Olympic Highlights of the Week

IOC Announces Olympic Highlights of the Week

On 28 June in Lausanne, IOC President Jacques Rogge met a delegation from the City of Lausanne, led by Mayor Daniel Brélaz.

(PRWEB) June 29, 2012

IOC ACTIVITIES
PRESIDENT
On 28 June in Lausanne, IOC President Jacques Rogge met a delegation from the City of Lausanne, led by Mayor Daniel Brélaz.

This weekend, President Rogge will be in Kiev (Ukraine), attending the final of the Euro 2012 football championships between Spain and Italy, in the Olympic Stadium.

MEMBERS
Nawal El Moutawakel was named Chevalier de l’Ordre national of Benin at the 18th African Athletics Championships, being held from 26 June to 1 July in Cotonou.

Sergey Bubka has been selected for the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF)’s Hall of Fame. An Olympic pole vault champion in 1988 in Seoul and six-time world champion, Bubka is currently an IAAF Vice-President, like Sebastian Coe, the Chairman of London 2012, who has also been selected for the Hall of Fame. Bubka and Coe join Irena Szewinska on the list of 24 athletes selected. The induction ceremony will take place on 24 November 2012 in Barcelona (Spain) during the IAAF Centenary Gala.

OTHER NEWS
The IOC and the NOC of Panama met on 25 June in Lausanne. The main purpose of this meeting was to follow up on the IOC visit to Panama in April and to consider the next steps in assisting the NOC of Panama to clarify its internal situation in view of the next NOC elections, which will be held in December 2012.

The IOC, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and Samsung, one of the IOC’s TOP partners, have launched a major two-year programme to distribute sports kits to over 15,000 young refugees in 20 countries in Asia, Africa and America. Last week, the programme was launched in India (New Delhi) and South Africa (Cape Town and Limpopo province), where more than 17,000 and 59,000 young asylum-seekers and refugees respectively will benefit from the distribution of sports kits.

The IOC has launched an innovative TV spot as part of its “Show Your Best” global campaign and video competition to help build involvement with the Olympic Movement among young people and create the next generation of Olympic fans. This spot will be broadcast before Olympic events in the stadiums throughout the London Games, including at the Opening Ceremony, and at LiveSites across the UK. It will also appear on the IOC’s YouTube channel and other social media sites.

INTERNATIONAL SPORTS FEDERATIONS
SUMMER IFS
The schedule for the men’s and women’s handball competitions at the London Games has recently been unveiled. This indicates the dates on which the teams will compete in the preliminary rounds of the tournament at the Copper Box in the Olympic Park.

The International Tennis Federation (ITF) has announced the full list of participants – representing 45 nations – for the London Games tennis events from 28 July to 5 August at the All England Club in Wimbledon. Sixty-five players will compete in the singles event. Thirty-two teams will take part in the (men’s and women’s) doubles events. Mixed doubles will be on the Olympic programme for the first time since 1924, with 16 teams.

The International Sailing Federation (ISAF) has announced that 63 nations will be represented in the London Games sailing competition. In total, 380 athletes will compete in the Olympic events.

The International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) has unveiled the schedule for the Olympic tournament in London this summer. The women’s competition will begin on 28 June at Earls Court, with Japan against Algeria. For the men, the competition will start the next day with Great Britain versus Bulgaria.

WINTER IFS
The International Ski Federation (FIS) has announced the death of Swedish cross-country legend Nils “Mora-Nisse” Karlsson at the age of 94. Karlsson won the famous Vasaloppet 90km-race - the finish of which was in his home town of Mora - nine times. He was Olympic champion in the 50km event in 1948 in St Moritz. During his career, he won 17 individual titles in the Swedish championships.

In addition, the FIS Congress met recently in Kangwonland (Republic of Korea), and affiliated Eritrea, Haiti, the British Virgin Islands, Palestine and Togo as associate members of the FIS.

NATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEES
In Bogota, Olympic Day on 23 June brought together many children, accompanied by their parents, who took part in various activities offered by the Colombian NOC. They were also able to have photos taken with athletes qualified for the 2012 Games, climbing the podium in front of a poster of the London Olympic Stadium. Everyone went home with an Olympic Day diploma.

On 23 June, thousands of youngsters celebrated Olympic Day at the Costa Rican NOC headquarters. Numerous activities were on offer such as climbing, trampolining, clown face painting, and races around the NOC gardens. All the children wore Olympic Day T-shirts. On the same day, in the presence of the President of the Republic, Laura Chinchilla Miranda, the Costa Rican delegations who will compete at the Olympic and Paralympic Games in London officially swore an oath to their country. Marathon runner Gabriela Traña Trigueros will be the delegation’s flag-bearer at the Opening Ceremony on 27 July.

In the June edition of the “ANOCA Update”, the newsletter from the Association of the NOCs of Africa (ANOCA), it is reported that the National Youth and Sports Institute of Côte d’Ivoire recently received sports equipment from the NOC of Germany. A ceremony was held at the Côte d’Ivoire NOC headquarters in the presence of Thomas Bach, German NOC President and IOC Vice-President, as well as Lassana Palenfo, Côte d’Ivoire NOC President and an IOC member. This donation comprised sports equipment for athletics, football, basketball, volleyball and handball.

This year, the French NOC wanted to incorporate Olympic Day into its Sporting and Cultural Olympic Programme, by inviting its overseas territories to take part in various ways. With a London Games theme, the 2012 edition was organised by 22 departmental committees, 7 regional committees and one territorial committee, bringing together thousands of participants.

The Hellenic NOC and the National Olympic Academy organised an Olympic Day celebration on 23 June in Thessaloniki. Also on the programme were cycling and rowing races. Olympians gave speeches to the participants of all ages. A collection of equipment and clothes was organised to benefit those in need.

The Olympic Day Run was a great success in Hong Kong. Organised on 24 June, it brought together 5,000 people who responded to the invitation by the NOC of Hong Kong. Also taking part were 23 teams made up of sponsors, partners, national sports associations and athletes. Lucky draws, games, marching bands, dancing and rope skipping were also on the programme of festivities.

The “Honesty in Sport” contest, launched by the Giulio Onesti Foundation, in collaboration with the Italian NOC and the Ministry for Education, Universities and Research, saw hundreds of pieces of artistic expression historical document work produced by schools across the country. The winners were a school from Mantua, with a rap inviting people to share the values of sport, and a school from Catania, with a painting which, symbolically, stamps out doping. The winners were received on 22 June in Rome at the CONI headquarters, by the President of the Franco Carraro Foundation. Their prize was a trip to London during the Games for five of them.

On the same day, at a ceremony organised at the Quirinal Palace, the President of the Republic, Giorgio Napolitano, presented the national flag to Valentina Vezzali, the Olympic delegation’s flag-bearer for London, and Oscar De Pellegrin, the Paralympic flag-bearer. Some 80 athletes from the London Olympic delegation attended the ceremony, as did CONI President Gianni Petrucci among others. Giorgio Napolitano also awarded the Order of Sporting Merit to four athletes who competed at the London 1948 Games: Franco Faggi and Giuseppe Moioli (rowing), Carlo Monti (athletics) and Giovanni Rocca (flag-bearer).

In the framework of the Olympic Day “festas” organised by the Japanese NOC, the city of Iwaki (Fukushima Prefecture), celebrated Olympic Day on 23 June (photo). It was the 16th event out of the 60 that will be held by the end of 2013 with the slogan “Smiles Come from Sports”, sponsored by the IOC/Olympic Council of Asia “Tsubasa” support project.

To date, 5,000 children have taken part in these “festas” across the whole of Japan. These events are aimed at supporting children affected by the earthquake of March 2011. Besides collecting funds and equipment, the NOC launched a five-year project to send Olympic and Paralympic athletes to young people in the affected areas. This Sports Kokoro Project is set to visit 542 schools and put smiles on the faces of some 46,000 schoolchildren.

