KALYAN KUMAR MAHATA The true appellation of Apu.

IOC Injury and Illness Prevention Conference hailed a success with record participation in Monaco

©Stéphane Danna

12/04/2014

The 2014 IOC World Conference on Prevention of Injury and Illness in Sport came to a close on 12 April, in Monaco.

The meetings, described by many delegates as the most constructive yet for researchers and practitioners in the field of sports medicine and prevention, were attended by a record 980 participants from 81 countries, and included 113 speakers, 5 keynote lectures, 24 symposia, 76 workshops and 202 abstracts; a remarkable increase at all levels from the last edition in 2011.
The Conference was the second organised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and was attended by HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco, President of the NOC of Monaco and IOC member along with fellow member Dr Robin Mitchell, IOC Medical Director Richard Budgett, IOC Head of Scientific Activities Lars Engebretsen and a large number of world-renown experts in the fields of sports medicine and injury and illness prevention.Experts, team physicians from National Olympic Committees (NOCs) and International Federations (IFs), and students exchanged news of the latest research and advances in the prevention of injury and illness in athletes. Several symposia and workshops on application of the field’s current knowledge highlighted that the message and penetration are improving.
“We went into the Conference with high expectations and these were exceeded on every front”, said IOC Medical Director Dr Richard Budgett. “From the opening session with HSH Prince Albert II, all participants threw themselves into the workshops, keynotes, symposia and poster sessions delivered by inspirational researchers and practitioners.”
He added: “The Conference will change the practice of prevention, boost further research and protect the health of athletes everywhere. The success is a tribute to all those who worked so hard to bring this unique three-yearly Conference to fruition; to our wonderful hosts in Monaco and most of all, to the nearly 1000 delegates who brought it to life and will ensure that their new understanding and knowledge translates into action, in particular in preventing injuries and illnesses in athletes all over the world until we meet again in three years' time.”
The protection of the athletes’ health is a top priority for the IOC, which is working together with different stakeholders to make this objective a reality. For instance, the event also saw the participation of Worldwide Olympic Partner GE. As official provider of medical imaging and ultrasound equipment to the Olympic Games, GE Healthcare successfully held a workshop on its Point of Care Ultrasound technology empowering elite athlete care.
The Conference is being followed by a three-day Advanced Team Physician Course (14-16 April) in Mandelieu, France, which will convene 150 participants from around the world to provide knowledge and insights on sports medicine to NOC physicians.
While there are many health benefits that can be derived from the practice of sport, there is also an inherent risk of injury and illness, especially at the elite level. The IOC has therefore initiated and supported research on various topics related to the health of athletes, with the ultimate objective of significantly reducing injuries and illnesses in sport.
The IOC also conducts an extensive surveillance study during each edition of the Olympic Games, collecting invaluable information on all athlete injuries and illnesses acquired during competition and, or training, in order to gain further knowledge about the effectiveness and weaknesses of existing prevention programmes.

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KALYAN KUMAR MAHATA The true appellation of Apu.

Moose, Weasel or Lynx? - Lillehammer 2016 Mascot finalists announced

16/04/2014

One of these animals will be the mascot for the Lillehammer 2016 Youth Olympic Games! Entries from all over the world came flooding in and following what must have been a difficult decision, we are left with three YOGtastic finalists, and it is up to you to pick a winner.

 The jury consisted of Simen Staalnacke, one of the founders of a Norwegian clothing line, Julie Strømsvåg, sports anchor of Norwegian Olympic Broadcaster TV2, Paralympic athlete Birgit Skarstein and design student, Marianne Ågotnes.

Copyright: Geir Owe Fredheim

 “I am really looking forward to see the mascot whizz down the half pipe during the YOG,” says an enthusiastic Staalnacke – and so are we!  
Keep an eye on our Lillehammer 2016 Facebook page for updates on how to vote.

KALYAN KUMAR MAHATA The true appellation of Apu.

