Olympic Highlights 27/06/2023
IOC
PRESIDENT
It has been a very full week for IOC President Thomas Bach, whose schedule included the IOC Executive Board (EB), the 140th IOC Session, the 30th anniversary of the opening of the Olympic Museum and the celebration of Olympic Day.
On 22 June, the 140th IOC Session was held remotely from Olympic House. The IOC President chaired the meeting, in the presence of the IOC EB members. The Session was streamed live on YouTube.
In his opening speech at the Session, President Bach updated the IOC membership on the impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, supported by Belarus, and its implications for the Olympic Movement. He said: “Our outrage at this brutal war, our compassion with the human suffering and our solidarity with the Ukrainian Olympic community remain as strong as ever.” President Bach then highlighted the important role that sport can play in contributing to peace and unity, before adding: “From the very first moment we are – and we will be – in this together. We are standing together in the interest of the athlete. The athletes bring our values to life.” Read the full speech here.
On the recommendation of the IOC EB, the IOC Session has decided to withdraw recognition of the International Boxing Association (IBA), in accordance with Rule 3.7 of the Olympic Charter. This decision is based on the IOC Comprehensive Report on the Situation of the IBA dated 2 June 2023, which was discussed and approved by the IOC EB on 7 June 2023. As an additional consequence of this decision, the IOC Session has decided that the IBA will not organise the Olympic Games LA28 boxing tournament. In the interests of boxing athletes and the sport of boxing, the IOC Session also followed the IOC EB’s recommendation to maintain boxing on the sports programme of the Olympic Games Paris 2024, in accordance with the IOC EB’s decisions communicated on 24 June 2022, 8 September 2022 and 6 December 2022. Read the full news release here.
The IOC published its 2022 Annual Report, subtitled “Solidarity and Peace”, reflecting the activities of the IOC and the Olympic Movement during the year. The report, approved by the IOC Members at the 140th IOC Session, is structured around the five key trends that underpin Olympic Agenda 2020+5. Read the full news release here.
Ahead of the IOC Session, the IOC President chaired the meeting of the IOC EB, which took place from 19 to 21 June. The EB received updates on the activities of the Olympic Movement, the IOC commissions and the IOC administration, together with reports from the Organising Committees for the upcoming editions of the Olympic Games.
The EB approved changes to the formats and names of four events on the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 sports programme, along with the qualification systems for five sports. Milano Cortina 2026 is set to become the most gender-balanced Olympic Winter Games in history. Full news release here.
The EB has published a statement on comments by IBA (International Boxing Association) leadership, against a number of individuals from the IOC. These statements were made during the American Boxing Confederation (AMBC) Continental Forum in Brasilia. Full text of the statement here.
The EB received updates on the situations of the NOCs of Afghanistan, Guatemala, Indian and Sudan. More information here
The IOC EB also approved a change of nationality for two athletes ahead of the Olympic Games Paris 2024. More details here.
The Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, was presented with the Olympic Order by the IOC President during a ceremony at Olympic House. Dr Tedros played an inspirational role in ensuring the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 took place, and supported the cooperation agreement signed by the IOC and the WHO in 2020. Reflecting on the unprecedented challenge of organising Tokyo 2020, the first Games ever to be postponed in Olympic history, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, President Bach described the personal support and guidance he received from Dr Tedros as crucial. Full speech here. During the ceremony, President Bach also honoured the WHO with the Olympic Cup for 2021, in recognition of its outstanding contribution to the success of the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020. You can read the speech in full here and also the complete news release.
The Olympic Day celebrations took place at The Olympic Museum which was commemorating the 30th anniversary of its opening. In his speech, the IOC President said, “It gives us two excellent reasons to celebrate our bon voisinage and our bonds of friendship with Lausanne, the Canton de Vaud and Switzerland,” adding that the Olympic Museum, “much like the Olympic Games themselves, is a place for dialogue, a place to interact where people share the same interest and love for the magic of the Olympic Games.” Reflecting on the theme of 2023 Olympic Day, the President continued: “to invite everyone to move, we launched the “Let’s Move” initiative with the World Health Organization. For this campaign, more than 200 Olympians will encourage people around the world to make time to move with them, for better physical and mental health.” Many senior officials from the Canton of Vaud and the City of Lausanne, as well as representatives from IFs and other sports organisations, were present.
