Grainger and Watkins Take Gold

London 2012: Grainger and Watkins Take Gold

Katherine Grainger's quest for Olympic glory is complete after she won a gold medal with Anna Watkins in the women's Double Sculls.

(PRWEB) August 04, 2012

Katherine Grainger's quest for Olympic glory is complete after she won a gold medal with Anna Watkins in the women's Double Sculls.

The Great Britain crew dominated the field at Eton Dorney to add an Olympic crown to the two world titles they have won in two unbeaten years.

Grainger and Watkins led from the start and were roared on to a commanding victory, beating Australia by a length, with Poland taking a distant bronze.

Grainger punched the air as her boat crossed the line. She fell into an embrace with Watkins and acknowledged the 30,000-strong crowd after finally tasting victory at an Olympics.

Grainger had been Britain's first female Olympic Rowing medallist, at Sydney in 2000.

Four years ago she became the first British female athlete to win medals at three successive Olympic Games.

Those medals were all silver and Grainger was distraught at missing out on gold in Beijing, even considering retirement. But the lure of winning in London drove her on.

Grainger and Watkins, a bronze medallist from Beijing 2008, stormed to victory, as they have done for most of the last two years. After coming together in 2010, Grainger and Watkins have now won 23 consecutive races.

But none of them were as emotional as this with Grainger finally receiving the gold medal she craved.

She said, after embracing Steve Redgrave: 'Worth the wait. Steve promised me they'd be tears of joy this time, which they are.

'I feel this medal of all of them is the people's medal. I feel so many people have been behind me and supported me and wanted this for me as much as I have.'

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 Olympic Highlights of the Week

IOC Announces Olympic Highlights of the Week

This week, IOC President Jacques Rogge was in Quebec City (Canada) for the IOC Executive Board (EB) meeting and the 10th SportAccord Convention.

(PRWEB) May 27, 2012

This week, IOC President Jacques Rogge was in Quebec City (Canada) for the IOC Executive Board (EB) meeting and the 10th SportAccord Convention.

On 22 May, he attended a large charity event organised by the Canadian NOC and aimed at raising funds to support young Canadian athletes. The 4,100 guests included the Premier of Quebec, Jean Charest, whom he met afterwards, the President of the Canadian NOC, Marcel Aubut, the mayor of Quebec City, Regis Labeaume, and more than 100 Canadian athletes.

A few hours later, he addressed the delegates of the SportAccord Convention, chaired by IOC Honorary Member Hein Verbruggen, at the official opening ceremony.

The following day, President Rogge attended the joint meetings of the EB and the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF), then the Association of the International Olympic Winter Sports Federations (AIOWF), before chairing the EB’s discussions.

The EB took a number of decisions at its meetings from 23 to 25 May. Three candidate cities were selected from those bidding to host the 2020 Olympic Games: Istanbul (Turkey), Tokyo (Japan) and Madrid (Spain).

The EB agenda also included the presentation of reports by the chairmen of the Coordination Commissions for forthcoming Games: Denis Oswald for London 2012, Jean-Claude Killy for Sochi 2014, Nawal El Moutawakel for Rio 2016 and Gunilla Lindberg for PyeongChang 2018. The EB was also updated on the state of preparations for the 2012 and 2018 Games by the chairmen of their respective organising committees, Sebastian Coe and Jin Sun Kim. The EB also noted the preparations for the forthcoming editions of the Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing in 2014 and Lillehammer in 2016, as well as a report on the YOG held in Innsbruck in January 2012.

The EB also heard a report on the situation of certain NOCs.

A full report on the EB meetings in Quebec City can be found at http://www.olympic.org (“News” section).

During his stay in Quebec, President Rogge attended a reception hosted by the President of the Quebec National Assembly, Jacques Chagnon. He also met Michaelle Jean, Grand Témoin de la Francophonie for the Games in London, who presented him with the agreement between the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF) and the London Games Organising Committee (LOCOG). He also met the President and Chief Executive of the International Committee of Sports for the Deaf (CISS), Craig Crowley and Mark Cooper respectively.

MEMBERS
Francesco Ricci Bitti was elected President of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF) at its General Assembly in Quebec City. President of the International Tennis Federation (ITF), he will replace Denis Oswald as ASOIF President on 1 January 2013.

Ching-Kuo Wu has been nominated by the ASOIF for election to the IOC Executive Board, as representative of the summer IFs.

René Fasel, AIOWF representative, was nominated for election to the IOC Executive Board as representative of the winter IFs.

