The Presidency of Juan Antonio Samaranch

Transcription

1 The Presidency of Juan Antonio Samaranch Olympic Charter The Olympic Charter has undergone intense reform in recent years, notably following the 110th Session in Lausanne in 1999, which approved the reforms recommended by the IOC 2000 Commission. The September 2000 edition of the Olympic Charter is the result of this. The International Olympic Committee On 17 September 1981, the IOC was recognized by the Swiss Federal Council as an international non-governmental, non-profit organization, of unlimited duration, in the form of an association with the status of a legal person. Based in Lausanne, the IOC s role is to lead the Olympic Movement in accordance with the Olympic Charter. IOC members Since 1980, one hundred and thirtythree (133) members have been elected. The IOC currently has 123 members, including 13 women, and 22 honorary members. This number could reach 130 by 31 December 2003, and thereafter will remain fixed at 115, divided up as follows: 15 athletes, 15 presidents of International Federations, 15 presidents of National Olympic Committees and 70 elected individual members. Upon the proposal of the Executive Board, the IOC can elect important, external personalities who have provided particularly distinguished services, as honour members, of which there are currently five. Executive Board The Executive Board meets five to six times a year, its role is to manage the affairs of the IOC. It oversees the Executive Board (to July 2001) President: 1st vice-president: 2nd vice-president: 3rd vice-president: 4th vice-president: Members: respect of the Olympic Charter and assumes the ultimate responsibility for the IOC administration. Its decisions are, however, ratified by the Session. The Executive Board was enlarged from nine to eleven members in 1985, then to fifteen members in 2000, including representatives of the summer and winter IFs, the NOCs and the athletes. The Presidency The President is elected by secret ballot by the members of the Session, the Presidential term of office, as from 2001, is eight years renewable only once for a period of four years. Since 1981, the election or reelection of the Juan Antonio Samaranch (Spain) Anita L. DeFrantz (United States of America) Judge Kéba Mbaye (Senegal) R. Kevan Gosper (Australia) Thomas Bach (Germany) Un Yong Kim (Korea) Marc Hodler (Switzerland) Jacques Rogge (Belgium) Zhenliang He (People s Republic of China) Gunilla Lindberg (Sweden) Franco Carraro (Italy) Denis Oswald (Switzerland) Ottavio Cinquanta (Italy) Mario Vázquez Raña (Mexico) Sergey Bubka (Ukraine) IOC President has taken place not at the Session preceding the holding of the Olympic Games, but during the second year of the Olympiad. Commissions Commissions have been set up by the President in the light of its need for expertise. They meet annually and submit their report to the Executive Board and to the Session. Their role is purely consultative. Since 1980, the number of Commissions has constantly increased to cover the main areas linked to the Olympic Movement and its activities. The IOC currently has 23 Commissions and Working Groups. The Ethics Commission is independent. 21

2 Opening Ceremony of the Games of the XXII Olympiad in Moscow on 19 July In the official box, Lord and Lady Killanin and Leonid Brejnev, President of Supreme Soviet of the USSR. (below) Samaranch next to his wife, Maria Teresa Salisachs. Presentation of the keys to the Château de Vidy by Lord Killanin, outgoing President, to the new IOC President, Juan Antonio Samaranch. Olympic Congress The first Congress was convened in 1894 by the Union of French Athletics Sports Associations (Union des Sociétés Françaises de Sports Athlétiques), and enabled Pierre de Coubertin to found the International Olympic Committee, and to proceed with the revival of the modern Olympic Games. The XI Olympic Congress in Baden- Baden in 1981 was characterized by the sense of unity among the three components of the Olympic Movement, and by hope, as expressed in its motto, United by and for sport. During this Congress an Athletes Commission was established and, for the first time in the IOC s history, women were coopted IOC members. Thirteen years later, the XII Olympic Congress, the Congress of Unity, was celebrated in Paris, the year which marked the IOC s Centennial, proclaimed the International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal by the United Nations General Assembly. It focused on four main themes: the contribution of the Olympic Movement, the contemporary athlete, sport in its social context, and sport and the mass media. Administration The International Olympic Committee was founded in Paris on 23 June 1894, but it was in Lausanne that Baron Pierre de Coubertin established its headquarters on 10 April At that time Switzerland was spared from World War I, which was raging throughout Europe. With the arrival in 1980 of Juan Antonio Samaranch at the head of the IOC as the first full-time President since Pierre de Coubertin, relations between Lausanne and the IOC took on a new impetus. At the beginning of 1968, Lausanne made available the Chateau de Vidy, where the IOC has its headquarters. Its activities multiplied, the number of staff grew. and the Vidy premises proved too cramped and it was clear that an extension would be necessary. Following an agreement with the local authorities, the IOC constructed an extension to its headquarters and moved into its own building in October Several years later, with an increased workload needing more staff and space, the IOC purchased two villas in Ouchy and added a further extension to its headquarters in Vidy in The IOC s organizational chart has been altered several times in response to requirements and the staff has increased (from 32 employees in 1981 to around 100 in 2001). Before 1981 there were only three divisions within the IOC: the Directorate, the Sports division and Olympic Solidarity. Since 1985, several departments have been created in succession. In 2001, the IOC is made up of the Presidency (Executive Office of the President), the Directorate, a General Secretariat, eight departments, three Offices and Olympic Solidarity. In 1985, staff delegates were elected and a sports club was created. Olympic House was equipped with a gym and a cafeteria was provided for IOC staff and guests. Moreover, the IOC s presence in Lausanne, which became the Olympic Capital in 1993, has contributed to the 22

