GENERAL INFORMATION 

The 121st Session (annual general meeting) of the members of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the 13th Olympic Congress will take place in Copenhagen from 2 to 9 October 2009. 

 

The 121st IOC Session will make decisions on key policy issues and areas under its authority, including the election of the Host City for the 2016 Olympic Games on 2 October from among the four Candidate Cities: Chicago (USA), Tokyo (Japan), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) and Madrid (Spain) - the cities are listed in the order of drawing of lots.    

 

The 13th Olympic Congress will be taking the pulse of the Olympic Movement, analysing its strengths and weaknesses, and evaluating the opportunities and the risks it faces.   

 

The Congress and the Session, the presentations by the Candidate Cities, the vote to elect the Host City, the 2016 Host City Announcement Ceremony, the signature of the Host City Contract and all press conferences, including the joint IOC/Host City press conference, will take place at the Bella Centre in Copenhagen, Denmark.

 

Bella Centre

Center Boulevard 5

DK-2300 Copenhagen S

Tel. +45 3252 8811 - bc@bellacenter.dk

   

ACCREDITATION, ACCOMMODATION and VISA 

Please click here to access our online accreditation and accommodation system. You will be able to request an accreditation to cover the IOC Session and the Olympic Congress, as well as making your own booking for accommodation in one of the proposed IOC official hotels. You will also be asked to apply for an invitation letter if you are from a country that requires a visa to enter Denmark.

Any questions regarding the accreditation application procedure should be referred to IOC Media Operations media.operations@olympic.org 

 

If you make your hotel reservation via the accommodation system, you will be able to collect your accreditation in your hotel when you check in.

 

For those who choose to make their own booking (not the IOC official hotels), you will be able to collect your accreditation as soon as you arrive at Copenhagen airport: please go to the accreditation centre situated five minutes’ walk from the airport in the lobby of the Hilton Hotel. (Volunteers will be available to escort you). Cards will be distributed only upon presentation of a valid passport.

   

TRANSPORT 

The IOC official hotels will provide a shuttle service to and from the airport, as well as a shuttle service to and from the Bella Centre. To find out more about transport services and for a location map, please click here (PDF).

 

 

 CONTACTS  

 

   

The Executive Board (EB) of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) will meet in Berlin on 13 and 14 August 2009. The primary focuses will be which 2 of the 7 candidate sports  will be recommended for acceptance in the Olympic sports programme for the 2016 Games and the final approval of events and quotas featured in the Olympic sports programme for the 2012 London Games.

The EB meetings, the press conferences and the media working room will be at the Intercontinental Hotel:

Budapester Strasse2

10787 Berlin

Tel: +49 30 26020

Fax: +49 30 26022600

Media representatives wishing to cover the meetings are requested to confirm their attendance via the IOC website (please see below).

 

Please note that all times are subject to change. 

For media representatives who possess accreditation for the IAAF World Championships, please note that your accreditation will also be valid to cover the IOC EB therefore you will not need to register again. Media who have not been accredited for the IAAF World Championships and who wish to cover the IOC EB are requested to register for accreditation on the IOC website. For journalists whose profiles have already been entered for previous meetings, please connect to your profile at the link below with your e-mail address, and then use the link you will receive by e-mail to tick the box for the Executive Board meeting. For journalists who have not yet registered, please follow the instructions at the link below.

  Click here to access the media accreditation system.

Contacts in Berlin:        

IOC

Sandrine Tonge

Mobile: +41 79 250 9850

E-mail: sandrine.tonge@olympic.org

IAAF

Nick Davies
Mobile: +33 6 07 93 62 85

E-mail: nick.davies@hq.iaaf.org

– Media working room and conference room are equipped with WI-FI. Please note that two ISDN lines will be available for radio reporters on a first come, first served basis.

Media representatives are requested to make their own bookings. The IAAF recommended hotel is the Park Inn Berlin-Alexanderplatz

Alexanderplatz 7

10178 Berlin

http://www.parkinn-berlin.de

Single room: €106 - Double room: €130

In addition, the Berlin Organising Committee (BOC) offers all accredited press the possibility to use the press working room in the Park Inn.