Earlier at Olympic House, the President took part in the official presentation of “Coubertin autographe” – Tome II (1915-1937), a new publication by Jean Durry, a French historian and expert on Pierre de Coubertin. President Bach then awarded the Pierre de Coubertin Medal to Jean Durry and also to New York native Ed Hula, editor and founder of Around the Rings – which was for many years the leading publication focusing on news around the Olympic Games - , in recognition of their outstanding contribution to Olympism. Full news release here.
At the same ceremony, the former President of the International Skating Union (ISU) Jan Dijkema, was awarded the Olympic Order. Presenting him with the Order, the IOC President said: “You put skating on a path for the future with a steady hand, with vision and determination… you made the great sport of skating fit for the future.” Full news release here.
On the same day, at the newly inaugurated Espace Fair-Play (Fair Play Space) in Lausanne, President Bach and the Chair of the IOC Athletes’ Commission, Emma Terho, presented Fair Play awards from the International Fair Play Committee (CIFP) to Japanese skateboarder Kokona Hiraki, Australian skateboarder Poppy Olsen and American speed skater Brittany Bowe, in recognition of their extraordinary display of sporting spirit during the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 and Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 respectively. The occasion was also marked by the official donation of a large skateable sculpture from the IOC and The Olympic Museum to the City of Lausanne. The ramp was created by renowned contemporary artist Rylsee, in consultation with the skateboarding community. Full details here.
Also on Olympic Day, the President took part in the IOC – Olympic Capital meeting, which was attended by the President of Vaud Council of State Christelle Luisier Brodard and Lausanne Mayor Grégoire Junod. The discussions focused on various topics of mutual interest and the strong ties between the IOC and the city of Lausanne.
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Before taking part in the Olympic Day festivities, the President started the Olympic Capital Run, organised by the City of Lausanne. The Run from the Olympic Museum to the Pierre de Coubertin Stadium in Vidy attracted over 1,000 participants.
The IOC President presented a diploma and OLY pin to the following athletes who attended the Olympic Day celebration at Olympic House: Juan Esteban Curuchet (Argentina, cycling, Los Angeles 1984, Seoul 1988, Atlanta 1996, Sydney 2000, Athens 2004, Beijing 2008 – gold); Poppy Olsen (Australia, skateboard, Tokyo 2020); Seamus O’Connor (Ireland, snowboard, Sochi 2014, PyeongChang 2018, Beijing 2022); Yazan Al-Bawwab (Palestine, swimming, Tokyo 2020); Sabine Hazboun (Palestine, swimming, London 2012); Kokona Hiraki (Japan, skateboarding, Tokyo 2020 – silver); and Brittany Bowe (USA, speed skating, Sochi 2014, PyeongChang 2018 – bronze, Beijing 2022 – bronze). All the athletes signed the Olympians Wall.
Earlier in the week, the IOC President met Chris Tung, Chief Marketing Officer of Worldwide Olympic Partner Alibaba. They discussed Alibaba’s commitment to the Olympic Movement and the IOC’s digital strategy, with a particular focus on Artificial Intelligence.
The President also met Hong Jeongdo, Vice-Chairman of JTBC, Media Rights-Holder in Korea for the Olympic Games during the period from 2026 to 2032.
Meetings were also held with IOC Vice-President John Coates and IOC Members Gerardo Werthein, Li Lingwei, Pierre-Olivier Beckers-Vieujant and Dagmawit Girmay Berhane. The discussions centred on a wide range of current Olympic topics.
The President chaired the Olympic Foundation for Culture and Heritage (OFCH) Executive Committee meeting.
President Bach had planned to go to Singapore for the IOC’s first-ever Olympic Esports Week, but was unable to because of flight issues.
