Bach writes to Conte: thanks for the approval of the Olympic Law by the Chamber of Deputies
- MILANO CORTINA 2026
IOC President, Thomas Bach, has sent a letter to the President of CONI, Giovanni Malagò, with prayer to forward it to the President of the Council of Ministers, Giuseppe Conte.
Malagò has informed the Minister for Youth Policies and Sports, Vincenzo Spadafora, of the letter and has brought also to the attention of the Executive Board of the Milano Cortina 2026 Foundation who met this afternoon by videoconference.
Yours Excellecy,
Please accept my heartfelt congratulations on the approval of the Olympic Law for the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 by the Chamber of Deputies of the Italian Parliament. The overwhelming result with near unanimous support is another reflection of the great unity of the Italian people behind these Games for a brighter future outlook.
This remarkable outcome is also sign of your leadership in these challenging times.Please accept my heartfelt congratulations on the approval of the Olympic Law for the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 by the Chamber of Deputies of the Italian Parliament. The overwhelming result with near unanimous support is another reflection of the great unity of the Italian people behind these Games for a brighter future outlook. This remarkable outcome is also sign of your leadership in these challenging times.The International Olympic Committee is looking forward to continuing its close and fruitful cooperation with your Government and the Italian Olympic Committee, under the excellent leadership of its President and IOC Member, Mr Giovanni Malago.
Together with all our Italian friends and partners, we are committed to make the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 an unforgettable success story.Please allow me to thank you very much for your continued personal support and I am sure that we can look forward to another strong signal of confidence in the success of the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 when the Olympic Law is submitted to the Senate of the Republic for approval.2Over the last few weeks, our thoughts have been with all the Italian people going through this unprecedented crisis. I wish you and all your citizens good health and all the very best.Please accept, Your Excellency, the assurances of my highest consideration and personal esteem,
Bach writes to Malagò: thank you CONI for #ItaliaConVoi video, demonstration of the Olympic spirit
- IOC'S LETTER
"Thank you" to CONI and Italian sport. The President of the IOC, Thomas Bach, with a letter addressed to the President Giovanni Malagò, wanted to testify the unanimous appreciation of the International Olympic Committee for sharing the inspirational #ItaliaConVoi video, “put together so beautifully by Italian athletes and Team Italia in support of doctors and paramedical staff who are at the forefront of fighting the COVID-19 pandemic”.
“In these difficult times that Italy is living through right now, let me express my strong support and appreciation for this wonderful initiative of CONI and the Italian athletes. Italy is an integral part of our Olympic Movement and the Italian Olympic family holds a special place in our hearts. This video, with such a moving message from the Italian Olympic athletes, is a wonderful demonstration of the Olympic spirit. Initiatives like yours, with the athletes leading by example, show that sport is doing its part in this crisis. Thank you and all the athletes for demonstrating that solidarity runs strong in our Olympic community”.
IOC chooses CONI's videos for World Health Day 2020
- FOR THE FIRST TIME
At a time when populations are being asked to stay at home to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, athletes are not only setting examples on how to #StayActive / #StayStrong / #BeActive / #HealthyAtHome and leverage physical activity to face this unprecedented situation, as celebrated yesterday on the occasion of the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace, but many of them are also working actively in healthcare facilities.
Some have successfully combined medical studies or nursing with their sporting careers, or have switched to health work after retirement. Others have shown their gratitude to all the health workers who are toiling untiringly every day to save lives. This is the case of athletes from the Italian Olympic Team, who came together in the video below to show their support and say an enormous thanks, or “grazie”, to all the medical staff fighting the pandemic.
Italian Olympic Sport United for doctors and paramedical staff
- CONI
This is the message that Italia Team’s athletes have made for doctors and paramedical staff who, in these days, are fighting for saving our life.
ITALY WITH YOU
“Today we are not the strongest”
“We are not the fearless”
“We are not the tireless”
“We are not the record breakers”
“We are not the fighters”
“We are not the hope givers”
“We are not the heroes…”
“Today you are the heroes”
“You in intensive care units”
“You in labs”
“You on ambulances”
“You the frontline fighters”
“You full of care and smiles”
“You are our hope”
“And from the deep of our heart”
“The Italia Team says: GRAZIE”
Italian Olympic Sport United for doctors and paramedical staff
Thanks to: Federica Brignone, Frank Chamizo, Elisa Di Francisca, Paola Egonu, Michela Moioli, Gregorio Paltrinieri, Federica Pellegrini, Simona Quadarella, Dorothea Wierer, Ivan Zaytsev and to all italian olympic athletes who ideally share this message.
