Olympic Highlights 04/11/2024
IOC
PRESIDENT
IOC President Thomas Bach addressed the ANOC General Assembly on its opening day in Cascais, Portugal. He praised the Olympic Games Paris 2024 and the collaboration with the Organising Committee in implementing the reforms of Olympic Agenda 2020, and highlighted the great efforts by Olympic Solidarity to “level the playing field”. He also looked to the future, urging the ANOC delegates to seize the opportunities offered by new technology and particularly artificial intelligence; and he thanked the National Olympic Committees (NOCs) present and told them that the organisation would always have a special place in his heart.
On the subject of this summer’s Olympic Games, President Bach said that they had come at a difficult time for the world, and had been able to show a great example to the world of the unity of humanity, particularly with the participation of athletes from the territories of all 206 NOCs and the Refugee Olympic Team.
“This was the message the world was looking for in a very dangerous geopolitical situation with all the tension, conflicts, aggression and wars we have to face in our world. In this context the Olympic Games and we in the Olympic Movement are the only ones who manage in these difficult times to bring the world together in a peaceful competition.”
He also noted the outstanding work with the Paris 2024 Organising Committee: “This was only possible thanks to the outstanding work of the Organising Committee under the great leadership of Tony Estanguet. This Organising Committee worked very closely and seamlessly with our teams at the IOC from the very beginning. From the conceptual phase it was always fully aligned with our Olympic Agenda reforms; Games that are younger, more urban, more inclusive and sustainable.”
The unifying and peace message of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 resonated around the world, as evidenced by the fact that they were followed by more than half of the world’s population.
President Bach outlined the success of Olympic Solidarity’s support to level the playing field for Olympic sport, with 91 NOCs winning medals, several winning their first medals, and some even a first gold medal. In all, there were 599 Olympic scholarship-holders at the Olympic Games Paris 2024, and between them they won 75 medals.
“We have to level the playing field for all your athletes. We can invite them to come to the Games but this is not the ultimate goal; the ultimate goal is to make them competitive, to level the playing field and to close the gap, or at least to narrow the gap between the privileged countries and less privileged countries.”
President Bach also told the delegates that in the Olympic Movement there is no global south or global north; there is just the Olympic Movement. “In our Olympic Movement we are all equal because we not only respect each other, we live in solidarity with each other. When you are competing, and everyone wants to win and you still respect each other, this makes respect a value. But this respect is not enough for us; we want to level the playing field, and for this we also need solidarity.”
President Bach informed them that IOC had increased the funding for Olympic Solidarity programmes by 10 per cent to USD 650 million, to show that it was “walking the talk”.
The success of the Olympic Games in uniting the world and the increased budget for Olympic Solidarity to level the playing field were taking place at a time when a new world order was in the making, the President explained.
“In the making of this new world order, we in the Olympic Movement have only one role to play, and this is to be the unifying factor and not to take sides with regard to the emerging geopolitical blocks, but to be open to all of them and to offer all of them what sport has to offer to any society. This is our contribution to a peaceful society and the mission of the Olympic Games.”
The IOC President then turned to the fast-changing world, and particularly the changes in technology and artificial intelligence (AI) and the need to take full advantage of these.
“There we have a great opportunity and some risks to face, but if we are not seizing the opportunities we will have risks alone. If we are not proactive in studying what AI can do for sport, and if we are not doing it, others will do it for us, and then we are at great risk of losing the soul of sport. Then it will only be about the commercial and political interests. They will not care about our values. It would only be an advantage to a small handful of richer countries,” he warned.
He urged the delegates to be ahead of the curve.
“This is why we have taken the initiative with our Olympic Artificial Intelligence Agenda to initiate development of AI products, and always with one goal: to make it accessible to all athletes.”
In closing, the President thanked the NOCs and ANOC. He told them that, “I still feel like one of you because, when I was elected IOC President, I was sitting here amongst you.
“Right now I would like to say how grateful I am for your support and the many beautiful moments we shared together and the very many initiatives we started together.”
“You will always have a special place in my heart,” he added.
