IOC President Thomas Bach announces composition of Olympic Agenda 2020 Working Groups

KALYAN KUMAR MAHATA The true appellation of Apu.

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22/05/2014

In another key milestone in the process of building Olympic Agenda 2020, a strategic roadmap for the future of the Olympic Movement, IOC President Thomas Bach today released the membership of the 14 Working Groups which will help frame some of the key recommendations. Each group will be made up of key stakeholders of the Olympic Movement, including IOC members, athletes and representatives of the International Federations and National Olympic Committees. As part of the ongoing open and inclusive process, a number of experts have also been included from civil society, including representatives of leading international organisations, NGOs and business organisations. The Working Groups will look at proposals made by the Olympic Movement, the world of sport and even by individual members of the public.  Under discussion will be topics ranging from Ethics and the Youth Olympic Games to Good Governance and Autonomy and the planned Olympic TV Channel.

The Working Groups have been established to compile and discuss detailed contributions to the Olympic Agenda 2020, which was initiated last year by President Bach. Each of the Groups will meet in June around the occasion of Olympic Day, and their findings will be presented to the IOC Executive Board (EB) in July. The findings will then be discussed at the Olympic Summit later in the month, which will be attended by all the key stakeholders of the Olympic Movement.
The contributions will then be presented to the IOC commissions in September, before being discussed again at an EB meeting in October. The refined proposals for Olympic Agenda 2020 will then be presented for discussion by the whole membership and approval of the IOC Extraordinary Session in Monaco on 8 and 9 December 2014.
Discussions have centred on five themes: the uniqueness of the Olympic Games, athletes at the heart of the Olympic Movement, Olympism in action, the IOC’s role and IOC structure and organisation.
There has been strong interest across the Olympic Movement in the Olympic Agenda 2020. Discussions at the 126th IOC Session in Sochi, for example, included a total of 211 interventions made by the IOC members.
President Bach called for direct contributions on the debate of the future of the Olympic Movement to be made via email at OlympicAgenda2020@olympic.org. Contributions – from all continents – flooded in from National Olympic Committees, International Federations, sports organisations, NGOs and the general public by the final deadline of 15 April.
Complete list of the Working Groups.

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Tel: +41 21 621 6000 e-mail: pressoffice@olympic.org, or visit our web site at www.olympic.org.
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KALYAN KUMAR MAHATA The true appellation of Apu.

IOC President Thomas Bach meets the King of Norway ahead of visit to Lillehammer Youth Olympic Games organisers

19/05/2014

The President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Thomas Bach, today met His Majesty the King of Norway, Harald V, at the Royal Castle in Oslo, ahead of a visit to Lillehammer for meetings with the local organisers of the Lillehammer 2016 Winter Youth Olympic Games.

President Bach spoke at length with the King about the second edition of the Winter Youth Olympic Games (YOG), which will take place in Lillehammer from 12 to 21 February 2016. They also discussed the performance of Norwegian athletes at the Sochi Olympic Winter Games, as well as Olympic Agenda 2020, a strategic plan for the future of the Olympic Movement which will be finalised by the end of this year.
“We discussed the Lillehammer Youth Olympic Games, which will use only pre-existing venues, and the legacy these Games will bring to the region and the country,” said President Bach. “We also discussed the Culture and

Education

Programme, which is an integral part of the Games and helps to develop the Olympic values in all the participants.” President Bach was accompanied by Norwegian IOC member Gerhard Heiberg.
Earlier in the day the IOC President visited 'Olympiatoppen', the NOC's high performance sport centre to meet with young athletes training for both the Olympic Games and Youth Olympic Games. Joining the IOC President were IOC Members Gerhard Heiberg and Angela Ruggiero, who is also Chair of the Lillehammer 2016 IOC Coordination Commission.

On Tuesday, President Bach will meet representatives from the Lillehammer 2016 Organising Committee and go on a venue tour. Existing infrastructure from the Lillehammer 1994 Olympic Winter Games will be used for the Lillehammer 2016 YOG, obviating the need for the construction of any new venues and creating a further legacy from those Games. They will also visit the site of the Youth Olympic Village (YOV), which is being built with a subsidy of EUR 13.5 million from the IOC, who will also cover the travel and accommodation costs of all attending athletes and officials in the YOV during their stay which will be approximately EUR 4 million.

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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.
Videos
YouTube: www.youtube.com/iocmedia
Photos
For 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.
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KALYAN KUMAR MAHATA The true appellation of Apu.

School kids fence their parents!

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19/05/2014

Students at Shuangtang Primary School, in Nanjing, have been given a chance of getting their own back on their parents, through fencing!  Ahead of this summer’s Youth Olympic Games, the International Fencing Federation recently hosted a Fencing Promotion Programme in Nanjing, intended to encourage participation in the sport. The kids were able to try out all things linked to fencing, and parents needed to be on guard as they were able to fence each other throughout the day.

Chinese Athlete Role Model and Olympic gold medallist Lei Sheng helped the children discover more about fencing, including having a go at the sport themselves – and who better to learn from! Lei Sheng was also the subject of a “Dialogue with a Fencer” session, where he fenced and interacted with the kids, very much adhering to the Youth Olympic Games “Learn and Share” Programme.
Over 1,000 people took part in the day’s fencing fun, including students, parents and even teachers.
It was a day to get involved and try out a new sport, something that we will see lots more of this August in Nanjing!
Find out about the sports on the Olympic programme

KALYAN KUMAR MAHATA The true appellation of Apu.

Kim Clijsters and Clive Woodward live on new IOC educational platform

16/05/2014

Rugby World Cup-winning coach Sir Clive Woodward and former world number one tennis player Kim Clijsters were featured as guests during the first-ever live event on the IOC’s recently launched free online education platform, the IOC Athlete MOOC (Massive Open Online Course).

