Giorgio Armani dresses the Italian team for the Opening Ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games
Giorgio Armani, the Official Outfitter for the Italian Olympic Team, dressed the athletes for the official Opening Ceremony of the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad, held tonight in Paris. For the first time ever, the athletes paraded along the Seine by boat.
Athletes from multiple disciplines wore a special EA7 Emporio Armani design. The tracksuits, embossed with EA7 and Coni logos, are made of neoprene in Armani blue. The upper features two front zips, a hood with tricolour lining and large pixel-effect ‘Italy’ lettering on the back. The uniform perfectly blends Armani elegance, sporting functionality and national values. The entire first verse of the Italian national anthem, in its original version, is printed inside the jacket over the heart.
Giorgio Armani has previously dressed athletes for the London 2012, Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics, as well as the Sochi 2014, Pyeongchang 2018 and Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.
The garments worn by the Italian Olympic team at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games are available from Emporio Armani shops, multi-brand stores and online.
IOC elects Salt Lake City-Utah 2034 as Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games host
- IOC SESSION IN PARIS
Salt Lake City-Utah will host the XXVII Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games 2034 . This decision was taken by the IOC Members today during the 142nd IOC Session Paris.
The Salt Lake City-Utah 2034 delegation was led by the Governor of Utah, Spencer Cox, the Mayor of Salt Lake City, Erin Mendenhall, the President of the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC), Gene Sykes, and the President of the Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Games, Fraser Bullock.
IOC President Thomas Bach said: “Salt Lake City and Utah are long-time friends of the Olympic Movement, and we are confident that they will organise exceptional Olympic and Paralympic Games, just as they did years ago. The legacy of 2002 is tangibly and passionately alive in Utah. The legacy of 2034 starts today.”
Governor Cox said: “The Olympics and Paralympics represent so much more than competition. At its core, the Olympic Movement is about building community and celebrating excellence, things we do really well in Utah. More than 80 per cent of Utahns and 100 per cent of our elected leaders supported our Olympic bid. We're ready to host another Olympic Winter Games, and we can't wait to welcome the world back to Utah in 2034.”
There was a final report by Karl Stoss, IOC Member and Chair of the Future Host Commission for the Olympic Winter Games, the IOC body responsible for monitoring and analysing interest in hosting the Olympic Winter Games and Winter Youth Olympic Games.
“Olympic Winter Games in Utah represent a fantastic opportunity,” he said. “This very strong project benefits from an exceptionally high level of public and political support. The athletes will benefit from great facilities and opportunities this project has to offer.”
Salt Lake City-Utah 2034 has the ambition to extend the transformative benefits of Salt Lake City 2002 to a new generation and make the resources and experience of Utah available for the benefit of the Olympic and Paralympic Movement.
It is fully aligned with Olympic Agenda 2020 and 2020+5, as well as regional socio-economic development plans, especially around creating long-term benefits for the region and potentially the country, for example by expanding existing sports and social programmes for young people and athletes.
The Games will be hosted in world class, 100 per cent existing or temporary venues, and will assist efforts to drive sustainable change in Utah.
“During our visit, the Commission was able to see first-hand these excellent venues and to witness the immense experience and expertise that exists,” explained Mr Stoss. “Enthusiasm for the Games was palpable in every interaction we had, both at the venues and in meetings with athletes, sports leaders, politicians and the private sector.”
Erin Mendenhall, the Mayor of Salt Lake City, said: “Salt Lake City and the Olympic and Paralympic Movement are deeply connected through values - our commitment to diversity, love for our youth and the tireless work to preserve our environment. These principles are shared through the lens of sport. I can’t imagine a better partnership than the one we continue to forge with our Olympic partners.”
“This a great day for winter sport in the United States and around the world,” said USOPC President Gene Sykes. “The Games vision brought forth by the Salt Lake City-Utah team – inclusive of state and city leaders, the remarkable bid team and the community that showed support for this effort throughout – has been collaborative and forward-looking from the very start. We are thankful to the IOC and to Karl Stoss who led the Future Host Commission, and we look forward to the process of organising what we know will be terrific Games in 2034.”
Fraser Bullock, President and CEO of the Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Games, said: “Today's decision by the International Olympic Committee is as much about the Olympic and Paralympic Movement as it is about Salt Lake City-Utah. We are proud to show the world how our living legacy brings value to our communities, enriches the lives of youth, and helps contribute to the world of sport.”
