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Inauguration of the XIII Olympic Congress in Copenhagen 2009 - Ban Ki-moon IOC

The XIII Olympic Congress, entitled “The Olympic Movement in society”, was held from 3 to 5 October 2009 in Copenhagen (Denmark) and brought together more than one thousand participants.

The Congress provided a rare opportunity for the entire Olympic Family (i.e. IOC members, representatives of National Olympic Committee (NOCs), International Federations (IFs), the Organising Committees of the Olympic Games (OCOGS), athletes, coaches, media, sponsors and other stakeholders)  to meet and discuss issues of importance to the entire Movement.

In his keynote speech to the Congress, UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon paid tribute to the excellent collaboration between the United Nations (UN) and the IOC. (The IOC was granted UN observer status at the end of 2009).

In his concluding remarks, he declared: “If you asked me to jog around this conference room, I would probably run out of breath. But when it comes to fighting for our shared global goals – for a world that is cleaner, healthier, more peaceful and more prosperous – I will sprint like an Olympian. I will ski the steepest trail. I will run and run and never stop until we reach the first line. I am counting on all of you to join me. We must go for the gold.”

Over the course of the three day Congress, participants heard from many respected speakers and had interesting discussions on the following themes:

  1. the Athletes
  2. the Olympic Games
  3. the Structure of the Olympic Movement
  4. Olympism and Youth and
  5. the Digital Revolution.

Each of these themes was further subdivided into three subthemes.

A half day was devoted to the discussions of each of the five themes at the Congress. The plenary sessions were followed by three simultaneous breakout sessions on the respective subthemes. (The texts of the speeches can be found under the relevant themes).

All the sessions were livecast over the internet to allow the general public to hear the discussions as they happened. (The videos of the plenary and discussion sessions of each theme can be found under the related tabs).

The breakout session on each of the subthemes began with presentations from a panel of speakers. The moderators of each panel were then responsible for the ensuing discussion period, which gave participants the opportunity to voice their opinions on the issues. The main points from each breakout session were carefully recorded by rapporteurs who informed the Editorial Committee of the discussions at the end of each day. The final document reflects the main ideas to come out of the proceedings in Copenhagen as well as information collected through the Virtual Olympic Congress.  The Virtual Olympic Congress allowed the Olympic Family and the public to submit written contributions on the five themes during the preparatory phase.  

The XIII Olympic Congress was a great success and has left the Olympic Movement with a blue print for the future. It is now time to translate words into action and implement the 66 recommendations. (See below for a PDF version of the recommendations)

PUBLICATIONS

View the publication «XIII Olympic Congress - Contributions»
View the publication «XIII Olympic Congress – Proceedings»
View the publication «XIII Olympic Congress – Follow-up»

RECOMMENDATIONS

View the recommendations

THE XIII OLYMPIC CONGRESS

View the video of the Opening Ceremony of the XIII Olympic Congress
View the video of the Closing Ceremony of the XIII Olympic Congress

Jacques Rogge
IOC President
XIII Olympic Congress - Jacques Rogge

View the text of Jacques Rogge’s speech at the Opening Ceremony
View the text of Jacques Rogge’s speech at the Closing Ceremony
View the video of Jacques Rogge’s speech at the Opening Ceremony

Ban Ki-moon
UN Secretary General
XIII Olympic Congress - Ban Ki-moon

View the text of Ban Ki-moon’s speech at the Opening Ceremony
View the video of Ban Ki-moon’s speech at the Opening Ceremony

Skiing - Ted Ligety IOC

Olympic medallist and IOC member Frank Fredericks set the tone for the first theme, “The Athletes”, by illustrating the power of sport with a personal example. “Sport changed my life. What I am today is because of what sport has given me. What I have built, what I have discovered, what I have achieved is thanks to sport” he said. “We have a responsibility to the younger generation to let them know that taking part in sport is a wonderful life experience”, he continued.

As IOC President Jacques Rogge declared, “this Olympic Congress will go down in history as that of young people and the athletes!” In his view, the number one priority for the whole Olympic Movement should be to defend the interests of young people and athletes.

