IOC EB puts forward LA28’s additional sports proposal to the IOC Session

• OLYMPICS

Baseball/softball, cricket (T20), flag football, lacrosse (sixes) and squash are the five sports submitted by the International Olympic Committee (IOC)’s Executive Board (EB) to the upcoming IOC Session as additional sports for the Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028 (LA28). These additional sports were proposed by the LA28 Organising Committee, for its edition of the Games only, and were reviewed by the Olympic Programme Commission (OPC) before being put forward to the EB.

For baseball/softball, cricket and lacrosse it would be a return to the Olympic Games, while flag football and squash would be making their Olympic debut in LA.

“The choice of these five new sports is in line with the American sports culture and will showcase iconic American sports to the world, while bringing international sports to the United States. These sports will make the Olympic Games LA28 unique,” said IOC President Thomas Bach. “Their inclusion will allow the Olympic Movement to engage with new athlete and fan communities in the US and globally.”

This selection of sports is the result of a thorough process and analysis based on evaluation criteria set out before the process began, including gender equality. It considered the utilisation of existing facilities, involving a wide range of sports communities both in the United States and globally, and incorporating some of the most popular sports in the United States and across the globe.

Baseball and softball

Baseball and softball have been part of the programme at several editions of the Olympic Games, most recently at Tokyo 2020. They are among some of the most iconic American sports, while four continents are represented in the world ranking top 10. The recent 2023 World Baseball Classic also set a tournament attendance record, with over 1 million spectators. Baseball and softball both have significant popularity among young people in the United States: baseball has the second highest domestic youth participation, with approximately 2.2 million young participants (aged 13-17), whilst softball features in the top five most popular high school sports for girls in the country.

Cricket

Part of the Olympic Games programme at Paris 1900, cricket has more than 2.5 billion fans worldwide and represents an invaluable opportunity to engage with new countries and communities, including the growing Indian community in the US. Cricket brings a vast social media following, the men’s 2024 Cricket T20 World Cup will be hosted in the USA, and a new major professional league, Major League Cricket, was recently launched in the USA. T20 – with a men’s and a women’s tournament – is the format that would be played at LA28.

Flag football

American football is the most popular sport in the US, and flag football, which would be making its Olympic debut at LA28, is growing fast both domestically and internationally. More children aged 6-12 play flag football than tackle football in the US and, at the elite level, there are approximately 20 million flag football players across over 100 countries, with gender-balanced athlete participation.

Lacrosse

Lacrosse was created by the Indigenous Peoples of North America and started to spread internationally in the 19^th century, initially to Great Britain and Australia. Its potential inclusion on the LA28 sports programme (with the sixes format) would be its third appearance at the Olympic Games, after Saint Louis 1904 and London 1908. Its presence at LA28 would provide a unique opportunity to connect its North American heritage with its growing youth appeal. Lacrosse is experiencing tremendous development both in the US and globally, with four continents represented in the world ranking top 10.

Squash

Squash (singles) would be making its Olympic debut at LA28. It is already included in eight other multi-sport events, with four continents represented in the world ranking top 10. The sport has enjoyed spectacular growth over the last few years, especially among young people, with an 87 per cent increase in squash participation between 2015 and 2019 in the United States.

Boxing, modern pentathlon and weightlifting

The IOC EB also reviewed the status of three sports which were not part of the initial sports programme (boxing, modern pentathlon and weightlifting) following the decision by the IOC Session in February 2022 to approve the inclusion of 28 sports on the initial sports programme of the Olympic Games LA28.

The IOC EB recommendation at the time did not propose the inclusion of boxing, modern pentathlon and weightlifting, but rather provided a pathway for the potential inclusion of these three sports to allow the necessary time for the relevant International Federations (IFs) to address their respective individual circumstances and the criteria set by the IOC EB for inclusion.