3 establishment of fourteen International Federations in the city. Resources Up until 1980, the future of the Olympic Movement was extremely uncertain. The main source of revenue at the time was from television rights for the broadcast of the Olympic Games. Television remains the means by which most of the world sees and lives the Olympic Games. Television rights to the Games, which are negotiated by the IOC after consultation with the OCOGs, are therefore attributed only to broadcasters who can guarantee the broadest coverage throughout their country. The long-term IOC television strategy up to the year 2008 is in accordance with this policy. Today, television rights represent around half of the IOC s total commercial revenue. The TOP Programme (The Olympic Programme) created in 1985 offers worldwide sponsorships to multinational corporations that receive exclusive marketing rights and opportunities within their designated product category, and can exercise these rights on a worldwide basis, as well as developing marketing programmes with the various members of the Olympic Family - IOC, NOCs and OCOGs. TOP V ( ) includes 10 partners. Of the revenue generated approximately 50% will go to the OCOGs of the winter and summer Games and the host NOCs. The remaining 50% is allocated to the participating NOCs (40%) and to the IOC (10%). The name of the programme has been changed to The Olympic Partners to better reflect the changing nature of the relationship between the Olympic Family and the worldwide partners. Today, the diversification and increase in revenues allow the Olympic Movement to have greater independence and financial security. Awarding of the Olympic Cup to the Swiss Confederation on 9 November 1981 at the Château de Lohn. (left to right) Paul-René Martin, Georges-André Chevallaz, Juan Antonio Samaranch, Kurt Fürgler, Pierre Aubert and Jean-Pascal Delamuraz. 23

4 Olympic Solidarity Olympic Solidarity, established in Lausanne in 1980, has the task of administering the redistribution of the funds allocated to the NOCs in the form of development programmes and assistance, formulated by the IOC and President Samaranch in his office in Vidy. the NOCs, with technical help from the IFs if necessary. These funds are supplied principally by the share of the broadcasting rights of the Olympic Games granted to the NOCs by the IOC. The budget of the current Samaranch during an IOC-FIFA football match in Zurich in September quadrennial plan ( ) is US$ 209,484,000. A programme which was established in 1983, initially for the organization of technical sports courses, has been enriched by the addition of training and reorientation courses, as well as by the participation of national teams in various competitions and the purchase of sports material, etc. Annual administrative assistance of US$ 15,000 is allocated to each NOC, upon request, in order to improve their working conditions and to reinforce their operations system. In 1984, some NOCs received financial assistance for the first time for the participation of two athletes and one official in the XIV Olympic Winter Games in Sarajevo and four athletes and two officials in the Games of the XXIII Olympiad in Los Angeles, as well as a budget to cover their equipment costs. For the Games of the XXVII Olympiad in Sydney in 2000, Olympic Solidarity provided each NOC with US$ 8,000 for logistical expenses, US$ 5,000 to each president and secretary general to cover their costs, and paid for the air tickets of eight athletes and two officials. A payment of US$ 1,200 was made for each participating athlete. The stay at the Olympic Village was covered by the Australian Organizing Committee. Financial assistance is also provided for chef de mission seminars and the international youth camps organized by the OCOGs. Besides programmes which directly benefit all the NOCs, Olympic Solidarity carries out various programmes in collaboration with the IOC specialized Commissions. Olympic Solidarity has put in place special scholarship programmes for athletes, coaches and administrators, and offers them the possibility of benefiting from optimal training conditions in their own country or in a high-level specialized centre. 24