         IOC launches a new online educational platform for athletes

31/03/2014

Recognising that many athletes face the challenge of pursuing their education whilst focusing on their sporting career, the IOC has developed, in collaboration with a number of its commissions, including the IOC Athletes' and Entourage Commissions, an online platform delivering free, engaging, educational content to a worldwide athlete audience. Known as IOC Athlete MOOC (Massive Open Online Course), this platform goes live today!

Bringing together Olympic champions, world-renowned coaches, leading academics and inspiring leaders, the IOC Athlete MOOC features academic lectures delivered by prominent institutions from around the world, video insights, online live events, discussion forums and various learning resources. In addition to already existing sample lessons, those registered can now follow three new exclusive courses entitled Smarter Eating for Better Performance, Can Champions Be Made and Athlete Career Transition.
Smarter Eating for Better PerformanceExploring the fundamentals of nutrition for athletes, this course examines the impact diet can have on training and competition. Led by Professor Ron Maughan, Chair of the IOC Medical Commission’s Nutrition Working Group, this 70-minute lesson will provide athletes and their entourage with insights into what foods to eat, when, the purpose of protein and carbohydrate post-exercise, and how best to stay hydrated.
Can Champions Be Made?
How do we identify talent? Which is the greater influence: nature or nurture? Throughout the 70-minute lesson, Professor Craig Williams, Director of Children’s Health and Exercise Research Centre and Director of Postgraduate Studies in Sport and Health Sciences, delves into the theories and practices of taking raw talents and turning them into champions, ultimately addressing what is the best way to maximise a young talented athlete’s potential. 
Athlete Career Transition (coming soon)As former biathlete and Olympic champion Vincent Defrasne outlines in the introduction: “at some point, every athlete has to retire” and find a new career outside the field of play. This two-hour course will look at the Athlete Career Programme (ACP), and how best to prepare for the transition from elite sport to a successful career post-competition.
Split into five instructional videos, from where to start to next steps, participants are given tools to identify their strengths, passions and the many transferrable skills they gained during their sports careers, receiving advice from employment professionals such as Adecco Senior Vice President Patrick J Glennon. It also features additional testimonials from IOC Athletes’ Commission Vice Chair, Olympian and Harvard graduate, Angela Ruggiero; former US boxing champion, Angel Bovee, hired in 2011 by Adecco and the United States Olympic Committee to manage the Team USA Career Programme; and Barbara Kendall, New Zealand’s boardsailing gold medallist and a member of the IOC Athletes’ Commission, and the IOC Commissions for Women and Sport as well as Sport and Environment.
“Focused on giving you an overview of each pillar of the ACP, this course will give you first-hand experience from Olympic athletes and help guide your way through education, life skills and employment”, remarks Defrasne. “As an elite athlete, this course will interest you for sure.”

Olympians give their seal of approval
Commenting on the IOC Athlete MOOC, Sergey Bubka, Chair of the Entourage Commission, said: “The lives of athletes are really busy. They travel all over the world; they spend a lot of time training; but when athletes start studying online, the can successfully combine sport and education.”
Chairwomen of the IOC Athletes’ Commission Claudia Bokel added: “Whether you’re an Olympian or aspiring athlete, this free, mobile and engaging platform will help you make the most of learning from the best in the world of sport!”
Find more information and to sign up for the IOC Athlete MOOC, click here: www.olympic.org/onlinecourse or go to the Athletes’ Space on Olympic.org.

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KALYAN KUMAR MAHATA The true appellation of Apu.

         Olympic Youth Development Centre hosts African Youth Olympic Games hopefuls

©Jean Mandela (4)

21/03/2014

The multi-sport complex in Lusaka, Zambia, hosted a five-nation hockey tournament, where boys and girls from Kenya, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe competed for a place in this summer’s 2nd Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing, China. The host team made history as they secured their first ever qualification for a Youth Olympic Games (YOG), along with pre-tournament favourites, South Africa.

