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Bjørn Dæhlie: Remembering Lillehammer

14/01/2015

In the latest of our exclusive video interviews, the greatest cross-country skier of all time, Bjørn Dæhlie, recalls his finest hour.

In the 1990s, Norway’s Bjørn Dæhlie established himself as the most successful cross-country skier in history, notching up 29 Olympic and world championship podiums, including eight golds at the Winter Games and seven world titles. Additionally, he scored a total of 46 victories in the FIS World Cup and won no less than six large crystal globes. Up until Sochi 2014, when he was overtaken by his compatriot, the biathlete Ole Einar Bjørndalen, he held the record for the most Olympic medals won by a winter athlete, with 12 in total, achieved over the course of three editions of the Games (Albertville 1992, Lillehammer 1994 and Nagano 1998).
On the Saisies cross country course at Albertville 1992, Dæhlie made a blistering Olympic debut, finishing on four of the five podiums in the men’s cross country events. His first triumph came in the 25km pursuit, and he followed that up with golds in the 50km and then in the 4x10km relay alongside Terje Langli, Kristen Skejdal and his role model Vegard Ulvang. He added a silver in the 30km and finished just off the podium in the 10km.


He was equally imperious when the Winter Games came to his native Norway two years later, again taking medals in four of the five cross country events at Lillehammer 1994: gold in the 10km and 25km pursuit, and silver in the 30km and the 4x10km relay. Once more he narrowly missed out on a ‘full house’ of medals, finishing fourth in the 50km.
It was déjà vu all over again at Nagano 1998, though this time three of Dæhlie’s four medals were gold, as he topped the podium in the 10km, the 50km and the 4x10km relay (this time with Thomas Alsgaard, Erling Jevne and Sture Sivertsen), adding a silver in the 15km.
The following year, after picking up his latest large crystal globe in the 1999 FIS World Cup, Dæhlie announced his retirement from competition. A national icon in Norway, he went on to forge a successful business career.
Dæhlie enjoyed a truly fabulous career, packed with triumphs and highlights… but what does he regard as his greatest moment as an Olympian? The date is 17 February 1994. The place is Lillehammer, in his native Norway. Wearing the N°1 bib, he entered the stadium for the final 100m of the 10km, cheered on by the delirious crowds that that flanked the home straight. The Norwegian even managed to take the time to salute the local fans, before crossing the finish line and doing a triumphant 360° pirouette on his skis to celebrate an emotional victory. “When I look through the whole of my career, at all my moments in cross country, this was the most fantastic,” he says…

Tokyo 2020 celebrates 2020 days to go

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©TOKYO 2020

12/01/2015

The Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee has celebrated 2020 days to go until the Opening Ceremony of the Games of the XXXII Olympiad by gathering together 20-year-old athletes and hundreds of excited spectators to form a giant ‘2020’.

This latest milestone for the Games coincides with Coming of Age Day in Japan, which celebrates young people who have turned 20 in the last year and have officially reached the age of majority. Olympians and athletes joined hundreds of young people, all aged 20 years old, to mark this special day with events in the plaza in front of the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee headquarters, as well as in areas of the Tohoku region affected by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
Among those attending the ceremony were swimmer Kosuke Hagino, a bronze medallist at the London 2012 Olympic Games. “We are extremely thankful that so many young 20-year-olds turned up to show their support, even though it was quite cold today. I really felt that there is an increasing interest in and expectations towards the 2020 Games. I would love to be able repay everyone’s support by winning a gold medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games,” he said.
Joined by 20-year-old swimmers Akihiro Yamaguchi and Daiya Seto, gymnast Akiho Sato and para-cyclist Miho Fujii, Hagino took part in a public discussion session.