On 23 June in Ulaanbaatar, the Mongolian NOC celebrated Olympic Day, its 50th anniversary and Mongolian Athletes’ Day. Many personalities were present, including Head of State Ts. Elbegdorj, Deputy Prime Minister M. Enkhbold, NOC President Demchigjav Zagdsuren and IOC honorary member Shagdarjav Magvan. The Head of State handed the national flag to marathon runner B. Ser-Od, flag-bearer for London. Some 29 Mongolian athletes will compete at the Games this summer.

On 24 June, over 5,000 people took part in the 25th Olympic Day Run organised by the Peruvian NOC and the Peruvian Sports Institute, under the patronage of Samsung Peru. Those present included NOC President Jose Quiñones González, the Institute’s President, Francisco Boza Dibos, and IOC member Iván Dibos. On this same day, the winners of the 22nd Drawing and Painting Contest received their prizes. On 30 June, a race will also take place in 21 cities across the country, with the participation of over 10,000 people.

In the June edition of the “ANOCA Update”, we learned that, to celebrate Olympic Day, the São Tome and Principe NOC decided to organise a series of events from 21 to 24 June. Besides the purely sports activities, the other highlight was the inauguration of the new NOC headquarters, a library and a large open space for leisure and sports activities.

For more information, please contact the IOC Media Relations Team.

London 2012 Olympic Highlights

IOC Announces Olympic Highlights of the Week

On 15 May, IOC President Jacques Rogge was in Rome, where he met the President of the Italian Republic, Giorgio Napolitano.

(PRWEB) May 17, 2012

IOC ACTIVITIES
PRESIDENT
On 15 May, IOC President Jacques Rogge was in Rome, where he met the President of the Italian Republic, Giorgio Napolitano.

President Rogge then went to the Italian NOC headquarters to receive the “Giulio Onesti” Prize, awarded by Onesti Foundation, whose President is IOC member Franco Carraro. This Prize was presented to him by IOC Vice-President Mario Pescante, in the presence of other IOC members Ottavio Cinquanta and Francesco Ricci Bitti, IOC honorary member Manuela Di Centa as well as NOC President Gianni Petrucci and Secretary General Raffaele Pagnozzi.

On this occasion the “Giulio Onesti Lo Sport Italiano” book was officially presented, which was published to mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of the man who was President of the NOC and an IOC member.

MEMBERS
As President of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Philip Craven received the Order of Friendship from acting Russian Deputy Prime Minister, Dmitry Kozak, for his outstanding contribution to developing the Paralympic Movement. It was presented to him during a visit to Moscow and Sochi in the framework of the preparations for the Sochi 2014 Winter Games.

OTHER NEWS
Collectors from across the world will be in Athens (Greece) from 17 to 20 May for the 18th World Olympic Collectors’ Fair. Organised by the IOC and the Greek NOC, the Fair will coincide with the ceremony to hand over the Olympic flame by the Greek NOC to the Organising Committee for the London Games, which will take place in the Panathinaiko Stadium on 17 May 2012.

INTERNATIONAL SPORTS FEDERATIONS
SUMMER IFS
To mark the centenary of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), Beijing (People’s Republic of China), which will host the 15th World Championships in 2015, organised a special event for young people on 13 May. Some 100 12 year-olds, split into 50 mixed teams of two runners, took part in a 100m relay race on a 50m track specially laid in the Central Piazza of the Olympic Park, in the shadow of the famous Bird’s Nest Stadium. This relay was organised jointly by the IAAF, Chinese Athletics Association, Beijing Municipal Bureau of Sports and Beijing Sports Competitions Administration Centre.

The 7th edition of the Women’s World Boxing Championships are being staged till 20 May in Qinhuangdao (People’s Republic of China), with a record number of participants (343) and countries represented (77). This International Boxing Association (AIBA) competition is also an Olympic qualifying tournament for three categories (flyweight, lightweight and middleweight).

The International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) has just announced the death of Swiss gymnast Jean Tschabold on 29 April at the age of 86. Tschabold was a member of the Swiss “Dream Team” in the 1950s, coached by Arthur Gander, the “father” of the modern Code of Points and former FIG President. This team obtained the greatest victories for Switzerland of all time in artistic gymnastics, with a world championship title in Basle in 1950, a silver medal at the Helsinki Games in 1952, and a bronze medal at the worlds in Rome in 1954.

The International Rugby Board (IRB) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Chinese city of Guangzhou and the Chinese Rugby Football Association. This MoU is designed to jointly foster the game and give structure to rugby’s growth in the Guangzhou region, with all parties giving their full commitment to making sure the game goes from strength to strength in one of rugby’s most exciting emerging markets.

With a little over two months until the London Games, the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) has confirmed the names of the 16 teams (eight men’s and eight women’s) who have qualified. Find out which athttp://www.fivb.org. There are still four places for both men’s and women’s teams to be allocated in the upcoming qualification tournaments.

WINTER IFS
From 27 May to 2 June, Kangwonland (Republic of Korea) will host the 48th International Ski Congress of the International Ski Federation (FIS). On the agenda is the election of the 16 members of the FIS Council for 2012-14. As at 1 May, the FIS member national associations had put forward 19 candidates.

NATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEES
Joachim Gauck, the recently elected President of the Federal Republic of Germany, has taken over the patronage of the German NOC and Sports Confederation. At a meeting with NOC President and IOC Vice-President Thomas Bach, the Head of State underlined the value-based policies and the full autonomy of the 28-million member organisation. He highlighted the great importance of sport for society and thanked Thomas Bach for the many activities linked to integration, health, education and tolerance.

The Chinese NOC has informed us that its President, Liu Peng, met IOC member Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr on 9 May. Their discussions focused on the London Games, China-Spain relations in the fields of sport and culture, the development of Olympism, and Sport for All. Some weeks beforehand, Chinese NOC Vice-President Yang Shu’an received British Immigration Minister Damien Green, with whom he addressed the issue of entry procedures as well as preparations for the 2012 Games and the Chinese Olympic delegation.

The NOC of the Cook Islands has just informed us of the death of its President, Geoffrey Henry, on 9 May in Takamoa, Rarotonga. He had also been Prime Minister and President of the Parliament of the Cook Islands.

At the end of April, the Guatemalan NOC organised a training workshop on the 3x3 basketball project run by two instructors from the International Basketball Federation (FIBA). Taking part in this were coaches, physical education teachers and referees representing 24 educational and sporting institutions. At the closing ceremony, NOC President Sergio Arnoldo Camargo Muralles underlined the importance of this project in the development of basketball at national level.

On 6 May, i.e. two days before the lighting of the 2012 Games flame at Olympia, the Olympic torch arrived in Israel for the very first time. TOP Partner Samsung delivered a torch, which was presented to the media in the presence of Israeli NOC President Zvi Varshaviak, Secretary General Efraim Zinger, Honorary Treasurer Arie Zeif and Samsung Marketing CEO Barack Fallachi. The torch was unveiled by Israel’s first Olympic medallist, judoka Yael Arad, and judoka Alice Schlesinger, who has qualified for London. The same day, the NOC organised Olympic Day in Haifa. The programme included a meeting between the NOC President and Secretary General, accompanied by five athletes from the Israeli delegation for London 2012, with pupils from two schools. The children were pleased to be photographed with the Olympic torch, specially brought to Haifa for this occasion. The day ended with a race in the city in which over 10,000 runners of all ages took part.

On 11 and 12 May, Italian NOC President Giovanni Petrucci and Secretary General Raffaele Pagnozzi welcomed Thomas Bach, on a visit to Rome for the World Modern Pentathlon Championships. Also present were IOC Vice-President Mario Pescante, IOC members Ottavio Cinquanta, Francesco Ricci Bitti, IOC honorary member Manuela Di Centa and the presidents of the baseball and bobsleigh IFs, Riccardo Fraccari and Ivo Ferriani respectively. Their discussions focused on the important dates in international sports policy and the London Games.

At the end of April in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), a continental seminar was held on the Olympic Values Education Programme (OVEP). The aim was to establish a strategic action plan for the region and review the challenges as regards the integration of the OVEP on a national level. Over 100 participants representing 35 NOCs were able to learn more about the OVEP Toolkit. The Honorary Secretary of the Malaysian NOC, Dato’ Sieh Kok Chi, welcomed the participants, followed by opening remarks from IOC Director of International Cooperation and Development Thomas A. Ganda Sithole, NOC Director General Husain Al Musallam and NOC Deputy President Dato’ A. Sani Karim. The themes of the five sessions were: the OVEP and a Sustainable Framework; Talking to Young People; Olympic Values Education – Education Through Olympism; Plan of Action; and Closing Summary.