OLYMPIC MUSEUM
The Olympic Museum, located in the Olympic Capital of Lausanne, has welcomed nearly six million visitors since its opening on 23 June, 1993. To mark its 30 anniversary, the official birthday celebration took place in person on 24 June with a full programme of activities including Olympian guests, guided tours of the library and archives, sports demonstrations and family fun. Read full news release here The anniversary was also marked on Olympic Day by a performance of the “Coubertines”, the IOC Music Club’s musicians. The band is composed of Sébastien Brevet (Technology and Information - Drums), Giuseppe Deleornardis (Ethics and Compliance – Guitar /Vocals), Benjamin Seeley (Corporate Communications and Public Affairs - Bass), Lucia Sabiu (OFCH - Vocals), Jochen Färber (Digital Engagement and Marketing – Keyboard/Piano), Yann Veyrier (Technology and Information – Keyboard / Synth), Galiléo Natal (Corporate Services and Events - Guitar) and Maureen Ojong (Olympism365 - Vocals).
TOP PARTNERS
Worldwide Olympic Partner Alibaba celebrated Olympic Day with a series of sporting challenges and online activities across its campuses to promote a healthy lifestyle among its employees. On the programme, a sports festival at its Hangzhou headquarters and an online social media campaign for its global employees. Full detailed info here.
Worldwide Olympic Partner Allianz and the IOC welcomed 23 teenagers from across Asia for a unique opportunity to boost their gaming skills during the inaugural Olympic Esports Week. The esports enthusiasts took part in the MoveNow Camp – Esports Edition, which provided professional esports training, plus mentorship opportunities with leading players and activities to improve mental and physical health, as well as social skills. Full details here.
OTHER OLYMPIC NEWS
The IOC’s first-ever Olympic Esports Week Singapore 2023 concluded in Singapore after three days of thrilling live-finals action in the Olympic Esports Series and esports exhibition matches. Players were cheered on by a full house of fans in Singapore, with all the action streamed online. Speaking at the Closing Ceremony, IOC Vice-President Ser Miang Ng said: “We have built bridges between the physical and the virtual worlds of sport. We have seen the sports and esports communities meet and share ideas. Together, we have discussed opportunities and challenges.” At the Opening Ceremony, the IOC President delivered a message to the players via a hologram. Full details here.
As World Refugee Day draws the world’s attention to the plight of the millions of displaced people around the world, the Olympic Refuge Foundation (ORF) is working to ensure that those who have experienced crisis access have access to a safe and supportive sporting environment. Since late 2022, the ORF has been running a pilot initiative aimed at enhancing the psychosocial skills of coaches, players, administrators and anyone involved in sports environments. Working closely with partners like the Moldovan NOC, the Polish Ministry of Sport and the WHO, the ORF has facilitated training for 65 sports coaches and physical education teachers, and 25 mental health professionals. Initially trialled in Paris, the initiative is now being rolled out in Moldova and Poland, which have seen a large influx of displaced people from neighbouring Ukraine. Full news release here.
INTERNATIONAL FEDERATIONS
SUMMER IFS
International Volleyball Federation (FIVB)
The FIVB Board of Administration has approved the creation of the FIVB Foundation, which is set to be officially launched at the end of 2023. An innovative project pioneered by FIVB President Ary S. Graça F°, the Foundation will seek to unite communities through volleyball projects, champion the transformative power of volleyball, and foster sustainable and collaborative communities. Full details here. The Board has also approved the volleyball calendar from 2025 to 2028, including holding the FIVB Volleyball World Championships every two years. More info here.
Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI)
The UCI has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Special Olympics. The focus of the MoU is to use and adapt existing and new resources to expand cooperation and communication between the UCI, its World Cycling Centre (WCC) and Special Olympics, and to educate and encourage others to promote inclusion in sport. The MoU was signed in Berlin (Germany) during the Special Olympics World Games, which brought together thousands of athletes with intellectual disabilities from 17 to 25 June. Detailed info here.