“It is a fantastic coincidence that this milestone happens to be on Coming of Age Day in Japan. 2020 days to go to Tokyo 2020 celebrated with 20-year-olds; that is a lot of young adults representing a wealth of hopes, dreams and expectations towards the Games. Tokyo 2020 is about inspiring young people through sport, and today we were delighted to have the opportunity to broaden the network of young people eagerly looking forward to the Opening Ceremony in 2020 days’ time,” said Tokyo 2020 Sports Director Koji Murofushi.
Coming of Age Day ceremonies in the disaster-affected areas of Tohoku were held with a special Olympic flavour. Olympic gold medallist Ryota Murata joined Paralympians Shinji Negi and Aki Taguchi for the celebrations in Morioka City, Iwate prefecture; London 2012 Olympic bronze medallist Satoshi Shimizu and Paralympic medallist Junichi Kawai took part in the festivities in Ishinomaki City, Miyagi prefecture; while Olympian Fumie Suguri and Paralympian Yusuke Hatsuse participated in the event in Minamisoma City, Fukushima prefecture.
Coming of Age Day (Seijin no Hi) is a Japanese public holiday established in 1948. Festivities and gatherings are organised by municipal authorities across Japan on the second Monday of January each year, and young females typically dress in traditional Japanese kimonos for the occasion.

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Letter to President Hollande and to the French people from IOC President Thomas Bach

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©IOC/Ian Jones

08/01/2015

"It was with an enormous sense of shock and grief that I heard of the appalling attacks which took place in Paris on Wednesday. Such barbaric acts are an attack on the values of all civilised people from whatever country, religion or creed. 
Let me assure you that the entire Olympic Movement, just as all right-thinking people, stand shoulder to shoulder with you and the people of France today. This was a shocking, brutal attack not just on France but on the values for which we all stand, and the values on which the Olympic Movement is also built. France is a country which stands for the civilized values of tolerance, friendship and respect. Those guns were aimed not just at journalists but at freedom of speech and the values for which France stands so strongly.
As you so rightly said, ‘this was an act of exceptional barbarism’. But these terrorist atrocities will only serve to unite the people of France to stand together against such mindless violence and we in the Olympic Movement stand side by side with you and with France in solidarity."

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New Year Message from IOC President Thomas Bach

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©IOC/Ian Jones

05/01/2015

"2014 was a momentous year for the Olympic Movement. After almost 18 months of debate and discussion we reached a strong consensus within the Olympic Movement on Olympic Agenda 2020. The unanimous approval of the 40 recommendations that make up Olympic Agenda 2020 gives us a clear vision of where we are headed and how we can protect the uniqueness of the Games and strengthen Olympic values in society.

It is critical that in 2015 we capitalise on the momentum and energy we have created. We are already moving to the implementation of our strategic roadmap for the future:  Olympic Agenda 2020 recommendations will be fully applied in the bid process for the Olympic Games 2024, which opens on 15 January 2015. A new invitation phase will be offered to cities interested in hosting the Games so that they can discuss their initial interest with the IOC. We can already see strong interest around the world in those Games.  The Olympic Winter Games 2022 bid process is already underway, but elements of Olympic Agenda 2020 will be implemented where possible, especially with regard to the IOC assisting bid cities in reducing costs and ensuring a sustainable legacy.

Work continues on the Olympic Channel which will provide a platform for the promotion of Olympic sports, athletes and the Olympic values beyond the period of the Games. We will start developing the brand and “look” of the Channel, as well as working with the TOP sponsors on collaboration.  The corporate structure of the Channel will be developed, and we will start to hire the key staff who will launch and run the Channel. The Channel will harness the huge global interest and extend it beyond the Games in a way that will engage audiences, especially young audiences, in the power of what sport can do.
This year, the IOC will celebrate 100 years in Lausanne. Preparatory work will continue on a new building which will consolidate the IOC headquarters in one location in Lausanne. The IOC administration will be brought together at Olympic Unity House, resulting in substantial long-term savings, increased working efficiency and energy conservation.
2015 will see the preparations for Rio gathering pace, with one year to go marked on 5 August. The preparations are on a good footing, and support for the Games are on the rise. There will be more than 20 test events during 2015. Rio 2016 should be congratulated on its efforts as we move into the delivery phase.
Even if there are no Olympic Games this year, we will have many outstanding sports events in 2015 with Continental Games and many World Championships in Olympic sports which will help foster unity amongst the stakeholders of the Olympic Movement.
Our work undertaken in collaboration with the United Nations will also play an increasingly important role in the year ahead. Following the UN General Assembly’s recognition of the autonomy of the IOC and sport, we must work to strengthen the autonomy of sport. It is essential that we work with national governments to integrate sport into the UN post 2015 Development Agenda, particularly in the fields of education, health, urban planning, cohesion of society and peace-building.
We will continue to work closely with the UN to contribute to building a peaceful and better world by educating youth through sport without discrimination of any kind. In 2015 and beyond, we will work together to produce sporting initiatives to promote social integration and economic development worldwide. 
We head into 2015 united and confident, with an Olympic Movement more successful than ever. We have built on our unity in diversity. Working together, we can accomplish even more in the year ahead.
Happy New Year 2015!"