The 66 recommendations from the Olympic Congress include proposals to better protect the physical and mental health of the athletes, to ensure their safety and to help them prepare for their career transition. The delegates also called for the creation of a commission to address issues pertaining to coaches, trainers and members of the athletes’ entourage.

You can access the texts of each speaker, their presentation (if available) and the video of each session by clicking the links below.

PLENARY SESSION

Frank Fredericks
Keynote speaker
XIII Olympic Congress - Frank Fredericks

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Felipe Munoz Kapamas
NOC representative
XIII Olympic Congress - Felipe Munoz Kapamas

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Alexander Popov
IOC representative
XIII Olympic Congress - Alexander Popov

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Lamine Diack
IF representative
XIII Olympic Congress - Lamine Diack

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DISCUSSION SESSIONS

1) RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE ATHLETES, THE CLUBS, FEDERATIONS AND THE NOCS

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Guy Drut
Moderator
XIII Olympic Congress - Guy Drut

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Nawal El Moutawakel
IOC representative
XIII Olympic Congress - Nawal El Moutawakel

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Carlos Arthur Nuzman
NOC representative
XIII Olympic Congress - Carlos Arthur Nuzman

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Robert H. Storey
IF representative
XIII Olympic Congress - Robert H. Storey

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Yaping Deng
Stakeholder representative
XIII Olympic Congress - Yaping Deng

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2) HEALTH PROTECTION IN TRAINING AND COMPETITION

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Arne Ljungqvist
Moderator
XIII Olympic Congress - Arne Ljungqvist

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Rania Elwani
IOC representative
XIII Olympic Congress - Rania Elwani

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Robin E. Mitchell
NOC representative
XIII Olympic Congress - Robin E. Mitchell

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Philip Craven
MBE IF representative
XIII Olympic Congress - Philip Craven

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Claudia Bokel
Stakeholder representative
XIII Olympic Congress - Claudia Bokel

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3) THE SOCIAL AND PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF ATHLETES DURING AND AFTER ELITE COMPETITION

Video of the discussion session

Peter Tallberg
Moderator
XIII Olympic Congress - Peter Tallberg

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Hicham El Guerrouj
IOC representative
XIII Olympic Congress - Hicham El Guerrouj

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Sergey Bubka
NOC representative
XIII Olympic Congress - Sergey Bubka

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Pat McQuaid
IF representative
XIII Olympic Congress - Pat Mcquaid

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Pernilla Wiberg
Stakeholder representative
XIII Olympic Congress - Pernilla Wiberg

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Vancouver Winter Olympics 2010 Opening Ceremony - Olympic Cauldron IOC

In his keynote speech on this theme Jean-Claude Killy, Olympic medallist and IOC member, noted that, “Every two years, alternately in summer and in winter, a very large part of the world lives and breathes the Games. The Olympic Games are a passage between before and after; they are a reference to which everyone can attach memories and emotions, whatever the political, economic or cultural context. The Games bring out heroes, joys and dramas, which break into our collective memory and the universal memory.”

During the discussion sessions, delegates stressed the importance of keeping respect for the fundamental principles of Olympism at the heart of the Games.

They also focused on the need for a periodic adjustment and review of the sports programme and the importance of fully integrating new values such as the environment, sustainable development and social responsibility through the Olympic ideals.

You can access the texts of each speaker, their presentation (if available) and the video of each session by clicking the links below.

PLENARY SESSION

Jean-Claude Killy
Keynote speaker
XIII Olympic Congress - Jean-Claude Killy

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Gunilla Lindberg
NOC representative
XIII Olympic Congress - Gunilla Lindberg

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Denis Oswald
IOC representative
XIII Olympic Congress - Denis Oswald

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René Fasel
IF representative
XIII Olympic Congress - René Fasel

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DISCUSSION SESSIONS

1) HOW TO KEEP THE GAMES AS A PREMIER EVENT?

