The Centennial Olympic Congress in 1994, otherwise known as the Congress of Unity, was held in Paris, just as the first Congress had been. The opening speech was delivered by the then Mayor of Paris, Jacques Chirac, and among the distinguished guests was Jacques Cousteau.
Special events
In an endeavour to reconcile art, culture and sport several exhibitions and special events were organised. The Olympic Flame was relayed by athletes from the Eiffel Tower to Bercy, site of the Congress, via the Sorbonne; the Olympic Flag was brought down the Eiffel Tower by a champion climber; and there were several sports events including an Oxford-Cambridge-France boat race, the 8th Paris International Triathlon and a commemoration of the first final of the French rugby championship, a game that had taken place in 1892 and was refereed by Pierre de Coubertin.
Protection of the environment
The Congress proved trend-setting in an area of great interest today, namely protection of the environment which was declared to be an essential component of Olympism. A survey was conducted and measures to optimize the Olympic Movement’s contribution to preserving the environment were defined. Also at the 1994 Congress, for the first time the media were invited to speak and an entire theme was given over to them.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) today announced an extension to its current partnership with Atos Origin through to 2016, including the XXII Olympic Winter Games (2014) in Sochi, Russia, and the Games of the XXXI Olympiad (2016).
Atos Origin has been a key technology provider for the Olympic Movement since becoming the Worldwide Information Technology Partner in 2001.
IOC President Jacques Rogge welcomed the extension to the Olympic partnership and the continued involvement of Atos Origin in the Olympic Games. “The Olympic Games would not happen without the use of Information Technology.” Rogge said. “We rely on Atos Origin’s world class expertise and experience, and I am absolutely delighted to announce that the IOC will continue its partnership with Atos Origin for a further four years through to 2016”.
Gerhard Heiberg, Chairman of the IOC Marketing Commission, said, “Atos Origin has been a TOP Partner for over eight years and has already committed to partnering with the Olympic Movement through to 2016. The association of its brand with the Olympic Games, as well as its proven capability to deliver major IT solutions, has brought its organisation global recognition.”
Jean-Benoît Gauthier, IOC Director of Technology, said Atos Origin had played a critical role in the success of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, “Atos Origin is able to work with different stakeholders and technology partners, bringing them together to provide a seamless IT solution for the Olympic Games. Atos Origin has demonstrated its ability to deliver a very complex IT system for the Olympic Games on time and to budget through several editions of the Games. In Beijing this process involved years of preparation, over 4,000 IT experts, and 200,000 hours of testing. I’m delighted we will able to rely on Atos Origin for at least another four years.”
Thierry Breton, Chairman and CEO of Atos Origin, said, “We are particularly proud of our long-term partnership with the International Olympic Committee - a relationship based on enduring trust. We will continue to surpass ourselves from one Olympiad to the next, and will commit to deliver high level services as part of our mission for the Olympic Games. Managing this highly complex project and bringing together all the necessary cutting-edge technologies require a unique expertise - the ability to optimally combine processes, technologies and the skills of both our staff and of other partners".
For further information, please contact the IOC Communications Department, Tel: +41 21 621 60 00, email: pressoffice@olympic.org
The International Olympic Committee (IOC), created in 1894, is a non-governmental organisation with volunteer members who represent its work around the world, and an administrative staff based in Lausanne, Switzerland. The IOC and its 205 National Olympic Committees worldwide promote the Olympic Movement, whose vision is to contribute to building a peaceful and better world by educating youth through sport. In addition to selecting the host city and coordinating the staging of the Olympic Games, the IOC and NOCs collaborate with a range of organisations and their members in the public and private sectors to place sport at the service of society. The main goal is to promote the values of Olympism, which include excellence, respect and friendship.
The host city of the 2016 Olympic Games will be announced at the 121st IOC Session, to take place in Copenhagen, Denmark, in October 2009.
Worldwide Partners currently confirmed for Vancouver 2010 and London 2012 are:
Atos Origin, Panasonic and Samsung have extended their partnership until 2016.
Coca-Cola’s partnership continues through to 2020.
About Atos Origin
Atos Origin is an international information technology services company. Its business is turning client vision into results through the application of consulting, systems integration and managed operations. The company’s annual revenues are EUR 5.5 billion and it employs over 50,000 people in 40 countries. Atos Origin is the Worldwide Information Technology Partner for the Olympic Games and has a client base of international blue-chip companies across all sectors. Atos Origin is quoted on the Paris Eurolist Market and trades as Atos Origin, Atos Worldline and Atos Consulting.
