Tag Archives: IOC

USA Today reports: Veteran International Olympic Committee member Dick Pound told USA TODAY Sports Monday afternoon that the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games are going to be postponed, likely to 2021, with the details to be worked out in the next four weeks. “On the basis of the information the IOC has, postponement has been decided,” Pound said in a phone …

This doesn’t necessarily mean that frisbee will become an Olympic sport. The list of other officially recognized sporting organizations includes those for chess, bridge, bowling, billiards, and orienteering. (Yeah, I had to look that one up.)

Via the Associated Press: Thomas Bach never thought it would be this easy. In rapid fashion and without a single vote against or even an abstention, the International Olympic Committee on Monday overwhelmingly approved its president’s 40-point reform package — the biggest shake-up of the organization in decades. Among other measures approved was the rewording of the IOC’s non-discrimination policy …

The International Olympic Committee today announced that future Olympics host cities must sign a contract with an added clause vowing to protect LGBT participants and attendees from discrimination. Via press release from All Out: “This is a significant step in ensuring the protection of both citizens and athletes around the world and sends a clear message to future host cities …

New from Queer Nation.

Yesterday dozens of LGBT activists were arrested across Russia for staging pro-gay demonstrations. While in custody, one of the activists arrested in Moscow’s Red Square tweeted that Russian police had beaten them and threatened them with sexual assault. Which the IOC apparently has no problem with. The International Olympic Committee has said Russia was acting in accordance with its laws …

Deadspin has what may be the biggest scoop of last night’s opening ceremonies of the Sochi Olympics, noting that NBC edited out IOC president Thomas Bach making a “strong statement against ‘any form of discrimination’ and in favor of tolerance.” Everybody else in the world heard Bach’s statement, but Americans did not.  Below is the edited-out portion of the speech. …

Italy’s senior IOC member today denounced the United States for including gays in its delegation to Sochi. Via Sports Illustrated: “It’s absurd that a country like that sends four lesbians to Russia just to demonstrate that in their country gay rights have (been established),” Mario Pescante said at an Italian Olympic Committee meeting in Milan on Wednesday, in comments widely …

“Given the Russian government’s history of strong-arm authoritarian tactics, the existence of a protest zone is ironically rich. Olympic athletes should be free to speak their minds about the heinous nature of these laws. You don’t stop being human when you become an Olympian. It tells you a lot about President Bach and the IOC’s commitment to human rights that …

The International Olympic Committee today revealed that the Russia government will set up protest zones near the venues for the Sochi Olympics. The announcement came during a news teleconference held by International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach. “This was under discussion with the IOC for quite some time,” Bach said. “This is a measure we welcome so that everybody can …

The International Olympic Committee is crafting a letter that contains its final warning against athletes participating in any protests at the Sochi Olympics. The International Olympic Committee executive board is expected to approve the instructions at its meeting in Lausanne on Tuesday. The letter will then be sent to the national Olympic committees that are sending athletes to the Sochi …

“As a gay participant in the opening ceremony of the London Paralympics in 2012, I am angered by the International Olympics Committee’s announcement that harsh Russian anti-gay laws do not transgress its own Sixth Fundamental Principle of Olympism that ‘any form of discrimination is incompatible with belonging to the Olympic movement.’  In Russia, it is now effectively illegal to speak …

“When given the choice to stand up and affirm Principle 6 of the Olympic charter, the IOC simply backed down. And so we now head into uncharted territory in Sochi, a place where LGBT people – and others trying to support them – will be subject to persecution because of these heinous laws passed after Sochi was named the host …

“If this law doesn’t violate the IOC’s charter, then the charter is completely meaningless. The safety of millions of LGBT Russians and international travelers is at risk, and by all accounts the IOC has completed neglected its responsibility to Olympic athletes, sponsors and fans from around the world. The IOC and its new president, Thomas Bach, are putting the good …

The International Olympic Committee today announced that it has no grounds to challenge Russia’s anti-gay laws in advance of the Sochi Olympics. IOC officials told a news conference in Sochi, where they were making their final inspection tour before the Games begin Feb. 7, that they were “fully satisfied” that a Russian law banning gay propaganda does not violate the …

From The Australian: In the midst of answering a question from The Australian about the imminent challenges of the Rio 2016 preparations immediately after his election, Bach was interrupted to take an important phone call. It was the Russian president Vladimir Putin. “Yes it was Mr Putin, ” confirmed Bach, stressing “we did not discuss the law”. That law, the …

The head of the Sochi Olympics yesterday asked the IOC for help in squashing the international headlines about Russia’s anti-gay laws. Sochi organizing chief Dmitry Chernyshenko was asked at the IOC general assembly about the possible impact of the legislation that bans gay “propaganda.” He said the Russian government had made clear the law would not affect the games, and …

The International Olympic Committee has reversed itself and reinstated wrestling for the 2020 Summer Games, which will be held in Tokyo. Wrestling, which was surprisingly dropped from the list of core sports in February, received 49 votes to win in the first round of secret balloting by the International Olympic Committee. Baseball-softball got 24 votes and squash 22. The decision …

The International Olympic Committee has responded to a letter sent them by New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn and other local LGBT elected officials. Their letter asked the IOC to publicly condemn Russia’s abuses of LGBT people. Here’s the IOC’s response in full: Dear representatives of the state and City of New York,  We would like to confirm receipt …

From from the editorial board of Bloomberg News: IOC pressure on South Korea’s military dictatorship helped bring about democratic elections before the 1988 Summer Games in Seoul. Ahead of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the IOC pressed China to drop its law requiring foreign journalists to get government permission before interviewing Chinese citizens. Now, the IOC should be telling Russia to …