Video of the discussion session

Hein Verbruggen
Moderator
XIII Olympic Congress - Hein Verbruggen

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HRH the Prince of Orange
IOC representative
XIII Olympic Congress - HRH The Prince of Orange

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Gianni Petrucci
NOC representative
XIII Olympic Congress - Gianni Petrucci

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Klaus Schormann
IF representative
XIII Olympic Congress - Klaus Schormann

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Vitaly Smirnov
Stakeholder representative
XIII Olympic Congress - Vitaly Smirnov

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2) OLYMPIC VALUES

Video of the discussion session

Richard W. Pound, Q.C.
Moderator
XIII Olympic Congress - Richard W. Pound, Q.C.

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Mario Pescante
IOC representative
XIII Olympic Congress - Mario Pescante

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Alejandro Blanco Bravo
NOC representative
XIII Olympic Congress - Alejandro Blanco Bravo

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Ottavio Cinquanta
IF representative
XIII Olympic Congress - Ottavio Cinquanta

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Zhenliang He
Stakeholder representative
XIII Olympic Congress - Zhenliang He

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HSH the Sovereign Prince Albert II
Stakeholder representative
XIII Olympic Congress - HSH The Sovereign Prince Albert II

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3) UNIVERSALITY AND DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

Video of the discussion session

Richard Kevan Gosper, A.O
Moderator
XIII Olympic Congress - Richard Kevan Gosper, A.O

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Chiharu Igaya
IOC representative
XIII Olympic Congress - Chiharu Igaya

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Intendant General Lassana Palenfo
NOC representative
XIII Olympic Congress - Intendant General Lassana Palenfo

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Joseph S. Blatter
IF representative
XIII Olympic Congress - Joseph S. Blatter

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Sam Ramsamy
Stakeholder representative
XIII Olympic Congress - Sam Ramsamy

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Beijing Olympics 2008 Opening Ceremony - The illuminated Olympic rings rise. IOC

Keynote speaker Thomas Bach, made an appeal for the protection of the autonomy of sport. The IOC Vice-President and President of the German Olympic Committee pointed out that sports organisations constantly have to deal with threats to their autonomy.y
He warned Congress delegates that these attacks come “in many different forms.” “I am sure that subsequent speakers will provide a whole host of examples from the perspective of National Olympic Committees, International Federations or painful personal experiences. You will hear about governments' attempts to prevent elections, to appoint presidents of sports organisations themselves and to manipulate voting. Many of you in this room have even suffered personally with your families. You deserve tremendous respect and gratitude for your commitment to the autonomy and values of sport” he continued to say.

In his speech Thomas Bach spoke about his own experiences with political interference in sport. As an Olympic fencing gold medallist at the 1976 Games in Montreal, he was unable to take part in the following edition of the Games because of the partial boycott of the 1980 Games in Moscow. For him, sport deserves its autonomy because of its unique role in society.

As he argued, “Sport is the only social sector that has actually achieved what political philosophy calls “global law” and what moral philosophy calls “global ethos”. The rules of sport, based on the principle of fair play, apply to every athlete all over the world. These rules can only be enforced by an autonomous sporting structure, which also created them. They help to protect fair competition and promote the competitiveness of athletes and federations.”

You can access the texts of each speaker, their presentation (if available) and the video of each session by clicking the links below.

PLENARY SESSION

Thomas Bach
Keynote speaker
XIII Olympic Congress - Thomas Bach

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Mario Vázquez Raña
NOC representative
XIII Olympic Congress - Mario Vazquez Rana

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Ser Miang Ng
IOC representative
XIII Olympic Congress - Ser Miang Ng

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Francesco Ricci Bitti
IF representative
XIII Olympic Congress - Francesco Ricci Bitti

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DISCUSSION SESSIONS

1) THE AUTONOMY OF THE OLYMPIC MOVEMENT

Video of the discussion session

Lambis V. Nikolaou
Moderator
XIII Olympic Congress - Lambis V. Nikolaou

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Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah
IOC representative
XIII Olympic Congress - Sheikh Ahmad Al Fahad Al Sabah

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Lord Colin Moynihan
NOC representative
XIII Olympic Congress - Lord Colin Moynihan