Part of the International Olympic Committee (IOC)’s Sport for Hope Programme, the Olympic Youth Development Centre (OYDC), which opened its doors in 2010, aims to provide athletes, young people and local African communities with opportunities to practise sport and learn about the Olympics values.

A stage for young athletes
Last week, enthusiastic crowds filled the OYDC with joy and excitement as they watched their local boys’ and girls’ hockey teams battle it out on the field, in a bid to secure one of two places for the YOG in Nanjing, this summer.  “We have watched these boys and girls walk into the Olympic Youth Development Centre without any knowledge of the existence of hockey,” enthused the Director of the OYDC, Clement Chileshe.
Three years later, these young athletes have achieved an incredible victory by qualifying for their first major international sporting event, along with the South Africans. This milestone is an inspiration for the OYDC, the local community and in particular the young players. “It helps them believe in themselves economically and socially, and it will encourage them to do well in school and other areas of their lives,” commented Chileshe.

“A number of people are surprised at how fast we have achieved our goal, but when you have great supporting partners, as well as committed and extremely talented players, you can achieve miracles,” rejoiced the OYDC Director bursting with pride.
For the host nation Zambia, a qualification for the Youth Olympic Games is an invaluable opportunity to raise the profile of the Olympic Youth Development Centre and provide a further incentive for investing in youth development programmes. As one player’s mother exclaimed: “The games were excellent for the boys and girls. They have made not only us parents proud, but also the nation.”
For the latest news on the OYDC hockey tournament, visit the International Hockey Federation’s website: www.fih.ch

Hope and development through sport
The OYDC has grown considerably since it first opened its doors in 2010. Welcoming on average 10,000 youngsters on a regular basis, the state-of-the-art sports centre, which was launched four years ago by the IOC with the support of the Olympic Movement, now has an Olympic swimming pool, a lodge and a health centre. In all, the facility offers training opportunities for 16 different sports, with an emphasis on basketball, boxing, judo, hockey, track & field, table tennis and swimming. It is also the training ground for a number of high performance athletes, who hope to qualify for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
In the four years of operations, more than 100 young athletes who had not practised sport before have since been integrated into national teams. The multi-sport centre also offers a wide range of educational programmes, health services and community activities aimed at improving the quality of life in a country ravaged by HIV/AIDS, poverty, crime and unemployment.
Learn more about the IOC’s development through sport

Learn more about the Olympic Youth Development Centre in Zambia

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KALYAN KUMAR MAHATA The true appellation of Apu.

         Paralympic Winter Games: “Games Changers” help to create “barrier-free minds”

©Getty Images

20/03/2014

As they look back on the first Winter Paralympic Games ever staged in Russia, the host city Sochi and all those involved in ensuring that the ten-day event was such a spectacular success, have every reason to feel proud. The 2014 edition of the Games provided the Paralympic movement with a number of landmark moments, and also represented a watershed in Russia’s efforts to improve the lives of those living with a disability.

