Op Ed: Inside the Olympic Congress

British Olympic Association chairman Colin Moynihan says the Olympic Movement is stronger as a result of the just-ended Olympic Congress in Copenhagen. Moynihan, a member of the editorial committee for the Congress and a super-rapporteur, was part of a group of experts who reviewed all the submissions and interventions at the Congress. Here is his Op Ed drawn from that experience:

Earlier this month, a small, ill-lit room at the heart of the International Olympic Committee administrative offices in Copenhagen’s Bella Center has born witness to an extraordinary hive of activity for the just-ended Olympic Congress.

IOC members and staff, moderators and rapporteurs constantly made their way to this temporary home of the IOC's Editorial Committee. Under the watchful eye of lead member François Carrard, the pulse of the proceedings of the XIIIth Olympic Congress was carefully monitored.

The diagnosis was clear. The IOC may well be a centenarian, but it is in robust health. The new agenda set in Copenhagen will chart a pioneering course for all members of the Olympic Family.

Building on the awe-inspiring legacy of the Beijing 2008 Games, the pace of change will accelerate, ensuring that the Olympic Games remain a premier event and that the values of Olympism which they so supremely epitomize are embraced and promoted to the full.

From the start, Copenhagen 2009 inspired, surprised and above all, delivered. The dramatic election of Rio as Host City for 2016 by a truly Olympian majority confounded the pundits. And while Beijing showcased the largest nation on earth in a spectacular 'coming out party', Rio will imbue the Games with its own unique celebrations.

In a tribute to his leadership, President Rogge was overwhelming elected for a further four-year term in office. No surprise, for under his astute guidance, he has freed the Olympic Movement from the Eurocentric fetters which bound its organization for so much of the last century, to enable it to become a truly internationalized movement fit for the challenges of the 21st century.

His will be a remarkable and visionary legacy. From shining the Olympic torch deep into the recesses of China to assuring the regeneration of east London and breathing hope into some of the most poverty-stricken communities in Europe, to now setting out the IOC store in the barrios of Rio, the IOC is unquestionably a beacon for the universality of sport.

This was echoed in the words of the United Nations Secretary General who, in one of the most important messages of the week, expressed his confidence that by the end of the year, the IOC should have observer status in the UN, underlining the UN and the IOC’s common development goals. Sport, a language understood by all, especially the youth of the world, has just found a new voice.

Above all, Copenhagen was about the athletes. Baden Baden (the 1981 Olympic Congress) may have brought athletes into the IOC, but Copenhagen placed them firmly at the heart of the Olympic Movement and central to its decision-making processes.

The message for London is clear. We have a duty to show definitively that it is the athletes who are at the heart of the 2012 Games. To help us with that objective, we now have a British IOC Member, Craig Reedie, successfully elected to the Executive Board of the IOC.

In addition, a lifetime commitment by IOC Member Peter Tallberg has been realized:

"When I read the recommendations on the athletes I knew this was the best day in my lifetime association with the Olympic Movement,” said the Finnish IOC member.

From access to legal advice to sensible competition schedules and full support for dual careers, the list of athlete-friendly recommendations is extensive, enabling athletes to play an integral role in the organization and development of sport. No wonder Frankie Fredericks and Nawal El Moutawakel had cause to smile from the platform!

But it was not only the athletes who had reason to celebrate. On close reading of the Congress Recommendations – twice as long as those from Paris 1994 - the progress made is apparent for all to see.

The recommendations from this remarkable Congress, which for the first time included contributions from the public through the Virtual Congress, provide clear and authoritative road maps for all members of the Olympic Family to guide them in the years ahead.

However, for one man, who, every so often, would quietly and unobtrusively appear at the door of that windowless committee room to observe the deliberations of the Rapporteurs and the Editorial Committee members, this week will be seen as a triumph.

But his celebrations will be muted and reflective. With the conviction of a man of principle and in possession of the extraordinary attention to detail stemming from his days as a leading surgeon, President Jacques Rogge will now set out on the long journey from Copenhagen armed with the tools necessary to implement the recommendations and to build an Olympic Movement fit for the 21st Century. He will work in consultation with a strong Executive Board and a refreshed and invigorated Olympic Family.

This is a Movement on the threshold of a sweeping transformation, capable of a far-reaching global impact and of continuing to exert a profound influence. The ripple effects from this Congress will continue to be felt - until the day that a new President of the IOC calls the Olympic Movement together for its XIVth Congress, to build on the extraordinary achievements of its predecessor.

Written by Colin Moynihan.