Olympic Highlights 27/03/2023
IOC
PRESIDENT
This week, IOC President Thomas Bach met the new Global CEO of Worldwide Olympic Partner Deloitte, Joe Ucuzoglu, to whom he gave a tour of Olympic House. They spoke about the excellent relations between their organisations and in particular about the progress of their cooperation on digital strategy and transformation, which will advance the goals of Olympic Agenda 2020+5. They also discussed the international situation and the position of the Olympic Movement. In this context, Ucuzoglu expressed his understanding and full support for the IOC position and the unifying mission of the Olympic Games. In recognition of Ucuzoglu’s hometown, the IOC President presented him with a Los Angeles 1984 Olympic torch.
The IOC Advisory Committee on Human Rights formally met for the first time in Lausanne on 16 and 17 March. The IOC President welcomed the Chair, Phumzile Mlambo Ngcuka, and the members of the Committee at Olympic House. “We are very pleased to host the IOC Advisory Committee for its first meeting. The Committee will be instrumental in helping us further take into account human rights considerations in our day-to-day activities,” he said. Full details about the meeting under the “Other Olympic News” section.
At Olympic House, President Bach received the Mexican Minister for Foreign Affairs, Marcelo Ebrard Casaubón with the President of the Mexican NOC, Olympian María José Alcalá Izguerra. On this occasion, they officially declared Mexico’s firm interest in hosting a future edition of the Olympic Games from 2036 onwards. The Mexican NOC’s upcoming centennial celebrations, the preparations for the Olympic Games, the international situation and the position of the Olympic Movement were also discussed during the meeting. The NOC President, who took part in four consecutive Olympic Games (1988, 1992, 1996 and 2000) in diving, was presented with a diploma and OLY pin by President Bach, before signing the Olympians Wall.
Also at Olympic House, the IOC President met the President of the Brazilian NOC (COB), Paulo Wanderley Teixeira, who described the COB’s commitment to support and engage on climate and with the Olympic Forest Network. The COB will embrace this IOC initiative by putting into practice its social and environmental actions in the Amazon rainforest. The preparations for the Olympic Games Paris 2024, the international situation and the position of the Olympic Movement were also discussed.
President Bach welcomed a delegation from the NOC of Belgium, headed by its President, Olympian Jean-Michel Saive. The topics discussed included the preparations for the upcoming Olympic Games, the international situation and the position of the Olympic Movement.
The IOC President spoke this week on the phone with Chinese NOC President Gao Zhidan. Together they discussed a number of Olympic topics as well as the international situation and the position of the Olympic Movement. IOC Members Yu Zaiqing, Li Lingwei and Zhang Hong joined the call online.
With Casey Wasserman, Chair of the Organising Committee for the Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028, the meeting focused mainly on the preparations for the Games, the international situation and the position of the Olympic Movement.
The IOC President presented a diploma and OLY pin to Cédric Van Branteghem and Louise Cavenaile, the Belgian NOC’s CEO and Internal and Legal Affairs Manager respectively, and to Janet Evans, Chief Athlete Officer at Los Angeles 2028. Van Branteghem, a 400m runner, competed at the Olympic Games Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008, while Cavenaile was a member of the hockey team at London 2012. US triple Olympian Evans won four Olympic gold medals in swimming – three at Seoul 1988 and one at Barcelona 1992. All three also signed the Olympians Wall.
President Bach also met IOC Vice-President Ser Miang Ng and IOC Members Sergii Bubka, Luis Alberto Moreno and KhunyingPatama Leeswadtrakul. During these meetings, a number of current Olympic issues, the international situation and the position of the Olympic Movement were discussed.
The IOC President also held a courtesy meeting with a delegation from the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) led by its Director General Daren Tang at Olympic House.
This week, President Bach went to Essen, Germany, where he addressed an audience of 800 leaders from German politics, society and business at the “Political Forum Ruhr”. He spoke about the tension between sport and politics that the Olympic Games have always had to navigate throughout their history. In his speech, he also underlined the unifying role of the Olympic Games and the IOC’s peace mission, in particular in the context of the evolving international situation following the Russian invasion of Ukraine and its consequences for the Olympic Movement.
MEMBERS
IOC Member Gianni Infantino was re-elected as President of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) for another four years during the 73rd FIFA Congress held on 16 March in Kigali, Rwanda, the first-ever elective FIFA Congress to be held in Africa. Full details here.
