Posted by admin on November 13, 2008 under Misc. | 
Ms Jowell, the minister for the Olympics and Paymaster General, made her frank admission to around 40 leisure industry bosses at a dinner on Tuesday night.
“Had we known what we know now, would we have bid for the Olympics? Almost certainly not,” she told the gathering.
The budget for the 2012 games has risen almost four-fold to £9.35bn since Britain won the bid in July 2005, £6bn of which is coming directly from the Government.
Ms Jowell defended the spending as a “counter-cyclical investment” and claimed: “We have taken £1.5bn costs out of the project since we started.”
She attacked the media’s portrayal of the project, claiming that anyone who read the newspapers or watched the television would be left with three impressions: “The budget is out of control; all the venues are late; and all the people involved with this great project are completely useless.”
None were true, she said, adding: “People involved in the ODA [Olympic Delivery Authority] are world class.”
She said the “counter-cyclical benefit” was reflected in the companies working on the Olympic Park. “Ninety-eight per cent are UK companies, over two-thirds are small and medium companies and over half are outside London,” she said.
They included suppliers of steel from Wigan and seating from Huddersfield, Ms Jowell said.
She added that cities around the UK would also benefit from international teams using their training facilities. She said the Thai team planned to train in Manchester, while the American track and field team were close to opting to train in Birmingham. (more)
Posted by admin on November 11, 2008 under News |
With fewer than 500 days to go until the
XXI Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, the eight women’s ice hockey teams which will be taking part in the Olympic tournament in February 2010 are already known. The last two places were allocated at the Olympic qualifying competitions in Bad Tölz (Germany) and Shanghai (China). The Slovak and Chinese players will join their American, Canadian, Finnish, Russian, Swedish and Swiss counterparts, who had already qualified.
13 to 25 February 2010
From 13 to 25 February, Canada Hockey Place and the UBC Thunderbird Arena will be hosting the competitions for the two Olympic tournament groups and deciding which team will succeed Canada.
Group A: Canada, Sweden, Switzerland and Slovakia
Group B: USA, Finland, Russia and China
The final schedule for the women’s competition will be known by the end of December 2008 or early January 2009, as with the men’s tournament.
Three men’s places left
In the men’s tournament, we shall have to wait until February 2009 to know the names of the last three teams going to Vancouver with their American, Canadian, Belarusian, Finnish, Russian, Slovak, Swedish, Swiss and Czech counterparts.
Related stories:
Posted by admin on under News |
How to turn theory into concrete action for a healthier and active lifestyle for all generations was at the centre of the 12th World Sport for All Congress, which was held in Malaysia from 3 to 6 November 2008. Under the motto “Sport for All – Sport for Life”, 505 participants from 96 countries worked together to share knowledge, discuss best practice and find progressive solutions to counteract trends of physical inactivity. The event was organised by the Olympic Council of Malaysia under the patronage of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and its
Sport for All Commission, in collaboration with the
World Health Organisation (WHO) and
the General Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF).
Declaration shows way forward
The most important insights and conclusions were wrapped up in a declaration, which was adopted unanimously by all the participants and presented by
Walther Tröger, Chairman of the IOC’s Sport for All Commission. The declaration addresses current challenges in this field and gives recommendations for future action as well as partnerships. It also appeals to the various stakeholders involved, such as sports organisations on international, national, regional and local levels, governments, public authorities and schools. The next
World Sport for All Congress, to be held in Jyväskylä, Finland from 14 to 17 June 2010, will offer the opportunity to closely follow up whether, and how, the contents of the declaration have been brought to life.
From a Malaysian point of view
Tunku Imran, President of the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM), is very happy with the success of the event, and hopes Malaysians will put into practice what they have learnt from other successful nations: “We can establish policies, but what is more important is implementing them at the grassroots level and in schools,” he said. “Malaysians know the theories, but they must start putting them into practice. Unfortunately, that’s something that’s clearly lacking. Some schools have only one hour of physical education in a week.”
Spirit for joint efforts
Walther Tröger thanked the Malaysian hosts for staging an “extraordinary Congress”. “It has been a great experience to see so many Sport for All experts and practitioners on one spot benefitting from each others’ experience”, he said at the closing of the event. “You could really feel the overall spirit for joint efforts during the sessions and during the breaks. I look forward to seeing concrete outcomes of these interactions at the next World Sport for All Congress in two years in Finland. But also the
Olympic Congress in October 2009 in Copenhagen will set another milestone in pushing for a healthier lifestyle in society.”
Under the overall Congress theme “The Olympic Movement in Society”, one focus will be on “Moving towards an active society”.