Today, the IOC EB has taken the following decisions:

• Boxing: Following the IOC Session’s decision to withdraw the recognition of the International Boxing Association (IBA), the IOC has not recognised another governing body for Olympic boxing. Therefore, any decision regarding the inclusion of boxing on the LA28 sports programme is put on hold.
• Modern pentathlon: The IOC EB recommends its inclusion on the LA28 sports programme, acknowledging the replacement of horse riding with obstacle racing and the optimisation work conducted by the International Modern Pentathlon Union (UIPM) to reduce costs and complexity. The IOC EB noted that it is essential for the UIPM to continue to implement the necessary changes in governance and modernise as an organisation. Without the replacement of horse riding with obstacle racing, the sport would not have been included in the programme.
• Weightlifting: The IOC EB recommends its inclusion on the LA28 sports programme following the decision by the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) to delegate its anti-doping management to the International Testing Agency (ITA) and its sanctioning to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) at least until the end of 2028. The effectiveness of the anti-doping programmes for the Paris 2024 Olympic qualification and Olympic competition will continue to be closely monitored by the IOC, as will the implementation of the governance and cultural changes adopted by the IWF.

LA28 discipline programme

The LA28 discipline programme has been finalised by the IOC EB and will not require any approval by the IOC Session.

Like the other decisions, it was based on the recommendations of the OPC. The OPC undertook a full review in the context of the Los Angeles 2028 programme principles approved by the IOC EB in April 2022, reflecting the Olympic Charter, the recommendations of Olympic Agenda 2020+5, and both the IOC’s and LA28’s vision for the Games.

Overall, the discipline review highlighted various opportunities that exist for the IOC, LA28 and the IFs to work together to reduce the cost and complexity of the sports programme at the Games.

Following a holistic review of all existing and new disciplines proposed by the respective IFs with sports on the LA28 programme, only one change has been made to the discipline programme compared to Paris 2024, with beach sprint rowing, a format of the coastal rowing discipline, included on the Olympic programme for the first time. It will replace the lightweight double sculls (men 2x and women 2x) events. The inclusion of beach sprint rowing is the outcome of a decade-long development of coastal rowing with the active support of rowing communities across the world. The new discipline will share an existing Games venue, to be determined, with another sport.

A critical consideration in the discipline review was maximising venue-sharing opportunities and leveraging existing, world-class venues and infrastructure in LA and the US. This will be reflected in the LA28 venue master plan.

The programme of events and athlete quotas will be finalised after Paris 2024. The OPC will now work on ensuring that the final athlete quota numbers for the Olympic Games LA28 remain reasonable and below the overall quota for Tokyo 2020.

Gangwon 2024 100 days to go: the tour of the Olympic flame through Korea starts from Seoul

• YOG

With only 100 days to go before the start of the Korean festival, the Local Organizing Committee (YOGOC), led by its two co-chairs, Lee Sang-hwa and Jin Jong-oh, invited in Seoul athletes, K-pop stars and the public to celebrate this important milestone.

Thousands of people attended the event, which combined sport and culture.

This also officially decreed the start of the 'Gangwon 2024 Torch Tour', which will see the youth Olympic flame make an 80-day journey through 23 of the host nation's most important metropolitan cities and counties.

The torch relay will touch the most renowned and significant sites throughout the country and in each stage a special cauldron lighting ceremony will take place. This will be burned each time by a maximum of five participants, specially selected among young people, athletes and teachers. (agc)

Mornati celebrates Casa Italia's success in Krakow at EOC assembly

• EUROPEAN OLYMPIC COMMITTEES

The success of Casa Italia in Krakow was one of the topics of a panel discussion today in Istanbul during the 52nd General Assembly of the European Olympic Committees. CONI Secretary General Carlo Mornati recounted and described Italy’s experience in the panel discussion moderated by Hasan Arat the Turkish chairman of the Krakow 2023 Coordinating EOC Commission. Also speaking in the discussion on the different experiences of Olympic Committees at the recent European Games were Princess Maria Anunciata Vice President of the Liechtenstein Olympic Committee, Secretary General of the Polish Olympic Committee, Marek Palus, COO of Great Britain, Shahab Udine, Secretary General of the Spanish Olympic Committee, Victoria Cabezas, Head of Mission of Turkey, Erdem Dogan, and Sports Director of the Ukrainian Olympic Committee, Ivan Bondarchuk. Mornati, who elaborated on the triumph of the hospitality house in Poland, a genuine hub for athletes, coaches, media, partners, and the European Olympic Family, also provided a preview through a video offering insights into the forthcoming Casa Italia in Paris 2024. The design is inspired by De Coubertin and carries the slogan "Ensemble".

