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Tag: IOC

  • AIPS seeks improvement of IOC media accreditation process

    AIPS seeks improvement of IOC media accreditation process

    The International Sports Press (AIPS) has asked the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to change its accreditation procedures to accommodate more independent journalists.

    This was contained in a communiqué released by Evelyn Watta, AIPS Executive Committee member as part of the 77th Congress held in Baku, Azerbaijan recently.

    The body urged the IOC to amend its Charter if need be to effect necessary changes in the accreditation processes for its Games..  It said that members of the AIPS had raised concerns over discriminate and punitive accreditation process by some National Olympic Committees (NOCs).

    The resolution also followed calls by the IOC president, Thomas Bach, for contributions toward the debate on Olympic Agenda 2020 in March this year. It noted that during the 126th IOC Session in Sochi, members discussed a strategic roadmap for the future of the Olympic Movement structured in these five themes:

    The uniqueness of the Olympic Games, Athletes at the heart of the Olympic Movement, Olympism in action and keeping Olympism alive 365 days a year. And the IOC’s role: unity in diversity and the structure and organisation.

    The process will culminate in Monaco between December 6 and 7, when proposals for Olympic Agenda 2020 would be presented for approval to an IOC Extraordinary Session. It added that the resolutions passed by the AIPS Congress were unanimously adopted.

    The communique noted that the accreditation procedures for journalists at major sports events such as the Olympic Games were a matter of concern. It said issues relating to such procedures might be better resolved if there was cooperation between the National Sports Press Associations and the concerned National Sports Organisation.

    The congress also resolved that the IOC be asked to determine within its agenda 2020 project, improved accreditation procedures for journalists, implying full cooperation between national sports and the press.

    “The AIPS is prepared to fully collaborate to achieve such improvements within the relevant international sports organisations, in particular with the IOC,’’ it said.

     

  • Nigerian re-elected IOC Assistant Secretary-General

    A Nigerian, Amb. Hameed Opeloyeru, has been reelected Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Affairs of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

    A statement issued by the OIC secretariat in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, said Opeloyeru was elected at the 40th Council of Foreign Ministers of OIC held in Conakry, Guinea, from December 9 to December 11.

    Opeloyeru, a former Ambassador to Lebanon, who was first elected to the position in 2009, will represent the African Group in the Organisation.

    “It is evident that the re-election of the Nigerian candidate by the African Group in the OIC is aimed at consolidating the gains made towards socio-economic cooperation within the OIC,’’ the statement said.

    According to the statement, the OIC has made remarkable progress in the implementation of its 10-Year Programme of Action adopted in 2005, including the creation of a dedicated programme for Africa.

    It highlighted core achievements to include the establishment of a special fund for poverty alleviation and the harmonisation of tariffs and trade policies among member-states.

    According to OIC Statistics, trade among the 57-member countries increased from 14.44 per cent in 2004 to 17.9 per cent in 2012.

    Similarly, the cumulative trade finance disbursement among member-countries increased from 2.5 billion dollars in 2008 to 4.5 billion dollars in 2012.

    The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the organsation successfully completed the approval stage of the 12 billion dollars Special Programme for the development of Africa in November last year.

    Also the Islamic Solidarity Fund for Development has committed $1.64 billion to the execution of 46 projects under its five-year strategy aimed at scaling up human capital development among its member-states.

     

  • NOC mourns Madiba

    NOC mourns Madiba

    As dozens of world leaders gathered in Johannesburg on Tuesday to honour the memory of the late Nelson Mandela, President of the Nigeria Olympic Committee, NOC, Sani M. Ndanusa paid glowing tribute to the former South African icon for choosing sports as an instrument to unite people in peace and friendship.

    In a condolence letter to the President of the South African Olympic Committee, Ndanusa said that the world over has learnt a lesson of humility, love and friendship from the great Madiba who chose sports over violence.

    The NOC President’s letter came just as International Olympic Committee, IOC, President Thomas Bach called on all 204 National Olympic Committees around the world to honour Nelson Mandela by flying their flags at half-mast on the day of his funeral on Sunday, December 15.

    Calling Mandela a great friend of sport and a hero of humanity, President Bach said all representatives of the Olympic Movement should be inspired by the example set by Mandela and proud of the important role sport played in his life and the rebuilding of South Africa.

    Engr Ndanusa harped on Mandela’s remarkable fight against oppression, and his love for all, noting that the outpouring of emotions and respect by the world showed that Mandela was an acclaimed man of peace.

  • Tokyo wins race to host 2020 Olympics

    Tokyo wins race to host 2020 Olympics

    Tokyo has been chosen to host the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games ahead of Istanbul and Madrid.

    The Japanese capital won a final round of voting by International Olympic Committee (IOC) members in Buenos Aires to beat Istanbul by 60 votes to 36.

    Madrid had earlier been eliminated in a first-round ballot.

    BBC reports that the announcement was met with jubilant scenes in Japan, as Tokyo prepares to host the event for the first time since 1964.

    When IOC president Jacques Rogge – who will retire after 12 years in the role on Tuesday – announced the winning city, the Tokyo delegation jumped to their feet in celebration and waved the Japan flag.

    A number of them were overcome with emotion and wept, following two years of intense lobbying.

    “I would like to thank everyone in the Olympic movement and we will host a wonderful Olympic Games,” a delighted Prime Minster Shinzo Abe said.

    Bid leader Tsunekazu Takeda added: “It is a great honour that Tokyo has been chosen. The first thing I will do when I return is to thank all of Japan.”

