Virtual Olympic Congress: Launch of public consultations

The public consultation process of the virtual Olympic Congress was officially launched today. These consultations mark the beginning of a new phase of the virtual Congress, which began in October 2007.

“This is an exciting time for the Olympic Movement,” declared IOC President Jacques Rogge. “Modern communication methods have made it possible for us to tap into the views and opinions of those outside the immediate Olympic family. We feel it is critical to take on board the views of the public when considering the future path of the Olympic Movement. I hope that the public consultation process will encourage people to be forthcoming with their insights and ideas”.

The information gathered through the virtual Congress will form the basis of discussions at the 13th Olympic Congress held in Copenhagen, Denmark, in October 2009.
Until now, the virtual Congress was open only to members of the Olympic family. The public consultations are a parallel process designed to “take the pulse” of the general public. The themes for consideration by the Olympic family and the general public are as follows:

Theme 1: The Athletes
- Relationship between the athletes, the clubs, federations and the NOCs
- Health protection in training and competition
- The social and professional life of athletes during and after elite competition

Theme 2: The Olympic Games
- How to keep the Games as a premier event
- The Olympic values
- Universality and developing countries

Theme 3: The Structure of the Olympic Movement
- The autonomy of the Olympic Movement
- Good governance and ethics
- The relationships between the Olympic Movement and its stakeholders

Theme 4: Olympism and Youth
- Moving towards an active society
- Is competitive sport still appealing?
- Youth sports events

Theme 5: The Digital Revolution
- A new management of sports rights
- How to increase the size of the sports audience
- Communication with stakeholders in the digital age

This is the first time in the history of Olympic Congresses that the general public can submit their views on the topics under consideration. An analysis of these contributions will be conducted and the results published by the IOC in 2009.

Members of the public can submit their contributions via the following link: www.2009congress.olympic.org. More information on the submission guidelines can also be found at this address. The deadline for submissions is 31 December 2008.