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Death of Zhenliang He, IOC Honorary Member

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04/01/2015

It is with great sadness that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has learnt of the death of Zhenliang He, IOC Honorary Member in the People’s Republic of China, aged 85.

A career politician, Mr He was instrumental in bringing China back into the Olympic Movement. He was elected as an IOC Member in 1981, serving in the role until 2010, when he became IOC Honorary Member. He sat on the IOC Executive Board three times (1985-1989, 1994-1998 and 1999-2003) and served as an IOC Vice-President from 1989 to 1993.
Mr He is credited with helping Beijing win the right to host the 2008 Olympic Games and to open up China to the world.
He was a firm believer in sport’s ability to educate, and long championed the teaching of the Olympic values as well as sport in school curricula.
“Mr He was a man of culture and art. He was a true advocate of the social values of sport and of our Movement and I would like to pay tribute to the passion and energy he deployed over the years to fulfil his mission as an IOC Member in China. He also helped our Movement better understand his country, its people and outstanding culture. The Olympic Movement has lost one of its most fervent ambassadors,” said IOC President Thomas Bach. 
“For me personally he showed me true friendship and gave me invaluable advice from my very early days as an IOC member. I will always remember this with great gratitude,” the President added.
During his three decades working for the Olympic Movement, Mr He was Honorary Member of the Cultural Commission (1995-1999), Chairman (2000-2009) and then Honorary Member (2009-2015) of the Commission for Culture and Olympic Education, and Vice-Chairman of the Sport for All Commission (1985-1987). He was also a Member of the following Commissions:

• Olympic Solidarity (1981-1987)
• Olympic Movement (1985-1999)
• Apartheid and Olympism (1989-1992)
• Council of the Olympic Order (1989-1993)
• Preparation of the XII Olympic Congress (1990-1993)
• Study of the Centennial Olympic Congress – Congress of Unity (1994-1996)
• “IOC 2000” (1999)
• “IOC 2000” Reform Follow-up (2002)
• 2009 Congress (2006-2009)

In 1964, he became the Deputy Secretary General of the Chinese Gymnastics Association, and later served as the Secretary General of the Chinese Table Tennis Association and the head of the secretariat of the All-China Sports Federation. In 1979, he was promoted to the position of Deputy Secretary General of the All-China Sports Federation and the Chinese Olympic Committee (COC). He served as the Secretary General of COC between 1982 and 1986, Vice-President between 1986 and 1989, and President between 1989 and 1994.
A keen sportsman, Mr He enjoyed swimming, playing table tennis, tennis, football, basketball and golf.
The IOC expresses its deepest sympathies to Zhenliang He’s family. The IOC President has asked for the Olympic flag to be flown half-mast for three days in tribute to a great Olympic personality.

Death of Fidel Mendoza Carrasquilla, IOC Honorary Member in Colombia

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06/01/2015

It is with great sadness that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has learned of the death of Fidel Mendoza Carrasquilla, at the age of 89.

An IOC Member from 1988 to 2006, and Honorary Member since 2006, Fidel Mendoza Carrasquilla sat on the IOC Medical Commission (1990-2006) and the International Olympic Academy Commission (1989-1990). He also occupied numerous positions within the South American sports movement, including that of President of the Colombian National Olympic Committee (1979-1989); Treasurer of the Pan-American Sports Organisation (PASO) (1983-1992); and Secretary General and Treasurer of the Bolivarian Sports Organisation (ODEBO); and he headed Colombian sports delegations on multiple occasions. He was also one of the pioneers of baseball in South America, as he founded the Bogota Baseball League in 1969 and was its President until 1979.
In parallel to his many commitments in sports administration, he obtained a doctorate in medicine and surgery at the National University of Bogota (1953), before specialising in internal medicine and joining the Colombian Institute of Social Security. He was also an Air Force physician for 26 years. In addition, he placed his medical skills at the service of sport as team doctor for various Colombian delegations. In his free time, he practised baseball and softball.
“Fidel Mendoza Carrasquilla was a pioneer and a fervent campaigner for sport in his home country of Colombia and throughout South America. He understood the power of sport to change people’s lives and he worked tirelessly to bring its values across South America. As an IOC member he brought his considerable medical knowledge to the organisation sitting on the Medical Commission for 16 years. He was a great man and a great servant of sport who gave his time and energy to the Olympic Movement. His warm and friendly personality was highly appreciated by all the IOC members. He will be sadly missed by us all,” declared IOC President Thomas Bach.
The IOC expresses its deepest sympathy to the family of Fidel Mendoza Carrasquilla.