Before the vote, IOC Members were able to put questions to Mr Stoss and to the Salt Lake City-Utah 2034 leadership.
Serious concerns were expressed about recent developments in the United States around the challenge to the supreme authority of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), which could have negative implications for international sports events held in the USA.
In their presentations, Salt Lake City-Utah 2034 and the USOPC confirmed that they are fully committed to compliance with the World Anti-Doping Code, and that their dedication to clean sport and to the coordinated international anti-doping effort led by WADA is absolute.
IOC Member John Coates, Chair of the IOC’s Legal Affairs Commission, confirmed that the Olympic Host Contract will be strengthened in relation to WADA and the World Anti-Doping Code. The IOC has reinforced the current language in order to protect the integrity of the international anti-doping system and to allow the IOC to terminate the Olympic Host Contract in cases where “the supreme authority of the World Anti-Doping Agency in the fight against doping is not fully respected or if the application of the World Anti-Doping Code is hindered or undermined”.
This measure has been fully supported by the State of Utah and the USOPC.
There were 83 ‘yes’ votes for Salt Lake City-Utah 2034 by IOC Members, 6 ‘no’ votes and 6 abstentions, out of 89 valid votes.
IOC elects French Alps 2030 as Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games host
- IOC SESSION IN PARIS
The French Alps are set to host the XXVI Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games 2030. This decision was taken by the IOC Members today during the 142nd IOC Session Paris. Their vote was subject to the submission of the Games Delivery Guarantee under timelines set by the IOC Executive Board, since this was not possible before the host election due to constitutional reasons in the current political context in France.
The Games Delivery Guarantee should be received from the Prime Minister at the latest by 1 October 2024 and should be ratified by the French Parliament no later than 1 March 2025.
The delegation of the French Alps 2030 was led by the President of France, Emmanuel Macron, who expressed the full commitment of France to these Games. It also included the Presidents of the two regions where the Games will be held, Laurent Wauquiez of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Renaud Muselier of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, and the Presidents of the French Olympic and Paralympic Committees, David Lappartient and Marie-Amélie Le Fur.
IOC President Thomas Bach said: “President Macron and all stakeholders in French Alps 2030 have today reiterated their full commitment to the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games 2030. We have full confidence in France to organise an outstanding edition of the Olympic Winter Games, with the same creativity, imagination and flair we are currently experiencing at Paris 2024.”
President Macron said: “France pushes the limits of excellence every time it organises a sports event. We believe in the future of our mountains, and we need to support their model for the future: innovative, ambitious, mindful of ecological issues, and accessible by everyone.
“I reaffirm to you here this morning the full commitment of the French State to organising these Games. Paris 2024 will be a success, and the same will be true for the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in 2030.
“You can trust us – we will be there, and we are proud to support this candidature for the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in 2030.”
There was a final report by Karl Stoss, IOC Member and Chair of the Future Host Commission for the Olympic Winter Games, the IOC body responsible for monitoring and analysing interest in hosting the Olympic Winter Games and Winter Youth Olympic Games.
Mr Stoss said: “French Alps 2030 is a very solid project that benefits from strong public and political support, proven ability to deliver high-level sports competitions, excellent venues, and opportunities to capitalise on the knowledge and experience of France hosting Paris 2024.
“During our visit, the Commission felt that the legacy of Albertville 1992 continues to benefit local communities today. The vision of French Alps 2030 to stage responsible and sustainable Games, open to all, was very clear in our meetings with athletes, sports leaders and public authorities. French Alps 2030 has all the elements required to deliver successful Games.”
French Alps 2030 – known as Alpes françaises 2030 across the French-speaking world – aims to unite the north and south French Alps and make them a hub for winter sport, to bring maximum social and economic benefits to their communities.
It will be the first edition of the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games to fully integrate the principles of Olympic Agenda 2020 and 2020+5, as well as new requirements on sustainability set by the IOC’s Olympic Host Contract.
