​The Invitation Review Panel and the Olympic Athlete from Russia Implementation Group (OARIG) have taken a key step in the process of inviting clean Russian athletes to the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018. Following intensive weeks of work by the Independent Invitation Review Panel members, in which they went into detailed consideration of each individual athlete, they have established a pool of clean athletes from which athletes to be invited by the IOC to take part in the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018 as an “Olympic Athlete from Russia” (OAR) can be chosen. More than 80 per cent of the athletes in this pool did not compete at the Olympic Winter Games Sochi 2014. This shows that this is a new generation of Russian athletes.

Athletes from the National Olympic Committee of DPRK to compete in Figure Skating, Short Track Speed Skating, Cross Country Skiing and Alpine Skiing – and in a Unified Women’s Hockey Team
IOC President Thomas Bach today announced that a delegation from the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) will participate at the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018. Under the “Olympic Korean Peninsula Declaration”, the IOC will grant accreditations to the NOC of the DPRK for 22 athletes in 3 sports and 5 disciplines. 
Following the meeting between the IOC and delegations from the NOC of the DPRK, the NOC of the Republic of Korea (ROK) and the PyeongChang 2018 Organising Committee at the IOC headquarters today, President Bach presented the decisions of the “Olympic Korean Peninsula Declaration”. The Declaration was signed by all four parties attending the meetings. In making the announcement, President Bach was joined by the President of the NOC of the ROK, Lee Kee-heung, the Minister of Sport of the ROK, Do Jong-hwan; the President of the NOC of the DPRK and Minister of Sport, Kim Il-guk; and the President of POCOG, Lee Hee-beom.

It is with great sadness that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has learned of the death of Alpha Ibrahim Diallo at the age of 82.

A graduate in journalism and civil administration, Mr Diallo joined the IOC in 1994. He was a member of the Executive Board from 2003 to 2006 and also served on the following commissions: Sport for All (1995), Radio and Television since 1996, IOC 2000 (1999), Olympic Solidarity (2002-2006) and International Relations since 2002. He became an Honorary Member in 2012.

Mr Diallo enjoyed playing football and basketball, and it was his passion for sport that led to his long career serving the Olympic Movement at home and abroad. During his 15 years at the head of the NOC of Guinea, he played a key role in supporting athletes and in promoting the values of physical activity in his country. On a continental level, Diallo was a Member of the ANOCA Executive Committee from 1986 to 1990, before becoming President from 2001 to 2005. He also served as a member of the ANOC Executive Committee before becoming its Vice-President in 2001.

Lusaka, Zambia, August 27: The Zambia’s Nanjing Youth Olympics 100 metres sprint gold medallist Sydney Siame has said that he has set his sights firmly on Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

The 16-year-old sprinter said he will not relax following his latest Nanjing feat where he also won a silver medal in 8x100 metres relay race.

“It’s been long for Zambia to win a medal like this. I won’t relax [because] it’s just the beginning for me, “he was quoted by online media as saying.

In fact, my target is [2016 Rio and [Tokyo] 2020 [Olympic Games], Zambians should expect gold from there,” he added.

The   world fastest sprint kid recently attained   success has not escaped the attention of the legendary former 400 metres hurdles specialist Samuel Matete.

The former Olympic silver medallist advised Siame not to get excited by his latest feat saying it should be regarded as foundation for future success adding instead he should continue working hard.

African trio, Gladys Lengwe (Zambia), Emmanuella Aglago (Ghana) and Bernadettar Kwimbira (Malawi) have been named for the final of the 2014 Girls Youth Olympic tournament underway in Nanjing, China.

Lengwe, 35, will lead the trio for the ultimate of the tournament between hosts China and Venezuela on Tuesday, 26 August 2014 in Nanjing. She will be assisted by Aglago and Kwimbira.

The appointment is the latest in the soaring achievement of African match officials this year. Last month, Algerian Haimoudi Djamel together with Achik Redouane (Morocco) and Abdelhak Etchiali (Algeria) officiated the third place match at the 2014 FIFA World Cup which the Netherlands thrashed hosts Brazil 3-0 to claim bronze.

