IOC

21 July 2008 -- The International Olympic Committee (IOC) today announced agreements with the Asian Broadcasting Union (ABU) and ESPN STAR Sports (ESS) for the broadcast rights within certain territories in Asia* for the Vancouver 2010 and London 2012 Olympic Games.

As part of the agreements, the ABU has acquired terrestrial over-the-air television and radio broadcast rights within the region, and ESS has acquired non-standard television rights including cable and satellite television platforms. In addition, both organisations will have certain simultaneous unaltered retransmission rights on other media platforms.    » read more »

18 May 2008 -- China has today announced three days of mourning and that the Olympic Torch Relay will pause during this time. Commenting on this announcement, the IOC said:

"These are tragic and testing times for China and the Chinese people. The way the country has come together in solidarity, and the courage shown by those affected and those involved in the rescue efforts can only be admired. The IOC fully supports the decision to pause the Torch Relay while the country mourns. Our thoughts and prayers are with China."

Source: IOC

23 April 2008 -- The International Olympic Committee (IOC) Coordination Commission for the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games concluded its first full visit (22-23 April 2008) to the Russian host city today.

The Commission, led by IOC member Jean-Claude Killy, took advantage of the visit to review first-hand the sites of the venues for the 2014 Games, and heard updates from the Sochi 2014 Organising Committee (Sochi 2014) on a number of key areas of Games preparations, such as the Organising Committee’s structure, transport, marketing, environment and construction.    » read more »

8 May 2008 -- The International Olympic Committee (IOC) today launched the tender process for the sale of the broadcast and exhibition rights for all territories within Europe for the XXII Olympic Winter Games (2014) in Sochi, Russia, and the Games of the XXXI Olympiad (2016).

The Invitation to Tender issued by the IOC provides organisations interested in acquiring the rights with specific guidelines relating to bid submissions. The IOC has asked for bids to be submitted by 5 p.m. (CET) on 1 July 2008.    » read more »

24 April 2008 -- Gathered in Lausanne, Switzerland, athletes from around the world who represent the voice of sportsmen and women on the International Olympic Committee (IOC), met to discuss how to address the challenging international backdrop into which the Olympic Games have been drawn in recent weeks.

The Athletes’ Commission members [1] spoke passionately and from their own experiences about the inappropriateness of manipulating and using athletes as political tools. At the close of the meeting, they released the following statement.    » read more »

10 April 2008 -- The president of the International Olympics Committee says the Beijing Games will recover from a "crisis" involving anti-China protests that have marred the international torch relay. Jacques Rogge made the vow Thursday at the opening session of IOC's executive board meeting in the Chinese capital.

San Francisco protesters against the Beijing Summer Olympic Games: Photo by Scott Eaton (CC)

Rogge says the IOC was "saddened" by demonstrations that disrupted the carrying of the torch in London and Paris.    » read more »

Geneva, April 1, 2008 – The Ethics Commission of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) should articulate human rights standards for host countries to end the moral void in which it operates, Human Rights Watch said in a letter released today. The IOC, which is scheduled to hold meetings in Beijing from April 1 to April 12, has refused to publicly articulate concerns about the human rights situation in China.

The refusal of the IOC to dissociate itself from the abuses directly linked to the preparation of the Beijing Games is undermining human rights in China and flouting the spirit and the letter of the Olympic Charter, Human Rights Watch said.    » read more »

23 March 2008 -- Statement by Jacques Rogge, President of the International Olympic Committee:

The lighting of the Olympic Flame in Olympia tomorrow is a time to reflect on the role of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

The main responsibility of the IOC is to deliver the best possible Olympic Games to the athletes, who deserve it.

We do this in a close and intense collaboration with the Beijing Organising Committee.

Awarding the Olympic Games to the most populous country in the world will open up one fifth of mankind to Olympism.    » read more »

17 March 2008 -- With the health of athletes who participate in the Olympic Games being of the utmost importance to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the IOC’s Medical Commission has been appraising the air quality in the Chinese capital.    » read more »

8 March 2008 -- The International Olympic Committee (IOC) today joined in International Women's Day and revealed the winners of its 2008 Women and Sport Awards.    » read more »

7 March 2008 -- The International Olympic Committee (IOC) today announced that four cities have been put forward by their respective National Olympic Committees (NOCs) to apply to host the 1st Winter Youth Olympic Games in 2012. The Candidate Cities, in alphabetical order, are: Harbin (China), Innsbruck (Austria), Kuopio (Finland), and Lillehammer (Norway).

The NOCs had until 6 March 2008, midnight, to notify the IOC that a city within their jurisdiction was interested in applying.    » read more »

28 February 2008 -- On his second visit to Vancouver since the city was awarded the 2010 Olympic Winter Games five years ago, the President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Jacques Rogge, praised the progress that the Organising Committee (VANOC) is making. The President was in town at the same time as the Coordination Commission, the group of IOC members and experts monitoring preparations and guiding VANOC throughout the challenging journey leading to the staging of the Olympic Winter Games in 2010.    » read more »

28 February 2008 -- A few days after naming Singapore as the host city of the first Summer Youth Olympic Games in 2010, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) today announced the composition of the Coordination Commission, 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 over the next two years.

The composition is as follows:

Sergey Bubka - Chairman
Syed Shahid Ali - IOC member
Nat Indrapana - IOC member
Raja Randhir Singh - IOC member    » read more »

25 February 2008 -- The International Olympic Committee (IOC) today announced an agreement with SKY Italia for the broadcast rights within Italy for the Vancouver 2010 and London 2012 Olympic Games.

SKY Italia, Italy’s leading digital satellite television network, acquired the rights across all broadcast platforms, including free-to-air television, subscription television, internet and mobile phone.    » read more »

21 February 2008 -- The International Olympic Committee (IOC) today announced that Singapore will host the first Summer Youth Olympic Games in 2010. The result was unveiled by the IOC President, Jacques Rogge, at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne. Singapore beat Moscow in the final by 53 votes to 44.    » read more »