Is this a Thomas Bach effect? Led by its German president, the IOC train is now moving forward. At the risk, sometimes, of distancing the less mobile of its passengers. For the single day of December 8, 2015, when the indolent atmosphere of Lausanne readily encouraged laziness, the executive commission of the Olympic organization swallowed without choking a solid agenda. And she is preparing to do the same this Wednesday.
By happy coincidence of the calendar, Tuesday December 8 marked the anniversary of the adoption by the IOC session of Agenda 2020. A year has passed since the unanimous vote recorded in Monaco. Twelve months which have already profoundly changed the Olympic movement. Thomas Bach recalled him in Lausanne. And the facts confirm them. According to a statement released yesterday by the IOC, “two-thirds of the 112 projects expected for 2015 have been fully delivered. More than 20 percent is underway. Some are still expected to be completed in 2015, with the remainder planned for 2016.”
That's it for the numbers. The achievements now. In 12 months, Agenda 2020 allowed the Olympic movement to set up a new invitation phase as part of the application procedure to host the 2024 Olympic Games. It was accompanied by a reformulation of all application documents, including the “Host City Contract”. For the first time, an organizing committee, that of Tokyo 2020, proposed the addition of new events to the Games program. A new role has been assigned to international federations with regard to the planning and organization of Olympic competitions. A $20 million fund has been allocated to protect “clean athletes.” The structure and concept of the Olympic Channel have been approved, it is expected to be launched in 2016.
Not bad for an institution long suspected of a pronounced taste for inaction. At a time when FIFA is mired in scandal and the IAAF is struggling to plug its water holes, the IOC wants to set itself as an example. Thomas Bach insisted on Tuesday December 8 in Lausanne: “We must do everything in our power to protect these millions of honest athletes around the world. In their interests and for the credibility of sporting competitions, athletes must be protected from doping and corruption. We must also preserve the credibility of sports competitions from match-fixing and manipulation...Fighting corruption also means that good governance of sports organizations is essential.”
Between two debates and three resolutions, Thomas Bach and his colleagues from the executive board escaped from their meeting room for a very symbolic ceremony: the laying of the first stone of the future IOC headquarters in Lausanne. The immense building, designed to accommodate the 600 employees of the Olympic organization under one roof, will be built on the site of the current Château de Vidy. The operation is due to begin next April, with an inauguration planned for 2020. Cost of the work: 200 million Swiss francs, or around 185 million euros.
Re-belote this Wednesday, December 9. Far from granting themselves a respite, the members of the supreme body of the IOC kept their foot fully on the accelerator. On the program for the morning, a discussion on the sites of the cycling events for the Tokyo Games in 2020. A subject made thorny by the desire of the Japanese to relocate the velodrome more than 100 km from Tokyo, a change of plan supposed to reduce the final score for the Olympics of around a hundred million dollars.
After discussion between the UCI, the IOC and Tokyo 2020, the four cycling venues were approved. Bingo. The road events will take place in the city of Tokyo, with a start and finish in front of the iconic Imperial Palace. The BMX competitions will be held in Ariake, in the center of Tokyo, in a temporary facility built especially for this purpose and with a capacity of 5.000 seats. Track cycling will be housed at the Japan Cycling Center in Izu, Shizuoka Prefecture, about 120 km from Tokyo. Finally, mountain biking will also be competed in Izu, on an existing course adjacent to the velodrome, to be renovated to meet Olympic standards. Less compact, less expensive, more responsible. In keeping with the times, then.