The Mongolian NOC recently organised “Team Mongolia Introduction Day” in London. The Ambassador for Mongolia in London, B, Altangerel, the shooting and athletics teams, and several representatives from the NOC and the Mongolian community in London were present on this occasion. The aim of this event was to increase the involvement of Mongolians living in the UK to support the national team. So far, 29 Mongolian athletes have already qualified in seven sports.

TOP PARTNERS
Worldwide Olympic Partner Visa is inviting fans around the world to use social networks to “cheer” their favourite Team Visa athletes and to victory at the London Olympic and Paralympic Games, by participating in the “Global Cheer” initiative. This initiative is the core of Visa’s Olympic Games-themed integrated marketing campaign, “Go World”.

RECOGNISED ORGANISATIONS
The Organising Committee of the “Sports Movies and TV 2012 - 30th International Festival” has declared that submissions to participate in the Festival are open. This Festival will take place from 5 to 9 December 2012 in Milan (Italy), at the end of 14 other festivals that will take place on the five continents. It will be placed under the slogan “FICTS Is Culture Through Sport”.

For more information, please contact the IOC Media Relations Team.

London Olympics Highlights of the Week

IOC Announces Olympic Highlights of the Week

On 7 May at the Kremlin, in Moscow (Russian Federation), IOC President Jacques Rogge attended the investiture ceremony of Vladimir Putin as President of the Russian Federation. The President was accompanied by IOC members Jean-Claude Killy, Chairman of the Coordination Commission for the Sochi Games, and René Fasel, a member of the same Commission.

(PRWEB) May 15, 2012

IOC ACTIVITIES
PRESIDENT
On 7 May at the Kremlin, in Moscow (Russian Federation), IOC President Jacques Rogge attended the investiture ceremony of Vladimir Putin as President of the Russian Federation. The President was accompanied by IOC members Jean-Claude Killy, Chairman of the Coordination Commission for the Sochi Games, and René Fasel, a member of the same Commission.

Back in Lausanne, President Rogge met the following people this week: Mamadou Diagna Ndiaye, President of the NOC of Senegal, and IOC members Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah and Ung Chang.

On 10 May, President Rogge attended the Olympic flame-lighting ceremony for the Games in London, in front of the Temple of Hera at Olympia (Greece). Also present at this ceremony were IOC members Lambis V. Nikolaou, Denis Oswald, Craig Reedie, Alex Gilady, Gunilla Lindberg, Carlos Arthur Nuzman and José Perurena; IOC honorary member King Constantine; the President of the Hellenic Olympic Committee, Spyros Capralos; and the Chairman of the Organising Committee for the 2012 Games, Sebastian Coe.

MEMBERS
Joseph S. Blatter has been awarded with the Republic of Algeria’s National Order of Merit, which was presented to him by the Minister of Youth and Sport, Hachemi Djiar, on behalf of the President of the Republic, Abdelaziz Bouteflika.

Philip Craven received the “Lifetime Achievement” award at the 2012 Sport Industry Awards held in London (Great Britain). This prize was presented to him in recognition of his important contribution and commitment to British sport.

COMMISSIONS
On 7 May in Vidy, the International Relations Commission held a meeting. The International Olympic Truce Foundation also held its annual meeting.

The following day, President Rogge greeted the members of the Sport and Environment Commission.

MISCELLANEOUS
On 8 May, IOC and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) signed an extension to their agreement, under the terms of which the IOC will continue to provide support to the IPC and the Paralympic Games through to 2020. The present agreement, which is in force until 2016, has thus been extended to cover the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang and the 2020 Games of the Olympiad.

This summer, a special philately exhibition presented by the IOC at the British Library will give life to the history and symbolism of the Olympic Games and to personal anecdotes concerning the Games. “Olympex 2012: Olympic Collections” is an exhibition which will include stamps, postcards, letters, programmes and plans, shining a unique spotlight on past and present Olympic Games.

INTERNATIONAL SPORTS FEDERATIONS
SUMMER IFS
In a recent press release, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) announced that 478 athletes representing 64 IAAF member federations – a record – will participate, on 12 and 13 May 2012, in the World Race Walking Cup in Saransk (Russian Federation).

At its meeting last weekend in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Central Board took several decisions. It this awarded the organisation of the 2013 edition of the Men’s Under-19s World Championships to the Czech Republic (27 June-7 July), while the women’s 2013 edition will take place in Lithuania (19-28 July).

The last Olympic qualification boxing tournament for the 2012 Games started on 5 May in Rio de Janeiro. A total of 177 of the best boxers from 33 countries on the American continent are competing until 12 May to obtain a place among the 38 remaining for participation in the Games in London. This tournament will take place in Maracanazinho, which will host boxing at the Games in 2016.

The official draw for the men’s and women’s Olympic water polo teams has taken place at the London Aquatic Centre. This draw was conducted by, among others, the Fédération Internationale de Natation (FINA) Executive Bureau: President Julio César Maglione, Honorary Secretary Paolo Barelli, Honorary Treasurer Pipat Paniangvait and Executive Director Cornel Marculescu.

The 2nd FINA World Aquatics Convention will be held in Moscow from 29 October to 1 November 2012. Its theme will be “Aquatics for all: Developing and Performing for Excellence”.

The 52nd Modern Pentathlon World Championships, which will be held from 7 to 13 May in Rome (Italy), will also be a qualification event for the Games in London. More than 200 pentathletes will participate. The top three athletes who have not already qualified will all obtain direct qualification for London.

The International Tennis Federation (ITF) has launched a Spanish version of its website dedicated to the Olympic tennis tournament, which will be held at the Wimbledon All England Club from 28 July to 5 August 2012. Seehttp://www.itftennis.com/olimpiadas. This website will be supported by Spanish social media initiatives on Twitter (@tenisolimpico) and Facebook (tenisolimpicoitf).

NATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEES
In the framework of the upcoming Games in London, the Albanian NOC organised, in April, various activities on the theme of “Sport and the Olympic values” in two towns in the north of the country, Kukes and Peshkopi. A great number of people from both towns got involved, in collaboration with the regional Olympic Committees. Some 700 children from six schools in Kukes took part, while in Peshkopi the main activity took place in the Palace of Sport, where 2,000 spectators watched almost 500 children perform.

The Australian Olympic team’s uniform for the Opening Ceremony has recently been revealed. Seven top athletes took to the catwalk during Sydney Fashion Week. This is the first time in Australia’s Olympic history that this uniform has been revealed before the Games by the Australian NOC. The models-for-a-day were: Olympic gold medal-winning swimmer Libby Trickett, basketball players Adam Gibson and Lauren Jackson, rower Sarah Tait and kayakers Naomi Flood, Murray Stewart and Kynan Maley.

The NOC of Cameroon has launched an Advanced Sports Management Course (ASMC) for heads of national sports federations and administration managers of sports associations and clubs. Running for six months (May to September 2012), this course will start on 15 May at the NOC headquarters.

We have just learnt that, on 25 April, the NOC of Guatemala celebrated its 65th anniversary. This ceremony was presided over by the NOC Executive Board and NOC President Sergio Arnoldo Camargo Muralles, in the presence of the members of the Central American and Caribbean Sports Organisation (CACSO) Board. Numerous awards were presented on this occasion: to NOC staff members, coaches and former presidents of sports associations and federations. As for the NOC’s Olympic Order, it was awarded to two former NOC Presidents, Fernando Beltranena and Alejandro Giamattei.

ORGANISING COMMITTEES FOR THE OLYMPIC GAMES
LONDON 2012
On 5 May, the London Olympic Stadium was officially inaugurated. Nine-year-old Niamh Clarke-Willis, from Hackney in east London, was lucky enough to be chosen to declare open the newly built venue, alongside the London Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) Chairman, Sebastian Coe. Clarke-Willis and Coe pushed the button that released balloons into the sky in front of the 40,000 spectators attending this opening, which consisted of laser shows and performances by former Spice Girl Mel C, rapper Chipmunk and comedian Jack Whitehall.