  Nanjing (CHN), August 23, 2014 – In a successful second edition of the Youth Olympic Games swimming programme, which saw the world's rising talents stepping up in convincing fashion at Nanjing's Olympic Sports Complex Natatorium on August 17-22, 2014, a total 20 new World Junior records were established, 16 in individual and four in relay events.

400 swimmers from 144 countries competed in 34 events: 17 boys’ and 17 girls’ events, including two mixed relays. At the end of the six-day competition, no less than 29 countries have medalled in Nanjing: Australia, Bahamas, Brazil, China, Croatia, Egypt, El Salvador, Great Britain, Hong Kong, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Korea, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, New Zealand, Russia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Ukraine, United States of America, Venezuela and Vietnam.

Beijing, China - In exactly one year the IAAF World Championships, Beijing 2015 will commence.

IAAF President Lamine Diack who is presently in China attending the Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing, flew into Beijing today to attend the ‘One Year Countdown Ceremony’.


President Diack was joined by Wang Anshun, Mayor of the Beijing Municipal Government and Liu Peng, China’s Minister of Sport Administration Bureau and President of the Chinese Olympic Committee, along with other distinguished national and city officials representing the member federation and local organising committee.

The IAAF delegation at the ceremony also included General Secretary Essar Gabriel.

A giant countdown clock was unveiled outside the National Stadium, better known as the world famous ‘Bird’s Nest’ which hosted the 2008 Olympic Games. The stadium will be the venue for the nine-day championships from 22 to 30 August 2015.

Our thoughts are firstly with those who have been touched by the outbreak of Ebola in West Africa and the suffering of those affected and their families.

With regard to ensuring the safety of all those participating in the Youth Olympic Games and the people of the city of Nanjing we have been working closely with the Chinese health authorities and under the guidance of the World Health Organization (WHO).  We have been reassured by the health authorities that there have been no suspected cases and that the risk of infection is extremely unlikely.

Together we have developed a policy which balances the health needs of all, with respect for the rights of the young athletes from the region:

• The organizing committee has made it clear that all delegations are welcome to the Games and each country is free to take their own decision on attendance.
• Those from the region will be subject to regular temperature and physical assessment throughout the period.
• Based on health authority guidelines it has been decided that athletes from affected areas will not compete in combat sports. (2 athletes)
• Additionally, based on the inability to completely exclude the risk of potential infection it was also decided that no athletes from the region would compete in the pool.(1 athlete)
• In accordance with WHO guidelines the Chinese authorities are fully prepared should any outbreak occur.  

We regret that due to this issue some young athletes may have suffered twice, both from the anguish caused by the outbreak in their home countries and by not being able to compete in the Youth Olympic Games.

The 2014 Summer Youth Olympic Games got under way today in Nanjing, China with a pulsating Opening Ceremony that quickly spread around the world thanks to thousands of selfies taken by athletes and spectators at the request of International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach.

In the true spirit of the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) the IOC reached out to its 42 million fans as well as the followers of the spectators and athletes in the stadium. IOC President Thomas Bach spoke directly to the 3,800 young athletes taking part in the Games at the Nanjing Olympic Sports Centre to encourage them to share the moment.

“Dear young athletes, these are your Games. This is your moment. So, young athletes, please join me: Let us all capture it – so get your smart phones out and let’s set a record for selfies,” President Bach said, before being joined on stage by five YOG athletes – Lilia Maamar (Equestrian) from Morocco, Jaheel Hyde (Athletics) from Jamaica, Dilixiati Dilana (Basketball) from China, Ivana Jorovic (Tennis) from Serbia, and Gabrielle Fa’amausili (Swimming) from New Zealand – with whom he took his own “YOG selfie”. Everyone in attendance was then asked to post their selfies to #YOGselfie.

“By sending this selfie … you are sending a strong message around the world,” President Bach continued. “You are showing your passion for sport and for fair competition. You are demonstrating that Olympic sport reaches beyond competition. It is also about sharing, learning and making friends across our globe.” Read President Bach’s full speech here.

The second edition of the Summer Youth Olympic Games will take place from 16 to 28 August in Nanjing, China. You don’t have to be in Nanjing to catch all the action, however, as live and on-demand footage of the 3,800 young athletes participating in the Games can be viewed in a variety of ways.