OTHER OLYMPIC NEWS
The agenda for the first meeting of the IOC Advisory Committee on Human Rights covered the progress achieved on the implementation of the IOC’s strategic framework on human rights, and its key actions for 2023 by sphere of responsibility. For the first, the IOC as an organisation, the conversation focused on the forthcoming update of the Olympic Charter. For the second, the IOC as owner of the Olympic Games, the members discussed the work undertaken with the Organising Committees for the upcoming Olympic and Youth Olympic Games, with an intervention from the Paris 2024 and Dakar 2026 teams. Lastly, for the third sphere of responsibility, the IOC as leader of the Olympic Movement, the IOC Advisory Committee on Human Rights had the chance to hear from the UN Special Rapporteur on Cultural Rights on her views regarding the situation of athletes with Russian or Belarusian passports in the context of the illegal war Russia is waging against Ukraine. The IOC also updated the Committee on safe sport, and the Committee discussed the roles of NOCs and IFs in upholding human rights in their own spheres of responsibility, and specific challenges with regard to athletes’ rights in the Olympic Movement, including the situation in Iran and that in Afghanistan. The meeting closed with a review of the role of the IOC Advisory Committee on Human Rights, its next steps and the date of its next meeting. Committee Chair Phumzile Mlambo Ngcuka concluded: “We are extremely pleased to formally start advising the IOC on human rights matters within the remit of the IOC. The task is large and the IOC Advisory Committee on Human Rights, that I chair, will do its utmost to guide the IOC in the implementation of its strategic framework on human rights.”
Figure Skating in Harlem, a not-for-profit organisation located in New York City, providing girls with innovative year-round health, education and fitness programmes, was officially presented with the IOC Women and Sport Award 2021 Trophy for the Americas. The ceremony took place during a side event co-hosted by the IOC alongside the 67th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), which took place in mid-March at the UN headquarters in New York. Read the full news release here, with the list of all the winners of the 2021 IOC Women and Sport Awards.
Also on the sidelines of the 67th CWS Session in New York, the IOC and UN Women announced the launch of the Gender Equality Through Sport Bridging Project, a new joint initiative that will use sport as a tool to advance gender equality and prevent gender-based violence. Full details here.
This week, the IOC has launched its debut Olympic Collection apparel. The timeless styles for every day include hoodies, sweatshirts and t-shirts designed around the Olympic rings for the first time. The Olympic Collection apparel falls under the IOC’s global licensing programme, and is available now at shop.olympics.com. Full details here.
To mark the International Day of Forests on 21 March, members of the local communities across Mali and Senegal who have been hit hard by climate change explained how the Olympic Forest can help rebuild their lives. Discover their stories here.
INTERNATIONAL FEDERATIONS
SUMMER IFS
International Canoe Federation (ICF)
The ICF chose World Water Day – 22 March – to officially launch its Events Sustainability Toolkit, illustrating that the ICF is keen to play its part in raising awareness about water issues. The Sustainability Toolkit provides a roadmap for all ICF event organisers to help them run events that have a minimal impact on the environment. The toolkit also has recommendations on how to encourage diversity and inclusion at events, and how to protect local biodiversity. Full info here.
International Gymnastics Federation (FIG)
The Gymnastics Ethics Foundation(GEF) has launched Gymnasts 2028 – a new strategic framework laying out the GEF’s strategic priorities from 2023 through to 2028. Gymnasts 2028 aims to set new, ambitious standards in the field of safe sport, responding to current challenges and integrating important learnings from the GEF’s first four years of operations. The aim is to create a safe, thriving and impactful environment for everyone involved in the sport, with a strong focus on collaboration across the entire gymnastics ecosystem. In terms of time frame, this new strategic framework looks to systematically prioritise the Foundation’s work leading up to the Paris 2024 and Los Angeles 2028 editions of the Olympic Games. The GEF was founded by FIG in 2019. Its Council is chaired by former Swiss President Micheline Calmy-Rey, and IOC EB member Prince Feisal Al Hussein is one of its members. Full details here.
International Surfing Association (ISA)
Puerto Rico will host the 2024 ISA World Surfing Games (WSG), the all-important final stage of qualification for surfing at the Olympic Games Paris 2024. The competition window is provisionally scheduled from 22 February to 2 March 2024. There will be a total of 14 Olympic slots up for grabs in Puerto Rico. More info here.