During a one-hour live video interview, the British coach and Belgian sportswoman shared thoughts, experiences and expert advice on nutrition, performance, education and transitioning into a life after sport. Both guests also addressed participants’ questions submitted via chat.
First-hand insight into life in sport
Live events will become a monthly fixture on the IOC Athlete MOOC platform, enabling registered users to learn invaluable lessons from top athletes, coaches and leaders from the sports world on a range of subjects directly related to athletes and life in sport, on and off the field of play.
On this occasion, tennis player Kim Clijsters recounted what drove her to succeed in sport. From surrounding herself with people she trusted and respected to finding a balance between “being disciplined, professional and enjoying herself”, the mother of two outlined that, for her, “the most important word is passion”, which saw her “always wanting to improve” at her sport and “asking a lot of questions to those who were knowledgeable”.
Hugely interested in the field of nutrition, Clijsters explained how, throughout her career, she has invested a lot of time and energy in researching and understanding the role of nutrition in improving her performance in sport and recovery. Advising athletes to “take responsibility” for their own diet, both she and Sir Clive Woodward emphasised the importance for an athlete to know what to eat and when.
For those who missed it, log in or sign up to the MOOC on www.olympic.org/onlinecourse or via the Athletes’ Space on our website to watch Sir Clive Woodward chat with Kim Clijsters.  
Facilitating access to education for athletes Believing that education is an important foundation for success beyond the end of a sports career, the IOC has developed the IOC Athlete MOOC – Massive Open Online Course – to deliver free high-quality, engaging, educational content to a worldwide athlete audience. Content is both formal and informal, and includes courses providing athletes and their entourage with a general background on topics such as sport and education, sports science, coaching and management.
Register now and be the first to know who will be sharing their experiences and advice in the next Live Event!
If you encounter any problems when trying to access the MOOC platform or have any questions about the courses, please contact our support team at community.manager@onlinecourse.olympic.org.

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IOC President Bach meets International Committee of the Red Cross President Maurer

15/05/2014

IOC President Thomas Bach today welcomed International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) President Peter Maurer to the IOC headquarters in Lausanne for a one-hour meeting to explore areas in which the two organisations can cooperate in the future.

The two leaders are looking to reinvigorate the Memorandum of Understanding the organisations signed in June 2003. The MoU called for collaboration on projects placing sport as a tool for values-based education and development, in particular in areas affected by natural disaster, disease, and armed conflict.
The IOC and ICRC also work together to promote shared humanitarian values such as gender equality, volunteerism, tolerance and peace.
The ICRC’s delegation also included Patricia Danzi, Head of Operations for Latina America and the Caribbean. President Bach was accompanied by IOC International Cooperation and Development Director Lindsay Glassco.
Following the meeting, Mr Maurer paid a visit to the recently renovated Olympic Museum.

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KALYAN KUMAR MAHATA The true appellation of Apu.

Diary of a Young Ambassador, Alaa Muntasir

14/05/2014

Since the Young Ambassadors seminar took place in March in Nanjing ahead of this summer’s Youth Olympic Games, Alaa Muntasir, the IOC’s Young Ambassador for Sudan, has been busy spreading the spirit of the Games in her community and learning about the ways in which we can build a better world through sport.

An avid horse-rider and student of Information Technology, Alaa sent us this diary piece from her latest adventure:

"A few weeks ago, four youth volunteers including myself were chosen by our National Olympic Committee to represent Sudan in the Generations For Peace Workshop held in Jordan from 26th to 30th April.

Generations For Peace is the peace-through-sport organization recognized by the IOC, and it empowers, mentors and supports young people to lead and cascade sustainable change in communities experiencing different forms of conflict.


Through intensive sessions, 30 participants from eight Asian and African countries all experienced how sport-based games can be used to develop peace-building skills and help initiate behavioral change. We all practiced how to build acceptance and trust, develop respect, foster cooperation, ensure inclusion and take responsibility, by means of sport and the tools that were provided to all of us.

As a Young Ambassador for the Youth Olympic Games, I learned about other participants’ countries and cultures, common challenges we all share, and possible solutions that lie within each one of us. I cannot wait to meet my athletes going to Nanjing 2014 this summer and share what I have learnt: we will be aiming at instilling change, on and off the sport field, in our lives and the lives of those around us. I know the Olympic values of Excellence, Friendship and Respect will guide us on that journey."
Alaa is one of 104 Young Ambassadors selected by their respective National Olympic Committees to lead the athletes through their YOG journey, help them get the most out of the compete, learn and share programme and to encourage them to make new friends, experience new cultures and live by the Olympic values.

With just months to go until the Games, the YAs, aged between 18-25-years-old, are busy spreading the YOG spirit all over the world by hosting camps and workshops with young athletes in their communities and working closing with their NOCs and National Federations.

Click here to see the full list of the Young Ambassadors

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KALYAN KUMAR MAHATA The true appellation of Apu.

IOC helps Ukrainian athletes

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14/05/2014

Statement from International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach:

The IOC is following the political, economic and social developments in Ukraine with the greatest attention and growing concern. Also the situation of Ukrainian athletes, including those who have so successfully represented their country in the recent Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, which has dramatically deteriorated.
For all these reasons I repeat my appeal of Sochi to all political leaders involved to enter into a summit dialogue in the Olympic spirit of mutual respect and peace.
To help the Ukrainian athletes – wherever they come from in Ukraine and whatever their background – and to mitigate their difficult situation, the IOC has established an emergency fund of USD 300,000. This fund is to be used for the benefit of the Ukrainian athletes, through the NOC of Ukraine, for training and competition purposes.

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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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