Posted by admin on November 9, 2008 under Misc. |
Vancouver mayoral candidate Peter Ladner prepared to lose election over secret $100M loan
By Christina Montgomery, The Province
Published: Saturday, November 08, 2008
NPA mayoral candidate Peter Ladner said Friday he was prepared to lose the election rather than go public with — and risk — negotiations on a $100-million city loan to developers of the financially troubled False Creek Olympic village.
“I am willing to lose the election to protect taxpayers’ interests in the Olympic Village,” Ladner said.
And he accused his opponent, Vision Vancouver’s Gregor Robertson, of “spreading misinformation” about the city’s involvement in the project and of costing the city millions of dollars by harming the city’s negotiating position.
The comments came just minutes before sitting Vision Vancouver councillors attempted to table an emergency motion asking for a public council debate Nov. 15 — one day before the civic election — on the matter.
The effort failed when the motion to reconsider the loan was ruled out of order.
Known as the Olympic athletes’ village, the project is a seven-block area on the southeast shore of False Creek. It will feature 1,100 housing units in 14 residential buildings, along with retail space and a community centre. After the Games, it will be converted to 850 market-value homes and 250 units of social housing. About 60 per cent of the residential units have been sold. (more)
Posted by admin on November 7, 2008 under News |
Have you already heard about
Olympic Day? This is where you can move, learn and discover at the same time. Yesterday, participants at the
12th World Sport for All Congress, which is currently taking place in Malaysia, took a closer look at this fascinating event which has evolved enormously over the past decades.
Reaching out across the globe
Since 1948, Olympic Day has served to celebrate the anniversary of the International Olympic Committee, created on 23 June 1894, and the revival of the Olympic Games. In 1987, the
IOC’s Sport for All Commission initiated the Olympic Day Run to build a programme of sporting and educational actions around that anniversary, with the objective of getting as many people as possible across the globe moving and experiencing the Olympic values of excellence, friendship and respect.
How is it done?
But how do you reach out to people on all the continents? This is possible through the
National Olympic Committees (NOCs) and is supported by
Worldwide Olympic Partner McDonald’s. The NOCs organise public sports, educational and cultural activities for millions of people every year, on or around 23 June. The development has been amazing: From 45 participating NOCs in the first edition in 1987, the numbers have grown to around 170 participating NOCs in recent years. Twenty-six per cent of these NOCs are in Africa. Many NOCs are now using local trends to develop the event into a large nationwide celebration.
More than a run
As a result, the Olympic Day Run is much more than just a run. Recent NOC activities include all kinds of variations of “move, learn and discover”, be they sports activities customised for different age groups, educational sessions for children and youngsters with top athletes, new websites that direct you to sports programmes in your neighbourhood, or a discovery tour of sports you could never try before. It is all about spreading the joy of sport and promoting the Olympic values of excellence, friendship and respect.
Warm up now and keep your eyes open for next year’s Olympic Day activities that will be taking place near you!
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The 12th World Sport for All Congress kicked off yesterday in Genting Highlands, Malaysia. “Sport for All – Sport for Life” is the Congress theme, around which the discussions of the participants from the Olympic family, universities, the UN system, governments and NGOs will centre in the coming days. The event is organised by the
Olympic Council of Malaysia, under IOC patronage, in collaboration with the
World Health Organisation (WHO) and the
General Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF).
Reversing the trend towards inactivity
The motto indicates what it is all about: creating favourable conditions to get as many people as possible moving whilst addressing all age groups. In his message to the participants at the Opening Ceremony, IOC President Jacques Rogge underlined the urgent need to reverse the overall trend towards inactivity: “In today’s society, we face new challenges. We must work to reverse the decline in physical activity and convince people of all ages and walks of life of the need to do sport or physical activity. We have to get kids moving again by finding new ways to arouse their interest in the thrill of active sports and reduce the increase of obesity that threatens their well-being.” He concluded: “Sport more than ever looks to be the social movement capable of offering all generations, and especially young people, the chance to live a life that is not only healthier and more balanced, but also better, with more meaning. Because sport can play such an important role in helping shape the individual and society, we have the responsibility to encourage and support the development of sporting activities through all generations.”
Solutions wanted!
Lambis Nikolaou, IOC Vice-President, added his voice to this plea during the Congress opening, appealing to the participants to use the event as a platform to exchange information about practical approaches and find solutions: “All together, let us rise to these challenges and give back to physical activity and sport the role and status they deserve! All you here present – make the most of the platform provided by this Congress to make your voices heard. Discuss, share and benefit from each other’s reflections and experiences. Then disseminate a strong message about sport for all within and beyond your communities!”
Follow news about the Congress in the coming days on
www.olympic.org.