OLYMPIC MUSEUM
The Olympic Museum has become the first Swiss partner of the Google Art Project and is exhibiting over 100 of its items on the http://www.googleartproject.com website. It is thus offering to art enthusiasts and Olympic Games fans from throughout the world a virtual visit retracing more than a century of the history of the modern Games.

For more information, please contact the IOC Media Relations Team.

London Olympic Highlights of the Week

IOC Announces Olympic Highlights of the Week

IOC President Jacques Rogge was in Moscow last week for the joint IOC Executive Board-ANOC Council meeting and the General Assembly of the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC).

(PRWEB) April 20, 2012

IOC ACTIVITIES
PRESIDENT
IOC President Jacques Rogge was in Moscow last week for the joint IOC Executive Board-ANOC Council meeting and the General Assembly of the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC). The opening of the GA was attended by Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who also had a private meeting with IOC President. President Rogge made a keynote speech to the sports ministers attending the 2nd World Olympic Sport Convention in Moscow. The IOC President also attended a reception given by President Dmitry Medvedev in the Kremlin.

Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah of Kuwait, IOC member and President of the Olympic Council of Asia, was voted in as President of ANOC at the opening of its General Assembly in Moscow.

INTERNATIONAL SPORTS FEDERATIONS
SUMMER IFS
The International Boxing Association (AIBA) has announced that the 2013 World Boxing Championships will take place in Kazakhstan. AIBA President and IOC member Ching-Kuo Wu has signed an agreement with the President of the Kazakhstan Boxing Federation (KBF), Timur Kulibayev, confirming Astana as the host city. The AIBA World Boxing Academy is currently being built near Almaty and is expected to be open by the time the 2013 Championships take place.

The International Shooting Sports Federation (ISSF) General Assembly held in London has awarded the 2018 ISSF World Championships in all events to the city of Changwon, Republic of Korea. The ISSF said that the Korean Government had agreed to invest more than USD 30 million to rebuild existing venues and to organise the event. The new compound will feature six shotgun layouts, 100 50m targets and 100 10m targets, 14 25m layouts as well as several running target layouts.

The first event in the International Triathlon Union’s World Triathlon Series has taken place in Sydney. More than 2,500 triathletes took part, including elite participants vying for Olympic qualification.

Participants have arrived in Rostov, Russia, for the International Union of Modern Pentathlon (UIPM) World Cup, which takes place this weekend. The event is the final opportunity for pentathletes to gain valuable ranking points to qualify for the final in Chengdu, China, next month, the key event for Olympic qualification. Rostov is hosting a World Cup for the first time.

A total of 161 athletes from 34 countries are taking part in the International Swimming Federation (FINA) Olympic Games Synchronised Swimming Qualification competition, a five-day event at the aquatics venue in London. Twosynchronised swimming events are on the Olympic programme - duet and team - with six medals on offer. The competition will also serve as a test event and is a key opportunity for the teams to test the pool and familiarise themselves with the venue ahead of the Games.

The qualification process for Asian nations for the International Rugby Board World Cup 2015 has begun in the Philippines. There is strong interest in rugby in Asia following a GBP 9 million investment programme from 2009 to 2012. According to the IRB, there has been an 18 percent increase in rugby participation in Asia since the 2007 World Cup. Japan is due to stage the 2019 Rugby World Cup, the first Asian country to do so.

The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF)’s World Junior Championships in Barcelona, from 10 to 15 July, are on course to become the biggest gathering in terms of participating national IAAF member federations in the history of the Championships. Some 186 IAAF national member federations have indicated they will participate, with around 1,856 athletes competing, compared with the previous high of 176 countries in Beijing in 2006.

WINTER IFS
The 2002 Olympic gold medallist Bent Ånund Ramsfjell has been elected as a Vice-President of the World Curling Federation (WCF) at the Federation’s annual general assembly in Basle. The election of Ramsfjell follows the decision of Patrick Hürlimann, himself an Olympic gold medallist, to step down from the position he had held since 2010 due to work commitments. The next assembly will take place during the inaugural WCF Congress at the Turnberry Resort in Scotland from 16 to 20 October this year.

The second International Skating Union (ISU) World Team Trophy concludes in Tokyo, Japan, this weekend. The event is normally held every two years, however the ISU World Team Trophy 2011 was postponed until 2012 due to the series of natural disasters that struck Japan in March 2011. The next ISU World Team Trophy is due to be held in 2013. The six best national figure skating teams of the 2011/12 season are performing. They are Canada, France, Italy, Japan, Russia and the USA. The ISU World Team Trophy is a competition between six national figure skating teams. Each team has eight skaters - two men, two ladies, one pair and one ice dance couple.

NATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEES
In all, 203 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) and 170 ministers and government sports authorities met in Moscow this week for the 2nd World Olympic Sport Convention. Issues discussed included the importance of good working relations and close collaboration between NOCs and governments for the positive development of the Olympic Movement. Other issues included the critical role NOCs play in the fight against doping and illegal betting; the development of grass-roots sport; the importance of a collaborative high-performance sports system; and the role of sport as a catalyst for improved social and education policies.

Milan Jirasek, President of the Czech NOC, has presented triathlete Tomáš Slavata, a member of the Board of the Czech Fair Play Club, with the IOC Sport and Social Responsibility Trophy. The award recognises Slavata’s efforts to support children from socially-disadvantaged backgrounds and organise events aimed at integrating these children into society and foster a sense of community among young people.

ORGANISING COMMITTEES FOR THE OLYMPIC GAMES
LONDON 2012
The London Games Organising Committee (LOCOG) marked 100 days to go to the start of the Games by unveiling the official slogan: “Inspire a generation”. London 2012 also unveiled the latest “spectacular” installation of Olympic rings, this time at the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew in west London. The rings are 50m long, made up of 20,000 plants and visible from the Heathrow airport flight path. London 2012 also announced that the Red Arrows - the Royal Air Force’s aerobatic team - will perform a flypast across the UK to mark the Opening Ceremony on 27 July.

The Sochi 2014 volunteer team’s participation in the All-Russian volunteer “Youth Train” event has finished. Having covered 5,000km over 10 days and carried out more than five hours of Olympic warm-up in eight Russian cities, the Sochi 2014 volunteer team has returned to Moscow. During the trip to the Russian cities, volunteers explained about the Olympic and Paralympic Movement and organised mobile registration points for anyone who wanted to sign up to become a Sochi 2014 volunteer.

TOP PARTNERS
Worldwide Olympic Partner McDonald’s marked 100 Days to go to the London 2012 Olympic Games this week, with the launch its ‘Champions of Play’ programme. A two-fold scheme developed for children aged 6-14, McDonald’s will bring nearly 200 youngsters from more than 34 countries to the London 2012 Olympic Games for a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Participants will attend Olympic sporting events, meet athletes, tour cultural sights and enjoy a behind-the-scenes look at selected venues. Meanwhile, the Champions of Play Olympic Games Challenge website, to be launched in June, will see Olympians motivate children from all over the world to get active by participating in a series of fun challenges.

London Olympic Highlights of the Week

IOC Announces Olympic Highlights of the Week

IOC President Jacques Rogge arrived in Moscow (Russian Federation) on Thursday for the opening ceremony of the XVIII ANOC General Assembly and the joint IOC Executive Board-ANOC Council meeting this weekend. The IOC President also had a meeting with the President of the Russian Federation, Dmitry Medvedev, and the Prime Minister, Vladimir Putin.

(PRWEB) April 13, 2012

IOC ACTIVITIES
PRESIDENT
IOC President Jacques Rogge arrived in Moscow (Russian Federation) on Thursday for the opening ceremony of the XVIII ANOC General Assembly and the joint IOC Executive Board-ANOC Council meeting this weekend. The IOC President also had a meeting with the President of the Russian Federation, Dmitry Medvedev, and the Prime Minister, Vladimir Putin.