5 The Sydney 2000 programme provided the opportunity for 632 athletes, practising an individual Olympic sport and having clearly proved their potential, to benefit from special preparations which enabled 162 of them to win medals (70) and obtain finalist diplomas (92). International Federations In recent years, the IOC has strengthened its ties with the IFs. They cooperate with the IOC on the establishment of programmes for the Olympic Games, the construction of sites, doping control procedures or amendments to the Olympic Charter. The Federations have representatives on the Executive Board and on all IOC Commissions. Since 1983, the IFs have been grouped into summer and winter sports associations: the ASOIF (Association of Summer Olympic International Federations) and the AIOWF (Association of International Olympic Winter Sports Federations). The IOC Executive Board meets annually with both of these associations. The IOC has also established working relations with the non-olympic sports federations grouped together under the umbrella of the ARISF (Association of IOC-Recognized International Sports Federations). This association, created in 1983, encompasses 30 federations. Since 1981, the IOC has recognized several non-governmental organizations whose areas of specialization are related to sport, such as Olympic and physical education, sport medicine, sports for the disabled, sports ethics, etc. National Olympic Committees With the geopolitical changes throughout the world in recent years, including the break-up of the USSR and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, and the Opening Ceremony of the X/V Olympic Winter Games in Sarajevo... and of the Games of the XXIII Olympiad in Los Angeles in countries that have gained independence, the number of NOCs has risen from 144 in 1980 to 200 in Afghanistan has been suspended since October President Samaranch set himself the objective of visiting all recognized NOCs and as of the end of May he has visited 195 countries. He will visit the final four, Burundi, Comoros, Eritrea and Palestine in June. He has made the consolidation of unity among the IOC, the IFs and the NOCs, one of his major concerns. Continental associations had already been set up under various names to organize regional or community games. The first such association, the ANOC (Association of National Olympic Committees, created in 1979) was recognized in It was followed by the ANOCA (Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa, created in 1981), the ACNOE (Association of 25

6 Samaranch at the inauguration of the Olympic Museum on 23 June European NOCs, created in 1975 and which became the European Olympic Committees [EOC] in 1995), and the ONOC (Oceania National Olympic Committees, created in 1982). These continental associations were federated within the ANOC with the two existing ones, the PASO (Pan- American Sports Organization, created in 1940) and the OCA (Olympic Council of Asia - formerly Asian Games Federation, created in 1982). The main role of these associations is to provide extensive support at all stages in the planning, organization, coordination, follow-up and supervision of the Olympic Solidarity programmes realized in their respective zones. The athletes Created in October 1981, at the close of the Xl Olympic Congress in Baden- Baden, the IOC Athletes Commission has the role of mediator between the active Olympic athletes and the IOC. It is composed of athletes who have participated at the Olympic Games, summer and winter. The Commission meets once a year with the IOC Executive Board and presents a report to the IOC Session. It delegates representatives on other IOC Commissions in order that they can put forward the athletes point of view. Finally, it puts in place working groups responsible for the liaison with Organizing Committees of the Olympic Games, to help the latter to better meet the needs of the athletes. Since the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, the Centennial Games, in Atlanta in 1996, the majority of members of the IOC Athletes Commission are elected by the athletes themselves, as was the case in Nagano, during the XVIII Olympic Winter Games in Following the reforms adopted by the 110th IOC Session in December 1999, from now on the Commission is composed of 19 members of whom the majority are elected by athletes participating at the Olympic Games (eight athletes elected during the Games of the Olympiad, and four athletes elected during the Olympic Winter Games). The other seven members are appointed by the IOC in order to ensure a balance between sexes, regions and sports. Moreover, 15 members of the Athletes Commission, including the 12 elected athletes, are appointed IOC members for the duration of their mandate on the Commission. The World Olympians Association (WOA) is an independent organization which represents Olympians. It was created in 1995, on the initiative of President Samaranch, by representatives of the 25 national associations of Olympic athletes. Its principal objectives are on one hand, to favour the development of relations between the Olympic athletics and the entire world to promote and disseminate the fundamental principles of Olympism, and on the other, to encourage the creation of national associations in the 199 countries which have a recognized NOC. Olympic Games Since 1980, numerous changes and innovations have been made in the aspects directly linked to the organization of the Olympic Games. One of the major innovations directly affecting the development of the Olympic Games is the change in the eligibility rule introduced into the Charter in 1984 which enables professional athletes to take part in Olympic events. With this modification, the IOC wished to open the Olympic Games to the best athletes in the world and thus to overcome a definition of amateurism which no longer conformed with the reality of sport. Since 1984, changes have also been made to the Olympic protocol. The oath of the athletes and judges at the Opening Ceremony no longer takes place with the flag of the host country but with the Olympic flag. The exchange of Olympic flags between the host city and the future organizing city now occurs during the Closing Ceremony instead of at the Opening. At its 91st Session in Lausanne in 1986, 26