Posted by admin on under News |
The IOC’s latest
Giving is Winning campaign has been lifted to new heights with more than double the results of the first edition organised during the Athens 2004 Olympic Games. Some 75,000 items of casual and sports clothing, which corresponds to 16 containers, were collected from the Olympic Family in the run-up to and during the Olympic Games in Beijing. In the Olympic Village alone, athletes, team members and officials donated more than 21,000 items.
IOC-UNHCR collaboration
The project was jointly implemented by the IOC and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (
UNHCR) with the aim of facilitating sports activities in refugee camps. The UNHCR has distributed the collected clothes to various camps in Europe, Asia and Africa. For refugees, sport can provide a semblance of normality, hope and structure to lives that have been disrupted by conflict. Feedback from the ground has shown that, especially for young refugees, the gift of sportswear associated with famous athletes is a tremendous morale-booster and a sign that the outside world does still care.
Reacting to the news about the final numbers, Mr António Guterres, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, expressed his gratitude to the Olympic Family. “On behalf of the UNHCR and the nearly 32 million people of concern to this office, I would like to express my appreciation and commend those Olympic athletes and
National Olympic Committees from around the world who, during a moment of immense concentration and focus, took the time to help those less fortunate. Contributions, in the form of sports clothing, have been distributed to refugees around the world, providing them with the opportunity to play.”
Keep going
IOC President Jacques Rogge was equally pleased with the success of the project, which he has personally supported along with his IOC colleagues: “I am thrilled by this success and the strong support of the Olympic Family. This campaign is an excellent example of how the IOC and its partners can easily help sport bring a little joy to people living very difficult lives. Sport has given a lot to all of us and who would not be happy to give back? Participation is made really easy and this makes the campaign’s success. We will continue using sport as a tool to assist those whose lives are ravaged by war and disease and who are disadvantaged and marginalised.”
Stunning contributions from athletes and NOCs
Athletes and National Olympic Committees (NOCs) have been amongst the most eager donors. The British Olympic Association and the US Olympic Committee set the ball rolling with huge donations in summer 2007. The NOC of Singapore soon followed with a donation that included items from local school children.
A number of NOCs were very innovative in encouraging their athletes to donate. The German NOC developed a special “athlete passport” that also dedicated one section to “Giving is Winning”, appealing to everyone to join in the campaign. Thomas Bach, President of the German NOC and IOC Vice-President stated in Beijing: “I am very happy that our athletes were so keen to donate. What a great opportunity to be giving and winning at the same time”.
Two other major donors were the Australian Olympic Committee and the President of the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC), Mario Vázquez Raña. Vázquez Raña donated thousands of new polo shirts which benefitted refugees in Africa.
Financial donations from IOC member HRH Princess Haya bint Al Hussein and the NOC of the United Arab Emirates helped to fund project operations.
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The International Olympic Committee (IOC) today revealed the names of the finalist Candidate Cities from which the host city for the 1st Winter Youth Olympic Games in 2012 will be elected. Innsbruck and Kuopio were selected by the IOC Executive Board last week, and will now be submitted to a postal vote by the IOC members. The host city will be announced by IOC President Jacques Rogge in a live web cast on
www.olympic.org, provisionally scheduled for 12 December 2008.
The EB’s decision on the two finalists was based on an IOC Evaluation Commission report, which is now available below. Chaired by Pernilla Wiberg, the Commission assessed the projects of the four shortlisted Candidate Cities - Harbin (China), Innsbruck (Austria), Kuopio (Finland) and Lillehammer (Norway). The report focused on the risks associated with the organisation of the Games within the timeframe of only three years to plan and prepare to host the first edition of this new event.
The vote will take place over the coming weeks, with all IOC members, except those from Austria and Finland, entitled to vote. An independent and certified notary based in Lausanne, Switzerland, will oversee the process to guarantee confidentiality. The city with the highest number of votes will be elected as the host city of the 1st Winter Youth Olympic Games in 2012, marking the conclusion of a candidature process that started in March 2008. In the event of a tie, the IOC President will consult the EB members entitled to vote and will make the final decision based on this consultation.
NOTES TO THE EDITORS
About the Youth Olympic Games
The Youth Olympic Games aim to bring together talented athletes – age group 14 to 18 - from around the world to participate in high-level competitions but also to run, alongside the sports element of the event, educational programmes on the Olympic values, the benefits of sport for a healthy lifestyle, the social values sport can deliver and the dangers of doping and of training to excess and/or of inactivity.
The first Winter Youth Olympic Games will bring together approximately 1,000 athletes and 500 team officials The sports programme will encompass all sports on the programme of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games, with a limited number of disciplines and events.