World Athletics
Olympic high jump champion Richard ‘Dick’ Fosbury, who revolutionised his event by introducing the “Fosbury flop” technique, died on 12 March at the age of 76. The Portland, Oregon, native captured the Olympic gold medal in high jump at the Olympic Games Mexico City 1968. Among the most influential athletes in the sport, Fosbury took high jump to another level with his innovation, and he remained involved in athletics throughout his life. Sharing his knowledge and skill with future generations by coaching at numerous track camps, he also went on to serve as Vice-President of the United States Olympic and Paralympic Association, and President of the World Olympians Association. He entered the USATF National Track & Field Hall of Fame in 1981, and was inducted into the US Olympic Hall of Fame in 1992. More details here.
On 23 March, the World Athletics Council agreed to the reinstatement of the Russian Athletics Federation following seven years of suspension due to institutional doping violations. However, athletes, officials and supporting personnel from Russia and Belarus are still excluded from competition for the foreseeable future due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The Council also agreed to update the eligibility regulations for athletes who are transgender or who have differences of sexual development to compete in the female category. Full detailed info here.
World Rowing
World Rowing has adopted tighter rules for transgender women athletes following a review of the regulations for the participation of female athletes in international competitions. The review was based on current scientific evidence highlighting the significant performance differences between males and females in rowing, with the core objective of guaranteeing fair competition and participation for women in sport. Full detailed info here.
NATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEES
Argentinean NOC (COA)
On 20 March, the COA launched the 10th edition of the advanced sports management course, in which 50 representatives of national, provincial and metropolitan sports federations are taking part, together with the national antidoping commission, the national high-level sports agency and authorities from the country’s five provinces. This course is part of the programmes offered by Olympic Solidarity for leaders of national and regional sports organisations to help develop their competences and knowledge. Those attending the opening ceremony included course director Silvia Dalotto-Marcó, COA President Mario Moccia, COA Secretary General Victor Sergio Groupierre, and the Chair of the national Olympic academy and the sports education commission, Carlos Alberto Marino. More details here.
Cape Verdean Olympic Committee
To mark the 500 days to the opening of the Olympic Games Paris 2024, the NOC, in partnership with the French Embassy in Cabo Verde, took part in the 24-hour global sports relay launched by Paris 2024. More than 200 children and adults participated in the run and in cultural events related to Olympism. In addition, an exhibition entitled “In the heart of Cape Verdean Olympism” was also inaugurated. This exhibition tells the story of Cabo Verde at various Olympic Games, accompanied by testimonials from fans. Furthermore, the NOC, in partnership with the Wecare organisation, promoted the seventh and eighth editions of Sport Bootcamp. These took place in February and March in the capital, Praia, and on the island of Sal. Supported by Olympic Solidarity, the Camp was aimed at young people, to provide them with the knowledge they will need to create profitable sports projects. Info at www.coc.cv.
Dominican Republic NOC
The French Lycée in Santo Domingo held an event to mark 500 days to go before the start of the Olympic Games Paris 2024. Hundreds of people, many of them children, took part in the 24-hour global sports relay launched by Paris 2024, in the presence of French Ambassador Eric Fournier, Deputy Sports Minister Franklin De la Monta and NOC Vice-President Radhamés Tavarez. The participants also got the chance to talk to several Olympic athletes who were attending the event. More details here.
Estonian Olympic Committee
To celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Estonian Sports and Olympic Museum as well as the 100th anniversary of the NOC, an interactive sports and Olympic exhibition in the form of an Olympic-themed flight gate opened at Tallinn Airport on 17 March. The Olympic Gate is located at Gate 8 at the airport. The idea behind the Olympic Gate mainly lies in promoting sports and the Olympic Movement as well as introducing the history of Estonian sport and Olympic participation to the widest audience possible. 2023 has been declared the Year of Fitness, so fun activities urge the public to move and, for example, accept the fitness challenge on the Reaction Wall developed in collaboration with Olympic discus throw medallist Gerd Kanter. The unique exhibition will remain at Gate 8 for at least until the Olympic Games Paris 2024. Full details here.
British Olympic Association (BOA)
Olympic champion Eve Muirhead has been appointed by the BOA as Team GB’s Chef de Mission for the Winter Youth Olympic Games Gangwon 2024. The four-time Olympian, who led the women’s curling team to gold as skip at Beijing 2022, will head a British delegation for the first time after announcing her retirement from competition last summer. More details here.
Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC)
On 14 March, 500 days before the start of the Olympic Games Paris 2024, the “Terre de Jeux 2024” relay around the world was held around the National Stadium in Tokyo. The French embassy led the event, which was attended by embassy staff, 75 schoolchildren from the Lycée Français International in Tokyo, and willing JOC participants. They jogged around the National Stadium to stress the link between Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024, and commemorative photos were taken in front of the Olympic rings. The French Ambassador then greeted the JOC Secretary General and visited the Japan Olympic Museum, as a mark of France’s ongoing support for the Olympic Movement.
Moroccan NOC (CNOM)
As part of its strategy to support national sports federations, the CNOM held at its headquarters on 16 March. More than 100 people took part, including federation presidents and national sports movement representatives. They shared their experiences and made recommendations on how to improve the current system. More details here. For its part, the CNOM’s digital Olympic academy organised a videoconference on “Sports marketing and its impact on sports organisations”.
Paraguayan NOC
On 14 March, the French embassy in Paraguay, with the support of the NOC, took part in the 24-hour global sports relay launched by Paris 2024. At the French Lycée in Asunción, pupils got to try out four sports: athletics, tennis, golf and rowing (on a rowing machine), accompanied by Olympic and Paralympic athletes. On 15 March, the Paraguayan government and Panam Sports signed the host city contract for the 2nd Junior Pan-American Games in 2025, which will be held in Asunción. The signing ceremony was attended by Paraguayan President Mario Abdo Benítez, Panam Sports President Néven Ilic, NOC President Camilo Pérez López Moreira and Sports Minister Diego Galeano. Several athletes were also present, including Camila Pirelli, heptathlon silver medallist at the 12th South American Games in Asunción in 2022. More details on the Panam Sports website here. In addition, Pirelli is among the 114 high-level athletes who have been awarded a government sports grant by the national sports secretariat for the 2023 Pan-American Games in Santiago.
Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee (SOPC)
The SOPC has informed us that the Islamic Solidarity Sports Federation held an Extraordinary General Assembly in Jeddah, chaired by its President, Prince Abdulaziz Bin Turki Al Faisal. The meeting was held to approve the report on the 5th Islamic Solidarity Games Konya 2021, the financial and administrative report, and amendments to the ISSF statutes related to the process of choosing the host country of the 6th Islamic Games in 2025. More details at www.olympic.sa.
Venezuelan NOC
A number of Venezuelan Olympic and Paralympic athletes and sports authority representatives were at the French embassy in Venezuela to mark 500 days to go before the start of the Olympic Games Paris 2024. The embassy passed the virtual baton of the 24-hour global sports relay launched by Paris 2024 at the headquarters of the inclusive sports association, Asogin. On 17 March, the NOC celebrated International Women’s Day. At a ceremony organised by the NOC’s women and sport commission, Venezuelan softball legend María Soto, who is today the NOC’s first female President, was presented with the Flor Isava Fonseca Award. NOC First Vice-President Elida Párraga was also recognised for her contribution to the national Olympic movement for more than 20 years.
ORGANISING COMMITTEES FOR THE OLYMPIC GAMES
PARIS 2024
On 14 March, 500 days to go before the opening of Olympic Games Paris 2024, the Organising Committee celebrated the milestone by organising a 24-hour sports relay involving over 20,000 participants from 116 countries and French overseas territories. The global relay was held in collaboration with the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, French embassies and the French overseas territories bearing the “Terre de Jeux 2024” label. At the same time, French President Emmanuel Macron hailed the preparations for Paris 2024 and declared that France was ready to “host the world”. In addition, Paris 2024 also released details of phase two of ticket sales for the Olympic Games, with millions of single tickets for Olympic sports sessions set to be made available to the public in May. Full info here. On 22 March, Paris 2024 opened its applications portal for the volunteer programme for the Olympic and Paralympic Games. The application period will close on 3 May 2023. A total of 45,000 volunteers will have the opportunity to enjoy some unique moments and experience the Games from the inside, with the Olympic Games from 26 July to 11 August 2024 and the Paralympic Games from 28 August to 8 September 2024. Read the full news release here.
Furthermore, ArcelorMittal has become an Official Partner of the Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024. ArcelorMittal will manufacture some of the key symbols of the Games – the Olympic and Paralympic torches and cauldrons and the large rings and agitos which will be installed in the host city – in steel with a low carbon footprint. Full details here. For its part, Lyreco, the European leader in the distribution of office supplies and workplace solutions for businesses, has become an Official Supplier for the Games. More details here.
