Olympic Highlights 29/07/2023
IOC
PRESIDENT
From 24 to 26 July, IOC President Thomas Bach was in the French capital to celebrate One Year to Go until the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
On 26 July, with exactly one year to go until the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games Paris 2024, the IOC officially invited the NOCs and their best athletes to take part in the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad, which will be held from 26 July to 11 August 2024.
During a ceremony held at Paris 2024’s “Pulse” headquarters, the IOC President symbolically presented invitations to the presidents and representatives of the NOCs of Greece, as the birthplace of the Olympic Games, and of the host countries of recent and upcoming Olympic Games and Youth Olympic Games, as well as the IOC’s Refugee Olympic Team. Speaking at the ceremony, President Bach expressed his excitement at welcoming the world to Paris for what will be a “new era” for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, as the first planned and delivered in line with the reforms of Olympic Agenda 2020, serving as a blueprint that will help shape future editions of the Olympic Games and inspire other major events. He added: “The mission of the Olympic Games is to unite the entire world in peaceful competition. In our fragile world, with conflicts, divisions and wars rising, we need this unifying power more than ever. The Olympic Games must always build bridges of understanding and friendship.” Read the full news release here.
Prior to signing the invitations to the Games, President Bach had a preview of what the world can expect from the Olympic Games Paris 2024, as he visited the Olympic Village with the NOC representatives present in Paris and joined athletes for a boat cruise on the River Seine, replicating some of the experience they will have at the Opening Ceremony.
After a tour of the Village, President Bach joined the unveiling of the official countdown clock by Worldwide Olympic Partner OMEGA on the banks of the Seine (see under “Worldwide Olympic Partners” section) before boarding the boat where athletes had the first opportunity to interact with the Olympic torch, whose design was revealed earlier in the day (see under “Paris 2024” section).
Among the athletes present were Olympic champion Usain Bolt, the iconic sprinter from Jamaica, and French Olympic boxing gold medallist Estelle Mossely. The IOC President was also joined by the Chair of the IOC Coordination Commission for Paris 2024, Pierre-Olivier Beckers; Tony Estanguet; Amélie Oudéa-Castéra; President of Île-de-France region Valérie Pécresse; Anne Hidalgo; and representatives of NOCs which the following day symbolically received invitations to take part in the Games during a ceremony.
During the Olympic Village tour, the IOC President had a glimpse of a day in the life of an athlete during the Games by visiting a fully furnished apartment and other common areas such as the dining hall and the Plaza. Read the full news release here.
On 24 July, the IOC President attended the announcement of the partnership between the Paris 2024 Organising Committee and luxury goods group LVMH. The ceremony was held at the Grand Palais Ephémère, in the presence of LVMH Chairman and CEO Bernard Arnault, Organising Committee President Tony Estanguet, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, the Minister of Sport and the Olympic and Paralympic Games, Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, and LVMH Head of Image and Environment Antoine Arnault.
While in Paris, President Bach met IOC Member and President of the Senegalese NOC Mamadou Diagna Ndiaye. Among other things they discussed the preparations for the Youth Olympic Games Dakar 2026.
On 27 July, President Bach chaired a remote meeting of the IOC Executive Board (EB) from Olympic House. The EB approved the various recommendations made by the IOC Ethics Commission (decision here). The President informed the EB about the latest developments regarding the qualification of Ukrainian athletes for the Olympic Games Paris 2024. He also reported on the successful One Year to Go celebrations for the Olympic Games Paris 2024 and the IOC Invitation Ceremony.
Next week in Lausanne, the IOC President will attend the Swiss National Day celebrations on 1 August, alongside the President of the Swiss Confederation, Alain Berset.
MEMBERS
With one year to go before the Olympic Games Paris 2024, Nawal El Moutawakel, IOC Executive Board member and first Arab African woman to win an Olympic gold medal, is underlining in an opinion piece how women will make history at Paris 2024. Read the full text here.
WORLDWIDE OLYMPIC PARTNERS
OMEGA celebrated one year to go until the Olympic Games Paris 2024 by unveiling the official countdown clock in the French capital. Occupying a prime location beside the River Seine, along which the Opening Ceremony will take place on 26 July 2024, and with the Eiffel Tower providing a stunning backdrop, the eye-catching clock shows visitors the exact number of days, hours, minutes and seconds until the Games begin next year. Marking the occasion, Raynald Aeschlimann, President and CEO of OMEGA, welcomed IOC President Thomas Bach and Tony Estanguet to the site at Port de la Bourdonnais to unveil the clock and set the countdown in motion. Paris 2024 will be the 31st time that OMEGA has been the Official Timekeeper of the Olympic Games. Full news release here.