The official Olympic broadcast partners in over 160 countries and territories around the world will provide the most comprehensive Youth Olympic Games coverage ever. For example, in the host country China, CCTV will provide over 600 hours of live, delayed and highlights coverage of the sports action. To see who is broadcasting the Games in your country, visit: www.olympic.tv.

Live and on-demand coverage of the action can also be watched through the IOC’s global digital platforms: www.olympic.tv, www.olympic.org and www.youtube.com/olympics. For anyone in China, tune in to http://sports.cntv.cn/special/nanjing2014/index.shtml, which will be broadcasting the competition extensively.

Not near a TV or computer? Not a problem – the Olympic TV app has you covered. Download the Olympic TV app for your iOS and Android handhelds so you won’t miss a minute of the competition.

The Rio 2016 Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games launched the look of the Games on Tuesday 5 August, exactly two years before the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games in Rio.

Inspired by Brazil, Brazilians and Rio de Janeiro, the look is multicolored and vibrant as the harmonic diversity of our people. The look is organic and engaging like an embrace, inspired by our lush nature and human warmth.  It brings fluid and energetic features, like our art, our identity.

Rio de Janeiro is present in the look through its icons, which reflect the diversity of Brazil, captured by the imagination of every tourist. Rio transforms and engages because it is an awe-inspiring city, the crossing point of several “cultural streams” that circulate throughout Brazil, mingle, are reinvented and flow out to the city to the world.

Photo credit: Alex Ferro / Rio 2016

Progress made in venue construction, test events and education programme, with volunteers, tickets and mascots on the horizon

 

With exactly two years to go before the opening of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, preparations for the world’s greatest sporting event are moving forwards at full steam. The Aquece Rio International Sailing Regatta 2014 has fired the starting pistol for a series of 45 test events, and a host of other initiatives are in the pipeline for this year, such as the launch of thevolunteer programme, an announcement on ticketing and the unveiling of the Games’ most-loved personalities: the mascots. Meanwhile, construction across the four competition zones is progressing, with 55 per cent of venues now ready.

The date marks the beginning of the operational preparation phase and the end of the planning phase

The Look of the Games will be launched tomorrow (August 5th)

 

August 5 2014 marks the beginning of the final organisation phase of the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games

“With two years to go until the Games, we have concluded the exclusive planning phase, and are now entering the operational preparation phase, when the competition structures begin to take shape and we get closer to the population," says Carlos Nuzman, President of the Rio 2016 Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

This week, the Rio 2016 Committee is hosting the first of 45 test events ahead of the Games. Beginning today, about 300 journalists from all over Brazil and the world will attend national and international press briefings. Tomorrow, 5 August, the visual identity of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, called the "look" of Rio in the Games, will be launched.  All these actions are part of the commitments undertaken by the Organising Committee in the Candidature File until the two-year milestone.

“The competition programme has already been approved by the international federations and the International Olympic Committee. We intensified contacts with the international sports community in order to keep them continuously updated on the progress of the organisation, in a joint effort with the International Olympic Committee (IOC)", highlights Nuzman.

On the eve of the ‘two years until the Olympic Games’ milestone, committee announces series that will bring stars to city

Rio 2016 today releases the draft version of its test event calendar, outlining the 45 competitions that will bring some of the world’s top sports stars to Rio de Janeiro before the Olympic and Paralympic Games have even started.

Test events are a crucial part of an organising committee’s work, providing the opportunity to test the competition sites and venue operations, while also giving athletes the chance to compete at the locations where the Games themselves will be held. Nearly 8,400 athletes, including more than1,200 Paralympic athletes, are expected to compete in the Rio 2016 test events.

The first event, the Aquece Rio International Sailing Regatta 2014, is currently being staged at Marina da Glória, with more than 300 sailors, including 23 Olympic medallists.

The organising committee works closely with the International Sports Federations to define the details of the events, the majority of which will be held in the second half of 2015 and first part of 2016. As well as being an opportunity to test for the Games, they will be top-level competitions in their own right, and some will be ticketed.

