme (OVEP), the IOC has demonstrated that Olympic values-based education can inspire young people to adopt healthy, active lifestyles built on the values of friendship, excellence and respect. As outlined in Olympic Agenda 2020, the IOC’s strategic roadmap for the future of the Olympic Movement, the IOC will continue to strengthen its partnership with UNESCO to achieve its shared vision that sport is a fundamental human right and that physical education should be available to all individuals. 
For more information, please click here.

Seoul to host 2017 IOC World Conference on Prevention of Injury and Illness in Sport

KALYAN KUMAR MAHATA The true appellation of Apu. A Creative Commons license.

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26/01/2015

The 5th edition of this premier international conference in sports and exercise medicine will be held in Seoul, Republic of Korea, from 1 to 3 June 2017. It is the first time the IOC World Conference on Prevention of Injury and Illness in Sport will be held in Asia, and furthermore, in the host country of the next edition of the Olympic Winter Games in 2018.

Safeguarding the athletes’ health in sports training and competition is the number-one priority for the International Olympic Committee (IOC). This Conference, organised every three years, brings together eminent international specialists in injury and illness prevention to collaborate and share the latest findings and views on how best to protect the athletes’ wellbeing on and off the field of play. Using a multidisciplinary approach, the programme features keynote lectures, abstract presentations and workshops, and provides an exclusive opportunity for the world’s leading experts to meet face-to-face. Further details of the programme and registration process will be available closer to the date.

The IOC World Conference on Prevention of Injury and Illness in Sport in Seoul will be followed by a three-day Advanced Team Physician Course (5-7 June) in PyeongChang, the host city of the next Olympic Winter Games in 2018. It will be an incredible opportunity for some 150 team physicians to further improve their knowledge and practice of sports and exercise medicine with less than a year to go to the Games.

Athletes’ health at the heart of the IOCToday, there is growing emphasis placed on the area of injury and illness prevention by the IOC, as well as by National Olympic Committees (NOCs), International Federations (IFs) and national sporting bodies. With the creation of rehabilitation programmes, recovery camps and various preventative measures, the topic is central to sport and athletes’ wellbeing, making this Conference all the more crucial for the sporting world.

Over the last 10 years, there has also been a significant increase in research in this important field, with specialised groups being formed in several countries. Recently, the IOC recognised nine of the best of these research centres for their excellent and invaluable work. These IOC Research Centres for Prevention of Injury and Protection of Athlete Health will assist the IOC in researching, developing and implementing effective prevention and treatment for sports-related injuries and illnesses.
Registrations for the Conference will open at the end of 2015 at www.ioc-preventionconference.org.

Background informationHealth risks are inherent to the practice of sport, and protecting the athletes’ health is at the heart of the IOC’s concerns. Through its Medical Commission, the IOC has initiated, coordinated and supported research on a range of topics related to athletes’ health, with the ultimate goal of improving injury and illness prevention. The IOC also records and analyses athlete injuries and illnesses that occur in competition and training at the Olympic Games to gain further knowledge about the effectiveness and weaknesses of
existing programmes.

Learn more about the IOC Medical Commission

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Tokyo 2020 creates Young Athletes’ project

KALYAN KUMAR MAHATA The true appellation of Apu. A Creative Commons license.

©Tokyo 2020

23/01/2015

Following its latest Athletes’ Commission meeting, Tokyo 2020 has announced that it plans to create a 2020 Young Athletes project, which will encourage young athletes to set the Tokyo 2020 Games as their goal. The project also aims to encourage young athletes to get more involved in society by becoming involved in a wide range of activities.

Tokyo 2020 Sports Director Koji Murofushi said after the Commission meeting: “Tokyo 2020’s plans to put the athletes first and ensure athlete-oriented Games are very much on track. Among the items on today’s agenda was a particular focus on young Japanese athletes. We have decided to create a new 2020 Young Athletes project, which I will have the honour of leading.”

“Our aim is to encourage young athletes to set the Tokyo 2020 Games as their goal, and in so doing we hope this will enable them to perform to the best of their abilities and broaden their minds. One of the recommendations adopted in the Olympic Agenda 2020 process advocates increased social engagement among athletes; and this project aims to encourage athletes to contribute more to society, increase interactions with local communities and become actively involved in a wide range of activities, such as recovery efforts in disaster-affected areas. We hope that their efforts will inspire people of all ages and demonstrate the power of sport to act as force for positive change.

“My role is to connect with the younger generation; inspire enthusiasm and passion; and urge them to contribute to the building of a fair, equitable and fully-inclusive world – one that has the power of sport firmly at its heart.