David Lappartient, President of the French National Olympic Committee (CNOSF), said: “I am proud and happy that the IOC has chosen the French Alps candidature to host the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games 2030. For several months now, we and the athletes have shared a collective ambition to offer simpler, responsible and inclusive Games, in line with the challenges of our times and the IOC’s Olympic Agenda 2020+5. Supported by the expertise of France and our communities in terms of organising major international events, we shall continue to work together to build the Games of tomorrow, for our young people and for the benefit of Olympism, winter sports and the mountains. The challenge is huge, but we are ready to take it on!”
Marie-Amélie Le Fur, President of the French Paralympic Committee (CPSF), said: “Our generation has the unique privilege of maintaining the impetus of the Paris 2024 Games. By organising the French Alps 2030 Games, we shall have the chance to immediately apply the lessons we are learning now by creating a new standard for the Games, which are adapting to the changes in our world and helping to speed up the development of sport for persons with disabilities.”
Laurent Wauquiez, President of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, said: “This victory is for our French Alps, a region with a passion for sport and structured by Olympism. We now have the great responsibility of offering the world simpler and sustainable Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, which will benefit the region and leave a legacy for everyone. Our ambition is now to offer the best setting in which to write the greatest story in the history of tomorrow’s mountains, with an event for the people that will inspire a passion for sport and live long in the memory of the next generations.”
Renaud Muselier, President of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, said: “Announced in January 2022, secured in July 2024: the Olympic and Paralympic Games are coming to the Région Sud in 2030! Thirty months of combat: the fastest anyone has ever obtained the Games. We’re going to show the world that the 21st century will have its Winter Games: reinvented, simpler, less costly. Exemplary sustainable Games, snow and chalets! Games that will benefit our communities and all our citizens. Long live the French Alps, long live the Games!”
The finalisation of the Games Delivery Guarantee remains open for constitutional reasons in France, following the national election.
While French Alps 2030 submitted a signed copy of the Olympic Host Contract prior to the IOC Session, the IOC will not counter sign it until the Games Delivery Guarantee is received, at the latest by 1 October 2024, and ratified by the French Parliament no later than 1 March 2025.
There were 84 ‘yes’ votes for French Alps 2030 by the IOC Members, 4 ‘no’ votes and 7 abstentions, out of 88 valid votes.
The 142nd IOC Session also approved the initial sports programme for the Olympic Winter Games 2030, as proposed by the IOC Executive Board. The seven sports – biathlon, bobsleigh, curling, ice hockey, luge, skating and skiing – will be governed by the relevant Winter International Sports Federations (IFs) listed in the Olympic Charter. There will be a new step to determine the disciplines in each sport approximately five years before the Games.
Italia Team sets a record with 403 athletes qualified for Paris 2024: the largest Azzurro delegation in history
- OLYMPICS
A record-breaking Italia Team. With the announcement of the list of athletes, the ‘Road to Paris 2024’ officially comes to a close, marking the end of this unusual three-year Olympic qualification period due to the one-year postponement of Tokyo 2020. And the Italian delegation for the French Olympic Games, scheduled from 26 July to 11 August, is already making history.
A total of 403 Azzurri (209 men and 194 women) are heading to Paris, guided by flag bearers Arianna Errigo and Gianmarco Tamberi, to compete in 34 disciplines. This number allows Italia Team to surpass the previous record set at Tokyo 2020 (384 athletes – 197 men and 187 women).
The youngest athlete is swimmer Carlos D’Ambrosio, who turned 17 on 5 February, while the youngest female athlete is gymnast Manila Esposito, born on 2 November 2006.
The most experienced athlete is shooter Giovanni Pellielo (photo by ANSA), who, competing in trap shooting, will take part in his eighth Olympics with the jersey of the Azzurri, equalling the record of brothers Piero and Raimondo d’Inzeo (equestrian sports), who participated in the editions from 1948 to 1976, and Josefa Idem (canoeing), who took part in Los Angeles 1984 and Seoul 1988 representing West Germany before achieving six consecutive appearances with Italy.
IOC EB recommends French Alps 2030 and Salt Lake City-Utah 2034 to the IOC Session for election as hosts of the Olympic Winter Games
- INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board (EB) has proposed to the IOC Session the election of the French Alps as the host of the Olympic Winter Games 2030 and Salt Lake City-Utah as the host of the Olympic Winter Games 2034. The decision will be taken by all IOC Members at the 142nd IOC Session in Paris from 22 to 24 July.