Beyond the record-breaking performances, breath-taking displays of athletic ability and human endeavour, and the constant pushing of physical and mental boundaries, those involved have also helped to lay down foundations for the future, to create a lasting legacy, and to become in the words of IOC Member and International Paralympic Committee (IPC) President, Sir Philip Craven, “Games-changers”.
The IPC President hailed the achievements of Sochi in becoming Russia's first truly accessible city, and he claimed the 2014 Paralympic Winter Games would leave a lasting legacy in terms of improving facilities and changing attitudes towards the disabled.
“The plan and the commitment of the Russian government is for this to be spread out over time in legacy format to each of the 80 regions in Russia and that's a fantastic dream of ours to be able to influence and transform the biggest nation in the world,” he said.
Barrier-free minds
In his speech at the Opening Ceremony, Craven referenced the progress that had been made since Russia had refused to host the Paralympics in 1980 when the Olympics came to Moscow, but he stressed the biggest change was yet to come.
“In the same way that the city of Sochi has built a barrier-free environment for athletes and officials to enjoy, I call upon all those who experience these Games to have barrier-free minds too," he said. While the volunteers at London 2012 were known as “Games makers”, Sochi's volunteer force would, according to Craven, come to be seen as “change makers”.
Record-breakers
The Sochi 2014 edition of the Paralympic Winter Games enjoyed unprecedented ticket sales and media interest, building strongly on the momentum created by London 2012. Over nine days of competition, 547 Paralympic athletes from 45 countries took part, competing for 72 sets of medals in five sports. Over 300,000 competition tickets were sold ensuring a virtual sell-out.
Meanwhile, over 2,400 media representatives provided global coverage across print, radio, TV and digital platforms, with host nation Russia alone dedicating a total of 180 hours of coverage via national TV channels. A number of countries, including the USA and Brazil, provided live coverage of the Paralympic Winter Games for the first time.
During the Games, the official website sochi2014.com was visited by more than three million people who, in total, viewed approximately 15 million pages. More than 8,000 volunteers helped in organising the competitions and worked a total of 80,000 shifts during the Games.
The positive impact of the Paralympic Winter Games is already being seen in the host region and throughout the whole of Russia. Thanks to the preparations for Sochi 2014, for the first time, the country is witnessing the development of a truly nationwide volunteer movement, which is helping to bring positive change in society’s attitude towards people with impairment.
On the eve of Russia’s first ever Paralympic Games, more than 1,000 infrastructural sites in Sochi were recognised as accessible. Over the period 2006-2011, the number of Sochi residents with a disability who have become involved in sports has tripled.
Today, the positive impacts of the Games have already being felt not only in the region, but all around the country. To date, approximately 200 Russian cities have already adopted Sochi’s leading example of creating a barrier-free environment, which will help to fully integrate people with disabilities into society.
An invaluable contribution to this feeling is the innovative Accessibility Map project, implemented by the Sochi 2014 Organising Committee and the One Country Support Fund for People with impairment. The Accessibility Map allows people with an impairment to find a place nearby where they can take part in Paralympic sports and obtain information on the nearest barrier-free environment locations. The Accessibility Map currently contains over 14,700 different facilities.
As part of the International Paralympic Committee’s Observer Programme, over 50 events were organised for the Organising Committees of future Games. Their employees spoke about the specifics of preparing for and hosting a Paralympic Games – making a further tangible contribution to the Sochi 2014 legacy.
All of the Paralympic Winter Games venues in and around Sochi were made fully accessible for people with disabilities – including parking, building entrances and exits, and spectator seating.
Meanwhile, transport plans for the Games showed accessible routes between the city and the venues and within the venues and the Olympic Park. During the Games, 327 of the 800 or so buses in use during the Games were accessible to people in wheelchairs.
As part of the infrastructural preparations for the Games, the main transport hubs – railway stations and international airports (Sochi, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Krasnodar and Adler) – were all in full compliance with the requirements of a barrier-free environment.
Back in Sochi, all of the accommodation for Paralympic athletes was equipped with ramps, elevators with accompanying sound, wide hallways and accessible bathrooms and showers. In addition, signs with braille or raised letters were specially installed for visually impaired athletes, while all of the venues benefited from tactile rails and warnings or visually contrasting paths.
There was also a strong educational component to the preparations for the Games, which it is hoped, will serve as a template that can be rolled out nationwide.
Organising Committee’s staff held approximately 40 training sessions on the “Introduction to the Paralympic Movement and skills required to support people with an impairment” for 5,080 volunteers, drivers, security officers, airport workers, and electric train operators.

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KALYAN KUMAR MAHATA The true appellation of Apu.

         Tokyo 2020 Executive Board composition finalised

©Tokyo 202027/03/2014

The composition of the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee’s Executive Board has been finalised, with the appointment of six Vice-Presidents, a Director General and three Senior Executive Board members.