As the Worldwide IT Partner for the Olympic Games, Atos Origin is responsible for developing, running and securing key information systems for the Games, including:
- Core Games management systems for accreditation, workforce management, medical services, sports entries and athletes’ qualification
- The Games Info system for the collection and dissemination of all competition data on the Intranet and Internet to the world’s media
- Operations management of pre-Games central operations, management of the Technology Operations Centre, and coordination of the IT systems at all Games venues
At the 1981 Congress in Baden-Baden, Germany, expectations were great, falling as it did just a year after the boycotted Moscow Games and with Los Angeles around the corner. It was no exaggeration to say the credibility of the Olympic Movement was at stake and new initiatives pointing the way ahead were required.
Pope conveys greetings
The Congress was opened by West German President Dr Carl Carstens with music composed by Leonard Bernstein exclusively for the event. Pope John Paul II and the UN General Secretary conveyed their greetings. Speakers included Prince Philip of Britain while the honorary guest was the 92-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner Lord Phillip Noel-Baker.
Athletes’ Commission
For the first time the athletes played a leading role in a Congress, with Kip Keino, Sebastian Coe and Soviet ice hockey goalkeeper Vladislav Tretyak all speaking. Their accounts rang with an authenticity nobody dared contradict and the Congress in Baden-Baden paved the way for the IOC Athletes’ Commission, which celebrated its 25th anniversary last year. A member of the Athletes’ Commission sits on every other IOC commission and working group, so an athlete’s opinion is taken into account in all decisions made including the bidding process, the organisation and the programme for each Olympic Games.
After two editions in Lausanne then Dubai, the International Athletes Forum has chosen Marrakech for its fourth edition, at the invitation of the Moroccan Olympic Committee, at the initiative of the Olympic champion Hicham El Guerrouj, a member of the IOC and its Athletes’ Commission.
Priority number one for the Olympic Movement, the athletes have always played an important role in the development and success of the Olympic Movement and the Games. This was the starting point for the creation by the IOC Athletes’ Commission, whose Chairman is Frank Fredericks, of an International Forum for athletes from all over the world and representatives of the International Federations of Olympic sports and the five Continental Associations of National Olympic Committees.
Encourage athlete participation
The aim of this two-yearly Forum is to offer the athletes a platform for discussion and exchanges on topics of direct concern to them, as well as others which go beyond the confines of the stadium. Today, being an athlete does not stop at an athletics track, a pool or a court… Like any other citizen, athletes have the right and the duty to voice their concerns and recommendations on the position they occupy within the sports movement and society in general; on their life and career choices; and even the preparations for and holding of the Olympic Games or any other sports event. The athlete has to take part on and off the field of play.
Looking ahead to the Congress
Playing a greater role and making its voice heard within the local, national, regional and international sports movement, as well as in society at large: that is the IOC Athletes’ Commission’s goal. This mission sits perfectly within the framework of the general subject of the 2009 Olympic Congress, “the role of the Olympic Movement in society”. By devoting one of its themes to the athletes, the Congress will be a further stage in promoting the role of athletes in society.
At the heart of the Forum discussions in Marrakech will be three of the sub-themes from the Copenhagen Congress, which are key concerns for today’s and tomorrow’s athletes:
- Relations between athletes, clubs, federations and NOCs;
- Health protection during training and competition;
- The social and professional life of athletes during and after high-level sport.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC)’s Coordination Commission for the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games, led by its Chairman, the Frenchman Jean-Claude Killy, has brought to a close two days of meetings with the Sochi 2014 Organising Committee in the Russian host city (13-14 May 2009). Joined for part of the trip by the Presidents and Secretaries General of the International Olympic Winter Sports Federations, the Commission was pleased to see that sport and the athletes were playing a central role in all areas of the project’s development and planning.
The Finest Experience
Speaking at the close of the meetings, Jean-Claude Killy said, “The success of the Olympic and Paralympic Games is ultimately based upon the Organising Committee’s ability to deliver a high quality field of play and a great experience for all the competitors and visitors during their stay. With that in mind, our colleagues from the International Olympic Winter Sports Federations visited the sites of the competition venues this week and got a detailed understanding of the plans for each one. Along with the Coordination Commission, they were impressed by the plans and will continue to work closely with Sochi 2014 and its new athletes’ commission, chaired by my IOC colleague Alexander Popov, in order to perfect them, as we all continue towards our objective of giving the world’s winter sportsmen and women the finest experience in 2014.”
