IOC
president
The relationship between sport and politics was discussed by IOC President Thomas Bach during Sport Talk in Stuttgart, Germany on 6 November. The president shared her opinion with 350 guests in a full hall. He described the challenges facing the IOC ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics in an increasingly polarized world and the role of the Olympics in uniting the world in peaceful competition. He explained that sport must avoid politicization in order to fulfill its mission, while firmly defending its values and rules.
Later in Lausanne, President Bach had a telephone conversation with Polish President Andrzej Duda to discuss various topics of mutual interest, including the current international situation.
This week, President Bach addressed representatives of the World Olympic Partners at the TOP Leadership Group (TLG) meeting held at the Olympic House. He thanked them for their strong support for the Olympic movement, and for their commitment to the upcoming Olympic Games. During the meeting, the partners discussed the implementation of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and the future of the TOP programme, particularly in relation to sustainability initiatives, the MOC’s athlete programmes, Olympic media and digital engagement.
In the Olympic House, the president welcomed Mohammed Ben Sulayem, president of the International Automobile Federation (FIA). They discussed the cooperation between the IOC and the FIA, especially regarding sustainability.
This week at the Olympic Museum, President Bach attended the ceremony of presenting the gold medal of the city of Lausanne to the Swiss athlete Leia Sprunger, who participated in three consecutive editions of the Olympic Games (London 2012, Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020). The medal was presented by the mayor of Lausanne, Grégoire Junod.
On November 9, President Bach greeted the children of the IOC board members, who were at the Olympic House as part of the “Bring Your Child to Work Day”. He took them through his office and answered their questions about his daily work as IOC President. This day is organized as part of the program of several Swiss cantons to introduce elementary and secondary school children to different professions.
TOP Partners
World Olympic Partner Visa has announced that it will support 117 athletes on their way to the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris 2024 as part of its long-standing Team Visa initiative. Visa team list for Paris 2024 marks the largest and most diverse group of Olympic and Paralympic athletes and hopefuls in the program’s history, representing more than 60 countries/territories and 40 sports, including new additions. Full news release here.
Other Olympic news
The IOC has issued a statement on fake news campaigns targeting the IOC, as it has recently faced a spate of fake news targeting the organisation. These are shared on Telegram accounts and other social media platforms in numerous languages. Read the full statement here.
International Federations
Summer if
International Equestrian Federation (FEI)
The Santiago 2023 Pan American Games was the final qualifying event for equestrian teams for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. No less than 23 nations from five continents have qualified at least one team for the Olympic equestrian events to be held from July 26 to July 6. August 2024 in Versailles. Some 11 NOCs, including host country France, will be represented by teams in each of the three equestrian disciplines of show jumping, dressage and eventing. Individual qualifications are underway and will be based on the FEI Olympic rankings. Information on the FEI website www.fei.org.’
International Tennis Federation (ITF)
The ITF announced that the 50th elective General Assembly of the Confederation of African Tennis (CAT) represented a historic moment for gender equality in tennis in the region. In accordance with the ITF’s gender equality strategy,
Advantage Everything, two female representatives were elected to the new Executive Board for the first time in CAT history. Fatime Kanté (Seychelles), an Advantage All leadership member, was elected as the women’s representative, alongside Wanjii Mbugua Karani (Kenya), who was elected as the president of Zone 4. More information here.
World athletics
The composition of the three World Athletics Commissions and the three committees of the Executive Committee has been confirmed for the period 2023-2027. after the approval of the World Athletics Council or the Executive Committee. Membership details can be found here here.
National Olympic Committees
Austrian Olympic Committee
ÖOC/GEPA Pictures. Participants of the training camp of the Austrian Olympic Committee.
Around 101 athletes, coaches and support staff joined the Austrian Olympic Committee team and high-calibre experts at the Gloria Sports Arena in Belek, Turkey, for a week-long training camp to get them in the mood for next year’s Olympic Games. Tokyo medalists Anna Kiesenhofer, Magdalena Lobnig and Jakob Schubert shared their strategies for success during the team evening, while experts from the Austrian Olympic Centres, NADA Austria, Play Fair Code, the Austrian Federal Network for Sport Psychology and the Austrian NOC were present for workshops and presentations. Topics ranged from female athletes, holistic heat management and mental resilience during the Games, to practical advice from sports science and for Paris 2024. Under the motto “Train with Champions”, all participants also had the opportunity to try artistic swimming with the Alexandri triples, spinning with Anna Kiesenhofer and Christina Schweinberger and sparring with the national team. Detailed information here.
Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee (CTOC)
CTOC. Beach cleaning event organized by the Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee.
2004 Olympic taekwondo champion Chu Mu-yen, who is also the chairman of the CTOC Athletes’ Commission, together with the CTOC responded to the IOC’s sustainability policy and launched a beach clean-up campaign. Mr. Chu invited the public and fellow athletes to join him in this campaign, which aims to raise awareness of the need to protect the marine environment in society. More than 120 participants cleaned up a total of 562 kilograms of trash at Dingliao Beach in Linkou District, New Taipei City. Before the actual cleaning, they were given guidelines for understanding the impact of our daily life on the environment and promoting the concept of ecological sustainability. More information at www.tpenoc.net.
Dominican Republic NOC (COD)
On the National Day of Sports – November 7 – the COD Executive Committee called for raising awareness of the role of sports in health, economic and social development and the promotion of human rights. The committee also used the opportunity to invite sports leaders to celebrate the day and embrace unity in the national sports movement. More details here.
Georgian NOO
Georgian NOO. Graduated advanced courses in sports management.
The NOC recently awarded IOC diplomas to participants in advanced sports management courses. In total, 21 participants from 15 different national sports federations and sports organizations fulfilled the requirements of the courses in 2023, thus enriching their knowledge of sports management. The diplomas were presented by the president of NOO, Leri Khabelov, and the first vice-president Elguja Berishvili and program director Rusudan Aptsiauri. The ceremony was widely covered by Georgian television and media. Info at www.geonoc.org.ge.
Lithuanian NOC (LNOC)
LNOC/E. Žaldaris. Young participants of the Olympic Month project in Lithuania.
The Olympic Month project, organized by LNOC for the fifth consecutive year, has generated record interest. A total of 2,800 primary school classes or more than 55,000 students from all Lithuanian municipalities participated in this 2023 edition. Children are invited to exercise, interact with Olympians and deepen their knowledge about physical activity, healthy eating, quality rest and emotional health. Placed under the auspices of the country’s first lady Diana Nausėdienė, the project aims to promote physical literacy, help students discover healthy lifestyles and physical activity as a fun and useful activity, and introduce them to the Olympic values and principles of respect, friendship and excellence. All details here.
Oman Olympic Committee (OOC)
OOC. Omani basketball coach Nidal Al Mughiri, during practice at the University of Delaware.
Coach Nidal Al Mughiri from the Oman Basketball Association participated in an international enrichment program for coaches and technicians organized by the University of Delaware in collaboration with the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC), with the support of Olympic Solidarity. Held from June to November, the program aimed to provide coaches with an opportunity to enrich their skills, increase their competencies in the field of basketball training and introduce them to the collegiate playing environment in the United States. All details here.
Organizing committees of the Youth Olympic Games
Gangwon 2024
Tickets for the upcoming Gangwon 2024 Youth Olympic Winter Games go on sale from November 11 at 11:11 KST (3:11 CET) at tickets.gangwon2024.org. Tickets will be free for all events, except for the opening ceremony in Gangneung. Approximately 1,900 athletes from around 81 National Olympic Committees are expected to participate in the YOG, which will be held from January 19 to February 1, 2024. Full press release here.
Recognized organizations
European Olympic Committees (EOC)
EOC. Participants of the 7th European Forum of Athletes.
British triathlete Alistair Brownlee was elected as the new President of the EOC’s Athletics Commission (AC) at the 7th Forum and Assembly of European Athletes held on 6-7 November in Rome, Italy. Johanna Taliharm (Estonia), Alexandra Miskovska-Longova (Slovakia), Zoruna Arunović (Serbia) and Ronald Rauhe (Germany) were also elected to the AK EOC for a two-year term. The EOC AC elections were the highlight of the Forum, organized in collaboration with Olympic Solidarity, where EOC AC representatives focused on key issues facing athletes. This included detailed updates and presentations from outgoing EOC Chair AC Gerd Kanter and IOC Chair AC Emma Terho on the activities of their esteemed commissions. All details here.
World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
WADA has announced the webinar schedule for November 2023. Find it here.