MEMBERS
Carlos Arthur Nuzman, IOC member and the President of the NOC of Brazil and the Rio 2016 Organising Committee, recently opened the Artistic Gymnastics Training Centre in Rio de Janeiro. The facilities are part of the Team Brazil Training Centre and are located in the central area of the Rio Velodrome.

INTERNATIONAL SPORTS FEDERATIONS
SUMMER IFS
The International Swimming Federation (FINA) is staging the Synchronised Swimming Olympic Games Qualification Tournament from 18 to 22 April in London (Great Britain). The three teams to step on to the podium will qualify for the team event at the London Olympic Games. China, Australia, Egypt, Canada and Great Britain have qualified already. Those countries vying for qualification in London include Olympic champion Russia and silver-medallist Spain, with Japan, the USA and Ukraine hoping for a look-in.

The International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) is staging the Rhythmic Gymnastics World Cup in Pesaro (Italy) from 13 to 15 April. This is the fourth edition of the tournament, and will see 50 individual gymnasts competing from 32 countries. The competitions will be broadcast live by Rai Sport on Saturday and Sunday.

More than 300 archers are in Shanghai (People’s Republic of China) for stage 1 of the World Archery Federation World Cup. Competition is expected to be intense as this event forms part of the selection process for Olympic qualification. The Archery World Cup comprises four stages that will allow the top seven athletes per category to qualify for the final in Tokyo (Japan). They will be joined by one wild card from Japan. The other legs will take place in Antalya (Turkey) and Ogden (USA).

New Zealand and Mexico face each other on 13 July, the opening day of the International Softball Federation (ISF)’s 13th Women’s World Championship in Whitehorse, Yukon (Canada). The match is the opener in a 66-game schedule released by the ISF this week. Sixteen countries will compete in the tournament, which will end on 22 July. Other teams participating are: Australia, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, Great Britain, Italy, Japan, Puerto Rico, South Africa, USA and Venezuela, giving representation from all five world regions.

The International Modern Pentathlon Union (UIPM) World Cup began yesterday in Százhalombatta (Hungary). The event, which runs until 15 April, sees 180 athletes battling for World Cup Series points to qualify for the World Cup Final in Chengdu (People’s Republic of China), a key event for 2012 Olympic qualification.

The International Tennis Federation (ITF) has confirmed dates for the 2013 Fed Cup. The competition is the largest annual international team competition in women’s sport, with 90 nations entered in 2012. The World Group and World Group II first round will take place on 9 and 10 February 2013, the World Group semi-finals and World Group and World Group II play-offs will be on 20 and 21 April 2013 and the World Group Final will be played on 2 and 3 November 2013.

The International Rugby Board (IRB)'s anti-doping education programme has broken new ground with all 24 teams in the U18 International Federation of Rugby Amateurs-European Association of Rugby (FIRA-AER) European Championship taking time out to learn about the importance of keeping rugby clean. This was the first time the outreach programme has taken place outside an IRB tournament and involved the youngest players ever to have been educated, all on the verge of playing senior rugby. A pilot project driven by the IRB, with the support of the FIRA-AER, saw the teams attend a presentation, and then complete the WADA anti-doping quiz.

The International Triathlon Union (ITU) World Triathlon Series (WTS) starts on 14 April in Sydney (Australia). This is the third year in a row that Sydney has opened the ITU Series. As one of only three WTS events before the Olympic qualifying period closes, the event will be closely watched to see which NOCs will secure places, and how many, for London.

The 2012 General Assembly of the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) will take place in London on 17 April. The Assembly will coincide with the opening of the Royal Artillery Barracks Olympic shooting venue, which will host a “London Prepares” World Cup from 17 to 29 April. More than 200 delegates from 100 nations will attend the Assembly. Subjects for discussion include the 2014 ISSF World Championship in Granada (Spain), and the 2015 ISSF Shotgun World Championship in Lima (Peru). A draft of the new ISSF Constitution will also be proposed and discussed.

WINTER IFS
The World Curling Federation (WCF) World Senior Curling Championships 2012 will be held from 14 to 21 April in Taarnby (Denmark), with 14 women’s and 23 men’s teams competing for this year’s medals, with events being staged simultaneously at the seven-sheet Taarnby Curling Club in Kastrup, on the outskirts of Copenhagen. This is the 11th edition of formally sanctioned WCF World Senior Curling Championships.

NATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEES
David Douillet, French Sports Minister, and Denis Masseglia, Chairman of the French NOC, inaugurated the International Strategy Committee (CSI) at the Maison Du Sport Français last week. The Committee brings together representatives of the State, the NOC, local authorities and the business world, as well as the French IOC members and IF presidents to discuss matters of importance related to hosting major sporting events in France and France’s presence in international sports institutions. The CSI will create a tool to assess the economic and societal impact generated by the organisation of major sporting events in France. The body will meet every two months.

The Mongolian NOC and the Fencing Association of Mongolia held the opening ceremony for the first-ever National League for the country's top 16 fencers, at the National Youth Theatre last week. Mongolian NOC Vice-President Ts Damdin and Secretary General Oto, as well as D. Surenkhorloo, Vice-Chairman of the State Authority of Physical Education and Sports, and B. Khosbayar, Secretary General of the Fencing Association of Mongolia, attended the ceremony.

The Botswana NOC has been granted permission by the government to bid for the 2nd African Youth Games scheduled for 2014. The African Youth Games are multi-sport competitions for athletes aged 18 or younger, and while a Games in their own right, they also serve as a qualifying platform for young African athletes for the Youth Olympic Games, the next edition of which will be held in Nanjing (People’s Republic of China) in 2014.

Arturas Poviliunas, the President of the Lithuanian NOC, recently presented the IOC's Women and Sport Achievement Diploma to Ona Baboniene, the former Director of the Lithuanian Sports Centre. Ona Baboniene organises Youth Olympic Festivals throughout Lithuania. The award ceremony was held in the presence of numerous guests including staff from the NOC and many media representatives.

RECOGNISED ORGANISATIONS
Nordic skier Nikolay Polukhin has become the third Russian in as many months to win the International Paralympic Committee (IPC)’s Athlete of the Month award, taking home the honours for March. Polukhin won a public vote after a top finish in the men's biathlon visually impaired class at this season's IPC Nordic Skiing World Cup, in which he won all three events in the discipline at the final competition in Vuokatti (Finland) last month.

ORGANISING COMMITTEES FOR THE OLYMPIC GAMES
LONDON 2012
The London Games Organising Committee (LOCOG) Chairman Sebastian Coe and Olympian Jonathan Edwards recently joined young people from Aberdeen, Hull and London celebrating the London 2012 Young Leaders Programme at the British Museum. LOCOG is giving a group of young people the chance to make a positive change to their lives and their communities, culminating in volunteering roles during the Games. The Programme was launched in January 2010 and has featured a two-year training programme designed to improve youngsters’ interpersonal, communications and leadership skills.

SOCHI 2014
The renowned music festival inspired by world-famous Russian pianist Denis Matsuev took place this week in Chelyabinsk as part of the Sochi 2014 Cultural Olympiad. Matsuev gathered a star cast of classical musicians including violinist Sergei Krylov, trumpeter Sergei Nakoryakov and cellist Boris Andrianov, all performing a variety of pieces from different musical genres. The Sochi 2014 Cultural Olympiad is a unique project by the Games organisers, offering the best cultural events in the country. In 2014, visitors to Sochi will be able to experience not only the sporting events and results, but also the cultural diversity of Russia at a number of venues located in Sochi and Krasnaya Polyana.

YOUTH OLYMPIC GAMES
NANJING 2014
The Nanjing Youth Olympic Games Organising Committee (NYOGOC) has staged some auditions as part of the process for assessing proposals for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the 2nd Summer Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing in 2014. Yang Weize, a member of the Jiangsu Provincial Standing Committee, Secretary of the Nanjing Municipal Committee and Executive Chairman of NYOGOC, attended the event. NYOGOC will select proposals it deems best showcase the characteristics of Nanjing and the creative potential of the teams.

For more information, please contact the IOC Media Relations Team.