Carlo Mornati awarded the "Laurel Award" for honouring sport in Europe

• EUROPEAN OLYMPIC COMMITTEES

CONI Secretary General Carlo Mornati was honoured today in Istanbul at the 52nd Assembly of the European Olympic Committees. The EOCs presented Mornati with the prestigious "Laurel Award," an annual accolade given to leaders who have honoured sport in Europe. The motivation for Mornati’s award was read by EOC Secretary General and former CONI Secretary General Raffaele Pagnozzi. Presenting the award, in addition to Pagnozzi, were IOC members Spyros Capralos, president of the EOCs, and Daina Gudzineviciute. The other award recipients were: former Vice President of the Austrian Olympic Committee, Otto Flum; Vice President of the Olympic Committee of Finland, Susanna Rahkamo; former Secretary General of the Hungarian Olympic Committee, Zoltan Molnár; and President of the European Hockey Federation, Marijke Fleuren. Mornati, a runner-up Olympic champion in Sydney 2000 in rowing, served as Head of the Delegation to the Olympic Games from Sochi 2014 to Beijing 2022, and has been CONI Secretary General since 2018.

Gangwon 2024 Torch Tour set to light up the Republic of Korea with “Journey of Solidarity”

• WINTER YOUTH OLYMPIC GAMES

The traditional lighting ceremony for the Youth Olympic flame was held in the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens. Co-President of the Gangwon 2024 Organising Committee Jin Jong-oh and IOC Member and President of the Hellenic Olympic Committee Spyros Capralos attended.

Following Olympic tradition, the Youth Olympic flame was lit by the sun’s rays reflected in a parabolic mirror, with a priestess from the Temple of Hera then passing on the flame to the first torchbearer, Belli Maria – a 17-year-old cross-country skier and biathlete from Florina, Greece.

Korean figure skater Kim Hyun-gyeom, 17, and freestyle skier Yun Shin-ee, 16, also participated in the relay segment, alongside Greek Alpine skier Vougioukas Apostolos, 17.

IOC Member Hong Zhang, the Chair of the IOC Coordination Commission for Gangwon 2024, said: “We are very excited for the Gangwon 2024 Torch Tour. This will be a special opportunity to spread the Olympic spirit throughout the host nation ahead of the YOG, and is sure to bring back happy memories of the Olympic flame’s journey across the Republic of Korea ahead of the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018. As the Torch Tour begins its journey, we look forward to seeing the excitement build across the country as the countdown to Gangwon 2024 continues”.

Gangwon 2024 Organising Committee Co-President Jin Jong-oh expressed his excitement, saying: “While the flame we light together today is just the beginning, it will come to symbolise friendship, excellence and respect as it travels throughout the Republic of Korea. We take immense pride in the fact that the 'Journey of Solidarity' will engage and involve young people and inspire local communities, while also nurturing the growth of our aspiring athletes”.

The flame will now be travelling from Greece to the Republic of Korea, where it will arrive in Seoul on 8 October and be welcomed to the host nation by Gangwon 2024 Ambassadors and Youth Supporters.

On 11 October, a special celebration will be held in Seoul City Hall Plaza, marking 100 days to go to the YOG. The ceremony will see K-pop stars, who are yet to be announced, take to the stage to entertain fans, while athletes will also be in attendance to share their enthusiasm ahead of the YOG.

The Gangwon 2024 Torch Tour will then visit 23 cities and counties nationwide before reaching Gangwon Province.