New dates for Tokyo 2020 confirmed for 2021. The Summer Games will be celebrated from 23 July
The International Olympic Committee (IOC), the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and the Government of Japan today agreed new dates for the Games of the XXXII Olympiad, in 2021. The Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 will be celebrated from 23 July to 8 August 2021. They also agreed on new dates for the Paralympic Games, which will be celebrated from 24 August until 5 September 2021.
The leaderships of the key parties came together via telephone conference earlier today, joined by IOC President Thomas Bach, Tokyo 2020 President Mori Yoshirō, Tokyo Governor Koike Yuriko and Olympic and Paralympic Minister Hashimoto Seiko, and agreed on the new schedule.
This decision was taken based on three main considerations and in line with the principles established by the IOC Executive Board (EB) on 17 March 2020 and confirmed at its meeting today. These were supported by all the International Summer Olympic Sports Federations (IFs) and all the National Olympic Committees (NOCs):
1. To protect the health of the athletes and everyone involved, and to support the containment of the COVID-19 virus.
2. To safeguard the interests of the athletes and of Olympic sport.
3. The global international sports calendar.
These new dates give the health authorities and all involved in the organisation of the Games the maximum time to deal with the constantly changing landscape and the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The new dates, exactly one year after those originally planned for 2020 (Olympic Games: 24 July to 9 August 2020 and Paralympic Games: 25 August to 6 September 2020), also have the added benefit that any disruption that the postponement will cause to the international sports calendar can be kept to a minimum, in the interests of the athletes and the IFs. Additionally, they will provide sufficient time to finish the qualification process. The same heat mitigation measures as planned for 2020 will be implemented.
In a call on Tuesday 24 March 2020, based on information provided by the WHO at the time, IOC President Thomas Bach and Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzō concluded that the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 would be held in their complete form and not later than summer 2021. The Prime Minister reiterated that the government of Japan stands ready to fulfil its responsibility for hosting these successful Games. At the same time, IOC President Thomas Bach stressed the full commitment of the IOC to successful Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.
Following today’s decision, the IOC President said: “I want to thank the International Federations for their unanimous support and the Continental Associations of National Olympic Committees for the great partnership and their support in the consultation process over the last few days. I would also like to thank the IOC Athletes’ Commission, with whom we have been in constant contact. With this announcement, I am confident that, working together with the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, the Japanese Government and all our stakeholders, we can master this unprecedented challenge. Humankind currently finds itself in a dark tunnel. These Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 can be a light at the end of this tunnel.”
Andrew Parsons, the President of the IPC, commented: “It is fantastic news that we could find new dates so quickly for the Tokyo 2020 Games. The new dates provide certainty for the athletes, reassurance for the stakeholders and something to look forward to for the whole world. When the Paralympic Games do take place in Tokyo next year, they will be an extra-special display of humanity uniting as one, a global celebration of human resilience and a sensational showcase of sport. With the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games 512 days away, the priority for all those involved in the Paralympic Movement must be to focus on staying safe with their friends and family during this unprecedented and difficult time.”
The President of the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee, Mori Yoshirō, said: “IOC President Thomas Bach and the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee held a conference call today to discuss in detail the revised dates of the Tokyo 2020 Games. Minister for the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games Hashimoto Seiko and Tokyo Governor Koike Yuriko joined the call. I proposed that the Games should be hosted between July and August 2021, and I really appreciate that President Bach, having discussed this proposal with the various international sports federations and other related organisations, kindly accepted my proposal. A certain amount of time is required for the selection and qualification of athletes and for their training and preparation, and the consensus was that staging the rescheduled Games during the summer vacation in Japan would be preferable. In terms of transport, arranging volunteers and the provision of tickets for those in Japan and overseas, as well as allowing for the COVID-19 situation, we think that it would be better to reschedule the Games to one year later than planned, in the summer of 2021. Notwithstanding the postponement of the Olympic and Paralympic Games for the first time in history, and various other issues that have already been highlighted, the event schedule is the cornerstone of future preparations, and I am convinced that taking this decision promptly will help speed up future preparations. I would like to thank all the stakeholders, including the host city Tokyo and the Government of Japan, for their hard work during this short period. The Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee will continue to work hard for the success of next year's Games.”