A Catalyst For Development
Killy also noted, “We must not underestimate the size and complexity of what our Russian friends will achieve here. When we look at the work that is being done in areas such as transportation, infrastructure development and technological upgrades for the whole region, it is absolutely immense. As Deputy Prime Minister for the Olympic Games and Regional Development Dmitry Kozak has pointed out, this project has the full support of the Russian Government because it is part of a much wider regeneration of the region, in addition to being a great way for the Government to invest in this time of economic downturn. The Games are a catalyst for this development but it also increases the organisational challenge, which is why we have a highly competent Deputy Prime Minister in the person of Aleksandr Zhukov, as Chairman of the Sochi 2014 Supervisory Council, looking after the organisation of the Games.” He concluded, “A lot of advances have been made since our last visit and we have also taken some important steps forward during our meetings this week, but as I have said in the past, time is not a luxury that we have to play with on this project. The Sochi team must therefore ensure that it makes its decisions in a timely manner, so as to maintain its ambitious schedule. However, with the high calibre of the people in front of us and the impressive detail of the reports over the past two days, I am confident that Sochi 2014, ably led by its President and CEO Dmitry Chernyshenko, will deliver.”
Sochi 2014
Sochi was elected as the host city for the XXII Olympic Winter Games at the 119th IOC Session in Guatemala City on 4 July 2007. Sochi won the vote against the cities of Salzburg (Austria) and PyeongChang (Republic of Korea) in the second round of voting. The Russian city edged out PyeongChang 51 votes to 47, with Salzburg having been eliminated in round one. The Sochi Games will play host to the seven Olympic Winter sports currently on the Olympic programme and will run from 7 to 23 February 2014.
The modern era of the Olympic Congress began in 1973 in Varna, Bulgaria, which was celebrating the 50th anniversary of its NOC. Lord Killanin, who had succeeded Avery Brundage as IOC President the previous year, presided over the Congress and directed the meetings with skill and dignity. Many NOCs and all Ifs were given the floor on equal terms and the delegates lived up to Killanin’s call to make the Congress not a forum for open attacks but sensible suggestion.
Springboard for new rule
Rethinking the idea of amateurism was at the centre of discussion, as it had been at practically all Congresses since 1894, but discussions at the Varna Congress were the springboard for the new rule which authorized financial assistance for elite level training. Within 20 years the Olympics were fully open to professionals.
‘Dream Team’
To understand the magnitude of this change you only have to think of the American “Dream Team” featuring basketball professionals such as Earvin “Magic” Johnson and Michael Jordan. Their victory in Barcelona in 1992 passed straight into Olympic folklore. And tennis, excluded from the Games since 1924, returned as a full medal sport open to professionals in 1988 when Steffi Graf became the first and only player to win the "Golden Slam" by adding the Olympic title to her four Grand Slam singles titles that year.
As one of Sports most sought after premier Coaches, Al Vermeil knows the difference between what works and what simply does not when it comes to training at the Elite level. Watch the film above to see the clip.
Some Interesting facts on Al Vermeil
Al is the only strength coach who has worked in the NFL, NBA and Major League Baseball and he is also the only strength coach to have a World Championship ring from the NFL and NBA
Recently inducted into the USA Strength and Conditioning Hall of Fame in recognition of his accomplishments
As the former strength and conditioning coach of the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers, his program made a major contribution to the team’s 1982 Super Bowl Championship
Al has been the featured speaker at many coaching clinics, including the National Strength and Conditioning Association and National Athletic Trainers Association, has been the subject of numerous television, radio and newspaper interviews over his 35-year career and he has written many articles for major publications like Golf Digest, the National Strength and Conditioning Association Journal, as well as several conditioning manuals
Al has consulted with the San Francisco Giants, University of Alabama, Texas A&M, Denver Broncos, Philadelphia Eagles, Chicago White Sox, The Academy of Golf at Lakeway, Nicklaus Academy of Golf, Golf Digest School and the Los Angeles Lakers
The video addresses many of the complaints from Athletes and Coaches alike about problems resulting from lack of facilities and poor weather conditions. While most sprinters chase the sun, many have to contend with the harsh reality of bad weather and lack of facilities. Charlie’s former squad certainly fell into this category, yet achieved international success and perhaps this is why Charlie does not accept such complaints as a justifiable excuse for poor preparation. In this video series Charlie and wife Angela Coon, former Canadian National Team 100m Hurdler, present several general conditioning workouts for athletes of different levels that can be done almost anywhere. This is the advanced segment, which runs 1hr 41minutes and includes in depth commentary from both Charlie Francis, and Angela Coon.
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