7 the IOC decided to alternate the summer and winter Games as from 1994, in order to facilitate the organization and allow the NOCs to better manage the financial and technical aspects linked to their participation in the Games, While the Games of the Olympiad continue to follow the four-year cycle which began in 1896 with the first modern Games, the winter Games cycle has been shifted by two years. Moreover, since 1988, invitations to the Olympic Games have been sent by the IOC, from its headquarters in Lausanne, one year before the Games to all NOCs, and not by the OCOG. The IOC also decided, as from the Games of the XXV Olympiad in Barcelona in 1992, to limit the number of athletes and officials to 15,000 in provision of the efficient organization of the Games. At the 102nd Session in Lillehammer in 1994, the decision was taken to name the host city seven years (rather than six years) in advance, and to allow some events to take place in regions outside the host city or even in transborder regions in the case of the winter Games. The procedure to be followed by cities bidding to host the Games has also been structured and improved upon in order to reduce their expenditure and to allow for a better evaluation of the bids. Thus, as from the day when the candidature is submitted to the IOC, the NOC supervises the activities and conduct of its city with regard to the candidature and is jointly responsible. All cities are subject to a bid acceptance procedure. A group of experts evaluates the candidatures and submits a report to the Executive Board, from which it establishes the list of host cities which are put to the vote of the IOC Session. In June 1992, President Samaranch took part in the torch relay of the Games of the XXV Olympiad in Barcelona. 27

8 Visit of the IOC delegation, led by the President, to Sarajevo in February 1994, during the Olympic Truce, in order to mark its solidarity towards the host city of the XIV Olympic Winter Games in The bids are then examined by the Evaluation Commission, which after a visit to the cities, presents its final report to the Executive Board and IOC members. This report is also distributed to the components of the Olympic Movement and the media, and is available on the IOC website. In 1989, the IOC also created a Coordination Commission for the Olympic Games which visits the host city at least twice a year to analyze, together with the Organizing Committee, the advancement of preparations and to assist with the global organization of the Games. In accordance with the Olympic Charter, the OCOG must now organize a programme of cultural events in the Athletes village and the host city. In addition, the OCOG may, with the authorization of the IOC Executive Board, organize an international youth camp on the occasion of the Games. Games of the Olympiad The Olympic programme has also been subject to important developments and seven new sports have been introduced on the programme of the Games of the Olympiad since In total, the Games have grown from 21 sports and 203 events in 1980, to 28 sports and 300 events at the Games of the XXVII Olympiad in Sydney in 2000 (among them 168 men s events, 120 women s events and 12 mixed events). Women s sport has been particularly encouraged during the past twenty years and the number of events has increased from 50 in 1980 to 120 in Olympic Winter Games The programme of the Olympic Winter Games has also been modified. In total, the programme has grown from 6 sports and 38 events in 1980 in Lake Placid, to 7 sports and 78 events in 2002 in Salt Lake City (41 men s events, 34 women s events and 3 mixed). Women s sport is also the main beneficiary. Games under the patronage of the IOC The IOC provided the impetus for the formation of a new organization encompassing the main disabledsports organizations. The International Coordinating Committee of World Sports Organizations for Disabled (ICC) was thus created in 1982 and recognized by the IOC in In 1990, this Committee was extended to form the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), the president of which is now an IOC member. However, it was with the XIV Olympic Winter Games in Sarajevo in 1984 that a step was taken toward the recognition of sport for disabled with the organization of a giant slalom demonstration event. At the IOC s behest, host cities now opt to organize Paralympic Games after the Olympic Games, placing all the sports infrastructure at their disposal. Since 1988, the OCOGs have also given financial support to these Games. Regional Games such as All Africa, Asian, Pan American, etc. are at present also granted IOC patronage. Culture and Olympic Education The IOC places particular emphasis on the promotion of art and culture within the Olympic Movement and outside of the Olympic Games. For the Olympic Museum, it has purchased numerous paintings, sculptures and works of art. The main role of the IOC is also to promote the education of Olympism among all levels of society. To do this, it organizes many symposia, congresses, conferences and seminars in various fields, in order to disseminate information on the Olympic Movement. It also grants patronage to those organized by the International Olympic Academy (IOA), universities and professional groups throughout the world. Moreover, the IOC has encouraged all NOCs to create their own Olympic Academies to carry on the work of the IOA in their countries. Olympic Museum Since his election, President Samaranch made the creation of an Olympic Museum a priority. In 1982, 28

