Calling all young designers! Design the medal for Lillehammer 2016

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

24/03/2015

Let your creativity flow! We are giving you the chance to be part of the Winter Youth Olympic Games by designing the medal for the next winter edition, in Lillehammer in 2016!

All you have to do is go to www.medaldesigncompetition.com, get inspired and submit your very own design. The competition opens today and runs until 1 June 2015.

The winning design and two runners up will be selected by a judging panel made up of the Young Ambassadors and Young Reporters who have been involved in the YOG since the inaugural Singapore 2010 edition/Games. Also joining the panel will be IOC members Claudia Bokel, Chair of the IOC Athletes’ Commission and Olympic silver medallist in fencing, and Angela Ruggiero, Chair of the IOC Coordination Commission for Lillehammer 2016 and Olympic champion in ice hockey.
The winning design will be selected at the end of June 2015 and this design will then feature on the face of the gold, silver and bronze medals awarded in Lillehammer from 12 to 21 February 2016.

In addition to the prestige of creating Olympic history, the winning designer will win a trip to Lillehammer 2016, which includes tickets to the Opening Ceremony and sports competition, as well as a full collection of medals featuring their design.
So what are you waiting for?  Get creative and enter your design!

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Rio 2016 unveils test events schedule

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

©Getty Images/Rio 2016/Alex Ferro

19/03/2015

The Rio 2016 Organising Committee has announced the details of 44 test events that will be held in preparation for next year’s Olympic and Paralympic Games. The programme includes 34 Olympic sports events, six Paralympic events and four events that feature both Olympic and Paralympic disciplines.  

The events will provide the Organising Committee with an important opportunity to test the Olympic competition areas and results systems, as well as integrating all the relevant stakeholders and training the team of people who will be responsible for running the events during the Games.
“Test events are a crucial part of the preparations for staging the Olympic and Paralympic Games, allowing the Organising Committee and its partners – in particular the International Sports Federations and government partners – to test all aspects of venue operations,” explained Delphine Moulin, Rio 2016 Test Events General Manager.
There are 21 events scheduled to take place in 2015, with the first set of outdoor events to be held between July and October this year. A series of indoor events will then be held from November 2015 to February 2016, with the final events to take place between March and May 2016, ahead of the Olympic Games, which begin on 5 August.
More than 7,800 athletes will participate in the test events, providing each of them with a taste of the Olympic and Paralympic host city, while approximately 16,000 volunteers will also gain experience across the 156 days of competition.
“We have worked closely together with the sport federations to develop a test event calendar that will offer the best opportunity to carry out the vital testing and training required to prepare for the Games,” added Agberto Guimarães, Rio 2016 Executive Director of Sport and Paralympic Integration. “I have no doubt we will learn many important lessons from the test events, which we will use to ensure we deliver the highest level of service possible at Games time. Just like the athletes, the Organising Committee is in training, gaining experience and aiming to reach peak performance in August and September 2016.”
The first event to take place this year will be the FIVB Volleyball World League Finals from 14-19 July at the Maracanãzinho, which will be followed by six events in August including triathlon races in Copacabana on 1-2 August, the World Rowing Junior Championships at Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas from 5-9 August and the equestrian event at the Olympic Equestrian Centre in Deodoro from 6-9 August.
Some events will be ticketed, while others will not be open to spectators. There will also be events in the Copacabana region – such as triathlon, sailing, marathon swimming and road cycling – that the public will be able to see without tickets. 
The full calendar and further information can be found at www.aquecerio.com/en

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President Bach welcomes US Secretary of State Kerry to The Olympic Museum

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

©IOC/Christophe Moratal

21/03/2015

International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach today met US Secretary of State John Kerry at The Olympic Museum in Lausanne, where the pair discussed the role of sport in society.

The Secretary of State stressed the important role that Olympic sports play in understanding and reconciliation by keeping doors open regardless of political differences.
President Bach explained that sport is always about building bridges, never about erecting walls. In order to accomplish this, he added, the IOC must be politically neutral without being apolitical. Mr Kerry, agreeing with this, congratulated the IOC President on the approval of Olympic Agenda 2020, the strategic roadmap for the future of the Olympic Movement. Mr Kerry said the reforms should become the benchmark for others, and that with Olympic Agenda 2020 the IOC is leading the way into the future of sport.
©IOC/Christophe Moratal
In this context, the pair discussed in more detail the sustainability of the Olympic Games and stressed the importance of sport in education.
After the meeting, the Secretary of State signed the Golden Book of Honour of the IOC, writing: “The Olympic Movement is so powerful and from my earliest days I have followed each Olympic year with passion. This Movement transcends all politics and truly creates a sense of global possibility. Thank you for helping to break down barriers.”
President Bach then gave Mr Kerry a tour of The Olympic Museum, where the Secretary of State’s love and knowledge of sport was clearly evident. He was particularly interested in the displays on Olympic ceremonies and the Olympic Village, where athletes live together in harmony under one roof during the period of the Games.
©IOC/Christophe Moratal
A passionate cyclist, Mr Kerry enjoyed looking at the many different models of bicycles on display. He added that practicing sport helps him fulfil his many duties.
The Secretary of State was in Lausanne for negotiations with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif on Tehran's nuclear programme. Talks are expected to resume next week in Lausanne.
Speaking later at a press conference at the Olympic Museum, John Kerry thanked the IOC and President Bach: "I want to first of all just thank Thomas Bach, the president of the IOC and himself an Olympic fencing champion from Montreal for the very special tour that I was able to have here of the Olympic Museum, which obviously means a lot to those of us from Boston because we’ve had a long history of Massachusetts athletes being involved in the Olympics and great memories, of course, of Lake Placid in 1980 and other times. So it’s very special for me to have a chance to sort of review the history of my television watching and my passion for the Olympics. And we appreciate their hospitality, of course, for hosting all of you and making this the headquarters – the international headquarters for the press during the course of these negotiations."
©IOC/Christophe Moratal

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IOC agrees to continue providing facilities at Olympic Museum during Iran nuclear talks

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

21/03/2015

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) today agreed to a second request from the Swiss Government to allow facilities at the Olympic Museum to be used as a press centre during talks between the Islamic Republic of Iran, the United States of America and the European Union.