World Aquatics
The World Aquatics Masters Championships – Doha 2024 will take place from 23 February to 3 March 2024, featuring swimming, water polo, diving, artistic swimming and open water swimming. Doha has already organised several World Aquatics events, including the World Swimming Championships (25m) in 2014. More details here.
NATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEES
Argentinean NOC
The Argentinean Olympic Academy (AOA) has received the “Athena” award, the International Olympic Academy (IOA)’s highest distinction. This is awarded to personalities or institutions that have contributed to literature, education, the Olympic Movement or the work of the IOA. NOC President Mario Moccia was resented with the award at the opening ceremony of the IOA’s 63rd International Session for Young Olympic Ambassadors in Athens (Greece). The NOC President was accompanied by Vice-President Alicia Masoni de Morea, the Chair of the AOA’s Olympic Education Commission, Carlos Alberto Marino, and AOA Director Silvia Dalotto-Marcó. More details here.
Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee (CTOC)
The CTOC organised an event on international sporting events management. The workshop featured Louis Louis, an expert from the Qatar Olympic Committee, who delivered two lectures entitled “Doha 2006 Legacy and Doha 2030 Strategy” and “Developing an Evaluation Plan and Strategy for Bidding”. A general discussion session also took place, providing a platform for an exchange of ideas between the invited expert, officials from the Sport Administration, Ministry of Education, city governments, and NOC and national sport federation representatives. The CTOC also signed a new cooperation agreement with the IOA, formalising the longstanding relationship between the two organisations and paving the way for future initiatives in Olympic Education. The agreement was signed by Hong-Dow Lin, CTOC President and Isidoros Kouvelos, IOA President at the IOA premises in Ancient Olympia, Greece.
Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China (SF&OC)
2023 Olympic Day brought together some 3,000 participants on 18 June in the West Kowloon Cultural District of Hong Kong. The SF&OC organised the event on the theme of “Run with Hong Kong Athletes”. The “Hangzhou Asian Games Fun Run” was held to encourage public support for the athletes participating in the forthcoming Hangzhou Asian Games in September. A Sports Carnival was also organised to invite families and the public to learn more about different sports while also having fun. Full details here.
Paraguayan NOC
Sport, dance and entertainment were on the Olympic Day programme organised by the NOC. Numerous athletes, NOC staff and sports enthusiasts were at the Olympic Park to enjoy this Day held to promote the benefits of sport and the Olympic values. Details on www.cop.org.py.
Saudi Arabia Olympic and Paralympic Committee (SOPC)
The SOPC has announced that its Vice-President, Prince Fahd bin Jalawi bin Abdulaziz bin Musaed, has been elected as President of the Asian Triathlon Federation for the next four years. This came during the 31st General Assembly of the Federation, which was held in the Japanese capital, Tokyo. Info at www.olympic.sa.
Spanish NOC
The NOC, the Supreme Sports Council (CSD), and the Spanish Radio and Television Corporation (RTVE) have signed a cooperation agreement aimed at developing the ADO (Association of Olympic Sports) programme in 2023 and 2024, in support of Spanish Olympic athletes participating in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. The agreement, was signed at the CSD headquarters in Madrid by CSD President and Secretary of State for Sports, Víctor Francos Díaz, NOC President Alejandro Blanco, and RTVE interim chair Elena Sánchez Caballero. Its aim is to infuse new life into the ADO programme by focusing on digitisation, social responsibility, professionalisation and new technologies. More details here.
Venezuelan NOC
The NOC headquarters hosted the 2023 edition of Olympic Day. A sports festival was held, with the participation of all the national sports federations affiliated to the NOC. Numerous activities were organised for the local community, in particular schoolchildren. During the Day, a number of personalities were presented with an NOC award, including NOC 1st Vice-President Elida Párraga, NOC Director Zobeira Hernández and Youth and Sports Minister Mervin Maldonado.