London Olympic Highlights of the Week

IOC Announces Olympic Highlights of the Week

On 3 April, IOC President Jacques Rogge participated in the presentation of the temporary Museum to the press, in the presence of Lausanne city councillors Olivier Français and Marc Vuilleumier, Lausanne Mayor Daniel Brélaz and representatives of the Canton of Vaud Jacqueline de Quattro and Sylviane Klein. This Museum will be hosted on the Helvétie, a paddle steamer moored on the lake in front of the Olympic fountain.

(PRWEB) April 05, 2012

IOC ACTIVITIES
PRESIDENT
On 3 April, IOC President Jacques Rogge participated in the presentation of the temporary Museum to the press, in the presence of Lausanne city councillors Olivier Français and Marc Vuilleumier, Lausanne Mayor Daniel Brélaz and representatives of the Canton of Vaud Jacqueline de Quattro and Sylviane Klein. This Museum will be hosted on the Helvétie, a paddle steamer moored on the lake in front of the Olympic fountain.

MEMBERS
René Fasel has been awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Hangyang University (Republic of Korea) in recognition of his important contribution to sports culture. A member of the IOC Coordination Commission for the 2018 Games in PyeongChang, he received this honour during the Commission’s first visit to the host city.

Timothy Tsun Ting Fok was re-elected President of the Sports Federation and Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China at the 61st NOC General Assembly, held in Olympic House.

OTHER NEWS
On 29 March, the IOC announced the name of the first winner of the “Show Your Best” competition. He is Ryan Celestain from Tulsa, Oklahoma (USA). Thanks to his video, this American triathlete has won a trip to the 2012 Olympic Games in London. Extracts from his video will appear in an advertising spot which will be broadcast at the venues and throughout the world during the Games.

INTERNATIONAL SPORTS FEDERATIONS
SUMMER IFS
The International Swimming Federation (FINA) has informed us that the city of Edmonton (Canada) is hosting the men’s water polo Olympic qualification tournament from 1 to 8 April. Twelve national teams will take part, and the four which reach the semi-finals will qualify for the Olympic tournament in London, which will take place from 29 July to 12 August.

The International Modern Pentathlon Union (UIPM) has informed us that the current world champion, Victoria Tereshuk has been named Ukrainian Sportswoman of the Year. Victoria Tereshuk thus follows in the footsteps of another pentathlete, Lithuania’s Laura Asadauskaite, who was named 2011 Athlete of the Year in her country. Tereshuk has qualified for the Games in London, where she hopes to win her first Olympic title.

On 1 April, the International Archery Federation (FITA) became the World Archery Federation (WA). At its 2011 Congress, a large majority of the delegates approved this name-change.

NATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEES
In Sydney, the Presidents of the Australian and Hungarian NOCs, respectively John Coates and Zsolt Borkai, recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding between their two institutions. Under the terms of this agreement, the two National Olympic Committees will share knowledge, experiences and staff in fields such as research, sports science, education and medicine.
We have just learnt that the IOC “Sport and Social Responsibility” Trophy was presented, at the start of March in Brussels, to the InBev-Baillet Latour Fund, in the presence of the members of the Belgian NOC’s Administration Board. The President of the InBev-Baillet Latour Fund received the trophy from President Rogge, in the presence of NOC President Pierre-Olivier Beckers.

On 20 March, a meeting was held at the headquarters of the NOC of Spain between NOC President Alejandro Blanco; the President of the High Council for Sport, Miguel Cardenal; and the Director General of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), David Howman. IOC member Marisol Casado also took part. The objective of the meeting was to coordinate the three institutions’ activities in the area of the fight against doping.

The NOC of Indonesia recently distributed the funds from a special Olympic Solidarity grant, aimed at preparing athletes for the Games in London. This programme is supported by the IOC and the Olympic Council of Asia through their respective Olympic Solidarity programmes. NOC President Rita Subowo, who is also an IOC member, distributed the grants to those athletes most likely to win a medal at the Games in London, among whom were badminton players and weightlifters. The ceremony took place at the NOC headquarters in Senayan, Jakarta.

IOC Worldwide Partner Procter & Gamble (P&G) signed an agreement on 27 March with the Lithuanian NOC, whose President is Arturas Poviliunas. P&G will participate in the NOC’s “Young Athletes Support Programme”, which aims to promote sport among young people in Lithuania through the “Help Support future Olympians of Lithuania” campaign, which will run from 1 April to 30 June 2012.

The first Mongolian national fencing (first level) instructors’ course is taking place until 5 April in Ulaanbaatar. Organised jointly by the International Fencing Federation (FIE), the Fencing Confederation of Asia (FCA), the NOC of Mongolia and the Fencing Association of Mongolia, this course has brought together some 30 participants from national physical education and sports universities. Ts. Damdin, NOC Vice-President, attended the opening ceremony. This week, the Fencing Association of Mongolia launched its very first national fencing league at an opening ceremony held at the National Academic Drama Theatre in Ulaanbaatar.

The Peruvian NOC, whose President is José Quiñones González, and the Peruvian Sports Institute have held a ceremony at which the best athletes of 2011 were awarded the “Antorcha Olímpica” [Olympic Torch] and “Colibrí de Plata” [Silver Hummingbird] trophies. This ceremony brought together all the members of the sports family at the national stadium. Sports federation leaders, coaches and athletes mingled with several ministers of state, including the Education Minister, Patricia Salas. The top prize was awarded to karateka Alexandra Grande Risco, named Sportswoman of 2011.

OLYMPIC MUSEUM
From 5 April, some of The Olympic Museum’s collections can be seen aboard the Helvétie, the prestigious boat belonging to the Compagnie Générale de Navigation and specially transformed into a floating museum, moored on the lake in Ouchy, Lausanne. However, this temporary Museum is not the only place where The Museum’s collections can be seen during the closure period of The Olympic Museum. In a few months’ time, on the occasion of the Olympic Games in London, the Royal Opera House will showcase 300 prestigious items from among the Olympic treasures. “The Olympic Journey” will be designed as an introductory exhibition which invites the visitor to travel through the history of the Olympic Games. More than 75,000 visitors are expected in this centre of art and culture.

For more information, please contact the IOC Media Relations Team

London 2012 Highlights of the Week

IOC Announces Olympic Highlights of the Week

On 28 March, IOC President Jacques Rogge met British Prime Minister David Cameron at 10 Downing Street in London to talk about the progress of preparations for the 2012 Games.

(PRWEB) April 02, 2012

IOC ACTIVITIES
PRESIDENT
On 28 March, IOC President Jacques Rogge met British Prime Minister David Cameron at 10 Downing Street in London to talk about the progress of preparations for the 2012 Games. Other attendees at the meeting were IOC Coordination Commission Chairman Denis Oswald; Organising Committee (LOCOG) Chairman Sebastian Coe; Secretaries of State Jeremy Hunt, Theresa May and Justine Greening; Sir Philip Craven, the President of the International Paralympic Committee; the IOC’s Olympic Games Executive Director, Gilbert Felli; and LOCOG CEO Paul Deighton.

MEMBERS
Ching-Kuo Wu, who is also President of the International Boxing Association (AIBA), has received the Order of the Polar Star - the highest civilian award Mongolia can present to international leaders. Mongolian President Elbegdorj Tsakhia) presented this award to Ching-Kuo Wu in recognition of his important contribution to the development of boxing and promoting the Olympic ideals around the world. The ceremony was held at the Presidential Palace in Ulaanbaatar.

COMMISSIONS
With four months to go until the London 2012 Olympic Games, the IOC Coordination Commission paid its final visit to the host city from 28 to 30 March. Led by its Chairman, Denis Oswald, the Commission met LOCOG and representatives from the government and local authorities to discuss progress and final preparations as the countdown to the Opening Ceremony on 27 July gathers pace.

INTERNATIONAL SPORTS FEDERATIONS
SUMMER IFS
The International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) has announced the death of Giorgio Garufi, former Vice-President of the FIG Gymnastics for All Committee. Garufi was Vice-President of the Italian Gymnastics Federation for 25 years. He was also a men’s artistic gymnastics judge at the Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 1984 and Seoul in 1988, five World Championships and numerous major international competitions.

