KALYAN KUMAR MAHATA
The true appellation of Apu. A Creative Commons license.
Fourteenth Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (COP14) was taken place on 2-13 September 2019 at the India Expo Centre & Mart, Greater Noida, Delhi NCR, India.
The Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018
came to an end on Thursday 18 October, with the Youth Olympic Village
providing the setting for an intimate Closing Ceremony full of colour
and spectacle.
Addressing the athletes assembled in front of the stage,
International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach said: “And now I
have a sad duty to fulfil, because now I have to say a sentence which we
may not like. But it’s time for me to say that I declare closed the
third Youth Olympic Games, Buenos Aires 2018. Muchas gracias Argentina.
Nos vemos en Senegal!”
And with that, the Youth Olympic flame was extinguished in the
cauldron in the Youth Olympic Park, an image relayed to the athletes on a
big screen.
IOC/OIS
The third Summer Youth Olympic Games proved to be a record breaker,
as a grand total of 1,001,496 spectators attended the 12-day celebration
of sport, from the Opening Ceremony at the Argentinian capital’s famous
Obelisk through to the last of the events. It was a figure that
exceeded the attendance at both Singapore 2010 and Nanjing 2014.
“It was a fantastic Youth Olympic Games,” said Bach, addressing the
athletes. “For me the best thing was to follow you, to watch you in all
your competitions. And I would like to say thank you, dear athletes, for
your great performances, for your fair play, for your Olympic spirit.
You were really the best.”
Taking his turn to speak, Local Organising Committee President
Gerardo Werthein said: “I would like to congratulate all the athletes.
Our volunteers did a fantastic job too.”
IOC/OIS
Flagbearers from the 206 national delegations paraded as part of the
farewell celebrations, while the contribution of the more than 10,000
volunteers was also recognised. Gisella Bonomi and Richard Kierkegaard,
two members of the 142-strong Argentina team, also read a pledge on
behalf of all the athletes.
IOC/OIS
The highpoint of the ceremony came with the handover from Buenos
Aires to Dakar, the capital of Senegal, which will host the next Summer
Youth Olympic Games in 2022. The moment was symbolised by Horacio
Rodríguez Larreta, the mayor of Buenos Aires, handing the Olympic flag
to Bach, who in turn passed it on Soham El Wardini, the mayor of Dakar.
IOC/OIS
Fireworks filled the night sky above Buenos Aires as the ceremony
came to an end, bringing a colourful and spectacular conclusion to what
has been a truly colourful and spectacular Youth Olympic Games.
Gold medals were awarded in the women’s kumite +59kg, men’s kumite
-68kg and men’s kumite +68kg categories. Norway’s Annika Saelid,
Belgium’s Quentin Mahauden, and Islamic Republic of Iran’s Navid
Mohammadi were the respective gold medallists at the Youth Olympic
Park’s Europe Pavilion, which once again drew large crowds for a second
intense day of karate action.
Saelid won her gold at the expense of Japan’s Sakura Sawashima, the
Norwegian compiling a 3-0 victory in a competition in which the bronzes
went to Great Britain’s Lauren Salisbury and Islamic Republic of Iran’s
Negin Altooni.
“It’s completely different at the Youth Olympic Games,” said
Salisbury when asked for her view on competing in the Olympic spotlight.
“Everything is focused on one mat and you don’t normally get that, even
in a world or European championships. All eyes are on one match.”
IOC
Looking ahead to the possibility of competing on home soil in two
years’ time, Sawashima said: “I am very happy Tokyo is hosting karate
at the Olympics. I don’t know if I’m going to be able to participate in
the Olympics, but I’m going to try. At the same time I feel pressure
because it’s quite a challenge, but I have always enjoyed this sport.”
Belgium’s Mahauden beat Morocco’s Yassine Sekouri by a narrow 1-0
margin to secure the men’s -68kg gold. Kazakhstan’s Abilmansur Batyrgali
and Italy’s Rosario Ruggiero shared the bronzes.
Highlighting the camaraderie among the athletes, the Belgian said:
“We forget the friendships for two minutes, but afterwards it is a
different game.”