Agberto Guimarães, Rio 2016's Executive Director of Sport and Paralympic Integration, said: “Establishing the calendar is an important step as these events will allow us to test all aspects of the competitions and ensure that, come Games time, everything will be in place for the athletes to produce their best performances.”

Delphine Moulin, Rio 2016’s Test Events General Manager, said: “Test events are a vital part of the preparations for staging the Games, providing the opportunity to put all our planning into practice,” said. “They also present an invaluable chance to integrate the organising committee’s team with the International and National Sports Federations and government teams, who also have an crucial role to play in the delivery of the Games.”

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has awarded Seven West Media Ltd. (Seven) the Australian broadcast rights for the Games of the XXXI Olympiad in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, the XXIII Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang in 2018, and the Games of the XXXII Olympiad in Tokyo in 2020, as well as the 2nd Summer Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing in 2014.

Seven has acquired broadcast rights on all media platforms, and has committed to once again displaying its Golden Rings winning production abilities for the benefit of the Australian public. The agreement also includes an unprecedented commitment over the course of the partnership to support the IOC’s goals. This commitment includes promoting Olympism, Olympic sports, health, education and youth sport across Seven’s media platforms, including its television network, newspapers, magazines and online media.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is pleased that Yang-ho Cho has been formally elected as the President of the PyeongChang 2018 Organising Committee (POCOG). We also welcome his plans to dedicate himself to the success of the 2018 Olympic Winter Games. President Cho has a long-standing relationship with the Olympic Movement, and his experience of leading the PyeongChang 2018 Bid Committee will allow him to quickly get started in his new role. 

The IOC is looking forward to working again with President Cho, with the first face-to-face meeting already scheduled to take place during the upcoming Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Games. President Cho and a POCOG delegation are expected to meet with IOC President Thomas Bach, IOC Coordination Commission Chair Gunilla Lindberg, and the IOC’s Olympic Games Deputy Executive Director Christophe Dubi during the course of the 13-day event.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) today announced Yao Ming as the latest Ambassador for this summer’s 2nd Youth Olympic Games (YOG) taking place in Nanjing, China.
 
The Chinese basketball legend will share his advice and experience of international competition with the next generation of young athletes, while inspiring young people around the world to get active and embrace the Olympic values.

Yao Ming is no stranger to the Olympic Games having competed at the 2008 Beijing Games, where he scored the first basket of the tournament in his home nation, a moment which he described as “the proudest of my career”. A popular athlete in China, Yao Ming has also enjoyed success further afield after spending the majority of his career within the illustrious NBA.

Nigeria and Africa’s number one female sprinter and 100 Meters record Holder Blessing Okagbare is ready to take the stage at the ongoing Commonwealth Games in Scotland beginning tomorrow Sunday July 27th 2014 starting with the 100 meters heats.

Blessing who has been putting up some phenomenal performances at the IAAF Diamond League series, despite silently battling some health issues is the favorite to win Gold in the 100 and 200 meters and the Long Jump. She recently clocked a seasons best of 10.97 seconds at the Monaco Grand Prix and is looking forward to capitalizing off of that seasons best performance at the Track in Scotland.

Almost two years to the day from the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games (27 July 2012), a new report from the British Government shows that the Olympic Games continue to provide significant legacies for the city of London – and Britain as a whole. 

International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach commented, “Ensuring a positive legacy from the Olympic Games for a host city and country is very important for the IOC. This is why I am delighted to see that our British partners have succeeded in maximising the legacy of London 2012 across a number of different areas.”  

He continued, “As an Olympian, I saw that London 2012 was a Games built around the athletes. As IOC President, I see that London and Britain have also understood that the Games can be a catalyst for positive long-term economic, social and sustainable legacies. These figures confirm that the Olympic Games can provide tangible benefits for a lot more than just 16 days of competition.” 

The report on the successful legacies from London 2012 reveals that the British economy has seen a trade and industry boost in excess of £14 billion (USD 23.8 billion) following the Games – beating the four-year target of £11 billion (USD 18.7 billion) in half the time – with British businesses securing contract wins, additional sales and new foreign investment in the two years since the Games were held.