The Youth Olympic Games Evaluation Commission:
The Commission was composed of Pernilla Wiberg (Athletes’ Commission), Victor Khotochkin (NOC representative), Fredi Schmid (IF representative), Martin Rutishauser (Member, EYOF Commission of the EOC), Gilbert Felli (IOC Olympic Games Executive Director), Christophe Dubi (IOC Sports Director) and Essar Gabriel (IOC Head of Youth Olympic Games).
###
For further information, please contact the IOC Communications Department, Tel: +41 21 621 60 00, email:
pressoffice@olympic.org
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The Coordination Commission of the 1st Summer Youth Olympic Games concluded its first visit to the host city Singapore today. Eight months after the host city announcement on 21 February 2008, the Singapore Organising Committee (SYOGOC) has already established all the foundations necessary to stage the Games in 2010. “We are impressed with how the preparations have advanced. SYOGOC is very much on track”, said Sergey Bubka, Chairman of the Coordination Commission, at the end of the visit. “We can count on the full support of the whole of Government and all Singaporeans, as well as on a highly dynamic team committed to serving our vision for these Games”, concluded SYOGOC Chairman and IOC Executive Board member Ser Miang NG.
The Coordination Commission had the opportunity to visit various venues that will stage the 200 events in 26 sports. A master plan proposal for the venues for the 1st Youth Olympic Games was put forward by SYOGOC for approval.
The seven members* of the Coordination Commission were highly impressed by the Youth Olympic Village based at the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) campus. This site offers not only the capacity to host the 5,000 athletes and team officials expected to participate in the Games, but also training facilities for many sports and excellent facilities for the culture and education programme.
The Organising Committee emphasised in its presentations the importance of the culture and education programme. In order to match the different origin and languages of all participants, most of these activities would be centred on experience-based education, allowing the athletes to experiment and learn at the same time. The project also includes well targeted communications initiatives, including a specific youth website and other digital applications to reach out to young people all over the world.
”Presentations were of a high standard and we can return home with the feeling that our partners in Singapore have well understood the mission entrusted to them, and that they can cope with the considerable time pressure. We just have to keep up the same pace and vigilance for the remaining 22 months until the opening of the inaugural Youth Olympic Games”, concluded Sergey Bubka.
+++
Notes to Editors:
The Youth Olympic Games in Singapore, to be held between 14 and 26 of August 2010, will bring together 3,500 athletes between 14 and 18 years of age from all 205 National Olympic Committees to compete in the 26 sports on the London 2012 Olympic Games programme. fully fledged education programme will raise participants’ awareness of the Olympic values and topics like healthy lifestyles and the fight against doping. A number of communications initiatives will link the youth of the world with the event. A culture programme will ensure a festive and pleasant atmosphere within the host city.
*Members of the Coordination Commission: Sergey Bubka, IOC member and Chairman; Nat Indrapana, IOC member; Syed Shahid Ali, IOC member; Raja Randhir Singh**, IOC member; Frank Fredericks, IOC member and Chairman of the Athletes’ Commission; Rania Elwani**, IOC member; Guido de Bondt, NOC representative; Andrew Ryan, IF representative; and Gilbert Felli, Olympic Games Executive Director. The Coordination Commission is the group of representatives from the IOC and the Olympic Movement who will be monitoring the Youth Olympic Games preparations and guiding the Singapore Organising Committee.
(** not present at the 1st Coordination Commission meeting in Singapore)
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Posted by admin on under News |
Discover the spirit of Olympism and trace Singapore’s journey as host of the first Youth Olympic Games: this is what thousands of young Olympic fans will experience in a special Learning Centre, which opened yesterday in Singapore. “The opening of the YOG Learning Centre is a milestone in our journey. Its setting up attests to our commitment to promote Olympic education,” said Mr Ng Ser Miang, IOC member and Chairman of the Singapore Youth Olympic Games Organising Committee (SYOGOC).
The first of its kind in the world
Teo Chee Hean, President of the Singapore National Olympic Council, and Sergey Bubka, Chairman of the International Olympic Committee Coordination Commission for the First Summer Youth Olympic Games in 2010, officially opened the new Learning Centre, the first of its kind in the world.
Eight zones showcasing the YOG
Visitors to the Learning Centre, housed at the SYOGOC headquarters, can find out moreabout the Olympic Movement, Olympic values, the 26 sports of the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games (Singapore 2010) and Singapore’s journey towards hosting the first YOG. There are eight zones in the YOG Learning Centre, each showcasing different aspects of the Olympic Games.
The Centre will be operated by the Singapore Sports Council (SSC). For more information, click on
www.singapore2010.sg.