The French Alps 2030 project has committed to deliver all outstanding guarantees prior to the IOC Session. Due to the current political situation in France, the documents could not be finalised before the EB decision. Therefore, today’s EB decision on the French Alps 2030 is subject to the following being delivered, in accordance with IOC requirements, prior to the IOC Session:
- Submission of the Games Delivery Guarantee by the French Government;
- Confirmation of a public partnership contribution to the Games organisation budget from the two regions of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur and the French Government.
The EB proposal follows recommendations by the Future Host Commission for the Olympic Winter Games, delivered during an oral report by Commission Chair and IOC Member Karl Stoss.
“The Future Host Commission is confident that these two Preferred Hosts represent a great opportunity for successful and sustainable Olympic Winter Games,” said Mr Stoss.
“As the first Olympic Winter Games editions to align with Olympic Agenda 2020 from planning to delivery, both projects would achieve significant social, economic and environmental benefits for their host communities, while building on their existing expertise in hosting international winter sports competitions.
“The French Alps 2030 would leverage its recent history of hosting world championships and world cups, while Salt Lake City-Utah 2034 would extend the transformative benefits of the Olympic and Paralympic Games 2002 to a new generation.”
In November, the EB opened two Targeted Dialogues overseen by the Future Host Commission: one with the French Olympic and Paralympic Committees (CNOSF and CPSF) for the French Alps 2030, and the other with the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) for Salt Lake City-Utah 2034. Since then, the IOC has analysed the strategic and technical aspects of both projects and consulted extensively with stakeholders, including the International Sports Federations (IFs), experts from across the IOC, and independent, third-party sources.
The projects are being assessed for different editions of the Games and therefore are not in competition with one another.
“These are two very exciting projects, and two very different projects, which clearly demonstrate that there is no one-size-fits-all model to host Olympic and Paralympic Games,” said Mr Stoss.
The main opportunities of the French Alps 2030 project are its:
1. Vision to unite the northern and southern Alpine regions of France under the global banner of the “French Alps”, to achieve long-lasting social, economic and environmental benefits for a wide geographical region; promoting sustainable year-round tourism and addressing future challenges, including climate change.
2. Alignment with existing socio-economic development plans and Olympic Agenda 2020 and Olympic Agenda 2020+5, the IOC’s roadmaps for the future, to deliver financially and environmentally sustainable Games, for example, by:
- adapting the Games to the host; making use of 93 per cent of existing or temporary venues in four clusters, shared between the two regions;
- and reducing carbon emissions compared to previous Games.
3. Strong public and political support.
4. Proven ability to deliver high-level sports competitions, excellent venues and strong involvement of athletes in Games planning.
5. Legacy plans to make winter sports accessible to everyone, especially people with disabilities and young people.
6. Opportunities to capitalise on the knowledge and experience of France hosting Paris 2024 and extend some legacy and partner programmes to the winter context.
The main opportunities of the Salt Lake City-Utah 2034 project are its:
1. Vision to elevate local communities, winter sport and the Games experience: extending the transformative benefits of the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games 2002 to a new generation; making the resources and experience of Utah available for the benefit of the Olympic and Paralympic Movement; and making the most of a unique compact Games concept.
2. Alignment with Olympic Agenda 2020 and 2020+5 and regional socio-economic development plans, in particular around sustainability and creating long-term benefits for the region and potentially the country, for example by:
- adapting the Games to a city and region that have experienced huge societal changes, as the youngest state in the US, with one of the fastest-growing economies; while hosting competitions in 100 per cent existing or temporary venues;
- and expanding existing sports and social programmes for young people and athletes.
3. Very strong public and political support.
4. Proven ability to deliver high-level sports competitions, and commitment to put the experience of athletes and their families at the core, in outstanding and state-of-the-art venues from 2002, maintained to very high standards and all within an hour of the Olympic Village.
5. Strong engagement with the Paralympic Games with an expansion of existing adaptive practices and Para competition facilities.
6. Comprehensive and balanced budget, based on 100 per cent privately-funded revenues and with a significant contingency.
The report and recommendation of the Future Host Commission will, in accordance with the Olympic Charter [Rule 33], be submitted to IOC Members no later than one month before the opening date of the Session.
The next step in the process will be a virtual in-camera briefing to IOC Members on 26 June. If all requirements are met by the Preferred Hosts, the IOC Session is scheduled to vote on the IOC EB proposals on 24 July.