Mohammadi claimed the sixth and final karate gold of Buenos Aires
2018 courtesy of an emphatic 5-0 defeat of Morocco’s Nabil Ech-Chaabi in
the men’s +68kg final, with Ireland’s Sean McCarthy Crean and Turkey’s
Enes Bulut sharing the last place on the podium.
With the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 less than two years out and following its renewal with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) through 2032, Worldwide TOP Partner Visa
is committed to using its global network of Innovation Centres to bring
improved and integrated payments for Olympic and Paralympic Games fans
on-site and at home.
Using its global network of 11 Innovation Centres – from Asia to Europe
and the United States – Visa is tapping into its transit, retail and
conversational commerce expertise to propose forward-looking payment
experiences for Olympic Games fans. This includes remote, mobile ticket
purchasing, in-seat ordering and new ways to pay in retail such as
making a purchase right from your television. Fans can look forward to a
future with a faster and enhanced Olympic experience whether watching
in-person or from home.
“There has been no better payment technology partner historically and
there is no better payment technology partner for the future we are
building together,” said IOC President Thomas Bach. “As we introduce
innovations that help improve fan experiences both on-site and at home,
we know that no matter where in the world the Olympic Games take us,
Visa is the right partner to help us deliver them.”
For more than 30 years, Visa has been the exclusive payment partner
of the Olympic Games. The company has continually used that global stage
to introduce and implement new payment technologies. Moving forward under the renewed partnership,
together Visa and the IOC will tap into the network of resident
designers and developers at Visa’s Innovation Centres around the world
to continue this important innovation.
Visa
How will the fans of the future consume the Games?
This vision was brought to life at a media event in Beijing, where
Visa shared the blueprints for three Olympic Games-inspired payment
moments. The innovative moments were conceived and designed in Visa’s
Innovation Centres. They include dynamic new imaginings of remote
digital ticket purchase, biometric authentication for stadium entry,
smarter and streamlined retail shopping, and in-home couch commerce
using augmented reality.
“Our Global Innovation Centres are immersed in solving every day
consumer challenges and discovering improved commerce experiences, that
can be shared and scaled globally,” said Ryan McInerney, President of
Visa. “Planning for the upcoming Olympic Games helps Visa develop
industry-leading payments solutions that will redefine fan experiences
and leave a legacy of improved digital commerce everywhere.”
Visa’s Everywhere Initiative in Japan
This event, hosted in Beijing, follows a challenge Visa organised,
calling on start-ups to bring cutting-edge payment innovations to the
Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, and in doing so reinforcing the Japanese
government’s goal to double the cashless payment ratio to 40 per cent by
2025. Of more than 80 submissions, nine finalists were selected to face
three challenges, and three awards were delivered for the best ideas.
Find out more about Visa’s Everywhere Initiative in Japan: https://www.visa.co.jp/visa-everywhere/everywhere-initiative/initiative.html
Visa and the Olympic Games
Visa International has been a Worldwide Olympic Partner since 1986,
when the company joined the TOP Programme as a charter member. Visa is
the world's leading payment brand, generating more than USD three
trillion in annual card sales volume. Visa has unsurpassed acceptance in
more than 150 countries, and plays a pivotal role in developing
innovative payment products and technologies to benefit its 21,000
member financial institutions and their cardholders.
Visa is a leader in internet-based payments, and is pioneering the
creation of u-commerce, or universal commerce – the ability to conduct
commerce anywhere, anytime, and any way. www.corporate.visa.com
To learn more about Visa and its Olympic Games sponsorship, visit https://usa.visa.com/about-visa/sponsorships-promotions/olympics-partnership.html.
They have won medal after medal. They have led the way in new disciplines, some of which will appear on the Olympic programme at Tokyo 2020. And they have thrilled the large crowds that have filled every arena. They are the stars of the third Summer Youth Olympic Games, staged for the first time and with great success in South America.