All 34 members of the Executive Board met this week to finalise the new positions, with the Chairman of the Keidanren Committee on Promotion of Sports Akio Toyoda; Japan Sport Council President Ichiro Kono; IOC Member and Japanese Olympic Committee President Tsunekazu Takeda; Tokyo Vice-Governor Toshiyuki Akiyama; Japan Paralympic Committee Vice-President Yasushi Yamawaki; and Yoshitaka Sakurada, Japan’s Minister in charge of sports, all appointed as Vice-Presidents.
Toshiro Muto was named Director General of the Organising Committee, while Yukihiko Nunomura, Hirobumi Kawano, and Hiroshi Sata were all named Senior Executive Board Members.
“Today's meeting of the Executive Board enabled us to get off to the ideal start as the highest decision-making body of the Organising Committee,” said Tokyo 2020 President Yoshiro Mori. “The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games will serve as an exciting new target for the young people of Japan to strive towards, and will provide a major boost for the whole of society. All members of our ‘All Japan’ Executive Board are firmly committed and looking forward to exerting their utmost efforts to ensure the resounding success of the Games.”

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KALYAN KUMAR MAHATA The true appellation of Apu.

         Accreditation procedure for the 2nd Summer Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing in 2014

18/03/2014

ABOUT NANJING 2014Over 3,600 young athletes aged 15 to 18 from over 200 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) will be in Nanjing, China, from 16 to 28 August 2014 to compete in the second edition of the Summer Youth Olympic Games (YOG).
Building on the successful experience of the inaugural YOG held in Singapore in 2010, this year’s event will feature 28 sports, including golf and rugby sevens, which will make their debut before their inclusion at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Also on the sports programme will be disciplines such as 3-on-3 basketball and 5-a-side hockey, as well as mixed gender and mixed NOC events.  
Some new sports and disciplines not currently on the Olympic programme will also be showcased following an IOC Executive Board decision in December 2013. Sport climbing, roller sports and skateboarding will join wushu, which was already planned to feature in Nanjing.  
The young participants will have the opportunity to take part in a unique Culture and Education Programme (CEP) off the field of play that will focus on themes ranging from Olympism and the Olympic values to skills development and how to lead healthy lifestyles.  
ACCREDITATIONAccreditation is processed online by the IOC. Media representatives wishing to cover the Nanjing 2014 Summer Youth Olympic Games are required to register on the IOC website by 30 April 2014.  
Please note that all journalists (regardless of nationality) working for Chinese domestic media must request their accreditation via the Chinese Olympic Committee (COC) at the following address:  
Tian Tonggui
Chinese Olympic Committee
Tel:  +86 10 8718 2445
Fax: +86 10 6711 1344
E-mail: tian_tonggui@163.com
All other media working for non-Chinese, international media organisations (including in Hong Kong and Chinese Taipei) are requested to register via the IOC website following the instructions provided via the link below.  
Please note that all rights-holding broadcasters’ accreditations will be processed by OBS.  
Click here to access the media accreditation system 
If you have already registered in the IOC media database for previous events, please ensure your profile is up-to-date. You will need to complete your personal information and ensure you have a recent photo with the correct passport details. Please note that passports must be valid until at least 31 December 2014.  
For media representatives who have successfully applied for accreditation online before 30 April 2014, the Youth Olympic Accreditation Card (YOAC) together with a passport or other official travel document will serve as an Entry Visa into China. These will be sent to you directly in June 2014 by the Nanjing Organising Committee. The pre-valid YOAC will act as a valid visa for China for a period of one month prior to and one month following Nanjing 2014.
ACCOMMODATION
Information regarding media accommodation will be available on the official website of Nanjing 2014 until 16 June 2014. 
Further information on transport, the Main Media Centre, media access to the venues and key facilities will be communicated at a later date.

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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 website 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 and Facebook.
Youth Olympic GamesFor all the latest information on the Youth Olympic Games, past and upcoming summer and winter editions, check out the Youth Olympic Games website, follow us on Twitter and Facebook, and watch us on YouTube.