The International Olympic Committee (IOC) concluded its 119th Session in Guatemala. During the IOC Session, attended by FIH President Els van Breda Vriesman, many important decisions have been taken.

As previously reported on www.worldhockey.org, the IOC approved the Youth Olympic Games. Hockey will be part of the Youth Olympic Summer Games in 2010 with 6 boys' and 6 girls' teams. The exact age limit still has to be determined, but the hockey tournament at the Youth Olympic Games will probability be open for players of 15-16 years old.

Two new National Olympic Committees

Two new National Olympic Committees (NOC's), one for Montenegro and one for Tuvalu, have been recognized today by the 119th IOC Session. Montenegro, located in south-eastern Europe, is the youngest state in the world. Tuvalu is composed of a group of small islands in the Pacific, with 12,000 inhabitants. Hence the number of National Olympic Committees across the globe now totals 205.

Simplified voting process for the Olympic program

The process of the choice of sports to be on the Olympic program will be simplified in future upon proposal of the IOC Executive Board. Paragraphs in the Olympic Charter will be changed accordingly.

Until the change in the regulations, while it took only a simple majority for a sport to be removed from the program, two-thirds was needed to add a new sport.  The new rules simplify the voting procedure by requiring a simple majority for both inclusion and exclusion.

The number of core sports has been increased from 15 to 25 from the Games of 2020 onwards.  For the 2016 Games of the Olympiad, the 26 core sports from London 2012 will be proposed. The maximum number of sports included in the program remains capped at 28.

In the future, the Session will cast a bloc vote for 25 core summer sports, proposed by the Executive Board.

Public Consultation

The 13th Olympic Congress, to be held in Copenhagen in October 2009, will include a public consultation for the first time in the history of Olympic congresses. This exchange with the public on some of the themes of the Congress will be launched in early 2008 on www.olympic.org, the official website of the Olympic Movement. The Editorial Committee will then choose the most relevant contributions for inclusion in the Congress proceedings.

The role of the Olympic Movement in society and in all regions of the world is the guiding concept of the 13th Congress. Under this overall umbrella, the five themes: the Athletes, the Olympic Games, the Structure of the Olympic Movement, Olympism and Youth and the Digital Revolution chosen by the 2009 Congress Commission will include discussions and debates on the success of the Olympic Games, the Olympic values, the social and professional life of athletes during and after high-level sports participation, good governance, ethics of the world of sport, youth and communication in the digital age.

The 13th Olympic Congress will be held from 3 to 5 October 2009 in the Danish capital, Copenhagen.

IOC and UNHCR team up to help refugees

To fill 10 containers ÔÇô each 20-foot wide ÔÇô with a total of about 60, 000 sports clothes for refugees and displaced people in UNHCR camps all across the globe: this is the objective of the ÔÇ£Giving is WinningÔÇØ campaign, kicked off at the 119th IOC Session. As a joint IOC-UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) initiative in the run-up to the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, ÔÇ£Giving is WinningÔÇØ aims to bring hope and joy into refugee camps. IOC President Jacques Rogge started the ball rolling by handing over a bag full of sports clothes to Marion Hoffmann, UNHCR representative for Mexico, Cuba and Central America, during the official launch ceremony. This campaign follows a successful first edition, in which close to 30,000 items were collected during the 2004 Athens Olympic Games.

Source: IOC / FIH


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