Organising Olympic Games is a complex and challenging venture. To get it right, the Organising Committees (OCOGs) have to take into account that the staging of the Games goes beyond the athletes, venues and competitions. Each OCOG has to have a clear vision for the Games and what legacy it wants to leave. A 360° sustainability check includes issues concerning the environment; the integration of social minorities; the use of venues after the Games; respect for athletes from other cultures and religions; its role as a socially respected employer; a clean supply chain; and the full integration of educational and cultural elements in the programme.

Vancouver 2010 is a good example. In this video, key people from the Vancouver Organising Committee (VANOC) explain how important it is to them to demonstrate good governance, illustrated by concrete examples in the field of the environmental protection as part of a sustainability strategy. At the end of the day, it is the credibility of the Olympic Games that is at stake. For this reason, there will be an in-depth debate on these topics at the Olympic Congress in Copenhagen, which takes place from 3-5 October 2009. Good governance is key for the Olympic Movement as it is ultimately judged on this.

 

“Vancouver is ready for 2010”, said the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) Coordination Commission for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games through its Chairman, René Fasel. For its ninth and final visit (25 – 26 August) to the next Olympic and Paralympic Host City, the Commission was joined by representatives of the Olympic Winter International Federations, who were able to bring their expertise to bear in the discussions with the Vancouver Organising Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC) relating to the sporting elements of the Games, as well as by observers from the Sochi 2014 Organising Committee.

Speaking at the close of the meetings, Fasel said, “The organizers of the Games in Vancouver and Whistler are ready for 2010. We’ve heard from VANOC and its partners about all the steps that they are undertaking to ensure that the athletes and other Games visitors have a fantastic Olympic and Paralympic experience. We are extremely happy with what we have seen and heard, and are confident that they will deliver.” He continued, “The Commission members and I have seen this project grow from plans on paper into almost a reality, and we would like to commend the work of the team led by Jack Poole and John Furlong. The venues are spectacular and the plans for next February are very good. The great venues, the outstanding natural setting and hugely knowledgeable and enthusiastic fans will guarantee that these Olympic and Paralympic Games will be an unparalleled success.”

During its meeting, the Commission heard reports from VANOC on areas such as the Olympic Torch Relay, spectator services, sport, marketing, media operations, National Olympic Committee services, technology and the Paralympic Games. The visit also provided the opportunity for some Commission members to tour venues including the Vancouver Olympic Village, UBC Thunderbird Arena, Richmond Oval, Hillcrest Curling Centre and the Main Press and Broadcasting Centres.

 

Vancouver and Whistler will host the XXI Olympic Winter Games from 12 to 28 February 2010 and the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games from 12 to 21 March 2010. The seven Winter Olympic sports that will be on show in Vancouver are Luge, Skiing, Skating, Ice Hockey, Biathlon, Bobsleigh and Curling.

“Vancouver is ready for 2010”, said the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) Coordination Commission for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games through its Chairman, René Fasel. For its ninth and final visit (25 – 26 August) to the next Olympic and Paralympic Host City, the Commission was joined by representatives of the Olympic Winter International Federations, who were able to bring their expertise to bear in the discussions with the Vancouver Organising Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC) relating to the sporting elements of the Games, as well as by observers from the Sochi 2014 Organising Committee.

Speaking at the close of the meetings, Fasel said, “The organizers of the Games in Vancouver and Whistler are ready for 2010. We’ve heard from VANOC and its partners about all the steps that they are undertaking to ensure that the athletes and other Games visitors have a fantastic Olympic and Paralympic experience. We are extremely happy with what we have seen and heard, and are confident that they will deliver.” He continued, “The Commission members and I have seen this project grow from plans on paper into almost a reality, and we would like to commend the work of the team led by Jack Poole and John Furlong. The venues are spectacular and the plans for next February are very good. The great venues, the outstanding natural setting and hugely knowledgeable and enthusiastic fans will guarantee that these Olympic and Paralympic Games will be an unparalleled success.”

During its meeting, the Commission heard reports from VANOC on areas such as the Olympic Torch Relay, spectator services, sport, marketing, media operations, National Olympic Committee services, technology and the Paralympic Games. The visit also provided the opportunity for some Commission members to tour venues including the Vancouver Olympic Village, UBC Thunderbird Arena, Richmond Oval, Hillcrest Curling Centre and the Main Press and Broadcasting Centres.