The first round of talks in Lausanne concluded on Friday. Negotiations are expected to resume on Wednesday, with Lausanne considered the preferred location. The IOC, as an organisation dedicated to peace, development and mutual understanding, agreed to provide facilities during the negotiations last week and will do so again, if necessary, next week.
The talks were led by US Secretary of State John Kerry and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. IOC President Thomas Bach met with the US Secretary of State today at The Olympic Museum.
In an open letter to participants in the talks last week, President Bach wrote: “The IOC is a non-governmental organisation committed to promoting peace, development and mutual understanding. We can do this also thanks to our Observer status at the United Nations.
In order to contribute to worldwide development through sport, the IOC distributes more than 90 percent of its revenue to the sports movement and to athletes in the 205 National Olympic Committees worldwide, which means 3.25 million dollars every day.
To be able to accomplish our mission, we have to be strictly politically neutral, but we are not apolitical. Therefore the Olympic Movement is always about building bridges and never erecting walls. In this Olympic spirit of dialogue, respect and understanding, we wish you an enjoyable stay in our Olympic Museum and every success to all the participants in these meetings.”

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Olympic Movement contributes USD half-a-million to rebuild Vanuatu infrastructure

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

©IOC/Ester Franco Varon

17/03/2015

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is coordinating a plan with the support of the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC), which will jointly provide USD 500,000 for the rebuilding of sports facilities and the headquarters of the National Olympic Committee in Vanuatu, after the island nation was devastated by a cyclone last weekend. The fund will also help other countries in the region affected by the disaster.

Coordinated efforts in Vanuatu on behalf of the Olympic Movement will be undertaken jointly by the IOC and ANOC.

“Our thoughts and the thoughts of the entire Olympic Movement are with the people of Vanuatu.  We are committed to providing aid to rebuild Vanuatu’s sporting infrastructure as part of the nation’s rebuilding process,” said IOC President Thomas Bach. “We want to support the athletes in this region so that they can return to their sporting life as soon as possible, and in such a way give hope to the whole population.  Especially in such times, sport can play its part in helping people normalise their lives and rebuilding a shattered society. We hope that our contribution will give hope to the people of Vanuatu and others in the region on their difficult path to recovery.”

IOC announces tender process for sale of broadcast rights in Europe and appoints IMG as consultants

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

16/03/2015

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) today announced that it will launch the tender process on 11 May 2015 for the sale of the broadcast rights for all territories within Europe* for the XXIII Olympic Winter Games (2018) in PyeongChang, South Korea, and the Games of the XXXII Olympiad (2020) in Tokyo, Japan.

The IOC has appointed IMG for consultancy services related to the European broadcast rights tender. The invitation to tender issued by the IOC will provide organisations interested in acquiring the rights with specific guidelines relating to bid submissions. The IOC will ask for bids to be submitted by 15 June 2015. All parties interested in receiving the broadcast and exhibition rights invitation to tender for Europe should contact: broadcastsales@olympic.org

The IOC will assess bids on their ability to meet the highest standards in broadcast quality, their capacity to reach the broadest possible audience across different media platforms, and their commitment to promoting the Olympic Games and the values of the Olympic Movement, as well as on the financial offer. Bidders will also be asked to outline how they would partner with the IOC on the new year-round Olympic Channel initiative, including through content and distribution support. The IOC will consider bids on a multi-territory or on a country-by-country basis.

* Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France**, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Kosovo, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom**, Ukraine and Vatican City State.
** 2018 and 2020 Olympic Games rights have already been granted in these territories.

IOC agrees to provide press centre and facilities at Olympic Museum during Iran nuclear talks

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

16/03/2015

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has agreed to a request from the Swiss Government to allow facilities at The Olympic Museum to be used as a press centre during talks between the Islamic Republic of Iran, the United States of America and the European Union.

US Secretary of State John Kerry and his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif are in Lausanne to negotiate on Tehran’s nuclear programme. Talks resumed today, and the IOC, as an organisation dedicated to peace, development and mutual understanding, agreed to provide facilities during the negotiations.
In an open letter to participants in the talks, IOC President Thomas Bach addressed all those taking part: 
“The IOC is a non-governmental organisation committed to promoting peace, development and mutual understanding. We can do this also thanks to our Observer status at the United Nations. 
In order to contribute to worldwide development through sport, the IOC distributes more than 90 percent of its revenue to the sports movement and to athletes in the 205 National Olympic Committees worldwide, which means 3.25 million dollars every day.
To be able to accomplish our mission, we have to be strictly politically neutral, but we are not apolitical. Therefore the Olympic Movement is always about building bridges and never erecting walls. In this Olympic spirit of dialogue, respect and understanding, we wish you an enjoyable stay in our Olympic Museum and every success to all the participants in these meetings.”

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