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Jérôme Champagne
IF representative
XIII Olympic Congress - Jérôme Champagne

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Aïcha Garad Ali
Stakeholder representative
XIII Olympic Congress - Aïcha Garad Ali

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2) GOOD GOVERNANCE AND ETHICS

Video of the discussion session

Youssoupha Ndiaye
Moderator
XIII Olympic Congress - Youssoupha Ndiaye

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Francisco J. Elizalde
IOC representative
XIII Olympic Congress - Francisco J. Elizalde

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Michael A. Chambers
NOC representative
XIII Olympic Congress - Michael A. Chambers

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Anders Besseberg
IF representative
XIII Olympic Congress - Anders Besseberg

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James L. Easton
Stakeholder representative
XIII Olympic Congress - James L. Easton

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3) THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE OLYMPIC MOVEMENT AND ITS STAKEHOLDERS

Video of the discussion session

Gerhard Heiberg
Moderator
XIII Olympic Congress - Gerhard Heiberg

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Anita L. DeFrantz
IOC representative
XIII Olympic Congress - Anita L. Defrantz

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Julio César Maglione
NOC representative
XIII Olympic Congress - Julio César Maglione

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Hassan Moustafa
IF representative
XIII Olympic Congress - Hassan Moustafa

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Muhtar Kent
Stakeholder representative
XIII Olympic Congress - Muhtar Kent

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Summer YOG Singapore 2010 - Basketball Men IOC

Inactivity is “a problem that threatens to become as urgent and critical as that of global warming or poverty.”

This was the message of keynote speaker José Manuel Ramos Horta, President of Timor-Leste and Nobel Peace Prize winner. He described this inactivity as a serious and growing threat to world health, quoting figures from a study by the World Health Organisation (WHO), which shows that sedentarity is one of the main risk factors for cardiac related problems and other non-transmissible diseases such as strokes, diabetes, cancer and asthma. The WHO study showed that, in 2004, non-transmissible diseases accounted for 60 per cent of deaths in the world. The Congress recommended that measures be taken to combat this inactivity, particularly among young people.

The Congress recommended closer cooperation between governments and sports organisations and that governments build more sports facilities as well as allocate more time for sports activities in schools, “at all ages and at all levels”.

The Congress described the Youth Olympic Games as “a unique opportunity in the history of the modern Olympic Movement to raise the bar worldwide in terms of the delivery of educational and sport programmes for all young people”.

You can access the texts of each speaker, their presentation (if available) and the video of each session by clicking the links below.

PLENARY SESSION

HE José Manuel Ramos-Horta
Keynote speaker
XIII Olympic Congress - HE José Manuel Ramos-Horta

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Patrick J. Hickey
NOC representative
XIII Olympic Congress - Patrick J. Hickey

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Rita Subowo
IOC representative
XIII Olympic Congress - Rita Subowo

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Bob Elphinston
IF representative
XIII Olympic Congress - Bob Elphinston

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DISCUSSION SESSIONS

1) MOVING TOWARDS AN ACTIVE SOCIETY

Video of the discussion session

Walther Tröger
Moderator
XIII Olympic Congress - Walther Tröger

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HRH Princess Haya Al Hussein
IOC representative
XIII Olympic Congress - HRH Princess Haya Al Hussein

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Raja Randhir Singh
NOC representative
XIII Olympic Congress - Raja Randhir Singh

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Bruno Grandi
IF representative
XIII Olympic Congress - Bruno Grandi

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Lord Sebastian Coe
Stakeholder representative
XIII Olympic Congress - Lord Sebastian Coe

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2) IS COMPETITIVE SPORT STILL APPEALING?