Governor Koike Yuriko said: “In consideration of the global coronavirus outbreak, we need a certain timeframe before we fully prepare for the delivery of Games that are safe and secure for the athletes and spectators. Also, the preparation for the new dates will go smoothly, as the dates match with same timeframe as the original competition dates, corresponding with ticketing, venue staffing, volunteers and transport. Therefore, I believe that celebrating the opening of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 on 23 July 2021 is ideal. The athletes, volunteers, torchbearers and local municipality governments have been concerned about the situation. Since we now have concrete new dates to aim for, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government will commit all its resources, and work closely with the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee, the national government and other stakeholders to fully prepare for the delivery of Games that are safe and secure.”
It has previously been confirmed that all athletes already qualified and quota places already assigned for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 will remain unchanged. This is a result of the fact that these Olympic Games Tokyo , in agreement with Japan, will remain the Games of the XXXII Olympiad.
Milano Cortina 2026 Foundation, first informal Executive Board meeting
- WINTER OLYMPIC AND PARALYMPIC GAMES
The first informal Milan Cortina 2026 Executive Board meeting was held this afternoon in Milan, in the Lombardy Regional Council building.
The proceedings were opened with a report by Chairman Giovanni Malagò who briefly outlined all the milestones which led Italy to acquiring the organisation of the 2026 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Then, CEO Vincenzo Novari took the floor to illustrate his vision of the project and the innovative approach that he would like to give to the organisational structure.
The first EB meeting will be held in Milan on Monday, 24 February, beginning at 12:30 p.m.
Gangwon 2024: legacy of PyeongChang 2018 lives on in first Winter YOG awarded to Asia
- FOURTH EDITION
The fourth edition of the Winter Youth Olympic Games 2024 will be held in gangwon province in the cities of PyeongChang and Gangneung (Republic of Korea), home to the Olympic Winter Games 2018.
Today in Lausanne (photo IOC), Switzerland, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Session voted to award the Winter YOG to Asia for the first time, building on the legacy of the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018.
Gangwon 2024 draws upon the successful delivery of the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018 and aims to continue their vision of bringing sport to a new generation of winter athletes. The hosting of the Winter YOG leverages the significant investment that the Republic of Korea has made into developing winter sport in the country and throughout Asia.
“Consistent with the Olympic Agenda 2020 reforms, the proposed plans by Gangwon 2024 will ensure the Youth Olympic Games remain sustainable and affordable. The Gangwon 2024 proposition enhances the legacy of PyeongChang 2018,” said IOC President Thomas Bach. “The interest shown by many regions around the world in hosting future Olympic and Youth Olympic Games demonstrates that our new approach, based on constant dialogue, flexibility, sustainability, legacy and creating a project together, is the right approach.”
“The Korean government is committed to providing the necessary support to ensure that the Gangwon 2024 Youth Olympic Games are a great success,” added Park Yang-woo, Minister of Culture, Sport and Tourism and head of the Gangwon 2024 delegation. “We will continue the strong legacy of the recent Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang and work to achieve our vision of expanding new horizons in sport.”
The new Winter Youth Olympic Games host will benefit from many of the facilities used in PyeongChang 2018 as well as possible alternative venue options. Competitions would take place in PyeongChang (mountain sports) and Gangneung (ice sports), similar to the Games concept in 2018. The Winter YOG will provide young athletes with the opportunity to compete in some of the same venues where Olympians competed a few years earlier. The Youth Olympic Village would be located at student accommodation facilities at Gangneung-Wonju University.
The master plan will be finalised during a co-creation period, in which the IOC and Olympic stakeholders will collaborate with the elected host. The sports programme and a detailed budget aligned to the strategic objectives and local context will also be developed during this period.