Following a recommendation by the Olympic Programme Commission, the EB today [12 June] proposed seven sports for the initial sports programme for the Olympic Winter Games 2030: biathlon, bobsleigh, curling, ice hockey, luge, skating and skiing, all under the supervision of the relevant Winter IFs listed in the Olympic Charter. The proposal will now be put forward to the 142nd IOC Session for a decision.
For the first time for an edition of the Olympic Winter Games, and in a similar process to that of LA28, the EB today [12 June] also followed a recommendation by the Olympic Programme Commission to approve an intermediary step to determine the disciplines in each sport in 2025, before the event programme and athlete quota are finalised, no later than 2027.
EYOF, President Malagò announces: the 2027 summer edition will be hosted by Lignano Sabbiadoro
- EOC ASSEMBLY
In 2027, Lignano Sabbiadoro will host the nineteenth edition of the European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF).
The announcement was made by Giovanni Malagò, President of CONI, during the fifty-third assembly of the European Olympic Committees (EOC) held in Bucharest, Romania.
Among those present at the event (photo by EOC) were Laura Giorgi, Mayor of Lignano Sabbiadoro, and Giorgio Brandolin, President of CONI Friuli Venezia Giulia, who were particularly proud of the news.
Twenty-two years after the extraordinary 2005 edition, the most important multidisciplinary event for young European athletes will return in July 2027 to Lignano Sabbiadoro.
Friuli Venezia Giulia, the stage for the 2023 Winter EYOF, can officially begin preparing to take centre stage in European sport once again.
Ambassador D’Alessandro celebrates Republic Day with champions Jessica Rossi, Alessandro Velotto and Aziz Abbes Mouhiidine
- IN PARIS
The Italian Embassy in France played host to a great evening to celebrate the Republic Day a few days early. The stars of the event were Olympic and Paralympic athletes, the guests of honour. The Italian ambassador to France, Emanuela D’Alessandro, accompanied by her husband Giorgio Di Noia, welcomed over 1,500 guests.
Olympic shooting champion Jessica Rossi, world water polo champion and Olympic silver medallist Alessandro Velotto, and world boxing silver medallist Aziz Abbes Mouhiidine were among those in attendance. For the Paralympic Committee, parabadminton player Rosa Efomo De Marco and parataekwondo athlete Antonino Bossolo, accompanied by CIP Secretary General Juri Stara, were present.
At the entrance of the Embassy, bicycles and handbikes that have made Italian cycling famous were displayed with great pride by the Federation President Cordiano Dagnoni, who also attended the ceremony.
Inside the Embassy, two displays were on show, created with the contribution of CONI and the De Coubertin Foundation: the first contained medals from the three editions of the Olympic Games held in Italy (Cortina 1956, Rome 1960, and Turin 2006), along with the first edition of the Olympic Journal from 1894, while the second held the first sketch of the Olympic rings by De Coubertin, along with the original speech given at the Sorbonne on 23 June 1894, when he announced the revival of the modern Olympic Games.
Coincidentally, it was de Coubertin who chose to celebrate his Olympic vision that evening with a banquet held at Le Pré Catelan, the same venue selected by CONI to host Casa Italia during Paris 2024.
IOC Refugee Olympic Team to represent more than 100 million displaced people at the Olympic Games
- PARIS 2024
Thirty-six athletes from 11 different countries, hosted by 15 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) and competing across 12 sports were named today as members of the IOC Refugee Olympic Team for Paris 2024. The announcement was made by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) President, Thomas Bach, during a live-streamed ceremony from Olympic House in Lausanne, Switzerland. Appearing at the Olympic Games for the third time, the IOC Refugee Olympic Team will represent the more than 100 million displaced people around the world.
“We welcome all of you with open arms. You are an enrichment to our Olympic Community, and to our societies. With your participation in the Olympic Games, you will demonstrate the human potential of resilience and excellence. This will send a message of hope to the more than 100 million displaced people around the world. At the same time, you will make billions of people around the world aware of the magnitude of the refugee crisis. Therefore, I encourage everyone, around the world, to join us in cheering for you – the IOC Refugee Olympic Team” IOC President Thomas Bach said, when addressing all of the team members, who had joined the meeting virtually.