 

Vancouver and Whistler will host the XXI Olympic Winter Games from 12 to 28 February 2010 and the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games from 12 to 21 March 2010. The seven Winter Olympic sports that will be on show in Vancouver are Luge, Skiing, Skating, Ice Hockey, Biathlon, Bobsleigh and Curling.

The IOC’s Coordination Commission will pay its ninth and last visit to the next Olympic host city of Vancouver this week. The Commission, led by its Chairman René Fasel, will spend two days – 25 to 26 August – hearing from the Vancouver 2010 Organising Committee (VANOC) about its progress, as it looks to stage spectacular Olympic Winter Games. This visit will also see the participation of representatives of the Olympic Winter International Federations, who will be able to bring their wealth of experience to the table, as they look at the final details around the sports on the 2010 programme.

With a little under six months to the Games, the IOC’s Coordination Commission will be working with VANOC to make sure that the Games stakeholders, such as the athletes, National Olympic Committees, International Federations, rights-holding broadcasters, media and spectators are going to be happy with the services that VANOC plans to deliver for them at Games time. As it is the final meeting of the Commission, they will also be looking at where the project is globally and examining in detail a number of areas such as transport, access to venues and ticketing, which will be key to ensuring a great Games-time experience for athletes and spectators.

 

With VANOC’s competition venues now completed and the two Olympic Villages in Vancouver and Whistler well on their way to being handed over to VANOC for use at Games time, some members of the Commission will also tour a selection of Vancouver’s Olympic venues. This will allow the members to see the Olympic venues finalised after following their progress over the past six years during their construction.

 

Vancouver and Whistler will host the XXI Olympic Winter Games from 12 to 28 February 2010 and the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games from 12 to 21 March 2010. The seven Winter Olympic sports that will be on show in Vancouver are Luge, Skiing, Skating, Ice Hockey, Biathlon, Bobsleigh and Curling.

The Executive Board (EB) of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) today approved several new events for the 2012 London Olympic Games. All of the new events had been requested by the relevant International Federations as part of the IOC’s systematic review of the sports programme. The changes reflect the IOC’s desire to continually refresh the Olympic programme and its commitment to increase participation by women.

 

The changes approved by the Executive Board include the following:

The EB agreed to the introduction of three women’s events. The current 11 men’s boxing events will be replaced by 10 men’s and three women’s events, representing an additional two boxing events on the programme. The total number of boxers remains unchanged. The decision was a recognition that women’s boxing has made substantial progress in universality and technical quality of the athletes since the EB last considered the discipline in 2005.

 

The EB agreed to the request made by the International Canoe Federation (ICF) for the replacement of men’s C2 500m with women’s K1 200m. The EB also agreed to replace the remaining three men’s 500m sprint events with 200m sprint events.

 

The EB agreed to the implementation of a new combined run-shoot format.

 

The removal of placement matches in the handball tournament was agreed.

 

Wrestling, Swimming, Cycling

The three Federations (FILA, FINA, and UCI respectively) submitted requests for new events. The EB informed them that this could happen, especially if the new events increase the participation of women at the Games and on condition that they replace events already on the programme. Additionally, current events can be replaced with new ones only if the total number of athletes is maintained. 

 

Furthermore, the EB agreed to consider the inclusion of a mixed doubles event pending guarantees from the International Tennis Federation that the top players in the singles rankings would be able to participate.

 

The EB will make a decision on the issue at its December meeting in Lausanne.

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The IOC received requests from 17 International Sports Federations for modifications of events, quotas and competition formats for the Olympic Games in London in 2012 by the deadline of October 2008.

 

The IOC Olympic Programme Commission analysed all of the requests based on established criteria, and submitted its findings to the Executive Board. The key positive factors included whether the changes would increase universality, gender equity and youth appeal, and in general add value to the Games. Other considerations included the cost of infrastructure, and the impact on the overall quota and the number of events.

All modifications of events, quotas or competition format for the Olympic Games in London 2012 are provisional, and will be reviewed for the programme of the 2016 Olympic Games after the Games in London.

 

The sports on the programme for any edition of the Games are decided no later than at the IOC Session electing the host city for that edition of the Games.

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When available, images will be published to flickr.com, click here.

