Olympic Agenda Sets Course for Change

(ATR) Adapting to a fast-changing world, the International Olympic Committee unanimously approves Olympic Agenda 2020+5 as a strategic roadmap for the future.

After a show of hands from the 100-plus IOC members, who appeared on a bank of screens during the virtual 137th IOC Session, President Thomas Bach said, "But now the work starts."

Building on Olympic Agenda 2020, which was adopted in 2014, the updated vision through 2025 is based on 37 pages of ideas and proposals developed through collaboration with stakeholders.

For five hours and 34 minutes on the final day of the session, IOC members introduced, critiqued and made additional suggestions to the 15 recommendations centering around five trends: solidarity, sustainable development, digitalization, credibility and economic and financial resilience.

"The coronavirus crisis has changed our world in fundamental ways," Bach said. "The world will never again be like it was before. Even once we have finally overcome the health crisis, we will face the far reaching social, financial, economic, and political consequences."

Enhancing the Road to the Olympics

With both the Tokyo 2020 and Beijing 2022 Games on the horizon, one of the most welcome and intriguing recommendations was No. 6: "Enhance and promote the road to the Olympic Games," which was introduced by John Coates, chair of the coordination commission for Tokyo.

The IOC would elevate the profile of thousands of qualifying events by authorizing the use of Olympic branding, such as Olympic organizing committee marks.

"The purpose," Coates said, "is to address a gap that currently exists in use of these qualification events as part of the overall Games promotion as well as celebrating the participation of athletes within these events as part of the Olympic journey."

Enabling other events to use Olympic branding "will really be a big game-changer," said IOC member Ingmar De Vos.

Streamlining the Sports Calendar

Another goal is to streamline calendars through new multi-sport Olympic qualifying events.

Neven Ilic, IOC member and president of Panam Sports, said if athletes qualified for the Olympic Games through the Pan American Games "We would have a completely different product. We would have the best athletes."

Kirsty Coventry, head of the athletes commission, said the proposal "really opens up an enormous platform and opportunity for athletes coming from much smaller NOCs," who she said find it "a lot harder to find sponsorship and a lot harder for communities to acknowledge you do train for four years and not just six months (before the Games)."

Hand-in-hand with that, Recommendation No. 7 calls for the IOC to "Coordinate the harmonization of the sports calendar."

Gunilla Lindberg, IOC member and ANOC Secretary General, said this could help reduce the congestion of international events, which has increased in the wake of cancelled events due to the pandemic.

Attracting the Best Athletes

IOC Executive Board member Nenad Lalovic introduced recommendation No. 4: "Continue to attract best athletes."

Building upon Olympic Agenda 2020 recommendation No. 8 -- "Forge Relationships with Professional Leagues," Lalovic emphasized its importance considering the global changing landscape to continue to strengthen ties and cooperate with commercial pro sports organizations.

U.S. cross-country skiing gold medalist and IOC member Kikkan Randall spoke about the impact – specifically focused on the youth movement that the IOC continues to court – that elite athletes in new Olympic youth-driven sports such as skateboarding, surfing, sport climbing and breaking will contribute to the visibility of the movement.

"We aim to not only have the best athletes at the Olympic Games, but also to continue to build the awareness, profile and value of our unique global community of Olympians," Randall said.

Ice Hockey Federation president René Fasel used the new recommendation to once again make a plea to his fellow IOC members to do everything in their power to welcome a return of the NHL to the Olympic Games for Beijing 2022.

"We spoke a lot about solidarity and the athletes and I think its very important if we want the participation of my sport, the NHL in Beijing 2022 that we all work together – the IOC, the NOCs, the IFs and member national associations. BOCOG is also a very important part and also in the future with Milano Cortina 2026," Fasel said.

Fasel said he will never forget the NBA’s debut in Barcelona 1992 and also noted the NHL in Nagano 1998 in captivating fans and elevating interest in the Games. The hockey federation president also said he hopes that Major League Baseball finds a way to send some of its stars to compete in and enhance this summer’s Tokyo Games.

"My appeal is easy – I think it’s important for the Winter Games with ice hockey being one of the important tournaments that we all work together and make this happen," Fasel said.

In its most recent revised Collective Bargaining Agreement, commissioner Gary Bettman and owners agreed to allow its players to return to the Olympic stage if details can be agreed upon with the IOC.

IOC Executive Board member Juan Antonio Samaranch assured the veteran hockey boss: "We will do our best to make it happen."

Esports and the Olympic Movement

As part of its emphasis on digitalization, Recommendation No. 9 is "Encourage the development of virtual sports and further engage with video gaming communities."

The proposal was introduced by Jean-Christophe Rolland, IOC member and president of the World Rowing Federation, and FIFA president Gianni Infantino.

This will leverage the growing popularity of virtual sport to promote the Olympic Movement, Olympic values, sports participation and grow direct relations with youth.

International federations will be encouraged to establish virtual and simulated forms of their sports within their regulations and strategies.

However, IOC member William Frederick Blick stressed that "virtual sport must be linked to physical activity," such as rowing using ergometers.

"Digitalization should not be seen as a threat to physical activity, but as a way to engage more people," Rolland said.

HRH Princess Reema Bandar Al-Saud, said that in Saudi Arabia for every gaming activity, there is a physical activity tied to it.

She said the esports federation is quite active, but cautioned that digital connectivity is not equal and fair globally, so some people could be left behind because don’t have digital connectivity. She suggested partnering with a United Nations program.

Bach also weighed in, saying that he hopes the initiative will appeal to people playing video games. "How we can convince them to do the real thing?" he said. "It’s a different way to get the couch potatoes off the couch, so why don’t you try to kick the ball yourself if you like it so much?"

But he said the IOC has a "very clear red line that we do not want to deal with any game which is contrary to the Olympic values, any game where violence is glorified or accepted, or any kind of discrimination. They have nothing to do with the Olympic values. They may be as commercially successful as they want, but this is a different world. We have to respect our values. We have to be very consistent."

So, when will Agenda 2020+5 be implemented? "Not tomorrow," quipped IOC Director General Christophe De Kepper.

He said the IOC has a full plate with the upcoming Tokyo and Beijing Games, but will begin immediate engagement on esports in order to leverage the summer Olympics. Also, putting athletes at the center remains paramount.

For the remaining recommendations, the IOC will come to the next Executive Board meeting, scheduled for July in Tokyo, with an implementation plan.

Written and reported by Karen Rosen and Brian Pinelli

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