The composition of the team was approved by the IOC Executive Board (EB) and was based on a number of criteria including, first and foremost, each athlete’s sporting performance and their refugee status as verified by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency. Beyond that, the team represents the more than 100 million displaced people around the world. Consideration has also been given to a balanced representation of sport and gender, as well as the spread of countries of origin. The full list of athletes:
Farida Abaroge (donna, Etiopia, Francia, atletica)
Omid Ahmadisafa (uomo, Iran, Germania, pugilato)
Yahya Al Ghotany (uomo, Siria, Giordania, taekwondo)
Mohammad Amin Alsalami (uomo, Siria, Germania, atletica)
Amir Ansari (uomo, Afghanistan, Svezia, ciclismo su strada)
Sibghatullah Arab (uomo, Afghanistan, Germania, judo)
Matin Balsini (uomo, Iran, Regno Unito, nuoto)
Mahboubeh Barbari Zharfi (donna, Iran, Germania, judo)
Edilio Francisco Centeno Nieves (uomo, Venezuela, Messico, tiro sportivo)
Muna Dahouk (donna, Siria, Paesi Bassi, judo)
Jamal Abdelmaji Eisa Mohammed (uomo, Sudan, Israele, atletica)
Saeid Fazloula (uomo, Iran, Germania, canoa sprint)
Tachlowini Gabriyesos (uomo, Eritrea, Israele, atletica)
Eyeru Gebru (donna, Etiopia, Francia, ciclismo su strada)
Yekta Jamali Galeh (donna, Iran, Germania, sollevamento pesi)
Fernando Dayán Jorge Enríquez (uomo, Cuba, USA, canoa sprint)
Dorian Keletela (uomo, Repubblica Democratica del Congo, Francia, atletica)
Adnan Khankan (uomo, Siria, Germania, judo)
Perina Lokure (donna, Sudan del Sud, Kenya, atletica)
Iman Mahdavi (uomo, Iran, Italia, lotta libera)
Farzad Mansouri (uomo, Afghanistan, Regno Unito, taekwondo)
Alaa Maso (uomo, Siria, Germania, nuoto)
Kasra Mehdipournejad (uomo, Iran, Germania, taekwondo)
Cindy Ngamba (donna, Camerun, Regno Unito, pugilato)
Dina Pouryounes Langeroudi (donna, Iran, Paesi Bassi, taekwondo)
Mohammad Rashnonezhad (uomo, Iran, Paesi Bassi, judo)
Amir Rezanejad (uomo, Iran, Germania, canoa slalom)
Ramiro Mora Romero (uomo, Cuba, Regno Unito, sollevamento pesi)
Nigara Shaheen (donna, Afghanistan, Canada, judo)
Luna Solomon (donna, Eritrea, Svizzera, tiro sportivo)
Saman Soltani (donna, Iran, Austria, canoa sprint)
Musa Suliman (uomo, Sudan, Svizzera, atletica)
Manizha Talash (donna, Afghanistan, Spagna, breaking)
Hadi Tiranvalipour (uomo, Iran, Italia, taekwondo)
Jamal Valizadeh (uomo, Iran, Francia, lotta greco-romana)
Dorsa Yavarivafa (donna, Iran, Regno Unito, badminton)
Chef de Mission for the Refugee Olympic Team Masomah Ali Zada, who competed for the Refugee Olympic Team at Tokyo 2020, and was present today during the ceremony, welcomed the athletes: “All of you had a dream, and today your dream to compete at the Olympic Games is closer than ever. With all the challenges that you have faced, you now have a chance to inspire a new generation, represent something bigger than yourselves and show the world what refugees are capable of”.
She added: “I want to tell you: this will be your moment in Paris, enjoy it. I am looking forward to working with all of you to make this the experience of a lifetime”.
The vast majority of the athletes were selected from among the refugee athletes supported by the IOC through the Refugee Athletes Scholarship Programme, funded by the IOC’s Olympic Solidarity programme and managed by the Olympic Refuge Foundation.
UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said: “The Refugee Olympic Team should remind us of the resilience, courage and hopes of all those uprooted by war and persecution. These athletes represent what human beings can do, even in the face of extreme adversity. The team also reminds us that sport can be transformative for people whose lives have been disrupted in often harrowing circumstances. Transformative not just for Olympians, but for everyone. Sport can offer respite, an escape from daily worries, a sense of safety, a moment of enjoyment. It can give people the chance to heal physically and mentally, and become part of a community again”.