Nigeria and Africa’s number one female sprinter and 100 Meters record Holder Blessing Okagbare is ready to take the stage at the ongoing Commonwealth Games in Scotland beginning tomorrow Sunday July 27th 2014 starting with the 100 meters heats.

Blessing who has been putting up some phenomenal performances at the IAAF Diamond League series, despite silently battling some health issues is the favorite to win Gold in the 100 and 200 meters and the Long Jump. She recently clocked a seasons best of 10.97 seconds at the Monaco Grand Prix and is looking forward to capitalizing off of that seasons best performance at the Track in Scotland.

The President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Thomas Bach, today officially opened a Sport for Hope Centre in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, in the presence of Republic of Haiti President Michel Martelly and United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

Straight after the terrible earthquake that hit the country four years ago, the Olympic Movement, through the National Olympic Committee of Haiti, committed itself to providing aid to rebuild Haiti’s sporting infrastructure as part of the nation’s reconstruction process. The Sport for Hope Centre features modern sporting facilities and will offer a wide range of educational programmes, health services and community activities aimed at rebuilding local communities, promoting social values and giving Haiti’s citizens a better future.

The Centre, built at a cost of USD 18 million, was a joint initiative between the IOC and its key stakeholders and the Haitian Government. It comes just weeks after the signing of a historic agreement between the IOC and UN aimed at strengthening cooperation between the two organisations in projects designed to contribute to a better and more peaceful world through sport.

President Bach said: “The Sport for Hope Centre is open to all Haitians – from the young to the old, and from professional athletes to beginners. It offers open access to a variety of sports thanks to the generosity and commitment of a number of our stakeholders; but just as importantly, it offers access to cultural, educational and social development programmes and the Olympic values.” 

HRH Prince Nawaf Faisal Fahd Abdulaziz has resigned from his position as President of the Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee (NOC).

As his membership of the IOC was linked to his function as President of the NOC, it therefore ceased at the same time.

International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach thanked His Royal Highness for his contribution to the Olympic Movement.

The IOC Executive Board today received a presentation on research conducted on the IOC, the Olympic Games and the Olympic brand that demonstrated the awareness and appeal of the Olympic Games and the Olympic brand. 

The research survey was conducted by KantarSport (a division of Kantar Media), commissioned by the IOC, after the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games earlier this year, with a total of 36,000 people surveyed in 16 countries. 

Both the Olympic Games and Olympic Winter Games had the highest awareness and appeal of any sports or entertainment event surveyed.

The Executive Board (EB) of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) concluded three days of meetings today with a positive update on the progress in preparations for the Olympic Games in Rio in 2016 and discussions on Olympic Agenda 2020.

The Executive Board heard reports on the preparations for the Rio 2016 Games from Chair of the Coordination Commission Nawal El Moutawakel and from the Rio 2016 Organising Committee, led by its President Carlos Arthur Nuzman.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC)’s Coordination Commission for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games today successfully concluded its first visit to the 2020 Olympic host city of Tokyo (25-27 June). The Commission, through its Chair, John Coates, declared that it was “very pleased” with the initial progress made by Tokyo 2020, as well as by the on-going review of its bid plans. The Commission was also extremely satisfied that the “best of Japan” has been mobilised to get everyone involved in Tokyo 2020 and help spread the message across the country.

Speaking after the meetings, IOC Coordination Commission Chair John Coates said, “We are very pleased with Tokyo 2020’s progress under the leadership of President Yoshiro Mori. The Organising Committee and its government partners have got off to a quick start and are putting in place solid foundations for the next six years of preparations.” He continued, “The close cooperation of all levels of government with Tokyo 2020 was clearly felt by the Commission, particularly following our meeting with Prime Minister Abe and with Governor Masuzoe’s participation in the visit. Their support for the Games, as well as the support of many high-profile Japanese personalities through the Tokyo 2020 Advisory Meeting, are greatly appreciated, and will stand the 2020 Games in good stead. Their commitment underlines that Tokyo 2020 is for all Japan, and is encouraging Japanese everywhere to get behind these Games and see how they can engage in helping Tokyo to welcome the world in 2020.”