From 12 to 15 April in Tokyo (Japan), the 10th International Swimming Federation (FINA) World Swimming Officials Seminar will bring together 111 participants from 58 member federations. Organised in cooperation with the Japan Swimming Federation, the main aim of the seminar is to provide an opportunity for swimming officials from around the world to exchange knowledge and strengthen expertise in respect of both FINA Swimming Rules and practice at international competitions.

The International Tennis Federation (ITF) has announced that the Bulgarian Tennis Federation will host the fourth ITF Beach Tennis World Championships from 21 to 24 June. The best men’s and women’s doubles pairs from around the world will be competing in the Black Sea resort of Bourgas.

The International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) has announced that the candidates for the FIVB Presidential and FIVB Board of Administration minority gender elections have been unanimously approved by the FIVB Board of Administration. These elections will take place at the FIVB Congress in September in Anaheim (USA) from 19 to 21 September. The current FIVB President, Jizhong Wei, will not be seeking re-election.

RECOGNISED IFS
The International Basque Pelota Federation (FIVP) has just created an Athletes’ Committee. This Committee is composed of six players who competed in the most recent World Championships in Pau (France) and previous World Cups.

NATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEES
We have just learnt that, as part of the events to mark International Women’s Day, the Albanian NOC’s Women and Sport Commission organised a round table on “Physical and Social Impacts of Sport in the Lives of Albanian Women”. The topics addressed included the Declaration of the 5th World Conference on Women and Sport in Los Angeles last February, a brief history of women’s participation in the Olympic Games and the role of female managers in Albanian sport. Sports activities were also organised for the participants.

The Women and Sport Commission of the Barbados Olympic Association also celebrated International Women’s Day by holding a special event at the Barbados Olympic Centre. Under the theme of “Connecting girls, Inspiring Futures - Through Sports”, this event celebrated the achievements of young women in sport. Thirty-four young girls were awarded certificates honouring them for their achievement and excellence in their sport. The programme also included cheerleading demonstrations and a Zumba dance session.

The Chilean NOC is hosting the second module of the Olympic Solidarity MEMOS (Executive Masters in Sports Organisation Management) programme. From 24 March to 4 April, representatives from 17 countries will be addressing the following topics: managing sports events, managing human resources in sports organisations, research methodology and data analysis, the values of sport, sports organisations in modern society and women in decision-making positions.

On 27 March, the Colombian NOC organised the first of four events entitled “100 athletes in London, the home straight” (“100 atletas a Londres, la recta final”). On this occasion, the official jacket to be worn by the Colombian team in London was presented. Various personalities were present, including the representative of the British ambassador, Tony Regan; NOC President Baltazar Medina; the Director of Coldeportes, Andres Botero; and athletes Paulo Villar and Angélica Hernández, who showed off the new jackets.

The Spanish NOC’s Olympic Federations Council has approved the choice of Cayetano Cornet as Chef de Mission for the Spanish team at the Games in London. This will be the fourth time that Cornet has performed this function, after Turin, Beijing and Vancouver. He was also Chef de Mission for the Youth Olympic Games in Singapore and Innsbruck. For his part, NOC President Alejandro Blanco has just been named Honorary President of the Spanish Olympians Association, which has around 600 members.

On 3 April, the French NOC will be holding its second “Sport and International Relations” conference on the theme of lobbying. Those attending will include the President of the International Rugby Board (IRB), Bernard Lapasset, and the Secretary General of the International Modern Pentathlon Union (UIPM) and World Olympians Association (WOA) President, Joël Bouzou.

The 11 surviving members of the Irish team which took part in the 1948 Games in London have been honoured by the Irish NOC. A lunch in their honour was held at Farmleigh House, the Irish State Government House. Six of the team were there, and the other five were represented by family members. NOC President Patrick Hickey, presented them with Olympic Medals of Honour.

Dick Fosbury, the legendary high jump champion at the 1968 Games in Mexico City, was the Israeli NOC’s guest of honour at the opening ceremony of the 2012 Wingate Congress of Exercise and Sport Sciences. This Congress marked the 20th anniversary of Israel’s first Olympic medal. The personalities present included NOC President Zvi Varshaviak and Yael Arad, Israel’s first Olympic medallist (silver in Barcelona in 1992). Coinciding with this Congress, the NOC hosted the annual meeting of the European Olympic Committees (EOC) Olympic Games Commission, chaired by Efraim Zinger, NOC Secretary General and a member of the EOC Executive Board.

26 March saw the 1,000th meeting of the Italian NOC (CONI)’s Executive Committee. On this occasion, CONI President Giovanni Petrucci recalled the history of the Committee and reported on his meetings with Sports Minister Piero Gnudi on the reorganisation of territorial structures and the launch of the “White Book of Sport” project. On the following day, there was a general meeting with the national federations of the sports at the Games in London. CONI Secretary General Raffaele Pagnozzi gave an update on the athletes who have qualified for the Games and the technical and organisational arrangements for the Italian team.

The Secretary General of the Mongolian NOC, Jugder Otgontsagaan, has become the first Mongolian sports leader to be appointed to an IOC commission, in this case the Sport and Environment Commission. He was warmly congratulated on this appointment at a ceremony attended by NOC President Demchigjav Zagdsuren; the Chairman of the Physical Education and Sports Authority, Ch. Naranbaatar; IOC honorary member Shagdarjav Magvan; and the Minister for the Environment, D. Tsogtbaatar. Jugder Otgontsagaan joined the Olympic Movement in 1990 as a sports journalist and has twice been appointed NOC Secretary General. He is also a member of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA)’s Media and Coordination committees.

RECOGNISED ORGANISATIONS
The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has announced two major initiatives that will take place during the 2012 Paralympic Games in London. Between 6 and 8 September, the IPC Academy Inclusion Summit will bring together business leaders, governments and the Paralympic Movement to discuss inclusion and accessibility's impact on society. The other initiative is the “Games Experience Programme”, taking place between 3 and 5 September. This will give governments from around the world and those involved in the Paralympic Games supply chain a greater understanding of the complexities involved in delivering these Games. The IPC has also joined forces with the FC Barcelona Foundation to launch “We are what we do, we are what we achieve”, a campaign to provide teachers with the tools required to adapt physical education classes so children with disabilities can participate in sport on the same level as their classmates.

For more information, please contact the IOC Media Relations Team.

London Olympic Highlights of the Week

IOC Announces Olympic Highlights of the Week

On 13 and 14 March, IOC President Jacques Rogge led the discussions during this year’s first meeting of the IOC Executive Board (EB). The EB took a number of decisions, including proposing the candidatures of Tsunekazu Takeda (Japan), Aisha Garad Ali (Djibouti), Pierre-Olivier Beckers (Belgium), Frank Fredericks (Namibia) and Lingwei Li (China) for the election of a maximum of five members by the 124th Session in London

(PRWEB) March 20, 2012

IOC ACTIVITIES
PRESIDENT
On 13 and 14 March, IOC President Jacques Rogge led the discussions during this year’s first meeting of the IOC Executive Board (EB). The EB took a number of decisions, including proposing the candidatures of Tsunekazu Takeda (Japan), Aisha Garad Ali (Djibouti), Pierre-Olivier Beckers (Belgium), Frank Fredericks (Namibia) and Lingwei Li (China) for the election of a maximum of five members by the 124th Session in London. During its meetings, the EB examined the reports by the IOC commissions and administration, as well as the progress of preparations for the next editions of the Olympic Games, i.e. London 2012, Sochi 2014, Rio 2016 and PyeongChang 2018.

This week in Vidy, President Rogge has met: 

• Carlos Arthur Nuzman, IOC member and President of the NOC of Brazil and the Rio 2016 Organising Committee; and Bernard Rajzman, Chef de Mission of the Brazilian Olympic delegation for the Games in London;
• IOC Vice-President Zaiqing Yu, accompanied by former badminton player, Lingwei Li, who is also a member of the IOC Programme Commission;
• The President of the NOC of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Vasil Tupurkovski; and
• The President of the International Triathlon Union (ITU) and IOC member Marisol Casado.