Irena Szewinska, six-times Olympic medallist, is the latest athletics legend to be named as a member of the Hall of Fame of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). She joins the other 23 inaugural members who will be inducted during the IAAF Centenary Gala in Barcelona (Spain) on 24 November 2012).

The President of the Organising Committee of the 2016 Games in Rio, Carlos Arthur Nuzman has received the Personality of the Year Award, presented by the Brazilian Chamber of Commerce and the Brazilian Embassy in London. The other winner was the LOCOG chairman, Sebastian Coe. These awards honour two leaders who have been particularly instrumental in forging closer ties between Brazil and the United Kingdom.

Lydia Nsekera was recently co-opted on to the Executive Committee of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). This decision will be ratified by the FIFA Congress. President of the Burundi Football Association, she is a member of the FIFA Committee for Women’s Football and the FIFA Women’s World Cup, and of the FIFA Organising Committee for the Olympic Football Tournaments.

OTHER NEWS
On 24 May, the IOC and the United States NOC announced the signature of a new revenue-sharing agreement. This agreement will govern the financial relationship between the two organisations for 20 years, beginning in 2020.

INTERNATIONAL SPORTS FEDERATIONS
SUMMER IFS
In order to strengthen its commercial organisation and activities, the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) has established its own subsidiary, FIBA Media & Marketing Services SA. This affiliate will operate from the FIBA offices in Geneva (Switzerland) and will concentrate on the development, management and delivery of all of FIBA’s media, marketing and event activities.

Training centre for the International Cycling Union (UCI), the World Cycling Centre (WCC) in Aigle (Switzerland) recently celebrated its 10th anniversary. Labelled as an “Olympic Training Centre” by the IOC, the WCC has welcomed some 571 athletes from 118 different countries. These trainees have won two Olympic titles and 32 World Championship titles. The WCC also makes its facilities available to national federations and individual athletes preparing for international competitions.

Meeting in St Petersburg (Russian Federation) on 18 and 19 May, the Council of the International GymnasticsFederation (FIG) took a number of decisions, including the provisional admission of the federation of Benin (final decision to be taken by the General Assembly) and the appointment of the Norwegian federation and the city of Vestfold as hosts of the 3rd edition of the World Gym for Life Challenge in July 2017.

The International Hockey Federation (FIH) and the 2012 Olympic Games Organising Committee have unveiled the Olympic hockey competition schedule. You can see which teams will play each other in the preliminary rounds of the men’s and women’s tournaments by visiting http://www.fih.ch

The International Judo Federation (IJF) informs us that, in a few weeks’ time, its African Olympic Training Centre in Algiers (Algeria) will temporarily close its doors due to the London Games. Over the past two years or so, more than 60 athletes from 26 African countries have visited the centre, including ten judoka who have qualified for London 2012.

The Council of the International Rugby Board (IRB) has approved the application from the American Samoa Rugby Football Union (ASRFU) to become a full member and that from the United Arab Emirates Rugby Association (UAERA) for associate membership. The IRB now has 98 full members and 20 associate members.

NATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEES
This year, the Brazilian NOC will celebrate Olympic Day in the five regions of the country. On 15 May, the city of Serra, in the state of Espírito Santo, hosted a number of special events. Pupils and teachers from local schools took part in sports, cultural and educational activities. Celebrations will also be held in Amapá, Bahia, Goiás, Rio Grande do Sul and Rio de Janeiro. The Olympic Day Run on 23 June will take place in São Paulo. In Rio, there will be workshops for schoolchildren, talks by Olympic athletes, etc.

With 66 days to go until the start of the London Games, the British NOC organised its final Team Leader Workshop in Stratford. Led by Andy Hunt, Chef de Mission of the London 2012 delegation, the workshop was held at Team GB House and included a visit to the Olympic Village. More than 150 people - team leaders, medical staff and press officers from all 26 Olympic sports – took part.

The Italian team uniform for the London Games was officially unveiled in Milan on 10 May. The launch was attended by the President of the Italian NOC, Giovanni Petrucci, the Secretary General and Chef de Mission of the Italian team in London, Raffaele Pagnozzi, and the internationally renowned fashion designer Giorgio Armani, who designed the uniform. Fifteen Olympic champions paraded with the uniform.