The most prominent heroes of the latest edition of the Summer Youth Olympic Games, held in the Argentinian capital, were the local fans. They packed the stands at every venue, created a wonderful atmosphere and deafening noise, and were hailed by all the young athletes, who were pleasantly amazed to receive their wholehearted support, regardless of which part of the world they hailed from. The success of South America’s first YOG belongs to them, and also to the army of volunteers who ensured the competitions all ran smoothly.
In the sporting arena itself, the young athletes showed that they have rich promise and bright futures ahead of them when they embark on their careers at the very highest level, which some of them have already reached. Shining bright among them was Japan’s Takeru Kitazono, who lit up the men’s artistic gymnastic competitions and won no fewer than five gold medals to announce himself as the heir to the throne of Kohei Uchimura, regarded as one of the greatest gymnasts of all time. “I am definitely planning to be at Tokyo 2020 and to achieve the same level of performance. I am going to step up my training with that goal in mind,” said the Japanese phenomenon, who celebrates his 16th birthday on 21 October.
IOC / OIS
Russia’s leading swimmers also showed an appetite for gold medals. Six each went to Kliment Kolesnikov, who won every individual men’s backstroke event, and team-mate Andrei Minakov, who was in a class of his own in the butterfly races and also won the 100m freestyle. The duo also won all the men’s and mixed relay events with their Russian team-mates, all of them, that is, except the mixed 4x100m medley relay, in which they finished second to China.
IOC/OIS
Also turning in a series of dominant performances was the Chinese diver Shan Lin, who claimed every gold available to her: the women’s 3m springboard, the women’s 10m platform and the mixed international team competition with Colombia’s Daniel Restrepo. And what of Italian equestrian athlete Giacomo Casadei, who got the most out of his mount Darna Z, allocated to him in the pre-competition draw? He did not incur a single fault in contesting two rounds and a jump-off as Europe 1 collected silver in the jumping international team competition and in contesting another two rounds and a jump-off in winning jumping individual gold.
IOC / OIS
Who could forget the extraordinary goalscoring feats of Portuguese futsal sensation Ana Sofia Gonçalves, better known as Fifó? She scored 21 goals in all in the women’s competition, including all four of her side’s goals as they beat Japan in the final. Egypt’s young modern pentathletes were also on top of their game: Salma Abdelmaksoud and Ahmed Elgendy respectively won the women’s and men’s individual titles, with Elgendy then joining forces with China’s Yewen Gu to land the mixed international team relay gold.
The heroes of Buenos Aires 2018 also include the Argentinian athletes who brought the home fans to their feet by winning gold. Among them were the men’s rugby sevens and basketball 3x3 teams and the women's hockey5s and beach handball; Maria Sol Ordas, who won the host nation’s first gold medal of Buenos Aires 2018 in the women’s single sculls (rowing); and the cape-wearing superhero Fausto Ruesga, who defied gravity and gave free rein to his imagination in taking the men’s dunk contest honours.
IOC / OIS
The events of the future
The last group of heroes of the first gender-equal YOG, which saw the same number of male and female athletes take part and a very large number of mixed competitions, are the athletes who led the way for the sports and disciplines that will make their first appearance at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 (among them basketball 3x3, karate, sport climbing and BMX freestyle), and the disciplines of the future, which enjoyed such spectacular success at their Buenos Aires testing ground.
Breaking, the urban, hip hop offshoot of dance sports, set pulses racing in the Argentinian capital over four enthralling days of competition, which saw B-Girl Ram of Japan win the women’s event as well as the mixed event and Russia’s B-Boy Bumblebee the men’s.
Getty Images
The future also looks bright for futsal, kiteboarding, beach handball, acrobatic gymnastics, roller speed skating, and hockey5s. In terms of events, it also promises much for the exciting, all new gymnastics multidiscipline team and badminton relay team competitions.
The Buenos Aires 2018 programme brought glory to a large number of mixed teams, many of them made up of athletes from different countries. They all had fun. They all made friends. They all enjoyed this new way of winning medals. And they all gave a glimpse of the future; while mixed-NOC events are a unique feature of the YOG, mixed-gender events are now set to become an integral part of the Summer and Winter Olympic Games programmes.