Deloitte has announced Team Deloitte - an inspiring team of 25 elite athletes – including 19 Deloitte professionals, as well as Deloitte alumni and sponsored athletes – who it will be supporting on the road to the Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024. The Team Deloitte roster includes 12 Olympians and four Paralympians, as well as a host of athletes who are vying for their first appearances at the Olympic or Paralympic Games. The diverse line-up features athletes from across the world, representing 14 countries in 15 different sports. Meet the Team Deloitte athletes here.
INTERNATIONAL FEDERATIONS
SUMMER IFS
International Modern Pentathlon Union (UIPM)
The UIPM has released a new and improved version of its Central app. This is the first update since 2017, and the improved functionality reflects the continuing evolution of modern pentathlon, with the introduction of Obstacle as a new discipline. Full details here.
Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI)
The UCI has revealed the details and results of the tests carried out for all 21 stages of the 2023 Tour de France as part of its programme to combat technological fraud. A total of 997 tests were carried out, and all were negative. Full details here.
World Aquatics
During the World Aquatics General Congress 2023 held in Fukuoka, Japan, on the sidelines of the World Championships, the federation’s members approved a number of key decisions. Headlining these was approval for World Aquatics to relocate the federation’s headquarters from Lausanne, Switzerland, to Budapest, Hungary. The members also approved establishing a World Aquatics Foundation in Lausanne, which will also be the home of the Aquatics Integrity Unit, which became fully operational on 1 January 2023. Full details here.
World Archery (WA)
World Archery has launched #ArcheryinParis, its visual identity to promote archery in the lead-up to, during and in celebration of the Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024, to celebrate one year to go to the Olympics. Over the course of the next 365 days, World Archery will be producing a range of content that will educate, inspire and highlight the performances of archery’s next Olympians and Paralympians. The archery competition in Paris will actually begin with qualification a day before the official start of the event, on Thursday 25 July 2024, due to its city-centre location. More details here. In addition, the 55th World Archery Congress is taking place on 27 and 28 July in Berlin, Germany, just before the 2023 World Archery Championships, which will officially begin qualification for the Olympic Games Paris 2024. On the Congress agenda there will be presentations of some 22 motions to change the World Archery Rulebook and elections for 28 open positions. Full details here.
World Rowing
The Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024 rowing regatta venue in Vaires-sur-Marne, France, will play host to the world’s top Under-19 rowers for the 2023 World Rowing Under-19 Championships. More than 615 athletes from 53 nations will compete at these Championships from 2 to 6 August. More details here.
World Sailing
The 2023 World Sailing Awards will be presented in Málaga, Spain, at a gala event on Tuesday 14 November. The Awards will see the return of the President’s Development Award and the Beppe Croce Trophy, awarded to individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the sport. Málaga will also host the 2023 World Sailing Annual Conference from 13 to 18 November 2023. More info here.
NATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEES
Belgian NOC (BOIC)
On 24 July, the BOIC organised its first-ever “Parents’ Night”: a new initiative to thank parents and celebrate the young athletes taking part in the European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF) in Maribor, Slovenia. More than 150 people joined BOIC President Jean-Michel Saive and CEO Cédric Van Branteghem during this get-together in Maribor. In The BOIC recently created an Athletes’ Entourage Commission, and organising a Parents’ Night during the EYOF fits perfectly with the NOC’s strategy to strengthen the entourage of athletes. Info at www.olympic.be.
Brazilian Olympic Committee (COB)
The COB’s Brazilian Olympic Channel (Canal Olímpico do Brasil) will have the most extensive coverage in its history starting from 20 October, having acquired the rights to broadcast the Santiago 2023 Pan-American Games which will open on 20 October. This coverage will be accessible free of charge on the internet. The production will be in partnership with CazéTV, the godmother of Time Brasil, and available on Time Brasil YouTube. The COB and PanAm Sports are partners in several broadcasts of international sports events, and the Santiago 2023 agreement was signed by the entity’s President and IOC Member, Neven Ilic. Created in December 2020, the Brazilian Olympic Channel has more than 270,000 subscribers and broadcasts major international events in addition to the main competitions of the national sports calendar. More details here.