Under the patronage of HRH Prince Feisal Al Hussein, NOC President and IOC member, the Jordanian NOC held a ceremony in honour of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games delegations in Amman on 16 May. Held at the residence of the British Ambassador, Peter Millett, the event was attended by the Jordan Paralympic Committee President, HRH Prince Raad bin Zaid. A record nine athletes will represent Jordan at the Olympic Games and 14 at the Paralympic Games. Jordan is hoping to win its first ever Olympic medal this summer.

Around 5,000 people took part in the “From green Ulaanbaatar to Olympic London" run in support of the Mongolian team for the 2012 Games. The participants included S. Batbold, Prime Minister of Mongolia and Vice-President of the Mongolian NOC, his wife and former archer H. Otgontuya, Health Minister N. Khurelbaatar, National Teams Director and Deputy Chef de Mission Ts. Odonbayar, Olympic marathon runner B. Ser-Od and many other prominent personalities from the worlds of sport, art, culture and society. This race will be organised throughout the country until the start of the Games, covering a distance of 12,250km, the exact distance between Ulaanbaatar and London.

The Venezuelan NOC recently unveiled the uniform to be worn by the Olympic delegation in London this summer. A group of athletes, some of whom have already qualified for London 2012, paraded with the uniform. So far, 53 Venezuelan athletes have secured their ticket for London.

ORGANISING COMMITTEES OF THE OLYMPIC GAMES
LONDON 2012
On 17 May, the Organising Committee of the 2012 Games in London (LOCOG) received the Olympic flame at the end of its 3,000km eight-day relay around Greece, during a ceremony at the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens. Greek NOC President Spyros Capralos handed over the flame to the London 2012 delegation, led by the Princess Royal, President of the British Olympic Association and LOCOG board member, and accompanied by LOCOG chairman Sebastian Coe.

This week, LOCOG officially unveiled the design of the Games tickets. Each ticket design features a pictogram for the corresponding sport, while the colour scheme reflects the venue at which the event will take place.

RECOGNISED ORGANISATIONS
On the day before the Annual General Meeting of the International World Games Association (IWGA), President Ron Froehlich, and Rafał Dutkiewicz, Mayor of the City of Wroclaw, signed the Host Agreement for The World Games 2017. The Polish city will host the 10th edition of these Games, following Cali (Colombia), the host city for The World Games in 2013. The signing ceremony took place on the occasion of the SportAccord Convention in Quebec City.

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

Joseph S. Blatter has received the “Ali della Vittoria” (Wings of Victory) award from the Italian amateur football league.

(PRWEB) May 04, 2012

IOC ACTIVITIES
MEMBERS
Joseph S. Blatter has received the “Ali della Vittoria” (Wings of Victory) award from the Italian amateur football league.

INTERNATIONAL SPORTS FEDERATIONS
SUMMER IFS
The International Boxing Association (AIBA) has announced that 203 athletes representing 35 countries took part in the African Olympic Qualifying Event in Casablanca, Morocco. For all the competitors, the goal was to secure one of the 48 remaining slots for the Games in London.

The International Basketball Federation (FIBA) has held its first Central Board meeting of the year in Rio de Janeiro. This was also the occasion for the draw for the men’s and women’s London 2012 basketball tournaments, held in the auditorium of the Brazilian NOC. So far nine men’s national teams (Argentina, Australia, Brazil, China, France, Great Britain, Spain, Tunisia and the USA) and seven women’s national teams (Angola, Australia, Brazil, China, Great Britain, Russia and USA) have already qualified. The eight remaining places – three men’s and five women’s – will be determined through the Olympic Qualifying Tournaments taking place in Caracas (Venezuela) and Ankara (Turkey) in late June and early July.

In a press release, the International Cycling Union (UCI) informs us that, at the 2012 Design of the Year Awards held this week in London, London-based Hopkins Architects won the Architecture Award for their design of the London 2012 velodrome. Seating 6,000 spectators, the velodrome is one of the four permanent venues at the Olympic Park. It will host the track cycling events at the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Also at the award ceremony, the Olympic torch for the 2012 Games took the Design of the Year Award.

The International Swimming Federation (FINA) has announced the death of Norwegian swimmer Alexander Dale Oen, at the age of 26 in a training camp in Flagstaff (Arizona, USA), on 30 April. Dale Oen won a silver medal in the 100m breaststroke at the 2008 Games in Beijing. Three years later, he was world champion in the same event in Shanghai (People’s Republic of China), in the first ever victory for his country.

The International Modern Pentathlon Union (UIPM) has just released modern pentathlon’s first ever smart phone app. Users of the app will be able to access all the information on http://www.pentathlon.org.