At the invitation of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), German athlete representatives were in Lausanne today to discuss the IOC’s solidarity model for funding the Olympic Games and the athletes. Taking part were the elected representative and Chair of the IOC Athletes’ Commission, Kirsty Coventry; the IOC Director General, Christophe De Kepper; IOC Directors Kit McConnell and Lana Haddad; and the IOC President, Thomas Bach. From the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB), President Alfons Hörmann and CEO Veronika Rücker attended.
The main topics discussed were as follows: 1. The IOC solidarity model was discussed at length: Solidarity is a core principle of the Olympic Games, to support all athletes from all countries, big or small, and from all sports, so as to give everyone an equal opportunity. It was highlighted that the IOC generates and distributes 90 per cent of its revenue via this solidarity model to support the staging of the Olympic Games, including the Organising Committees of the Olympic Games (OCOGs); the Olympic Movement stakeholders (206 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) and 40 International Federations (IFs)); sports development; promotion of the Olympic Movement; engagement with young people; and the protection of clean athletes. This solidarity model makes universal participation at the Olympic Games possible, creating more equality among participating NOCs, and more equality for participating athletes and their sports.
It was explained that the IOC’s solidarity model is not profit-oriented but a values-based model. If it were a profit-oriented model, it would for instance not be possible to have all the current Olympic sports as part of the Olympic programme. The same holds true for the athletes’ participation. If it were profit-oriented, the IOC could not support all the 206 NOCs and their athletes, and not all sports.
With regard to the support the IOC gives to athletes, it was explained that athletes’ support takes very different forms in all NOCs. There is no one-size-fits-all approach. For this reason, in addition to the support provided directly by the IOC through various programmes, the IOC also provides funding to the NOCs, leaving it to each individual NOC to customise its support to athletes according to local needs. Each individual NOC decides how to make the best use of the IOC funding. This support takes different forms in different NOCs, ranging from prize money to funding athletes in the time between Olympic Games, investing in sports infrastructure, coaching programmes and many more.
The IOC also contributes substantially to the fight against doping. Fifty per cent of the costs of WADA are covered by the Olympic Movement. And it is estimated that the sports movement contributes close to 300 million dollars annually towards the global anti-doping effort.
With regard to support provided to the IFs, it was pointed out that the IOC contribution helps the IFs to develop their respective sports and keep them functioning and relevant in the time between the Olympic Games. Support for the OCOGs is what makes the Games possible at all, and gives athletes the best possible conditions and a global stage on which to perform. Athletes and officials also benefit from IOC support through free travel, accommodation, medical services and more during the Games.
At the end of the day, the IOC can spend this money – the 90 per cent of its revenues which goes to supporting sport and the athletes – only once. It is up to each NOC and IF, in consultation with their athlete commissions, to decide how best to support the athletes, in accordance with the specific needs of the respective country and respective sport.
Ultimately, the distribution of this IOC funding must be left to each NOC to use in different ways. For example, some pay prize money, others do not. In Germany, the DOSB ensures that Team Deutschland and its athletes have the best conditions in preparation for and during the Olympic Games. Every athlete benefits from such efforts and the strength of the Team Deutschland brand. The German House as the home of Team Deutschland, as well as many other events such as the welcome ceremony, are funded by the DOSB, too. The financial resources are also used to fund the High Performance Department of the DOSB, which works to provide the best framework for elite sport in Germany in cooperation with the National Federations, 52 weeks a year. 2. Athlete representation in the Olympic Movement: Olympic athletes are in the unique position of electing their own representatives and having an elected representative on the 15-member IOC Executive Board. The Chair of the IOC Athletes’ Commission, Kirsty Coventry, announced that an Athlete Rights and Responsibilities Declaration is currently under preparation.
The IOC is in regular contact with athletes’ representatives from around the world and has an ongoing dialogue. One of the regular calls with elected athlete representatives took place last week. Many of the athletes’ representatives were also present at a specially organised meeting in the Athletes’ Village at the Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang to discuss this issue, although unfortunately the German athlete representatives did not attend. The IOC President regularly meets athletes and their representatives - this month at the Asian Games and also at the FIG Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships and the FISA World Rowing Championships in Bulgaria.