Video of the discussion session

Gudrun Doll-Tepper
Moderator
XIII Olympic Congress - Gudrun Doll-Tepper

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Ugur Erdener
IOC representative
XIII Olympic Congress - Ugur Erdener

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Henri Sérandour
NOC representative
XIII Olympic Congress - Henri Serandour

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Mustafa Larfaoui
IF representative
XIII Olympic Congress - Mustapha Larfaoui

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Nicole Hoevertsz
Stakeholder representative
XIII Olympic Congress - Nicole Hoevertsz

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3) YOUTH SPORT EVENTS
Video of the discussion session
Michael S. Fennell
Moderator
XIII Olympic Congress - Michael S. Fennell

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Zaiqing Yu
IOC representative
XIII Olympic Congress - Zaiqing Yu

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Chee Hean Teo
NOC representative
XIII Olympic Congress - Chee Hean Teo

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Niels Nygaard
NOC representative
XIII Olympic Congress - Niels Nygaard

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Guido de Bondt
Stakeholder representative
XIII Olympic Congress - Guido De Bondt

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The digital revolution

IOC website in 2009 IOC

Keynote speaker Martin Sorrell, CEO of the WPP Group urged the delegates at the XIII Olympic Congress to use digital technology to reach out to young people across the world. He explained the huge impact of mobile communications technology and called on the Olympic Movement to promote Olympic values in a dynamic and attractive way.

Martin Sorrell believed that the Olympic Movement should remain true to its values and look for new ways to share them with young people. His solution was simple, “Let the children play”. Additionally, Sorrell recommended giving “content to youth in formats they want – short and fast, customisable and easy to share” as well as extending “the franchise through music and cultural partnerships to leverage fresh support and momentum, and learn from today’s successful reality television shows.” He also recommended better utilising the new generation of sporting heroes such as Usain Bolt to make the Olympic Games more attractive to young people.

For their part, delegates recommended creating a Ditigal Task Force to help National Olympic Committees, International Federations and other Olympic bodies to promote Olympic values and sports practice through new media and digital technology. They also acknowledged the “digital divide” and advised the Olympic Movement to broaden access to technology.

You can access the texts of each speaker, their presentation (if available) and the video of each session by clicking the links below.

PLENARY SESSION

Sir Martin Sorrell
Keynote speaker
XIII Olympic Congress - Sir Martin Sorrell

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Tsunekazu Takeda
NOC representative
XIII Olympic Congress - Tsunekazu Takeda

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Richard L. Carrión
IOC representative
XIII Olympic Congress - Richard L. Carrión

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Patrick Baumann
IF representative
XIII Olympic Congress - Patrick Baumann

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DISCUSSION SESSIONS

1) A NEW MANAGEMENT OF SPORTS RIGHTS

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John D. Coates
AC Moderator
XIII Olympic Congress - John D. Coates

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Ching-Kuo Wu
IOC representative
XIII Olympic Congress - Ching-Kuo Wu

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Veda Bruno-Victor
NOC representative
XIII Olympic Congress - Veda Bruno-Victor

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Jérôme Valcke
IF representative
XIII Olympic Congress - Jérôme Valcke

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Marisol Casado
Stakeholder representative
XIII Olympic Congress - Marisol Casado

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2) HOW TO INCREASE THE SIZE OF THE SPORTS AUDIENCE?

Video of the discussion session

Richard L. Carrión
Moderator
XIII Olympic Congress - Richard L. Carrión

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Juan Antonio Samaranch Junior
IOC representative
XIII Olympic Congress - Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr

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Norman D. Bellingham
NOC representative
XIII Olympic Congress - Norman D. Bellingham

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Goran Petersson
IF representative
XIII Olympic Congress - Goran Petersson

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Nancy Lee
Stakeholder representative
XIII Olympic Congress - Nancy Lee

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3) COMMUNICATION WITH STAKEHOLDERS IN THE DIGITAL AGE

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Manolo Romero
Moderator
XIII Olympic Congress - Manolo Romero

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Alex Gilady
IOC representative
XIII Olympic Congress - Alex Gilady

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HRH Prince Faisal Al Hussein
NOC representative
XIII Olympic Congress - HRH Prince Faisal Al Hussein

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Sarah Lewis
IF representative
XIII Olympic Congress - Sarah Lewis

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Anna Hellman
Stakeholder representative
XIII Olympic Congress - Anna Hellman

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