“We believe that empowering the next generation of athletes through the 2020 Young Athletes project will be one of the greatest legacies of the Tokyo 2020 Games.”

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Pursuing an Olympic dream: From fighting fires and lawsuits to sliding on ice

KALYAN KUMAR MAHATA The true appellation of Apu. A Creative Commons license.

21/01/2015

Even when working as a wildland firefighter or studying law, Morgan Tracey always wanted to go to the Olympics. She therefore made a pact with herself – if she passed the bar exam, she would try skeleton. So in 2010, with her qualification in tow, Morgan headed to the Lake Placid Olympic Training Centre in pursuit of that Olympic dream.

Today, Morgan is a fully-fledged member of Team USA’s bobsleigh and skeleton team as well as a legal assistant at IOC TOP sponsor General Electric (GE). Her ultimate “end goal” – a ticket to the next Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang in 2018 – requires her to juggle work life with training, something she manages with the help of the Athlete Career Programme (ACP).
“An athlete had told me that there’s this programme that allows athletes to train and work and fund their careers, with their training being the most important thing,” explains Morgan. “I was looking then for the ACP not only to give me the ability to put training first, but also to make sure that I was still using the three years that I had spent in law school.”
GE has done just that for the American athlete and lawyer: “The best thing about working for GE and the Athlete Career Programme is that I can work it around my training.”
As Angela Bovee, Programme Specialist for Team USA’s Athlete Career Programme, explains: “Athletes are often the best in the world at what they do, so they have a host of transferable skills that make them top talent in the workplace, too. They just have to realise how those skills of time-management, resiliency and problem-solving can be taken into the corporate world.”
With dedication, hard work, a solid support system and a new employer enabling her to work from home and providing the flexibility required for her to pursue her sporting ambition, Morgan is well and truly on her way to achieving her dream.
In return, Bovee says Morgan is inspiring those around her, as her manager, Rachel Lieberman, supports: “Being able to watch Morgan and see her success, and maybe feel like you’ve had a little part in that, is like bringing a little bit of that dream to all of us.” 
Find out more about the Athlete Career Programme here

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How to be an ambassador of sport and champion in life

KALYAN KUMAR MAHATA The true appellation of Apu. A Creative Commons license.

19/01/2015

Being the best athlete you can be is not only about your performance on the field of play, it is also about how you perform off the field of play.

As well as being a two-time world champion canoeist, long-time friend of the Youth Olympic Games Jess Fox embodies the Olympic values of excellence, friendship and respect and has pledged her commitment to giving back to the sport she loves by setting a good example for the next generation.
We caught up with the Australian YOG champion at the Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Games, where she was passing on her experience to her young compatriot athletes as a Young Ambassador.

Check out our awesome new film on our brand new Compete, Learn & Share gateway: yogger.olympic.org
Here you can find a whole catalogue of resources and tools designed to help you become an ambassador of sport and a champion in life. And don’t forget to share your experience with us via our Tell Us Your Story function!

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KALYAN KUMAR MAHATA The true appellation of Apu. A Creative Commons license.

Rio 2016 ticketing programme launched

©Rio 2016

16/01/2015

A new web portal enabling spectators to secure tickets to Rio 2016 Olympic Games has been launched by the Organising Committee this week.

Those hoping to attend should register their interest at www.rio2016.com/tickets in order to be sent information and alerts for the key ticket purchasing dates.
A key aim of the Ticket Programme for the Olympic Games is to ensure that everyone has a fair chance at securing a place at the Games, and underlines Rio 2016’s ‘Games for All’ concept.
The ticketing programme for residents of Brazil is divided into four key stages. Following the registration stage, applications for tickets can then be made in March, when two lottery draws will take place. A resale of remaining tickets will then occur in October, and finally box office tickets will be available for purchase in June 2016.
In recognition of the long-lasting partnership between Visa and the Olympic Games, only Visa cards will be accepted in payment for tickets. For any purchase online via Rio’s Ticket Portal, only Visa cards will be accepted (Credit, debit and prepaid virtual cards). Payments in cash will only be accepted at Rio’s ticket offices, open from June 2016.
“Spectators will experience this journey like an athlete, preparing and going through stages until the glory of arriving at the Games,” said Rio 2016 Ticketing Director Donovan Ferreti. “With so many attractions, it is necessary to get organised early to ensure you don’t miss the best of the event.”
Non-residents of Brazil should still register their interest via the website in order to receive alerts and information regarding ticket purchase in their territory. Applications for tickets must be made to the relevant National Olympic Committee or its authorized ticket reseller and information regarding this will be made available on the Rio 2016 website in March.
More information about the Ticket Programme can be found at www.rio2016.com/tickets.