MEMBERS
Mario Vázquez Raña has informed the IOC President of his decision to resign as an IOC member and as a member of the IOC Executive Board, Chairman of the Olympic Solidarity Commission and President of the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC). The IOC President thanked Mario Vázquez Raña for all that he had done for the Olympic Movement over more than 30 years.

HONORARY MEMBERS
The President of the Association of the National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA), Lassana Palenfo, has been raised to the rank of Officer of the National Order of Merit by Malian President Amadou Toumani Touré. He received this distinction at a ceremony held alongside the sixth edition of the International Convention on Sport in Africa (CISA), which took place in Bamako (Mali) from 1 to 3 March. Lassana Palenfo was also inducted into the African Sport Hall of Fame in the “Administrators” category.

Henry Edmund Olufemi Adefope died on 11 March at the age of 85. He was an IOC member from 1985 to 2006, before becoming an honorary member. He played an active role in sport, leading a number of sports organisations in Nigeria and Africa, including the NOC of Nigeria from 1967 to 1976. He was a member of the following IOC commissions: Tripartite, Apartheid and Olympism, Medical, Preparation for the 1996 Olympic Games, Enquiry for the Games of the XXVII Olympiad in 2000, Evaluation for the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad in 2004, and Sport and Environment.

INTERNATIONAL SPORTS FEDERATIONS
SUMMER IFS
At the 14th edition of the World Indoor Championships, held in Istanbul (Turkey) from 9 to 11 March, the President of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), Lamine Diack, announced the creation of the IAAF Hall of Fame. To mark this year’s IAAF centennial, 24 athletes will be inducted into this Hall of Fame. An official ceremony will take place during the centennial gala in Barcelona (Spain) on 24 November 2012. The IAAF Council also met in Istanbul, taking a number of decisions, in particular concerning the organisation of various championships.

On 18 June 2012, the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) will celebrate its 80th anniversary. To mark this occasion, FIBA has launched an online photo contest, http://www.80years.fiba.com. The first prize is a trip for two people to the basketball finals at the Games in London.

A press release by the International Fencing Federation (FIE) has informed us that, from now on, fans and media throughout the world will be able to follow the daily lives, trips and Games preparations of two fencers on the road to London 2012. The blogs of Dutch epeeist Bas Verwijlen and Canadian sabre fencer Philippe Beaudry will be available at http://www.fie.ch.

The International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) has announced that, at the deadline of midnight on 7 March, all the NOCs concerned had confirmed the participation of their gymnasts in the Games in London, filling the places allocated in their respective countries. These lists will be available on the FIG’s official website. At the Games, the FIG will have a quota of 324 gymnasts.

Six teams have qualified for the men’s Olympic handball tournament in London from 28 July to 12 August following the 2011 World Championships and the continental qualification tournaments. The six remaining teams will be known after the three Olympic qualification tournaments which will be held from 6 to 8 April.

According to a press release from the International Swimming Federation (FINA), some 900 athletes participated in the swimming test event held from 3 to 10 March in London’s Aquatic Centre. This test event included the British National Championships and British trials for the Games. From 20 to 26 February, this venue hosted the Diving World Cup and will also play host to the synchronised swimming qualification tournament from 18 to 22 April, with both competitions serving as test events for London 2012.

Furthermore, following a postal vote, the FINA Bureau has made several nominations. Dennis Miller (Fiji) thus becomes the Bureau’s new Vice-President for Oceania, while Matthew Dunn (Australia) becomes the Bureau member for Oceania. The FINA Bureau has also confirmed that a Facilities Committee and High Diving Commission have been created.

This week, the International Rugby Board (IRB) informed us of the death of the New Zealand rugby player and administrator, Jock Hobbs, at the age of 52. In his career, Hobbs played 21 matches for the All Blacks from 1983 to 1986. As Chairman of the New Zealand Rugby Union, he played a pivotal role in obtaining the 2011 World Cup for his country. He served on the IRB Council from 2002 to 2007 and was also a member of the IRB’s Executive Committee and Chairman of its Regulations Committee.

WINTER IFS
On 1 March, the International Ski Federation (FIS) launched an improved version of http://www.fis-ski.com for mobile devices. Accessible at mobile.fisski.com (or m.fisski.com), this application has a new, more user-friendly interface and layout.

NATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEES
In the framework of its support to the NOCs, Worldwide Olympic Partner Procter & Gamble (P&G) announced its partnership with the NOC of South Africa (SASCOC) at a press conference on 7 March at Olympic House in Johannesburg. Through this partnership, P&G South Africa will not only support the South African Olympic team for London 2012 but will also be contributing to the development of South Africa’s next generation of champions by assisting in youth development. Those present at the press conference included P&G Vice-President for South and East Africa Stanislav Cecera, SASCOC Secretary General Tubby Reddy, SASCOC President Gideon Sam and IOC member Sam Ramsamy.

On 13 March, the NOC of Colombia presented the “Live the Olympic Spirit – London 2012” competition, launched by Worldwide Olympic Partner McDonald’s. Aimed at Colombian 8-to-14 year-olds, the winner of the competition will receive a trip to London during the Games. Those present at the launch included NOC President Baltazar Medina and athletes Mariana Pajón and María Luisa Calle, who have already qualified for the Games in London and are members of the competition jury.

Through its commission on healthy habits and nutrition in sport, the NOC of Spain has organised a lunch conference on the theme of wellbeing, health and society. The main speaker was Valentin Fuster, the Director of the Madrid-based National Cardiovascular Research Centre and the Director of the Cardiology Institute of the Mount Sanai Hospital in New York.

On 12 March, in Twickenham, the Princess Royal, IOC member, and Colin Moynihan, the President of the British Olympic Association, joined the families and friends of potential Team GB athletes at an event held as part of the British Olympic Association and British Paralympic Committee’s “Nearest and Dearest” programme. This programme will guide and advise the families and friends of the members of the Olympic and Paralympic teams in the run-up to and during the Games in London.

The Indonesian Olympic Committee celebrated its 60th anniversary on 11 March at a ceremony held in Senayan, Jakarta. NOC President and IOC member Rita Subowo made an opening speech recalling the history of the NOC and its participation in the Olympic Games since its recognition in 1952. Other speakers included Sports Ministry representative Djoko Pekik Irianto and former NOC President Agum Gumelar.

On 6 March at the headquarters of the Lithuanian NOC, a ceremony was held for the national winners of the IOC Art and Sport competition. The jury of experts selected schoolgirl Dovile Grigaliunaite as the winner of the graphical drawings category. Artist Vytautas Karciauskas, won the first prize in the sculpture category with his work entitled “Ecolympics Tree”. The prizes were handed out by NOC President Arturas Poviliunas, in the presence of the teachers and parents of the young artists, representatives of the Ministry of Education and Olympic champions Vida Venciene and Lina Kaciusyte.

ORGANISING COMMITTEES FOR THE OLYMPIC GAMES
LONDON 2012
At the Global Sports Forum, held in Barcelona (Spain), the “International Inspiration” programme of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) was awarded the J.A. Samaranch Trophy for the most innovative sports-based project. LOCOG Chairman Sebastian Coe participated in a question-and-answer session on the 2012 Games during this Forum.

SOCHI 2014
The Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Sochi in 2014 has announced the launch of a nationwide project for organising the live sites at the 2014 Games in Russia’s major cities. Spectators will be able to see and experience the Games on big screens. The cities of Krasnodar and Sochi are among the first to join this programme, and the first live sites will be opened in these cities to coincide with the 2012 Games in London. It is estimated that 30 million people will visit the Sochi 2014 live sites, giving almost every family in Russia the feeling that they are a part of this great Games experience.

TOP PARTNERS
Worldwide Olympic Partner Procter & Gamble has teamed up with the Greater London Authority (GLA) to launch the “P&G Capital Clean Up” campaign. The campaign encourages Londoners to come together in a show of community spirit and pride for a series of 22 clean-up events taking place across the capital from March to June.

For more information, please contact the IOC Media Relations Team.

Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2012/3/prweb9307694.htm