Major metropolitan cities such as Busan, Sejong, Jeju and Gwanju will be included on the Torch Tour, which will also take in renowned sites around the country such as Mudeungsan National Park, the Sejong National Arboretum and the stunning Seongsan Ilchulbong, also known as “Sunrise Peak”.

The Torch Tour will, from 7 November, visit 18 cities within Gangwon, the host province of the YOG. It will be starting in Sokcho and pass through Goseong, Cheorwon, Samcheok, PyeongChang and Gangneung. The Youth Olympic flame will be welcomed by middle and high schools in each location to help further engage local youth.

As well as giving people across the country the unique opportunity to view the Youth Olympic flame, the Torch Tour aims to help build excitement ahead of the YOG, while also promoting the Olympic values and the importance of sport to young people throughout the country.

To celebrate these efforts, the Torch Tour’s slogan is “Journey of Solidarity”, underlining its goal of bringing people together to celebrate youth and the joy of sport.

In addition to the array of cultural performances and Olympic values education activities that are set to be held in each location, fans and local residents will also have the chance to meet Moongcho, the Gangwon 2024 mascot, and try out some of the sports on the YOG programme.

The Torch Tour will conclude on 19 January 2024, when the Youth Olympic flame reaches the Gangwon 2024 Opening Ceremony.

Approximately 1,900 athletes from around 81 National Olympic Committees are expected to take part in the YOG, which will come to a close on 1 February 2024.

Clean sweep for Italy at the World Championships: in Belgium the final and the Olympic pass for the Fate too

• ARTISTIC GYMNASTICS

Goal achieved also for the Italian women’s artistic gymnastics team at the Sportpaleisal in Antwerp (Belgium), venue of the 52nd World Championships. Following the men’s team, le Fate (the Fairies), coached by Enrico Casella, also successfully performed their task, winning both the pass for the final of the overall team competition and the pass for the Paris 2024 Olympics. For the first time since London 2012, therefore, Italy will be able to count on both artistic teams in the next edition of the Summer Games. Alice D’Amato, Elisa Iorio, Manila Esposito, Angela Andreoli and Arianna Belardelli finished the preliminary round with a score of 162.230 (VT 41.599, UB 40.099, BB 40.266, FX 40.266). Italy (photo Simone Ferraro/FGI), after having carried out their round of exercises yesterday, had to wait until the end of today to be able to celebrate this precious double achievement. Following the conclusion of all the divisions, the Italian women concluded the qualifying phase in fifth place, trailing the United States (171.395), Great Britain (166.130), China (165.663), and Brazil (164.297). Italy’s women will grace the stage once again in 48 hours. Already assured of securing one of the Olympic quotas reserved for the top nine teams, they will endeavour to launch an assault on the final eight. 

World Championships: men's national team soars into the final and secures return to the Games after 12 years

• ARTISTIC GYMNASTICS

Mission accomplished. At the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships held in Antwerp, Belgium, the Italian men’s national team overcame the qualifiers with the sixth best score, soaring into the finals and securing a pass for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. This is a very significant result: the most recent presence of the Azzurri at the Games dates back to the 2012 edition, staged in London. Yumin Abbadini, Nicola Bartolini, Lorenzo Minh Casali, Matteo Levantesi and Mario Macchiati were the protagonists of the day: Italy (photo Simone Ferraro/FGI) scored a total of 248.796 at the end of the six rotations, enough to enter the showdown of the event alongside Japan (258.228), United States (254.628), Great Britain (254.193), Canada (249.260), Germany (248.862) and then Switzerland (248.192) and China (248.163). The final is scheduled for Tuesday 3 October, but as far as the Olympics are concerned, there is no doubt: Italy will be there in Paris 2024. 