ORGANISING COMMITTEES FOR THE YOUTH OLYMPIC GAMES
GANGWON 2024
The medal design competition for the Winter Youth Olympic Games (YOG) Gangwon 2024 closed on 8 March, with an unprecedented number of designs received and countries participating. During the six-week period of the competition, over 3,000 medal designs were submitted from 120 countries, showcasing the creativity and talent of the designers. This was 10 times more entries than for the medal design competition for the YOG Lausanne 2020. The winning design will be announced on 24 March 2023, to coincide with the 300-days-to-go celebrations. Full news release here.
RECOGNISED ORGANISATIONS
Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA)
100 days before the 2023 African Beach Games, which will be held from 24 to 30 June in Tunisia, ANOCA has published messages from its President Mustapha Berraf, also IOC Member and from the Organising Committee President Mehrez Boussayene. More info at www.africaolympic.com
Olympic Council of Asia (OCA)
Held on 18 and 19 March in Bangkok (Thailand), the OCA Athletes’ Forum brought together 88 delegates – of whom 16 are still active athletes – from the Athletes’ Commissions (ACs) of 43 NOCs. The Chair of the OCA AC, Mikako Kotani, and the Chair of the IOC AC, Emma Terho, also attended the meeting. On the first day of the Forum, the athletes expressed their full support for the autonomy of the Olympic Movement on the basis of the Fundamental Principles of Olympism, without any discrimination based on nationality, religion or ethnicity. In this respect, the Forum participants concluded that athletes should not be punished for the actions of their governments, and that athletes should have access to international competitions (including the Asian Games) without any form of discrimination. They also concluded that, with regard to the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes, these athletes should return to international competitions with clear conditions, including: no Russian or Belarusian government officials present; the athletes should compete strictly as neutrals, with no flag or national symbols; full compliance with all applicable anti-doping rules and regulations; and fairness to Asian athletes in any qualification pathway. The Forum also addressed key topics like safeguarding, the prevention of competition manipulation, athlete career development for sport and beyond, and the fight against doping. Full details here.
International Committee of the Mediterranean Games (ICMG)
During its recent meeting in Zagreb, Croatia, the ICMG Executive Committee unanimously approved the application of the Code of Ethics for the first time in the ICMG’s history. The Executive Committee also accepted the request from the Organising Committee of the Mediterranean Beach Games “Heraklion 2023” to move the dates of the Games from 2-9 to 9-16 September. The proposal to organise a Congress on the future of the Mediterranean Games was also approved. As a gesture of solidarity and support for the NOCs of Türkiye and Syria following the devastating earthquake, it was decided to allocate the entire budget of the ICMG Solidarity, Culture and Education Commission to supporting athletes from the two countries. For more details including other decisions, click here.
World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)
At the opening of the 17th WADA Annual Symposium held on 14 and 15 March in Lausanne, WADA President Witold Bańka called for a strengthening of the UNESCO International Convention Against Doping in Sport, in order to hold to account governments with weak anti-doping policies, just as athletes and Anti-Doping Organisations are held to account under the World Anti-Doping Code. The Symposium attracted more than 1,000 participants (around 850 in person and 150 virtually) from the global anti-doping community, under this year’s theme “United Toward a World of Doping-Free Sport”. Full news release here. In addition, WADA has announced that the inaugural Athletes’ Anti-Doping Ombuds position will be assumed by Anna Thorstenson. She will devote part of her time to the one-year pilot project of the Ombuds Programme. Operating on the principles of independence, impartiality, confidentiality and informality, the Ombuds will provide athletes with cost-free, neutral, impartial, fair advice and assistance in relation to the World Anti-Doping Programme and the entities that play a role within it. Full details here.
International Olympic Academy (IOA)
The IOA Educational Project held in Riyadh for the academic year 2022-2023, in cooperation with the Saudi Olympic Academy, came to an end on 9 March. Attendance diplomas were awarded to 70 participants, officials and staff of the SOPC and the Saudi Olympic Academy, in the presence of Academy President Prince Fahad bin Jalawi Al Saud and the IOA President, Isidoros Kouvelos. Following the reactivation of the Saudi Olympic Academy, and the signing of the MOU in March 2022, the IOA has managed to plan and implement an education programme for the first time in Saudi Arabia. Discussions about future steps and the planning of new education programmes for the next year, and the activation of the MOU signed with the OCA, are already under way. Full details here.