Representatives from the International Triathlon Union (ITU) are in Nanjing (People’s Republic of China) conducting the first site visit in preparation for the 2014 Summer Youth Olympic Games (YOG). In conjunction with the visit, the ITU has also confirmed that its Technical Delegate for these YOG will be Shanelle Barrett, the first New Zealander to be appointed to this role at the Olympic Games or YOG.

NATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEES
Legendary Australian swimmer Murray Rose has died at the age of 73. The winner of six medals at the 1956 and 1960 Olympic Games, including four gold, he was one of Australia’s greatest Olympians. Rose set 15 world records during his career. In 1956, he won three gold medals (4x200m freestyle relay, 400m freestyle and 1,500m freestyle). Four years later, he won the 400m freestyle again, and came second in the 1,500m. Rose also won four Commonwealth gold and two silver medals in 1962. He then went on to be a sports commentator in Australia and the USA. He was also the patron for the Australian charity “The Rainbow Club”, which teaches disabled children to swim. An avenue at Sydney Olympic Park was named after him for the 2000 Games.

The Sportimonium, a sports museum in Hofstade (Belgium), devoted World Heritage Day on 22 April this year to the theme of “Heroes”. Gaston Roelants, President of the Belgian Olympians Association; Roland Renson, President of the Sportimonium; and Belgian NOC Secretary General Guido De Bondt invited the country’s Olympic medallists for a special session on “Olympic Heroes”. Looking ahead to London 2012, an invitation was also sent to all the athletes who took part in the 1948 Games in London. Juliaan Bogaert, Jean Dubois, Roger Goossens, Maria Huybrechts, Maria Oeyen, Joseph Rosa and Yvonne Van Bets were honoured on this occasion.

On 27 April, the Colombian NOC launched its “Choose the Colombian flagbearer at the London 2012 Games” competition. Those attending this ceremony at the NOC headquarters in Bogota included athletes Mariana Pajon, Paulo César Villar and Luis Fernando López – all three qualified for these Games, the NOC’s Executive Committee members, representatives of the British embassy in Colombia, NOC partners and media representatives. The competition will run until 15 June, after which we shall know which of the eight athlete candidates (Catherine Ibarguen, Luis Fernando López, Paulo Villar, Mariana Pajón, Edwin Ávila, Yuri Alvear, Omar Pinzón and Oscar Figueroa), will carry the Colombian team flag at the Opening Ceremony in London.

LeRoy Walker, the first African-American Chairman of the United States Olympic Committee (USOC), died this week at the age of 93. Walker was also the first black head coach of a US Olympic team when he led the track squad to the 1976 Games in Montreal. He had previously coached Olympic teams from Ethiopia, Israel, Jamaica, Kenya and Trinidad and Tobago. Walker led the USOC from 1992 to 1996.

At the recent Venezuelan Sports Federations Assembly, the decision was taken to include Taekwondo Federation President Hung Ki Kim as a member of the NOC Executive Board. Fencer Alejandra Benítez will be the athletes’ representative on the Board.

ORGANISING COMMITTEES FOR THE OLYMPIC GAMES
SOCHI 2014
The “One school - one country” education programme has just been launched in Sochi. This is a joint initiative of the Sochi 2014 Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation and the City Administration. As part of this programme, each of the 67 schools in Sochi will study in detail the Olympic history and culture of one of the countries taking part in the 2014 Games. Pupils and teachers will prepare projects and presentations on the Games. All of the projects prepared by the pupils will be presented at Sochi's traditional Olympic lessons on 1 September 2013.    

RECOGNISED ORGANISATIONS
The 33rd European Olympic Committees (EOC) Seminar was held in Budapest (Hungary) from 26 to 28 April. Delegations from 37 European NOCs took part. The opening ceremony was attended by the Hungarian Sports Minister, Attila Czene; EOC President Patrick Hickey; Hungarian NOC President Zolt Borkai and IOC members Pál Schmitt and Ser Miang Ng. The work of the Seminar, under the leadership of EOC Secretary General Raffaele Pagnozzi, focused chiefly on the Games in London, the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi and the 2014 YOG in Nanjing. Two workshops were held to address two important topics: a talent identification project, and new ways of communicating. The seminar was preceded by a meeting of the EOC Executive Committee, and concluded with the ceremony for the presentation of the International Fair Play Committee’s Awards for 2011.