Final meetings and inspections of facilities for the 22 Technical Directors. Mornati “An extremely interesting experience”

• ROAD TO PARIS 2024

The Italian Olympic delegation finished its visit to the facilities of the upcoming Paris 2024 Games. The final day began with a series of meetings at the headquarters of the Organising Committee of the forthcoming 2024 Olympic Games at the Pulse business centre on Rue Proudhon in the Saint-Denis district. The individual Technical Directors’ meetings were attended by the respective Committee Sport Managers of each sporting discipline.

CONI’s Chief of Mission and Secretary General Carlo Mornati and the Director of Olympic Preparation, Alessio Palombi, and his staff also met with the heads of the Organising Committee’s Functional Areas to delve into the aspects and needs of Italia team over the course of the Games.

An interesting tour to some competition sites took place in the afternoon, reaching the Stade de France and Porte de La Chapelle Arena where the Athletics, Gymnastics and Badminton competitions are scheduled respectively.

The Technical Directors were also able to fulfil any particular requests for individual visits to the other facilities not yet visited between yesterday and today to complete the logistical picture.

“It was an extremely interesting experience,” said Chief of Mission Mornati at the end of the two-day visit to the Olympic facilities, “the intense talks and analysis of the different needs were a very good taste of what awaits us over the coming days. These direct meetings with the Organising Committee – whom I thank on behalf of all participants – the visits to the accommodations and facilities, will allow the athletes of all disciplines to have the maximum assistance from the Italian mission within a tradition that has always seen CONI committed to encouraging participation under the banner of quality and competence.”

Participating in the visit of the Paris Facilities were: Antonio La Torre (TD Athletics), Cesare Butini (TD Swimming), Vincenzo De Luca (TD Sport Climbing), Lorenzo Pugliese (TD Badminton), Paola Porfiri (Team Manager - Rhythmic Gymnastics), Alberto Tappa (SG Italian Boxing Federation), Oscar Bertone (TD Diving), Carlo Silipo (CT Women’s Water Polo), Gianluca De Dominicis (TD International - Sports Dance), Stefano Cerioni (TD Fencing - Foil), Dario Chiadò (TD Fencing - Sword), Nicola Zanotti (DT Fencing - Sabre), Sante Spigarelli (President National Technical Commission - Archery), Laura Di Toma (TD Judo), Salvatore Avanzato (DT Wrestling), Oreste Perri (TD Canoe - Sprint), Francesco Iacobelli (Technical Sector - Canoe Slalom), Francesco Cattaneo (TD Rowing), Andrea Valentini (TD Modern Pentathlon), Roberto Amadio (Team Manager Cycling), Roberto Pentrella (SG Gymnastics Federation of Italy), Piero Capannini (Head of National Representatives - Skateboarding).

Italian Technical Directors’ tour gets underway. Visits and meetings at athletes’ village and main competition areas

• ROAD TO PARIS 2024

The Italian delegation led by CONI Chief of Mission and Secretary General Carlo Mornati has begun a tour of meetings and inspections in Paris ahead of the 2024 Olympic Games. Together with the 22 technical directors of as many Olympic disciplines and representatives of the Olympic Preparation, today saw the first stop at the Olympic village which will host Italian athletes. After an overview of the Master Plan, the group headed to the Palazzina Italia to view the accommodations and offices that will be made available to the Italian delegation.

Over the course of the day there were different visits. One group proceeded to La Défense Arena where swimming and water polo competitions will be held, while others reached Île-de-France to inspect the urban sports area and the facility where diving and artistic swimming competitions will be held.

The group that headed to Vaires-sur-Marne, meanwhile, visited the rowing and canoe sprint basin. Technicians of the cycling specialties went to the Saint-Quentin Velodrome and BMX Stadium, while at the Chateau de Versailles specialists in equestrian sports and modern pentathlon were able to inspect the conditions of the area.

The intense programme of work and visits also covered the splendid location of Casa Italia Paris 2024 at Le PreCatelan in Bois de Boulogne. With the presentation of the Paris 2024 Master Plan combined with the latest presentation updates of the Casa Italia Project. Tomorrow, more meetings and briefings are scheduled to explore specific issues and the needs of the different disciplines.