The President was also a guest at the ANOC Annual Awards Ceremony where athletes and members of the Olympic Community are recognised for their contribution to the Olympic Movement.
During the ceremony President Bach was able to present an award to IOC Member Anita DeFrantz that was accepted on her behalf by the President of the United States Olympic Committee Gene Sykes. Following the award, President Bach said: “Her unwavering dedication and pioneering efforts in the world of sport have inspired countless athletes around the globe. This award is a well-deserved recognition of her lifelong commitment and huge achievements.”
During the General Assembly the President also met a large number of IOC and NOC Members.
OTHER OLYMPIC NEWS
The IOC’s Olympic Values Education Programme (OVEP) reached a major milestone last week: now in its third year of implementation in India, OVEP has engaged more than 12 million children across the country. To mark the occasion, the Olympic Museum, which manages the programme, welcomed children and teachers from Assam, India, to Lausanne, Switzerland, one year after OVEP was implemented in their state. The delegation, organised through the Abhinav Bindra Foundation Trust (ABFT), participated in the museum’s 43rd annual Olympic Week, which features sports and cultural activities for kids. The IOC first partnered with the State Government of Odisha and ABFT to launch OVEP in India in 2022. The goal was to grow the Olympic Movement by integrating the Olympic values into the education system and fostering physical fitness, sporting spirit and social cohesion, with an emphasis on sport-integrated learning – both within and beyond the classroom. Full info here.
Harnessing sport and the Olympic values to break down stereotypes and promote positive mental health in a country with a pervasive gender gap is the core mission of Kids Play International – Rwanda (KPR), one of 10 projects supported by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as part of the Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024 international legacy programme. Find out more about the project here.
INTERNATIONAL FEDERATIONS
RECOGNISED IFS
Union Internationale Motonautique (UIM)
Delegates from all over the world assembled in Amsterdam for the 97th UIM General Assembly. The GA meeting, chaired by UIM President Dr. Raffaele Chiulli, marked the end of a week-long series of Commission reviews of the racing season and related aspects such as progress achieved in terms of sustainability goals. The discussions within the expert Commissions culminated in the approval of the new Sporting Regulations for the 2025 season by the UIM Council. Full info here.
NATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEES
Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee (CTOC)
The CTOC successfully held its Athlete Forum, which brought together elite athletes, both active and retired, to share their experiences and insights and learn topics for athletes that IOC has been advocating. Also, this year's forum centred around the theme of "Building a Safe and Respectful Sports Environment for Athletes," focusing on athlete rights protection, mental health, and the use of AI technology to prevent harassment.
Over eighty attendees including active and retired athletes from junior college, university and training centre gathered to discuss issues on athlete’s immediate interests, such as the IOC's promotion of safeguarding and integrity for athletes and strategies to combat cyberbullying and protect athletes' mental health.
The CTOC also held the 47th Olympic Academy Seminar in Kenting, bringing together a total of 90 young participants under the theme of “The Athlete in Modern Society: Inspiring & Fostering Unity”. Notable guests include Isidoros Kouvelos, President of the International Olympic Academy (IOA), Asimakis Asimakopoulos, IOA Director, Prof. Dionysios Gangas, Advisor to the IOA President, and Alexandra Karaiskou, Senior Manager. They engaged directly with participants during the opening ceremony and throughout the seminar, offering unique insights and opportunities for participants to interact with world-class Olympic education professionals. Info at www.tpenoc.net
ORGANISING COMMITTEES FOR THE OLYMPIC GAMES
LOS ANGELES 2028
Los Angeles has unveiled its newest sporting marvel - the Arena in Inglewood, which will be used for the basketball competitions at the Olympic Games LA28. Built as home to the LA Clippers basketball team, they opened their NBA season in the venue last week in front of an 18,000- capacity crowd. This provided a taste of what’s to come for Olympic fans in 2028 - a unique and innovative game-day experience. Full info here.
RECOGNISED ORGANISATIONS
World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)
WADA announced that it has renewed agreements with the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture of the Republic of South Africa and the Western Cape Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport for the hosting of WADA’s Africa Office, which has been in Cape Town since 2003. Full news release here.