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

London Olympic-Highlights of the Week

IOC Announces Olympic Highlights of the Week

On 24 April in The Hague (Netherlands), IOC President Jacques Rogge took part in a talk and round table. The Prince of Orange, an IOC member, also attended.



(PRWEB) April 27, 2012

IOC ACTIVITIES
PRESIDENT
On 24 April in The Hague (Netherlands), IOC President Jacques Rogge took part in a talk and round table. The Prince of Orange, an IOC member, also attended.

INTERNATIONAL SPORTS FEDERATIONS
SUMMER IFS
This year, World Athletics Day will preferably be held on 12 and 13 May. As part of the centenary celebrations of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), 12 youth age group athletes, (one boy and one girl per Area, aged 16-17) will be invited to the IAAF Centenary Gala in Barcelona (Spain) on 23 and 24 November 2012. The World Athletics Day - IAAF Centenary Draw to decide the lucky winners will take place in July 2012.

During a visit to Sofia (Bulgaria), International Boxing Association (AIBA) President and IOC member, Ching-Kuo Wu, and AIBA Vice-President and President of the European Confederation Humbert Furgoni met the President of the Republic of Bulgaria, Rosen Plevneliev, Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, Sports Minister Svilen Neykov, Boxing Federation President Krassimir Ininski and NOC President Stefka Kostadinova. The main subject of the visit was AIBA’s professional boxing programme and the role that Bulgaria can play in its development.

On 22 April, International Cycling Union (UCI) President and IOC member Pat McQuaid, accompanied the President of South Korea, Myung-bak Lee, on a bike ride along a section of Korea’s extensive network of cycle paths. McQuaid was in South Korea for the start of the eight-day Tour of Korea and the Korea Cycle Grand Festival, held in parallel with the national tour. The government has invested in 2,000km of bicycles paths nationwide.

Two Russian athletes, Svetlana Tsarukaeva and Khadzhimurat Akkaev, have been voted the Best Lifters of 2011 by readers of “World Weightlifting” and the public worldwide. The two winners received the “Jenő Boskovics Lifter of the Year Challenge Trophy” at a ceremony organised recently in Moscow (Russian Federation). It was presented to them by International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) President Tamás Aján, who is also an IOC honorary member, and Kornel Jancsó, Editor in Chief of “World Weightlifting”, in the presence of Russian Weightlifting Federation President Sergey Syrtsov and many other personalities.

The women’s water polo teams from Spain, Italy, Russia and Hungary recently earned their ticket to the London Games at the Qualification Tournament held in Trieste (Italy) from 15 to 22 April. These teams will join Great Britain, Australia, the United States and China. The draw for the Olympic tournament will take place on 5 May 2012 in London.

The International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF)’s 2012 World Cup, an official test event, is currently taking place in London at the Royal Artillery Barracks. Britain’s Minister for Sport and the Olympics, Hugh Robertson, visited the venue and met ISSF President and IOC member Olegario Vázquez Raña and ISSF Secretary General Franz Schreiber. Over 800 athletes representing over 100 countries are competing in 15 Olympic events. It is worth noting that only 390 shooters will compete at the Games this summer.

This week, the International Triathlon Union (ITU) organised the first ever coaching course in Iraq, in the city of Erbil. Fourteen women and 11 men took part in this course, funded by Olympic Solidarity and supported by the ITU. All the manuals and reference sources had been translated into Arabic, which will aid in triathlon’s development not only in Iraq, but also in the entire Arab region. ITU President and IOC member Marisol Casado, accompanied by ITU Executive Board member Ahmed Nasser, attended this course, and also met the Iraqi NOC President and the Iraqi Sports Minister.

WINTER IFS
The World Curing Federation (WCF) and the Canadian Curling Federation (CCA) recently announced that the city of Fredericton will host the 2013 World Senior Men’s and Women’s Curling Championships and World Mixed Doubles. These three events will take place from 13 to 20 April at the Grant-Harvey Centre. Over 30 teams should compete for the mixed doubles title, while over 40 teams should be vying for the men’s and women’s world titles.

NATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEES
With a few months until the London Games, the Chilean NOC has just published Chilenos Olímpicos: Historia de la Participación Nacional en los Juegos Olímpicos de Verano 1896/2008 [Olympic Chileans: the history of national participation in the Summer Olympic Games from 1896 to 2008]. Funded by Olympic Solidarity, this book is by journalist Cristián Muñoz Funck.