Present in Paris are: Antonio La Torre (TD Athletics), Cesare Butini (TD Swimming), Vincenzo De Luca (TD Sport Climbing), Lorenzo Pugliese (TD Badminton), Paola Porfiri (Team Manager - Rhythmic Gymnastics), Alberto Tappa (SG Italian Boxing Federation), Oscar Bertone (TD Diving), Carlo Silipo (CT Women’s Water Polo), Gianluca De Dominicis (TD International - Sports Dance), Stefano Cerioni (TD Fencing - Foil), Dario Chiadò (TD Fencing - Sword), Nicola Zanotti (DT Fencing - Sabre), Sante Spigarelli (President National Technical Commission - Archery), Laura Di Toma (TD Judo), Salvatore Avanzato (DT Wrestling), Oreste Perri (TD Canoe - Sprint), Francesco Iacobelli (Technical Sector - Canoe Slalom), Francesco Cattaneo (TD Rowing), Andrea Valentini (TD Modern Pentathlon), Roberto Amadio (Team Manager Cycling), Roberto Pentrella (SG Gymnastics Federation of Italy), Piero Capannini (Head of National Representatives - Skateboarding).

Trofeo CONI 2023: Lazio wins again, repeating last year’s triumph. Sicily and Apulia on the podium

• IN BASILICATA

Under the banner of sport, Lazio celebrated a win at the eighth edition of the Trofeo CONI, which concluded today in Nova Siri, Basilicata. In the most important multisport under-14 event in Italy, the young athletes of the Regional Committee led by Riccardo Viola replicated the triumph in last year’s edition, leaping to the top of the all-time standings with three overall victories (the 2014 and 2022 wins were already in the trophy cabinet) and edging away from Piedmont (2015 and 2018), Veneto (2016 and 2019) and Lombardy (2017).

But the Trofeo staged on the Ionian Coast of Basilicata was a very balanced one, won by Lazio with 116 points, ahead of Sicily (107) and Apulia (104) and with no fewer than three Regions on 103 points: Emilia Romagna fourth, Lombardy fifth and Piedmont sixth (ranking decided by individual placings).

In the closing ceremony, which began with a minute’s silence in memory of President Emeritus of the Republic, Giorgio Napolitano, the first to speak was CONI Basilicata President Leopoldo Desiderio. “It was a challenge,” he stressed. “We worked for 3-4 months, and it’s great to see these young people who put their hearts and souls into the event. I will always remember this Trofeo CONI, it remains in my heart. I say thank you, thank you, thank you.”

Representing CONI Nazionale was Vice President Claudia Giordani: “Enthusiasm, smiles, sportsmanship. President Malagò congratulates all of you,” she said, addressing the more than 4,000 young people who competed in the disciplines of 35 National Sports Federations and 7 Associated Sports Disciplines. “You were the protagonists of a wonderful edition of the Trofeo CONI, with so many participants and so many disciplines. Thank you to Basilicata, the Institutions, the Region and the municipalities that hosted us. We have visited enchanting places that are rich in history. Thanks to federations, bodies and associated disciplines. To the technicians, to all those who collaborated in the organisation, to the Regional Committee, to CONI and to all of you who are here today. You have had a full-fledged Olympic experience. Continue your commitment to sport and keep this experience in your hearts.”

Proclaiming the winning committee out of the 21 participants, as well as representatives of the Italian Communities Abroad from Brazil, Canada, the United States and Venezuela, was CONI Territory Department Director Cecilia D’Angelo. “The important thing is not winning – it’s taking part,” she stressed in her speech, “but this is a moment that is always highly anticipated by everyone.”

The winner was once again Lazio, but this eighth edition of the Trofeo CONI also proved to be a celebration of sports, under the banner of friendship. And while Basilicata bids farewell to the Trofeo and all its young participants, the expectations and the sights are already set on Veneto, host of the next edition.

Photo Simone Ferraro and Luca Pagliaricci