Almaty and Beijing submit Candidature Files for 2022 Olympic Winter Games – both cities adapt their bids to reflect Olympic Agenda 2020 “reforms”

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©Arnaud Meylan (2)

06/01/2015

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) today welcomed the Candidature Files of Almaty (Kazakhstan) and Beijing (China)*, the two cities bidding to host the 2022 Olympic Winter Games.

Both cities are being encouraged to reflect the spirit of Olympic Agenda 2020 following the unanimous approval of the 40 recommendations at the 127th IOC Session in Monaco on 8 December. Olympic Agenda 2020, a strategic roadmap for the future of the Olympic Movement, allows for more flexibility in the bid process, a stronger emphasis on legacy, lower costs and improved sustainability.
“This is an important day for the Central Asian region’s winter sports enthusiasts and athletes,” said Mrs Zauresh Amanzholova, Vice Mayor of Almaty City. “Almaty 2022 can be a catalyst for social, economic and sports growth in the region where winter sports facilities are badly needed,” she explained. “Many recommendations of Agenda 2020 were taken into consideration while developing the concept of the 2022 Winter Games. We believe our bid is a perfect fit with this new philosophy and brings essential benefits to the Almaty and Kazakhstani people,” Mrs Amanzholova concluded.

“Today is an important moment for us and a key milestone in the bidding process as we presented our Candidature File to the IOC,” said Mr Wang Anshun, President of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games Bid Committee and Mayor of Beijing. “Our Candidature File embodies the requirements of the IOC and the philosophy of Olympic Agenda 2020. The important concept of running athlete-centred, economical and sustainable Games will be represented well in our bid and actual organisation of the Games in 2022,” he added.

IOC President Thomas Bach said: “Today is an important day for the Olympic Winter Games in 2022 because we will now have the opportunity to see the vision of the two Candidate Cities. For the Candidate Cities, it is a unique opportunity to present their ideas about the organisation of the Olympic Winter Games, and for us a moment that we have been looking forward to for some time.”
“Working with the two Candidate Cities, we will apply the first reforms which have been approved by the IOC members very recently in Monaco as part of our Olympic Agenda 2020 roadmap. This will be done through ongoing consultation with the Candidate Cities,” he added.
The IOC has informed the Candidate Cities that the 2022 host city can anticipate a contribution from 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 from 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, and this will be made public.
Changes that 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 new wording on non-discrimination relating to the Olympic Games and its participants – based on Fundamental Principle 6 of the Olympic Charter.
The IOC Evaluation Commission for the 2022 Olympic Winter Games, chaired by IOC Member in Russia Alexander Zhukov, will analyse the Candidature Files and make on-site inspections of the two cities from 14 to 18 February (Almaty) and 24 to 28 March (Beijing). Joining the Commission will be IOC Olympic Games Executive Director Christophe Dubi and IOC Head of Olympic Bid City Coordination Jacqueline Barrett.
Together with each bid team, the Evaluation Commission 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 and the athletes’ experience, will be published prior to the IOC 2022 Briefing for IOC Members, which will take place from 9 to 10 June 2015, and will be made available on www.olympic.org.
The host city for the 2022 Olympic Winter Games will be elected at the 128th IOC Session in Kuala Lumpur following a final presentation by the cities to the full IOC membership on 31 July.
Please note that the IOC will not release the Candidature Files, but has informed the Candidate Cities that they can make their files public and post them on their websites if they so wish as of 7 January (the official deadline for submitting the files was 7 January midnight CET).
Click here for all of the IOC documents related to the bidding procedure
*Cities are listed in the order of drawing of lots as performed by the IOC Executive Board