Olympic Summit supports next steps in implementation of Olympic Agenda 2020
Press Release
The leading representatives of the Olympic Movement met today in Lausanne for the fourth Olympic Summit convened and chaired by International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach. The Summit reviewed the implementation of Olympic Agenda 2020, with a particular emphasis on protecting the clean athletes, good governance and autonomy, The Olympic Channel, and the new Olympic Games Candidature Procedure. The participants fully backed the next steps for implementation of the recommendations leading up to and including 2016.
President Thomas Bach said: “This fourth Olympic Summit shows the unity of the Olympic Movement behind the Olympic Agenda 2020 reforms. We cannot overstate the importance of good governance, which leads to credibility. We need credibility for our sports organisations as well as for our sports competitions. With regard to the credibility of sport and the protection of clean athletes, the Summit has taken a major step forward to making anti-doping testing independent from sports organisations.”
Following the Summit, the IOC issued the following communique to Olympic Movement stakeholders.
Fourth Olympic Summit Communique
The leading representatives of the Olympic Movement met in Lausanne today to review the implementation of Olympic Agenda 2020. Sports leaders acting together discussed a number of topics which are important to the future of the Olympic Movement and came up with a number of recommendations in a unified approach. The main areas under discussion were the following:
- Protecting the Clean Athletes
- Good Governance and Autonomy
- The Olympic Channel
- The new Olympic Games Candidature Procedure
The Olympic Summit was convened and chaired by International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach at the IOC headquarters in Lausanne. It forms part of the ongoing dialogue and consultation on the main topics of interest and concern to the Olympic Movement.
The participants congratulated the IOC on the historic milestone of sport being included in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, Agenda 2030. The political declaration of the SDGs includes sport as an ‘important enabler’ of development.
The leaders discussed the implementation of Olympic Agenda 2020, the strategic roadmap for the future of the Olympic Movement, which was unanimously approved by the IOC at the Extraordinary Session in Monaco in December 2014. In particular the Summit resolved:
- Protecting the Clean Athletes. The Summit, following recommendation 15 of Olympic Agenda 2020, decided to make anti-doping testing independent from sports organisations. The Summit requested WADA to study taking responsibility for testing as the global centre of competence in anti-doping. This study is to be undertaken by a working group established by WADA and comprising the stakeholders of the Olympic Movement as well as representatives of governments.
Following recommendation 16 of Olympic Agenda 2020, it was noted that all Olympic IFs have signed up to IBIS, the IOC-managed intelligence system on illegal betting, manipulation and corruption in sport. The Summit also welcomed the partnership agreement with Interpol and the cooperation with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in this respect. - Good Governance and Autonomy. The Summit stressed again the importance of good governance in sport, as outlined in Olympic Agenda 2020. Acknowledging the significant progress already being made in different sports organisations, the Summit requested IFs and NOCs to evaluate their individual status of compliance with the standards of the Basic Principles of Good Governance (PGG) in sport, and, wherever needed, to take appropriate action to ensure full compliance. The Summit also requested NOCs and IFs to ensure compliance with the PGG also by their member organisations which, in turn, should spread this to their members. The IOC is to assist the stakeholders of the Olympic Movement in this respect by giving information about best practice, by providing toolkits and by giving information and assistance.
Furthermore, the Summit emphasised the necessity of the autonomy of sport, as recognised by the United Nations, to ensure the worldwide application of the laws of sport equally across the world.
In this context the Summit agreed that for all competitions taking place under the auspices of an IF or NOC or their continental or reginal associations, it has to be ensured that all athletes from all their members can enter a country to compete and are treated equally. It was agreed that should this rule not be respected, the event in question cannot serve as a qualification event for the Olympic Games or any other championship.
The Summit gave the ‘green light’ to the Autonomy Task Force to address directly the stakeholders of the Olympic Movement in order to ensure the best and broadest possible application of sanctions in cases of the violation of autonomy. - The Olympic Channel. The Summit emphasised that the Channel adds value to all members of the sports community: the International Federations, the National Olympic Committees and the athletes. Details were given of the recent progress of the Olympic Channel. This includes the appointment of key management personnel and cooperation between the Olympic Channel team and all key stakeholders of the Olympic Movement: IFs, NOCs, athletes, OCOGs, rights-holding broadcasters, TOP partners and sports organisations. This cooperation will allow broad distribution of Olympic Channel content both globally and locally, leveraging Olympic Movement stakeholders’ platforms. The Olympic Channel will be digital and be on every screen and every device. It will engage a global audience 24 hours a day 365 days a year, and particularly young people through social media. A launch date will be set once the preparations with regard to technology and content are fully complete.
- Candidate Procedure. Participants noted the great success of the new candidature process established by Olympic Agenda 2020. Five strong candidates for the Olympic Games 2024 are now participating in the Candidature Procedure: Budapest (Hungary), Hamburg (Germany), Los Angeles (United States), Paris (France) and Rome (Italy). The Summit noted with appreciation that all the candidates had credited Olympic Agenda 2020 as a significant factor in their decision to join the process. The Summit agreed that support from all the major constituents of the Olympic Movement, Olympic IFs and NOCs, are key factors for a successful invitation phase as well as staging of the Olympic Games.
The Summit concluded by applauding the wide range of the implementation of Olympic Agenda 2020 just 10 months after its approval. It supported the action plan for further implementation in 2016.
*LIST OF PARTICIPANTS:
IOC President
Thomas BACH, IOC President
IOC Vice-Presidents
Nawal EL-MOUTAWAKEL, IOC Vice-President
Craig REEDIE, IOC Vice-President
John D. COATES, AC, IOC Vice-President (by video conference)
Zaiqing YU, IOC Vice-President
EB Members
Ching-Kuo WU, IOC EB Member, repr. Summer IFs
René FASEL, IOC EB Member, repr. Winter IFs
Patrick HICKEY, IOC EB Member, repr. NOCs
Claudia BOKEL, IOC EB Member, repr. Athletes
Uğur ERDENER, IOC EB Member, repr. IOC Medical Commission
Associations
Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad AL-SABAH, ANOC President
Francesco RICCI BITTI, ASOIF President
Gian-Franco KASPER, AIOWF President
International Federations
Bruno GRANDI, FIG President
Julio César MAGLIONE, FINA President
Sebastian COE, IAAF President
Issa HAYATOU, Acting FIFA President
National Olympic Committees
Peng LIU, Chinese Olympic Committee President
Lawrence PROBST III, United States Olympic Committee President
Alexander ZHUKOV, Russian Olympic Committee President
This is the communique from the IOC to Olympic Movement Stakeholders. The original can be viewed here: https://www.olympic.org//Documents/Conferences_Forums_and_Events/2015-Olympic-Summit/2015_10-17_Communique_Olympic_Summit-English.pdf.