The PyeongChang 2018 Legacy Foundation was launched last year to ensure the legacy of the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018 would continue to benefit the region for decades to come. The foundation aims to continue the development of winter sport in Asia, spread the Olympic values to young people through various sports and education projects, and also manage several venues that were used at the Olympic Winter Games. This year, the Foundation will oversee Olympic values education camps for 20,000 students around the country and also host the annual Dream Programme, now in its 16th year, by providing winter sports training camps to young people from around the world.
From the very beginning of the dialogue, the IOC has indicated to the Korean Sport and Olympic Committee that it would be ready to accept the Olympic Committee of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea as a partner in the organisation of the 4th Winter Youth Olympic Games, if the circumstances allow.
The awarding of the 4th Winter YOG was the first under the IOC’s new approach to future host elections, part of Olympic Agenda 2020. More targeted and streamlined, it allows greater flexibility and dialogue, in which interest in future Olympic and Youth Olympic Games is overseen by two permanent Future Host Commissions (Summer and Winter). The Commissions advise the IOC Executive Board, which in turn makes recommendations to the IOC Session, including putting forward preferred hosts for election.
The curtain raises on Lausanne 2020, Alessia Tornaghi parades with Tricolore flag in front of Malagò
- WINTER YOG
The third edition of the Winter Youth Olympic Games officially kicked off with the ceremony tonight at the Vaudoise Aréna.
The capital of the Olympic movement and home of the IOC will host, until 22nd January, the most important under-18 sporting event that will see around 1800 athletes from 79 countries throughout the world compete in 16 disciplines (the Italian athletes, however, will not compete in the skeleton).
Italy made its entrance in the athletes' parade, after Austria and ahead of Slovenia. More than half of the 67 Italian athletes were present on the ice (44 FISI members, 23 FISG members); 33 men and 34 women, who, in total (the rest of the group will arrive on 16th January), will take part in the Olympic event that starts tonight in Switzerland (crossing the French mountains of Les Tuffes). Then, at 8pm on the dot, the show kicked off with a moving display on ice and snow that combined Swiss tradition and innovation.
Present in the stands were the Olympic family and the heads of world sport, with the President of the IOC, Thomas Bach, sitting next to Simonetta Sommaruga, President of the Swiss Confederation who declared the Games open. With them were leaders of Italian sport, including the President of CONI and IOC member, Giovanni Malagò, and the Secretary General and Head of Olympic Preparation, Carlo Mornati, who witnessed the entrance of standard-bearer Alessia Tornaghi, the sixteen-year-old Milanese skater, twice senior Italian champion, who made her entrance at 8.09pm, together with Israel and Japan.
Lausanne is host to one of the two Olympic Villages (on the city's university campus) and three of the scheduled disciplines (Hockey, Figure Skating and Short Track Speed Skating). In the other village of St. Moritz, it was lugeist Alex Gufler who bore the flag at the other scheduled opening ceremony.
Tomorrow, on the snows of the Vaud Alps - in Les Diablerets and Villars - the first Olympic medals for the new entry Ski Mountaineering, which will make its debut in an Olympic event tomorrow with the men's and women's Individual Trial and Alpine Skiing, will already be awarded tomorrow with the men's and women's Super G.
The Lausanne 2020 Games are the first Winter Youth Olympic Games which guarantees an equal number of girls and boys competing for a medal (for the Summer Youth Games this had already happened in Buenos Aires 2018, while for the ‘big’ Games, this will happen for the first time in Tokyo 2020). For the first time, an edition of the Winter Games also includes mixed nationality 3×3 ice hockey, a women's doubles tobogganing competition, and the Nordic Women's Combined. These confirm the YOG as a true laboratory of ideas, driven by the energies of young people and at the service of sport.
The Milano Cortina 2026 presentation closes the 24th ANOC General Assembly
- DOHA
The 24th General Assembly of ANOC ended today in Doha. During the meeting of the World Olympic Committees, meeting on the side-lines of the first edition of the World Beach Games, general topics and leading issues related to the Olympic movement were discussed. The work was opened yesterday by the applauded speech of the President of the IOC, Thomas Bach, who recalled the need to affirm the values of “respect, unity and political neutrality as vital factors for the universality of the movement”, and continued - among other things - with a window reserved for the now imminent Tokyo 2020.