9 the IOC took ownership of a building in Lausanne to set up a temporary Museum, and on 23 June 1993, Pierre de Coubertin s dream finally became a reality with the inauguration of the Olympic Museum in Ouchy, as well as the Olympic Studies Centre. This Museum, for which the white marble facade was donated by the Greek Government, preserves the cultural, educational and artistic heritage of the Olympic Movement since greatest Antiquity on the plain of Olympia. Permanent and temporary exhibitions of artwork with a sporting theme, produced by world-renowned artists, are on display. An auditorium has also been fitted out for slide shows, seminars, symposia, conferences, concerts, etc. The Olympic Museum is not content with restoring the past, it opened up to the third millennium, thanks to extremely sophisticated means of communication which have been put in place. The Olympic Studies Centre which is joined to the Museum is a living university of Olympism for researchers, students and scholarship-holders. It houses a library (over 17,000 monographs, 370 periodicals and 40 CD Rom), a photo library (over 329,000 shots in colour and black and white) and a video library (over 16,000 hours of animated images). The creation of the Museum was made possible thanks to the support and donations of 40 companies and 22 private institutions who made up over 75% of the total financing. The names of each company appear on the donors wall in the Museum entrance hall. (International Olympic Philately Federation) in 1982, the FINO (International Olympic Numismatics Federation) in 1992, and the ACOM (Association of Collectors of Olympic Memorabilia) in President Samaranch donated his own Olympic Games private stamp collection, of exceptional value, to the Olympic Museum. The IOC grants patronage on a regular basis to philatelic exhibitions on Olympic and sports theme, entitled Olymphilex. These exhibitions are open to the public and generally take place in the city hosting the Olympic Games. Moreover, under the patronage of the IOC, the FIPO established the Olympia Prize in 1985 to reward the best postage stamps issued on the occasion of the Olympic Games. The Olympic Coin Programme was launched in 1990 in the context of preparations for the IOC s centennial. Since 1994, the International Fair of Olympic Collectors has offered the chance to trade and sell souvenirs of the Olympic Games. The media President Samaranch, himself a journalist in the fifties and chairman of the IOC Press Commission from 1973 to 1983, is aware that the promotion of the Olympic Ideal cannot take place without the support of the media. The success of the Olympic Games, to which the media greatly contributes, led the IOC to include the theme Sport and the Mass Media on the programme of the Centennial Olympic Congress in Paris in 1994, with the active participation of journalists from 35 countries on the five continents. Besides the traditional means of communication, the Olympic Highlights, a brief overview of the week s activities of the Olympic Movement worldwide, have been sent by fax at the end of each week, since March 1992, to all members of the Olympic Family. Olympic Numismatics, Philately and Memorabilia On the initiative of the IOC President, himself a fervent collector of stamps and Olympic memorabilia, three organizations were founded: the FIPO President Samaranch with his family, summer (left to right) Alberto Gras, his son-in-law, María Teresa Samaranch, his daughter; María Teresa Salisachs, his wife, Juan Antonio Jr., his son, and Cristina Bigelli, his daughter-in-law. (seated, left to right) His grandchildren, Sofia, María Teresa, Ana, Alessia, Juan Antonio and Matteo. 29