The IOC’s Worldwide Partner, Procter & Gamble, recently launched its Gracias Mama [Thank You, Mom] campaign in Colombia. Among the many personalities at this event were Colombian NOC President Baltazar Medina, and the athletes who have already qualified for London 2012, Mariana Pajón, Paulo Cesar Villar and Angelica Hernández, accompanied by their mothers, as well as the mother of boxer Jeisson Monroy.

On 18 April, British Olympic Association (BOA) Board of Directors approved the appointment of the British Golf Association Limited (BGAL) as the National Governing Body for Olympic golf and an officially recognised member of the BOA.

We recently learned that Olympic medallist Elizabeth Ferris died on 12 April. She was the last Briton to win an Olympic medal in diving – bronze in the 3m springboard at the Rome 1960 Games. She assisted in the creation of the IOC Women and Sport Commission, of which she has been a member since 1995. She also assisted in the creation of the British Olympians Club and the World Olympians Association (WOA), of which she was Vice-President for over 10 years.

On 18 April, the Italian NOC (CONI) hosted a ceremony to present the “Collari d'Oro” Sporting Merit awards and honorary diplomas to the best athletes, technicians, sports leaders and sports companies for the years 2009, 2010 and 2011. Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti was present on this occasion, and received from CONI President Giovanni Petrucci a personalised set of the official equipment of the Italian delegation for London 2012. A tribute was paid to the three Italian athletes who have died in recent months practising their respective sport: Marco Simoncelli, Vigor Bovolenta and Piermario Morosini.

At the Ajinomoto National Training Centre, the Japanese NOC recently received students from Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences’ Leisure Management division (Netherlands). This one-week visit to Tokyo was part of the students’ project on the impact of the Olympic and Paralympic Games on a city. The Director of the NOC President’s Office, Yasuhiro Nakamori, and the young students from Rotterdam, a city in the running to organise the Winter Youth Olympic Games in 2018, exchanged opinions and comments on how the Games can be a catalyst for positive change in host cities.

On 22 April at the Kaunas Sports Hall, a ceremony was held to commemorate 90 years of the Lithuanian Basketball Federation. The event was attended by Lithuanian basketball veterans, distinguished guests from abroad and Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius. Present and former heads of world and European basketball federations as well as the NBA congratulated the Lithuanian Basketball Federation and basketball players of all generations in a televised message. On this occasion, Lithuanian NOC President Arturas Poviliunas, presented legendary Lithuanian basketballer Arvydas Sabonis – currently President of the Federation – with the NOC’s Olympic Rings award.

With 100 days to go until the London Games, all the members of Mongolia’s national teams were able to conduct face-to-face discussions with the President of Mongolia, Ts. Elbegdorj, who was accompanied by Mongolian NOC President Demchigjav Zagdsuren. Mongolia has currently secured 14 Olympic places in the marathon, shooting, wrestling, boxing, archery and swimming. Ten other athletes will compete in judo and weightlifting. The NOC hopes to send up to 40 athletes to London.

We have just learned that, on 30 March in Bratislava, the Slovakian Olympic flame was lit electronically by Slovakian NOC President Frantisek Chmelar, who passed it to Slovakia’s oldest Olympian, 89-year-old kayaker Jan Matocha. He then passed it on to the athletes preparing for London 2012: Danka Bartekova (shooting) and Samuel Piasecky (gymnastics). The next day, the torch, named “Slovak message to the Games of the XXX Olympiad in London 2012” with the motto of “We All Are One Team” began its relay, which will travel the country for 84 days before returning to Bratislava on 23 June, Olympic Day.

Swedish athlete Ingeborg “Kickan” Sjöqvist celebrated her 100th birthday on 19 April. She is the oldest Olympian in the world. Ingeborg competed in the diving competitions at the Los Angeles 1932 and Berlin 1936 Games. In Los Angeles, she was the only woman out of 51 athletes in the Swedish delegation. In an interview, she declared that she will be following the Games this summer.

Through Olympic Solidarity, the Uruguayan NOC, whose President is IOC member Julio Cesar Maglione, awarded a grant to coaches Federico Camiña (basketball) and Mariano Miraldi (judo) to participate in the 27th training course in sports sciences for coaches. This course will be held between 12 April and 10 July 2012 at the Sant Cugat High-Level Centre in Barcelona.

RECOGNISED ORGANISATIONS
The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) recently launched the first web site of the Oceania Paralympic Committee (http://www.oceaniaparalympic.org). This new site provides information on member countries, athletes and sports, as well as the on the IPC and the Paralympic Games, ranking of Paralympic sports and anti-doping issues.

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.