ORGANISING COMMITTEES FOR THE OLYMPIC GAMES
PARIS 2024
On Olympic Day, the Paris 2024 Organising Committee unveiled the route of the Olympic Torch Relay for these Games. In the historical setting of the Grand Amphitheatre of the Sorbonne, where Pierre de Coubertin made the founding speech that established the modern Olympic Games, the Paris 2024 team revealed the 64 territories involved in the Relay and the first 165 locations (the 65 celebration sites and 100 iconic places) which will welcome the Olympic flame. The remaining towns, cities and sites to be visited by the Olympic flame will be disclosed by the territories involved in the Relay over the next few weeks. Full details here.
Beyond its commitment to hosting more responsible Games, Paris 2024 aims to contribute to an ecological shift in the world of sports and events. Backed by the French Ministry of Sport and Olympic and Paralympic Games, as well as the French National Olympic and Sports Committee (CNOSF), Paris 2024 has developed the “Climate Coach for Events” tool to assess and reduce the carbon footprint of sporting events in France. To address climate change, Paris 2024 is aligning with the objectives of the Paris Agreement by halving the carbon footprint of the Games compared to previous editions. The “Climate Coach for Events “ is an adaptation of the toolkit that the Paris 2024 teams use daily to honour this commitment and is intended to be shared with all other French sporting events. Full news release here.
RECOGNISED ORGANISATIONS
Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA)
The 21st ANOCA General Assembly was held on the sidelines of the 2nd African Beach Games in Hammamet, Tunisia. At the opening ceremony, there were speeches from Tunisia’s Minister for Youth and Sport, Kamel Deguiche, Tunisian NOC President Mehrez Boussayene, and ANOCA President and IOC Member Mustapha Berraf. A video message from the IOC President was also broadcast. The decisions taken included to award the 3rd African Beach Games to Equatorial Guinea. The discussions focused on the support programme for African athletes in preparation for the Olympic Games Paris 2024, the ANOCA African Games 2027 and the Youth Olympic Games Dakar 2026. Full details here . The NOC representatives attending also took part in the Olympic Day festivities organised by the Tunisian authorities in the sports village in Hammamet. Placed under the Games’ slogan, “Africa in Solidarity”, the event included many sports performances. Taking place until 30 June, the 2nd African Beach Games have brought together more than 1,000 athletes from 54 countries competing in 16 sports. Read here the Olympic Day message delivered by ANOCA President Mustapha Berraf.
Centro Caribe Sports
On the eve of the opening of the XXIV Central American and Caribbean Games, Centro Caribe Sports hold its General Assembly in San Salvador, El Salvador, on 22 June. For its President and IOC Member Luis Mejía Oviedo, the regional sports organisation exists for these Games, which are of the utmost importance for the athletes’ Olympic cycle. In addition, the participation of world-class athletes will make this edition of the Games go down in history. As a reminder, these Games will be taking place until 8 July. More details here.
International Olympic Academy (IOA)
On 11 June, the President of the Hellenic Republic, Katerina Sakellaropoulou, inaugurated the 63rd International Session of the IOA for Young Olympic Ambassadors on the Pnyx Hill in Athens, Greece. The session, which took place in Ancient Olympia until 22 June, centred on the theme: “Innovating physical education and Olympic values education to build a better world”, with the special topic: “Renewal and rejuvenation: How can the Olympic Movement remain relevant to youth through physical education and Olympic values education?” IOA President Isidoros Kouvelos welcomed all the participants, while the Hellenic Olympic Committee President and IOC Member Spyros Capralos conveyed a message from the IOC President. Some 130 young people from National Olympic Academies and Committees around the world attended the Session. Full details here.
World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)
WADA’s Foundation Board formally approved changes to WADA’s Statutes and Governance Regulations following the latest series of wide-ranging reforms initiated in May 2022. The reforms aim to amplify the voices and roles of athletes within WADA through the establishment of the Athlete Council and the inclusion of its Chair on the ExCo. They have also led to the creation of an Independent Ethics Board and a Risk & Audit Committee. Full details here.