After the meeting, IOC Athletes’ Commission (AC) Chair Kirsty Coventry commented:
“This was a valuable meeting, and everyone agreed on the fundamental need to support athletes. In my position of Chair of the IOC AC it is important for me to continue to have these constructive discussions and hear the views of athletes globally. There will always be differing opinions on the best way to support athletes, depending on the needs of that country. Funding should continue to go to the athletes in the most effective manner possible. A finance structure should ensure fairness and universality, particularly to help the majority of athletes from smaller and less well funded National Olympic Committees. This is why the IOC uses Olympic Solidarity to distribute funds in a fair manner to athletes, whatever part of the world they are from and whatever the sport they practise.”
Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) and Alibaba Cloud, the cloud computing arm of Worldwide TOP Partner Alibaba Group, have launched OBS Cloud, an innovative broadcasting solution that operates entirely on the cloud, to help transform the media industry for the digital era.
Set to be in place for Tokyo 2020, OBS Cloud aims to offer all the necessary cloud components, in specialised configurations, to support the extremely demanding content production and delivery workflows of broadcasting the Olympic Games. Apart from providing increased flexibility and scalability, the use of OBS Cloud may also help with the limited time frame that broadcasters have to set up, test and commission their on-site systems in the host market.
OBS can now provide most of the visual and audio assets of the Olympic Games to all rights-holding broadcasters (RHBs) through the new cloud platform. Broadcasters can also set up their own content creation, management and distribution on the new system. They will also have, after the Games, the flexibility to move their deployment home or keep the asset within OBS Cloud for future Olympic events.
In addition, Intel, also an Olympic TOP Partner, will collaborate with Alibaba and OBS to explore a more efficient and reliable delivery pipeline of immersive media to RHBs worldwide that will improve the fan experience and bring them closer to the action via Intel’s volumetric and virtual reality technologies.
Alibaba
Yiannis Exarchos, CEO of OBS, said: “We are very pleased that Alibaba Cloud has come up with this innovative and powerful approach to Olympic broadcasting. As the host broadcaster of the Olympic Games, we at OBS see ourselves as a leader in transforming the media industry. Tokyo 2020 will be an opportunity for the International Olympic Committee to champion digital transformation in the media industry, as well as empowering broadcasters around the world with a cloud platform that delivers new possibilities for how the Games are enjoyed by fans around the world.”
Joey Tan, General Manager of Global Strategic Accounts and Sports Business Unit, Alibaba Cloud, added: “The future of the Olympic Games is in cloud technology and Alibaba Cloud is fully committed to contributing to the digital transformation of the Olympic Games through innovation. This partnership with OBS is an exciting initiative to expand the reach and accessibility of Olympic Games content and ultimately stimulate a rethink on how the media industry operatesin a digital era. We are excited to create a new standard in broadcasting and a more enjoyable experience for audiences around the world during Tokyo 2020.”
Jay Sankar, CTO and Head of Product of Intel Sports, commented: “Sports fans today are seeking more immersive and engaging experiences. Intel’s partnership with Alibaba Cloud and OBS is aimed at delivering these ground-breaking experiences to Rights-Holding Broadcasters and fans in a seamless, efficient manner over the OBS Cloud, powered by the most advanced Intel Xeon Scalable processors”. Alibaba and the Olympic Games
The partnership between Alibaba Group and the International Olympic Committee began in January 2017 when the two parties signed a long-term strategic agreement that will help transform the Olympic Games for the digital era. Alibaba is now serving as the Official “Cloud Services” and “E-Commerce Platform Services” Partner. Intel and the Olympic Games
As a Worldwide TOP Partner, Intel works with the IOC to reimagine the future of the Olympic Games through new levels of fan interaction. Intel works across the Olympic Movement and with other Olympic partners to integrate technology into many facets of the Olympic Games. Beginning with the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang, the company has focused primarily on infusing its 5G platforms, VR, 3D and 360-degree content development platforms, artificial intelligence platforms and drones, along with other silicon solutions to enhance the Olympic Games.