     

  • Igali to make wrestling’s final push to IOC

    Igali to make wrestling’s final push to IOC

    The International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles (FILA) has named the President of the Nigeria Wrestling Federation, Dr Daniel Igali in a five-person team that will be making their final presentation at the 125th International Olympic Committee (IOC) Session in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Sunday, 8 September.

    Igali will be joined by FILA President Nenad Lalovic, Vice President of the French Wrestling Federation, Lise Legrand, former U.S. Olympic Committee CEO Jim Scherr and former wrestler Carol Huynh of Canada.

    Igali, a Nigerian-Canadian wrestler who won a gold medal in Men’s Freestyle (69 kg.) at the Sydney 2000 Olympics Games, was in the same five-member team that made FILA’s successful presentation to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board in May.

    Wrestling is up against squash and a joint bid by softball-baseball for a spot in the Summer Games beginning in 2020. Each sport will present to the full IOC membership in Buenos Aires before the vote.

    Following this presentation, the full IOC membership will vote on which sport to include in the Olympic Programme for 2020 and 2024.

    In their presentation, the team will highlight all of the extraordinary changes and initiatives FILA has completed this summer; remaking one of the world’s oldest sports. Several of these ground-breaking steps include: innovative rules to encourage competition, new distribution of weight classes to increase opportunities for women and the formation of an athletes’ commission. These changes were supported by a special Save Olympic Wrestling meet in Ancient Olympia, Greece, that featured the first-ever women’s wrestling match at the birthplace of the Olympic Movement.

    “I am pleased to announce our team for the final presentation today and I am especially grateful that this team, that has already represented the sport of wrestling so well, will be able to make the trip to Buenos Aires for this historic moment,” said FILA President Nenad Lalovic.

    “Our final presentation will highlight all of the great work the FILA Bureau and Olympic wrestling fans and supporters have done over the last seven months, as well as explain to the IOC why the version of wrestling they will witness in 2020 is new, exciting and modern.”

  • Nigerian returns un-opposed in ANOCA poll

    Habu Gumel, Nigeria’s representative at the International Olympic Committee (IOC), has been re-elected the Treasurer-General of the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA).

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Gumel’s re-election was at ANOCA’s 15th Ordinary Elective General Assembly on Friday in Abidjan, Cote D’Ivoire, with 53 member-nations present.

    Gumel, regarded as “Nigeria’s Ambassador’’ to the IOC, was returned unopposed after two other candidates from Mali and Botswana pulled out of the election.

    Habbib Sissoko of Mali and Negroes Malealea Kgosietsile of Botswana had written letters of withdrawal to the African Olympic body that they were standing down for “a worthy candidate.”

    ANOCA’s close sources, however, told NAN at the assembly that the two candidates had earlier filed their nominations papers after they had been misinformed that Nigeria was no longer interested in the position.

    Gumel, who stoutly denied the allegation, also put up a strong case to convince the electorate.

    He was later, during the plenary session, declared fully qualified for the election after his past expenditures and the budget were passed.

    An elated Gumel told NAN that he was happy to have won, saying that his immediate tasks would be the early completion of the ANOCA permanent secretariat at Abuja.

    “My immediate task on returning to Nigeria is to ensure the full completion of the ANOCA building in Abuja, so that ANOCA can settle in Nigeria.

    “This is part of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed between the Federal Government of Nigeria and ANOCA. As a member of the executive committee, I will work hard to accomplish this task.

    “I also want to help my country to develop the youth programme through ANOCA. This is possible with cooperation with the National Sports Commission,’’ Gumel said.

     

  • Six candidates vie for IOC presidency

    Six candidates vie for IOC presidency

    The International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Friday announced the six candidates jostling for Jacque Rogge’s soon-to-be-vacant post.

    In a statement on its website, the world’s sports regulatory body said the candidates had officially announced their candidacies by the midnight of June 6, the deadline.

    The statement listed the candidates as: Thomas Bach, Sergey Bubka, Richard Carrión, Ser Miang Ng, Denis Oswald, and Ching-Kuo Wu.

    “Six candidates will compete in the election for the presidency of the IOC at the 125th IOC Session on September 10, 2013 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

    “The candidates will present their programmes in camera to the full IOC membership on the occasion of the Extraordinary IOC Session in Lausanne, Switzerland between July 3 and 4, 2013,” the News Agency of Nigeria quoted the body as saying in the statement.

     

  • IOC strips four Athens 2004 medalists of titles

    IOC strips four Athens 2004 medalists of titles

    The Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has stripped four athletes who participated at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games of their medals.

    The global sports body said in a statement on its website on Thursday that the athletes were disqualified after further analysis of their stored samples resulted in adverse analytical findings.

    According to the statement, the athletes include Yuriy Bilonog of Ukraine, who placed first in the men’s shot put event and Russian Svetlana Krivelyova, who finished third in women’s shot put.

    The rest are Belarussian Ivan Tsikhan, who was runner-up in the men’s hammer throw and his compatriot, Iryna Yatchenko, who was third in the women’s discus throw.

    While Bilonog and Krivelvova were found guilty of using oxandrolone metabolite, Tsikhan and Yatchenko were discovered to have used methandienone metabolite.

    The executive board ordered the relevant National Olympic Committees in all four cases to return to the IOC, as soon as possible, the medals and diplomas awarded to the athletes.

    It also announced that one case of this nature was still pending and it would soon release its decision on it.

    The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the IOC stores samples for eight years after each edition of the games.

    This is usually done for the samples to be re-tested, should more sophisticated detection methods become available or new substances are added to the list of banned substances.

    The IOC had recently, in close collaboration with the World Anti-Doping Agency, decided to further analyse a number of samples from the Athens Games.

    This followed a targeted testing, based on intelligence and new methods.