During today's meeting, the showcase was instead dedicated to the insights of the various ANOC committees, the financial report for the World Beach Games, and the presentations of the Organising Committees of the Dakar 2022 Summer Youth Olympic Games, the Beijing 2022 Winter Games and the Paris 2024 Summer Games, with the final section reserved for Milano Cortina 2026. The President of CONI, Giovanni Malagò, presented the project, illustrated in detail by Diana Bianchedi and Anna Riccardi, who focused on the most relevant aspects with regards to technical and infrastructural content. A video with the masterplan was also shown during the presentation. The 25th ANOC General Assembly will be held in 2020 in Seoul.
Boxing Road to Tokyo 2020: qualification events announced
- OLYMPIC GAMES
The Olympic Boxing Task Force today confirmed the names of the cities to host the five Qualification Events to be held on the Boxing Road to Tokyo 2020. The Task Force also announced the creation of an Athlete Ambassador Group, as well as the collaboration with PricewaterhouseCoopers on the refereeing and judging process.
Qualification Events
Four Continental Events and a final World Qualification Event will be held between February and May 2020 to give boxers the opportunity to seal their places at the Tokyo 2020 boxing tournament.
The World Qualification Event will give athletes a second chance to qualify and will therefore be open only to those boxers who have not yet qualified for the Games.
“The Qualification Events represent a fair and transparent pathway to the Olympic Games with equal opportunities for all National Olympic Committees,” said Boxing Task Force Chair and IOC Member Mr Morinari Watanabe. “Everything is being done to provide world-class Qualification Events and to ensure the best possible conditions for the athletes.”
The qualifying schedule features a strong emphasis on legacy, with all five events hosted by former or future Olympic Games or Youth Olympic Games host cities or countries.
The five Qualification Events together with planned dates are as follows:
Asia/Oceania: WUHAN, China, 3-14 February 2020
Africa: DAKAR, Senegal, 20-29 February 2020
Venue: Dakar International Expo Centre, Diamniadio
Europe: LONDON, Great Britain, 13-23 March 2020
Venue: Copper Box arena, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park
America: BUENOS AIRES, Argentina, 26 March-3 April 2020Venue: CeNARD high-performance athletics training centre
World: PARIS, France, 13-24 May 2020
The competition venues in Wuhan and Paris will be finalised and confirmed in due course.
While the total number of athletes (286) has been maintained from Rio 2016, the number of female boxers has been tripled for Tokyo 2020 in a major boost toward gender equality and in keeping with the enhanced quality and popularity of female boxing. The Tokyo tournament will feature 186 men and 100 women (compared to 250 men and 36 women in Rio).
Athlete Ambassador Programme
The Task Force also announced the creation of an Athlete Ambassador Group to engage with and represent boxers. This group will provide valuable athlete input and feedback to the Task Force and promote the athlete voice and representation in boxing, for Tokyo 2020 and beyond.
The Athlete Ambassadors will comprise 10 boxers, one man and one woman from each of the five regions, providing gender equality and global representation. The 10 will be selected from among nominations received from National Olympic Committees and National Federations by 30 September. They will be joined by additional athletes elected by their peers at each of the four continental events.
PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) to oversee refereeing and judging process
To ensure the successful delivery of the Olympic Qualification Events and the Olympic competition itself, the Olympic Boxing Task Force is currently finalising the appointment of PwC to independently review the process for selecting and evaluating boxing referees and judges.
The assessment will be carried out prior to, and during, the five Olympic Qualification Events and the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.
The Olympic Boxing Task Force decided to build on the successful delivery at the Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018, where the partnership with PwC helped ensure the credibility of refereeing and judging processes.
Background information
The creation of the Olympic Boxing Task Force by the IOC Executive Board (EB) followed the recommendation by the IOC EB on 22 May – approved by the IOC Session on 26 June – that boxing keep its place on the Tokyo 2020 programme, but that recognition of the International Boxing Association (AIBA) by the IOC should be suspended and evaluated after Tokyo 2020.
The decision was based on the recommendations of the Inquiry Committee set up by the IOC EB on 30 November 2018 over concerns about AIBA in the areas of finance, governance, ethics and refereeing and judging.
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