For the first time, the Refugee Olympic Team will compete under its own team emblem – a unifying symbol bringing together diverse athletes and giving the team its own unique identity.
Hailing from different corners of the world, each team member is an individual with their own story. Like the 100 million they stand for, they also have the shared, lived, experience of their journeys – the emblem aims to convey this through its way marker arrow design.
At the centre of the emblem there is a heart, originating from the Olympic Refuge Foundation logo, to represent the belonging the team hopes to inspire and that athletes and displaced people around the world have found through sport.
Ms Ali Zada said: “This emblem brings us all together. We are all unified by our experience – though all different, we have all had a journey to get to where we are. The athletes are not representing a specific country, they are representing the Refugee Olympic Team – having our own emblem creates a sense of belonging and empowers us to also stand for the population of more than 100 million people who share this same experience. I cannot wait to wear it proudly!”.
Supporting refugees and displaced populations remains a key priority for the IOC, and is part of Recommendation 11 of Olympic Agenda 2020+5. The Olympic Refuge Foundation (ORF) was established in 2017 to build on this commitment. The Foundation functions in lieu of a traditional National Olympic Committee, managing the Refugee Athlete Scholarship-holders and the IOC Refugee Olympic Team for Paris 2024.
In addition to supporting elite athletes in their participation in the Olympic Games, the ORF works to provide access to safe sport for people affected by displacement worldwide. Through partnerships or its programmes across the globe, the ORF aims to build a movement where displaced people can enjoy the benefit of sports, wherever they may be, and through which sports can be adopted at all levels as a tool for supporting for refugees.
Since its inception in 2017, the work of the ORF has resulted in almost 400,000 young people being able to access safe sport. More than 1,600 coaches have been trained in delivering safe sport sessions, and its programmes have supported young people in 11 countries across all five continents.
Errigo and Tamberi, chosen as the Italian flag-bearers for Paris 2024, set to receive the Tricolore from Mattarella on 13 Jun
- ITALIA TEAM
Arianna Errigo and Gianmarco Tamberi have been selected as the Italia Team's flag-bearers for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. The announcement was made by CONI President Giovanni Malagò during the CONI National Council meeting.
Arianna Errigo, a multiple champion in fencing, including a team foil gold medal and individual silver medal at London 2012, as well as a team bronze medal at Tokyo 2020, and mother to twins Mirea and Stefano, follows in the footsteps of Valentina Vezzali from the same discipline, who carried the flag for Italy in the London edition. Tamberi, Olympic champion in Tokyo 2020 and reigning world and European champion in the high jump, follows on in athletics from Pietro Mennea, who paraded the flag in Seoul in 1988. This is the second time in the history of the Summer Olympics that the Italian team has opted for two flag bearers, implementing indications from the IOC promoting gender equality among athletes: it had previously happened in Tokyo 2020 with Jessica Rossi (shooting) and Elia Viviani (cycling).
Errigo and Tamberi will receive the Tricolore from President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella on 13 June at 11 a.m. at the Quirinale, alongside the flag-bearers of the Italian Paralympic Committee.
The two standard-bearers will parade in the iconic opening ceremony, scheduled to take place along the Seine, on Friday 26 July.
Olympic flame for Paris 2024 lit in symbolic ceremony in Ancient Olympia
- OLYMPIC GAMES
On the eve of 100 days to go, the flame for the Olympic Games Paris 2024 has been lit. It was ignited at the historic birthplace of the Olympic Games in Ancient Olympia in Greece. The Olympic flame, embodying peace and hope, will now journey across Greece before coming to France. After arriving in Marseille on 8 May, it will travel across the entire country, and some French overseas territories, arriving at the Opening Ceremony in Paris on 26 July.
Amongst the dignitaries attending this historic event today were International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach, President of the Hellenic Republic, Her Excellency Katerina Sakellaropoulou, the Vice President of the European Commission, Margaritis Schinas, Paris 2024 Organising Committee President, Tony Estanguet, President of the French National Olympic Committee and IOC Member, David Lappartient, the IOC Members in France, Guy Drut and Jean-Christophe Rolland, the French Minister of Sports and the Olympic and Paralympic Games, Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, the Chair of the IOC’s Paris 2024 Coordination Commission, Pierre-Olivier Beckers Vieujant and the Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo.