 

The press conference with President Jacques Rogge will be available shortly on www.olympic.org

 

For more information please contact the IOC Communications Department, Tel: +41 21 621 60 00, email: pressoffice@olympic.org

Today marks three years to go until the start of the London 2012 Olympic Games, and the London 2012 Organising Committee (LOCOG) and its partners are holding a number of events to celebrate the this landmark date. These will include the opportunity for Team GB athletes to tour the Olympic Park and to travel on the new Javelin trains that will bring up to 25,000 spectators per hour into the Olympic Park at Games time.

 

IOC President Jacques Rogge said, “A little over four years ago, Seb Coe presented a vision to the IOC members of Games that would make a difference. Make a difference to the athletes by giving them the experience of a lifetime, make a difference to the lives of people in London and across Great Britain through regeneration and sport, and make a difference to the IOC and the Olympic Movement. London 2012 and its partners are delivering on that vision. Their good work since Singapore is a testament to that fact, and I am in no doubt that in 2012 we will see great Games that will make a difference to us all.”

 

LOCOG has made solid progress with its preparations to stage the Game since its election in Singapore in 2005 and has now passed the GBP 500 million mark in domestic sponsorship. The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) is also on track and within budget, with construction on all permanent venues in the Olympic Park well underway. The external structure of the Olympic Stadium is now complete, the roof structure of the Aquatics Centre is over half way finished, and work is also progressing well on the Olympic Village, the Velodrome, the IBC/MPC and the transport and infrastructure projects needed for the Games and their legacy. 

 

London was elected as the Host City for the Games of the XXX Olympiad on 6 July 2005 at the 117th IOC Session in Singapore. London eventually succeeded in the fourth round of voting, taking 54 votes from a possible 104. London faced stiff opposition during the vote from the other four candidate cities: Paris, New York, Moscow and Madrid. There will be 26 sports on the Olympic Programme in London in 2012 and around 10,500 athletes. 

Like Athens in 2004, Turin in 2006 and Beijing in 2008, Vancouver 2010 will be closely examined by a Grand Témoin de la Francophonie, this time the former President of the Swiss Confederation, Pascal Couchepin, who was appointed by the Secretary General of La Francophonie, Abdou Diouf. The role of the Grand Témoin is to lead activities promoting awareness and observation of the French language, and increasing its use.

 

At the announcement of this nomination, IOC President Jacques Rogge stated: “We are looking forward to working with Mr Couchepin. We have already had the opportunity of working with him in the framework of his functions within the federal government. His solid international experience and his knowledge of the sports world will certainly be valuable assets in his new role of Grand Témoin de la Francophonie.” Pascal Couchepin is a key figure in the Swiss political landscape. He was President of the Swiss Confederation twice, in 2003 and 2008. Within the Federal Council, he led the Federal Department of Economic Affairs from 1998 to 2002. In this function, he was in charge of the ministries of agriculture, foreign trade, labour and professional education. During this period, he represented Switzerland within the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and served as Governor of the World Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). Currently Head of the Federal Department of Home Affairs, responsible for questions of social security, health, education, university education, research and culture, he will leave this post in October 2009 to devote himself to his new mission promoting the French language at the Olympic Games.

As President Rogge often stresses, the IOC is deeply attached to the defence of the French language, as it was created in French, by Pierre de Coubertin, the reviver of the Olympic Games, in an era (end of the 19th century) when French was the language of diplomacy. Since April 1915, the IOC headquarters have been in the French-speaking region of Switzerland. We should also recall that, in accordance with Rule 24 of the Olympic Charter, French is an official IOC language, alongside English, and is therefore of fundamental importance for the Olympic Games. Furthermore, if there is a discrepancy between a French text and an English one in the Olympic Charter, or any other IOC document, the French text prevails, in the absence of any written instruction to the contrary.

 

Last August in Beijing, the French language had a satisfactory place, thanks to the organisers’ considerable efforts. This was the conclusion of the Grand Témoin for these Games, former French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin, in his report on the use of French at the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008. A copy of this report will be officially presented today to President Rogge at a meeting in Lausanne with Pascal Couchepin, who will be accompanied by Pierre de Cocatrix, the Chief of Staff of the Secretary General of La Francophonie. Besides the presentation of the Grand Témoin’s mission in Vancouver, and a discussion on preparations for the Games, the cooperation project between the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF) and the Olympic Movement will also be addressed, with the focal points being the first Youth Olympic Games in August 2010 in Singapore, the next edition of the Francophone Games in Beirut, and preparations for the 2013 edition.