Sports Federation and Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China (SF&OC)
With the Ulaanbaatar 2023 East Asian Youth Games and the Hangzhou 19th Asian Games fast approaching, the SF&OC recently organised the Flag Presentation Ceremony for the Hong Kong, China delegations. Among the many personalities present at the ceremony was SF&OC President and IOC Honorary Member Timothy Tsun Ting Fok. For the 19th Asian Games (23 September to 8 October), the delegation will consist of 930 people, the biggest in the NOC’s history. At the Ulaanbaatar 2023 East Asian Youth Games (16 to 23 August), more than 200 young athletes aged 15 to 18 will take part. More info here.
Spanish NOC (COE)
On 26 July, the COE held a ceremony to mark the start of the countdown to Paris 2024. On this occasion, COE President Alejandro Blanco, Olympic swimming champion Mireia Belmonte and the Director of Sponsorship, Events and Social Media for Banco Santander, Felipe Martín, jointly activated the countdown clock installed at the COE headquarters. Belmonte is currently preparing to qualify for the Games in Paris. After wishing the Spanish athletes the best of luck for Paris, the COE President highlighted the support provided by Banco Santander for sports development, among other things through the COE Sustainable Sports Event label and reforestation projects. For his part, Felipe Martin announced that five sites will be opened in September, including the Spanish Olympic Forest, as part of the reforestation and carbon emission compensation programme by the Tokyo 2020 medallists. More details here.
ORGANISING COMMITTEES FOR THE OLYMPIC GAMES
PARIS 2024
On 25 July, Paris 2024 unveiled the design of the torch for next year’s Olympic and Paralympic Games. Created by French designer Mathieu Lehanneur, the torch is distinguished first and foremost by its colour, which is both unique and radiant. To reflect the forthcoming Games, Lehanneur also drew inspiration from three Paris 2024 themes: equality, water and peacefulness. Some 2,000 torches will be produced by Games Official Partner ArcelorMittal, five times fewer than for previous editions of the Games, in order to reduce the impact of production. Full news release here.
With the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games set to begin exactly a year from now, LVMH has become a Premium Partner of these Games. The world leader in luxury, LVMH will play a major role by sharing its creativity and craftsmanship for unforgettable moments of celebration throughout the Games. Paris 2024 will entrust several essential roles to artisans from the LVMH Group. These include the design of the Olympic and Paralympic medals by fine jewellery maker Chaumet. The ultimate emblems of the quest for victory and surpassing oneself, the medals are among the iconic symbols and traditions of the Olympic Games. Full news release here.
On 24 July, Paris 2024 revealed the celebration venues and activities to be organised throughout France during the Games. The programme of celebrations has been designed to enable all the regions, all the people of France and fans from all over the world to share in this great, global and popular festival, helped also by the Map of the Games and the Celebration Kit. Full details here.
One year before the Opening Ceremony, 72 pe cent of French people support the organisation of the Games, according to an opinion poll based on a sample of 2,345 people representative of the population in France aged 15 and over. The poll was conducted by Harris Interactive, and was commissioned by the Organising Committee. Full details here.
Brisbane 2032
Last week, Queensland marked nine years to go until the Olympic and Paralympic Games Brisbane 2032 with a weekend of celebrations that saw the Olympic rings and Paralympic Agitos on display in Australia for the first time since the Sydney 2000 Games. More than 30 communities across South-East Queensland organised events over the weekend (22 and 23 July). More info here.
RECOGNISED ORGANISATIONS
Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA)
Click here to read the message of ANOCA President and IOC Member Mustapha Berraf on the occasion of One Year To Go until the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
South American Sports Organisation (ODESUR)
In the framework of the V South American Beach Games Santa Marta 2023, a South American Sustainability Working Group meeting was organised by the Colombian Olympic Committee, with the support of the IOC and ODESUR. The agenda included sessions on environmental sustainability and climate change, measures to achieve a zero carbon approach in sports activities, and best practices presented by the Olympic Committees of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Panamá and Peru, and the IOC. More info here. In addition, ODESUR opened the bidding process for NOCs interested in hosting the VI South American Beach Games in 2027. The deadline for applications is 1 December 2023.