In his speech, in front of thousands of people, President Bach highlighted Paris 2024’s dedication to upholding the Olympic values and fostering global unity: "The Olympic Games are the only event that brings the entire world together in peaceful competition. The Olympic athletes send this powerful message: yes, it is possible to compete fiercely against each other and at the same time live peacefully together under one roof. The athletes will shine and show us what greatness humans are capable of with all their excellence, determination and resilience".
He continued: “This power of sport will make the Olympic Games Paris 2024 a great symbol of human excellence and unity of all humankind in all our diversity. These expectations are shared by billions of people around the world. In these difficult times we are living through, with wars and conflicts on the rise, people are fed up with all the hate, the aggression and negative news they are facing day in and day out. In their hearts – in all our hearts – we are longing for something which brings us together. We are longing for something that is unifying. We are longing for something that gives us hope”.
President Bach also spoke of the unified commitment to the success of Paris 2024, praising the innovative spirit of the Organising Committee, expressing confidence in France’s preparations and acknowledging the growing anticipation ahead of this summer’s Games.
He said: “This Olympic flame will carry this Olympic spirit from here, our ancient roots, through all of France and finally to Paris – making the City of Light shine even brighter. The Olympic flame will shine over the first Olympic Games inspired by our Olympic Agenda reforms from start to finish. These Olympic Games will be younger, more inclusive, more urban, more sustainable. These will be the very first Olympic Games with full gender parity, because the IOC allocated exactly 50 per cent of the places to female and male athletes”.
The ceremony also provided an opportunity to acknowledge the work being done by Paris 2024, together with stakeholders from the sporting, political and social sectors in France, in realising an important objective of Olympic Agenda 2020: creating a legacy well before the Olympic competitions have even started. Paris 2024’s concept of delivering “Games Wide Open” has engaged millions of people already by promoting physical activity, education, inclusion, equality and sustainability.
Paris 2024 Organising Committee President Tony Estanguet also spoke at the ceremony, sharing the collective anticipation of the host nation. He said: “France is ready to welcome the Olympic Games, a hundred years after the last summer edition on our soil. It is with great pride and honour that we will be hosting the Olympic Games in the country of their founder, Pierre de Coubertin, where we keep a very strong and special link with Olympism. After the first participation of women in the Games at Paris 1900 and the creation of the first Athletes' Village for Paris 1924, we are ready to write a new chapter in the great Olympic history with the third Games in Paris, France. We want to thank the IOC and Thomas Bach for the enduring help and support, all these years, which have allowed us to conceive and create Games that are not only spectacular, but also more responsible, notably from an environmental point of view, which will make them all the more exceptional. Together, we will organise great Games, and it starts today, with the Olympic Torch Relay”.
The lighting ceremony, held at the Temple of Hera, paid homage to the Olympic Games' Greek heritage, reinforcing the profound link between ancient traditions and the modern Games. The flame was kindled by the high priestess and, along with an olive branch symbolising peace, was passed to the first torchbearer.
This honour was given to Greek rower, Tokyo 2020 Olympic gold medallist Stefanos Douskos, who then passed it on to Laure Manaudou, the first French torchbearer on Greek soil and an Olympic champion at Athens 2004. The flame will now travel onwards, first embarking upon an 11-day journey across Greece, during which the flame will be carried over 5,000 kilometres, through 43 municipalities.
The Olympic flame will then be passed on to the Paris 2024 Organising Committee at an official handover ceremony in the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens before it boards the historic French three-masted ship, Belem. It’s voyage across the Mediterranean will then begin, a journey reflecting the enduring friendship between Greece and France, arriving in the port of Marseille on 8 May, marking the beginning of celebratory festivities in the host nation.
Around 10,000 torchbearers will then carry the Olympic flame over the following 69 days. The route will take them through around 400 cities, across 65 regions in France, and includes visits to six overseas territories (Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Martinique, French Polynesia, Réunion and New Caledonia).
The Olympic Games Paris 2024 begin on 26 July and will continue until 11 August. Thereafter, the Paralympic Games will take place from 28 August until 8 September.
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