10 President Samaranch and his personal assistant, Annie Inchauspé, on a cross country skiing track in Gstaad. The IOC Session, since Seoul in 1999, can be followed by the media on closed circuit television. Seminars, notably to the benefit of the sports press in developing countries, are organized regularly. The opportunity to cover the Games of the Olympiad, since those of 1996, is offered to journalists whose countries do not have an accredited representative. Publications Since the creation in 1896 of the Olympic Bulletin, which became the Olympic Review in 1897, a reference publication that records significant moments in the life of the Olympic Movement, several brochures and works have been published regularly, among which the Olympic Charter, Olympic Movement Directory, Biographies of the members of the International Olympic Committee, Media Guide, etc. Other publications of general interest have also been produced, among which The International Olympic Committee One Hundred Years and Selected Writings of Pierre de Coubertin. The advancement of women A major turn in the history of women s participation in the Olympic Movement has taken place in the last twenty years. The first women IOC members were coopted in The IOC, NOCs, International and National Federations and other sports organizations began to introduce initiatives both to enable more women to practise the sports of their choice and to occupy positions of responsibility. The IOC has also ensured the expansion of the women s programme at the Olympic Games, in cooperation with the respective IFs and the OCOGs. This development was reinforced by the IOC decision that all sports seeking inclusion in the Olympic programme must include women s events. The advocacy role does not, however, focus only on sport practice. The IOC is also highly concerned by women s involvement in the decision-making structures of sport organizations. It is in this framework that the IOC resolved that the NOCs and IFs should reserve 20% of all positions in their decision-making structures for women by the year Sports medicine Sport has become a vast area which goes far beyond the bounds of the sporting arena. In response to this development, the IOC Medical Commission, created in 1967, has launched a number of scientific projects. Since 1988, the IOC has held a series of world conferences on the fight against doping and has organized several congresses gathering specialized experts in the different fields of sports medicine. Moreover, the Medical Commission has published a series of paperbacks on sports medicine and sports sciences, and an encyclopaedia of sports medicine. Protection of the environment The IOC, in its capacity as coordinator of the Olympic Movement, has resolved to broaden its field of action in environmental matters and to make its the third dimension of Olympism, alongside sport and culture. It ensures that the Olympic Games are held in conditions which demonstrate a responsible concern for environmental issues. In 1992, when the Games of the XXV Olympiad were celebrated in Barcelona, the IOC, following the appeal launched by the United Nations Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, called on all the IFs and NOCs to sign the Earth Pledge. International Cooperation The history of the Olympic Movement has proved in many ways that sport and politics have a direct or indirect reciprocal influence. Following a period of successive boycotts for political reasons at the Games of the Olympiad in Montreal (1976), Moscow (1980), Los Angeles (1984) 30

11 The IOC members at the 111th Session in Sydney in September and Seoul (1988), the Games of the XXV Olympiad in Barcelona in 1992 brought together athletes from all over the world and allowed South Africa, after an absence of 27 years and following the abolition of Apartheid, to reintegrate into the Olympic Movement, in the presence of a personality of universal charisma who symbolized the struggle against all forms of racial discrimination, President Nelson Mandela. Also in recent years, the natural sense of obligation and will to serve the international community have led the IOC to undertake several initiatives in the political sphere. The IOC encourages the NOCs to maintain excellent relations with their respective governments, and particularly with their Ministers of Youth and Sports, Education, Health and Environment, who should be their partners in the development of sport and physical education, whilst respecting the independence and autonomy of the NOCs and sporting organizations. In this regard, the IOC facilitated the participation of athletes from the ex- Republics of the Soviet Union, following their accession to independence in 1991, at the XVI Olympic Winter Games in Albertville and at the Games of the XXV Olympiad in Barcelona in They participated as one delegation, wearing a unique official uniform and parading under the name Unified Team, behind the Olympic flag. Still in Barcelona, the NOC of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which the IOC granted provisional recognition, took part in the Games. Following an agreement reached with the Sanctions Committee of the United Nations Security Council, the Yugoslav athletes also took part as Individual Olympic Participants (IOP). The IOC is the only international organization which recognizes the NOCs of the People s Republic of China and Chinese Taipei. More recently, when the British colony of Hong Kong returned to Chinese authority, the IOC was able to reach an agreement in order that the NOC of Hong Kong, China, keep its independence and status in the Olympic Movement. During the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, the Centennial Games, in Atlanta in 1996, universality was reached with the participation of athletes from all 197 recognized NOCs, a first in the history of the Olympic Movement. History was repeated at the Games of the XXVII Olympiad in Sydney in 2000, with an absolute record of 199 participating NOCs. The parade of athletes from the two Koreas, North and South, in the same delegation and wearing the same uniform behind the flag of the Korean peninsula, during the Sydney Games, demonstrated that sport and the Olympic Ideal can act as an instrument to promote peace. Since 1992 the IOC has called for observance of the Olympic Truce so that it can serve to encourage dialogue, reconciliation and world peace. In 1993, the 48th Session of the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution in support of the Olympic 31