Canada is recognised throughout the entire world for its bilingualism and diversity. The Federal Law of 1969 made French and English the two official languages of the Canadian Federal State. The Organising Committee for the Games in Vancouver (VANOC) has therefore made a strong commitment to ensuring that the 2010 Olympic Winter Games respect the linguistic reality of the host country. The creation of a VANOC advisory panel on the official languages is a perfect illustration of this. A multi-party agreement between VANOC, the federal government and the host cities of the Games was signed, fixing very high standards in the area of bilingualism. To underline the important contribution of the country’s French-speaking communities, VANOC also signed a collaboration agreement with the Canadian Foundation for Cross-Cultural Dialogue and the British Columbia Francophone Federation. Reflecting this agreement, the Place de la Francophonie, situated in downtown Vancouver, will be, throughout the Games, a place of gathering, celebration, artistic creation, economic exchange and gastronomy.

 Discover the report on French at the Beijing Games on the official web site of the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie

The International Olympic Committee (IOC)’s Coordination Commission for London 2012 today wrapped-up its fourth visit to the British capital. The three days of meetings - from 21 to 23 April - and site visits allowed the Commission to fully assess the advances made on the London 2012 project by the local organisers. The Commission was impressed by the good progress that London 2012 has made since its last visit and put this down in no small part to the strong spirit of partnership that is being shown, under the leadership of LOCOG, by all of the stakeholders involved in the Games.



Speaking after the meetings, Commission Chairman Denis Oswald said, “We have been greatly impressed by the good progress that London 2012 has made since our visit last year, particularly in moving from planning to operational delivery. This was evident in all the presentations and discussions we had about LOCOG’s Games time planning, and of course during our visit to the Olympic Park. Seeing the transformation that has taken place in the Lower Lea Valley is nothing short of astounding and this area will be a great legacy for the people of London and Great Britain.”



He continued, “When I visited the Olympic Stadium last year, the foundations were just being laid. Today the main structure has risen from the ground and the roof is already going-on. Other sites such as the aquatic centre, Olympic Village and velodrome are also rapidly growing from the ground and this fast pace of development is no doubt down to the great spirit of cooperation that exists between the different partners involved in the 2012 project. Their ability to work as a team, plan ahead and solve issues together is ensuring that the Games and legacy planning remain on track as we head towards 2012.”



During its visit, the Commission heard updates from the London 2012 Organising Committee and its partners on a number of important areas of Games preparations including transport, accommodation, field of play, sustainability, legacy planning, technology, ticketing, medical services and press operations. These areas of operations were also examined from the perspective of different groups, such as athletes, spectators and media, which allows the Commission to get a global perspective on each subject and an overview of how each group will experience the Games. This helps the commission to guide the Organising Committee, as it enters more and more detailed levels of operational planning.



Oswald commented, “At this stage in preparations, we have seen in all the client focused working groups that London 2012 is moving in the right direction in order to ensure that individuals attending the Games in a little over three years time will have a first class Olympic and Paralympic Games experience. I think LOCOG and its partners deserve credit for the detail and quality of their work, which is also helping to make sure that the Games deliver as much value for money as possible in these economically challenging times.”



He added, “We also heard from LOCOG that it has had good success on the commercial front and has generated just under GBP 500 million worth of sponsorship revenue. This is an important position to be in with the current global financial difficulties and it once again underlines the strength of the Olympic brand.”



Sebastian Coe, Chairman of London 2012 commented, “The IOC are our partners in delivering the Olympic Games. They are experts. So we gain valuable insight and knowledge from them each time they visit. I’m obviously delighted that they are impressed with the progress we are making. This is a vast and complex project, with no room for complacency, but we are on track and on budget, and have a very strong and talented team of people working hard to make sure we deliver an Olympic and Paralympic Games which the whole country can be proud of in 2012.”



Some of the Commission members also visited the Eton Dorney rowing venue during their stay and were impressed with the quality of the venue, as well as the sub-village for the rowing athletes at Royal Holloway College. The next visit of the full Coordination Commission to London will be in November 2009.



NOTE TO EDITORS:

IOC Coordination Commission

The IOC, as the guardian of the Olympic Games, assists and monitors the work of the Organising Committee for the Olympic Games through the work of the Coordination Commission. The Commission visits the host city once a year until four years from the Games, when the visits become twice yearly until the Games are held. The Commission’s full meetings are supplemented by the regular visits of smaller IOC teams involving the Commission Chairman, selected members of the Commission and members of the IOC administration.



