Olympic Highlights 27/01/2025

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IOC

PRESIDENT

This week at Olympic House, IOC President Thomas Bach received the presidents of the International Federations of sports on the Paris 2024 programme, and the President of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF), Ingmar de Vos, who were gathered for a seminar focused on the Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028. The President expressed his warm thanks to them for their continued support before and during the Games in Paris, and presented each of them with a Paris 2024 torch in recognition of their contribution to the outstanding success of the Olympic Games Paris 2024.

The IOC President also met the International Hockey Federation (FIH) President, Tayyab Ikram. They discussed various Olympic subjects, particularly the success of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 and the preparations for the Olympic Games LA28.

President Bach had a meeting with World Taekwondo (WT) President Chungwon Choue. Among other topics, they discussed the success of the Olympic Games Paris 2024, the preparations for the Youth Olympic Games Dakar 2026, and the humanitarian programmes for refugees implemented by WT through the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation.

President Bach also welcomed the Chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC), Jay Shah. The preparations for the cricket competition at the Olympic Games LA28 were among the topics discussed as was the contribution of the sport’s Olympic inclusion for the ongoing global growth of the game. This will be a return to the Olympic Games for cricket, as it was on the programme for the 1900 Games in Paris.

Also this week at Olympic House, IOC President Thomas Bach welcomed a delegation from the city of Istanbul, led by its Mayor, Ekrem İmamoğlu. He was accompanied by IOC Honorary Member Uğur Erdener. During the meeting, the high-level sports events being staged in the city and Istanbul’s interest in hosting a future edition of the Olympic and Paralympic Games were discussed.

The IOC President met Casey Wasserman, Chair of the Organising Committee for the Olympic Games LA 2028. He reiterated the IOC’s solidarity with and support for the citizens of LA following the wildfires. Their discussions focused mainly on the Games preparations, and the current geopolitical situation.

In Rome, President Bach met IOC Member Giovanni Malagò, who is also President of the Italian NOC and the Organising Committee for the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026. The two men reviewed the progress of preparations for these Games. While in Rome, President Bach also met IOC Honorary Members Mario Pescante and Franco Carraro.

At Olympic House, President Bach also had meetings with IOC Executive Board member Nenad Lalović, IOC Member Ser Miang Ng and IOC Honorary Member Uğur Erdener. They discussed a wide range of Olympic topics, including the current geopolitical situation and the upcoming editions of the Olympic Winter Games and Youth Olympic Games.

OTHER OLYMPIC NEWS

A total of 120 coaches from 59 countries and 22 sports have now graduated from the Women in Sport High-Performance (WISH) programme, a four-year IOC initiative designed to tackle the under-representation of women in elite coaching. The online graduation ceremony was held on 16 January this year. The WISH programme is funded by the IOC's Olympic Solidarity programme, and is managed and hosted by the University of Hertfordshire in Great Britain. Learn more about it here.

INTERNATIONAL FEDERATIONS

SUMMER IFS

International Canoe Federation (ICF)

To mark its 100^th anniversary, in July 2024 the ICF published a limited-edition commemorative book entitled “A Century of Paddling”, which is now available to read online. The limited editions were handed out during key events last year, including the Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024 and the ICF Centenary Congress in Antalya, Türkiye. More details here. Click here to read it.

NATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEES

Australian Olympic Committee (AOC)

After more than two decades leading the Australian Olympic Foundation (AOF) Investment Advisory Committee (IAC), John Hewson AM has stepped down as Chair, passing the role to another Committee member, Paul Batchelor. The AOF was established in 1996 ahead of the Olympic Games Sydney 2000, with the aim of developing and protecting the Olympic Movement in Australia by providing sufficient distributions to help fund Australian Olympic teams, the AOC’s operations and support for member sports and their athletes, thereby protecting the AOC’s financial independence. Hewson was a founding member of the IAC and took on the role of Chair in 2001, overseeing considerable growth of the AOF through to the end of the Paris 2024 quadrennium. Full news release here.

Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee (CTOC)

The CTOC recently organised a flag presentation ceremony for the Chinese Taipei delegation at the 9^th Asian Winter Games. The flag was presented to Lin Hong-Dow, head of the delegation and CTOC President. A record-breaking 67 athletes will compete in this 9^th edition, which will take place in Harbin, People’s Republic of China, from 7 to 14 February 2025. Info at www.tpenoc.net.

Monegasque Olympic Committee

Henry Rey, NOC Vice-President, died on 13 January at the age of 86. A National Councillor for four decades and a law graduate of Georgetown University, Henry Rey was the first NOC President to be elected by Monaco’s sports federations. He played a pivotal role in promoting and developing both local and international sports activities. A passionate football, volleyball and golf enthusiast, he also served as President of the Monaco Weightlifting Federation and oversaw the establishment of Olympic Day in Monaco. During his presidency of the NOC (1975–1994), Monaco took part in its first Olympic Winter Games, in Sarajevo in 1984, and hosted the 2^nd edition of the Games of the Small European States in 1987, as well as the 101^st IOC Session. Read the NOC communiqué here.

Oman Olympic Committee (OOC)

The winners of the Olympic Culture and Values Promotion Programme were honoured at a ceremony held at the OOC headquarters. This programme is organised by the OOC through the Oman Olympic Academy, in collaboration with Olympic Solidarity. Held in the presence of OOC Secretary General Taha bin Suleiman Al-Kishry, the ceremony celebrated the best initiatives of the programme, with awards given to three winning initiatives from the first phase and three from the second phase. More details can be found here. In addition, during a meeting held at the Oman Olympic Academy headquarters, the OOC, represented by the Olympic Solidarity Department, reviewed the Olympic Solidarity programmes for the period from 2025 to 2028. The meeting was attended by representatives from sports federations and committees. A presentation on key updates to the Olympic Solidarity plan for the next four years, and an in-depth explanation of the different grants and programmes, were on the meeting agenda. Full details here.

RECOGNISED ORGANISATIONS

Association of the National Olympic Committees (ANOC)

The first workshop in ANOC’s new series on artificial intelligence (AI) was held on 21 January, bringing together more than 180 participants from 70 NOCs across five continents. Representatives from continental associations and Athletes’ Commissions also took part. Titled “An introduction to AI and AI Tools”, the first workshop offered an enlightening perspective on the opportunities AI provides for NOCs. Participants explored key concepts and AI tools that can enhance their daily operations. This first event is the beginning of a broader initiative, with four additional workshops set to be held every two weeks, each focusing on a practical application of AI. Full info here. In addition, please click here to download the ANOC social media report for Paris 2024, which highlighted the outstanding performance of NOC digital channels during the Olympic Games.

World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)

WADA President Witold Bańka was recently in George Town, Cayman Islands, for the fourth annual WADA Forum with Ministers Responsible for Sport in the Caribbean. The Forum, which was co-hosted by the government of the Cayman Islands, featured ministers and high-ranking officials from nine countries, as well as the Caribbean Regional Anti-Doping Organisation and the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport. The Forum’s agenda focused on the progress made in the Caribbean region in 2024; an overview of the anti-doping programmes implemented in the region; the future of anti-doping in the Caribbean; and the roadmap for 2025. Full details here.

International Association of Olympic Collectors (AICO)

The 2025 World Olympic Collectors’ Fair (WOCF) will take place in Prague, Czechia, from 30 May to 1 June 2025. This edition coincides with the centenary of the VIII Olympic Congress, which was also held in Prague 100 years ago. The event is jointly organised by AICO and OLYMPSPORT, with support from the Olympic Foundation for Culture and Heritage. More information can be found at www.aicolympic.org.