12 Truce, and a second resolution proclaiming 1994 the International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal, to mark the IOC s centennial. In 1995, for the first time in the history of Olympism, the IOC President was invited to address the United Nations General Assembly. Several Sessions of the United Nations General Assembly have since unanimously adopted resolutions on the observance of the Olympic Truce on the occasion of the Olympic Games, the most recent counted 180 Member States as co-sponsors, an absolute record in the history of the United Nations. In this framework, in the year 2000 the IOC also created the International Olympic Truce Foundation and an International Olympic Truce Centre in Athens, Greece. The IOC has established cooperation with the Supreme Council for Sport in Africa (SCSA), the Council of Europe, and Ministries of Youth and Sport from different countries. It also maintains fruitful relations with regional political organizations such as the European Union (EU), the Organization of African Unity (OAU), and the Organization of American States (OAS). Through the International Olympic Forum for Development (IOFD), created in 1996, the IOC has been able to achieve better coordination with the industrialized countries that provide technical assistance. The International Olympic Committee is also involved in humanitarian projects with the aim of promoting, through sport, the quality of life and well-being of those living in refugee camps and in the most disadvantaged parts of the world. To implement these projects, the IOC cooperates with the United Nations specialized agencies. OCOGs, IFs, and NOCs also lend their support to these projects. Cooperation and consultation through sport form one of the cornerstones of modern politics and constitute a challenge which must be taken up in the future. Olympic Day and Olympic Week As part of the celebration of Olympic Day on 23 June, date of the creation of the IOC, the NOCs organize their own sporting events in Olympic Week. The first Olympic Day Run was organized in 1987, for which the IOC provides each NOC with financial help for the organization and T-shirts bearing the Olympic rings. Since 1982, the IOC has organized an Olympic Week in Lausanne every year. Distinctions Since 1981, several prizes and trophies have been created, the most recent being the Pierre de Coubertin medal. Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) During the Xl IOC Congress in Baden- Baden in 1981, the IOC President launched the idea of setting up an arbitration process specifically for sport. In 1983, the 86th IOC Session meeting in New Delhi officially ratified the CAS statutes. Following the Sport and Law World Conference organized in September 1993, the International Council of Arbitration for Sport (ICAS) was set up and since ensures the supervision and financing of the CAS. The IOC Executive Board and the IOC directors in front of the Olympic Door of the Year 2000 last year. (back row, left to right) François Carrard, Marc Hodler; Chiharu Igaya, Richard Kevan Gosper, Richard W. Pound, the IOC President, Anita L. DeFrantz, Thomas Bach, Un Yong Kim, Jacques Rogge, Zhenliang He and Françoise Zweifel. (front row, left to right) Franklin Servan-Schreiber Patrick Schamasch, Thierry Sprunger, Michael Payne, Gilbert Felli, Howard Stupp, Philippe Verveer, Pere Miró and Fékrou Kidané. World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) The World Conference on Doping in Sport, organized by the IOC in Lausanne in February 1999, with the participation of Government representatives, inter- and non-govern- 32

13 The IOC, Olympic Solidarity and Olympic Museum staff in front of the Olympic Door of the Year 2000, before the start of a symbolic walk for peace. mental organizations, the IOC, IFs, NOCs and athletes, initiated the creation of an independent, international anti-doping agency. This Agency, established on 10 November 1999 under the name World Anti-Doping Agency, includes representatives from the Olympic Movement (IOC, IFs, NOCs, athletes), the European Union Member States, the Council of Europe, Africa, the Americas, Asia and Oceania. Thirty members currently sit on the Agency and their number could increase to forty at the most. The Agency s mission is to coordinate the various programmes necessary to achieve the objectives jointly defined by all parties concerned, among which the expansion of out-of-competition testing, research coordination, the promotion of educational and preventive action, as well as the harmonization of scientific rules and procedures and techniques with regard to analyses and equipment. President Samaranch on the terrace of the Olympic Museum in Ouchy. 33