LONDON 2012

London was elected as the Host City for the Games of the XXX Olympiad on 6 July 2005 at the 117th IOC Session in Singapore. London eventually succeeded in the fourth round of voting, taking 54 votes from a possible 104. London faced stiff opposition during the vote from the other four candidate cities: Paris, New York, Moscow and Madrid. There will be 26 sports on the Olympic Programme in London in 2012 and around 10,500 athletes. 

For more information please contact the IOC Communications Department, Tel: +41 21 621 60 00, email: pressoffice@olympic.org , or visit our website at www.olympic.org

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) Coordination Commission for the London Games in 2012 today wrapped up its fourth visit to the British capital. The three days of meetings - from 21 to 23 April - and site visits allowed the Commission to fully assess the developments made on the London 2012 project by the local organisers. The Commission was impressed by the good progress that London 2012 has made since its last visit, and put this down in no small part to the strong spirit of partnership that is being shown, under the leadership of LOCOG, by all the stakeholders involved in the Games.



Good Progress

Speaking after the meetings, Commission Chairman Denis Oswald said: “We have been greatly impressed by the good progress that London 2012 has made since our visit last year, particularly in moving from planning to operational delivery. This was evident in all the presentations and discussions we had about LOCOG’s Games-time planning, and of course during our visit to the Olympic Park. Seeing the transformation that has taken place in the Lower Lea Valley is nothing short of astounding, and this area will be a great legacy for the people of London and Great Britain.” He continued: “When I visited the Olympic Stadium last year, the foundations were just being laid. Today the main structure has risen from the ground and the roof is already going on. Other venues, such as the aquatic centre, Olympic Village and velodrome, are also rapidly growing from the ground, and this fast pace of development is no doubt down to the great spirit of cooperation that exists between the different partners involved in the 2012 project. Their ability to work as a team, plan ahead and solve issues together is ensuring that the Games and legacy planning remain on track as we head towards 2012.”



Games Preparations

During its visit, the Commission heard updates from the London 2012 Organising Committee and its partners on a number of important areas of Games preparations including transport, accommodation, field of play, sustainability, legacy planning, technology, ticketing, medical services and press operations. These areas of operations were also examined from the perspective of different groups, such as athletes, spectators and media, which allowed the Commission to get a global perspective on each subject and an overview of how each group will experience the Games. This helps the Commission to guide the Organising Committee, as it enters more and more detailed levels of operational planning. Some of the Commission members also visited the Eton Dorney rowing venue during their stay and were impressed with the quality of the venue, as well as with the sub-village for the rowing athletes at Royal Holloway College. The next visit of the full Coordination Commission to London will be in November 2009.



LONDON 2012

London was elected as the Host City for the Games of the XXX Olympiad on 6 July 2005 at the 117th IOC Session in Singapore. London eventually succeeded in the fourth round of voting, taking 54 votes from a possible 104. London faced stiff opposition during the vote from the other four candidate cities: Paris, New York, Moscow and Madrid. There will be 26 sports on the Olympic Programme in London in 2012 and around 10,500 athletes. 

Led by its Chairman Denis Oswald, the International Olympic Committee (IOC)’s Coordination Commission for London 2012 will pay its fourth visit to the next host city of the Games of the Olympiad. The Commission will hold meetings in London from 21 to 23 April and will have the opportunity to meet not only with members of the London 2012 Organising Committee, but also with the numerous stakeholders that are involved in the project.



Venues and Meetings

As usual, the Commission will look at a number of areas of Games preparations including technology; culture, ceremonies and education; transport; and sustainability. The core of the meetings will be taken up with sessions looking at the client experience for a number of different groups, such as the athletes, spectators, media and marketing partners. The Commission will also have the opportunity to see first hand the progress made on some of the 2012 venues notably around the Olympic Park.



LONDON 2012

London was elected as the Host City for the Games of the XXX Olympiad on 6 July 2005 at the 117th IOC Session in Singapore. London eventually succeeded in the fourth round of voting taking 54 votes from a possible 104. London faced stiff opposition during the vote from the other four candidate cities: Paris, New York, Moscow and Madrid. There will be 26 sports on the Olympic Programme in London in 2012 and around 10,500 athletes.