August 12 - 14         8am – midnight

August 15 - 23         24hrs/day

In order to reserve rooms at these conditions please get in touch with the BOC Accommodation Office at media.accommodation@berlin2009.org stating your name, the arrival and departure dates and the requested room type(s) (single/double).

Media representatives who are not in Berlin can listen to the IOC President’s press conference on 13 August and the IOC and IAAF Presidents’ press conference on 14 August by teleconference. The number and access code will be as follows:

Number to dial: +41 91 610 41 20

PIN code (access code): 35947#

Please contact the IOC Communications Department on 13 and 14 August to confirm the time of the press conferences.

Media representatives will also have the opportunity to access the audio recording of the press conference one hour after it takes place for a period of 48 hours. Depending on where they are calling from, participants requesting the digital playback should dial: 

+41 91 612 4330 (in Europe)                   

+44 207 108 6233 (in the UK)     

+1 (1) 866 4162 558 (in the USA)

PIN code to listen to the 13 August press conference: 11207#

PIN code to listen to the 14 August press conference: 14555#

For further information, please contact the IOC Communications Department, Tel: +41 21 621 60 00, email: pressoffice@olympic.org

Almost one year after the event, medals are still being awarded for the Beijing Games. Three of its state-of-the-art venues have been awarded two gold medals and a bronze medal, respectively, at the 2009 IOC/IAKS Awards (IAKS: International Association for Sport and Leisure Facilities), as well as two International Paralympic Committee (IPC)/IAKS Distinctions. And the big winner is the Olympic stadium in Beijing, better known worldwide as the “Bird’s Nest”, which took the  gold medal in the “Stadia” category and the IPC/IAKS Distinction for Accessibility for its outstanding facilities for athletes and spectators with a disability. The National Aquatics Centre, also known as the Water Cube, took the other gold, while the Beijing Olympic Green Tennis Centre was given bronze.

Architecture contributes to the success of the Olympic Games and, by extension, to the creation of a sustainable sporting, city and cultural legacy which benefits the community, region, host country and city, and, ideally, other countries. A report by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) entitled “Beijing 2008 Olympic Games – Final Environmental Assessment” concludes that the Beijing Games marked a step forward in terms of eco-friendly mass-spectator sporting events. The Beijing Games significantly raised the bar of incorporating sustainability in planning, design and construction principles for Olympic venues.  In close partnership with UNEP, Beijing’s Green Olympics Commitment was achieved through its action for environmental technologies, policies, ozone layer protection, and the promotion of environmental education and awareness, among others. The UNEP report also said the Olympic Games accelerated the introduction of energy-efficient infrastructure in Beijing, and the Games’ showcasing of best practices in clean energy and energy efficiency “provided a basis for the organisers of other mass events to learn from”.

Beside the competition itself and the achievements of the athletes, sport can also be home to human ingenuity and creativity. There are great examples of Olympic venues that demonstrate how sport can inspire architects to create fascinating constructions, where technical innovation meets creative imagination. Indeed, sports facilities are no longer just landmarks in a city but have also become historic places, real works of art, that one can visit and whose names resonate worldwide thanks to the genius of the architect and engineers behind them. In Beijing, a conscious choice was made to choose spectacular designs that would undoubtedly become international architecture icons, such as the Bird’s Nest and the National Aquatics Centre.

The IOC/IAKS Award is the only international architecture competition for sports and leisure activities. After 20 years of existence, in 2009 this competition set a new participation record, with 117 teams of operators and designers from 26 countries. This reflects the increasing awareness of how quality sports facilities can be constructed and served as the best catalyst to regenerate and develop sport and sports-related leisure activities in the world. It also highlights the importance of sports and leisure facilities for human enjoyment, health and education, and reiterates that the best sports facilities should be made available in the sports world. For the IPC/IAKS Distinction, 54 entries were received - also a new all-time high. The international jury included, beside IAKS representatives, architects, engineers, landscape designers and sports scientists, including IOC member Ching-Kuo Wu, an architect by training.

 

IOC/IAKS Award and IPC/IAKS Distinction 2009

IPC, IAKS and IOC Award Prizes for Sports Facilities (only in English)

For two months now, the Olympic Park has been living with its sand sculptures. Despite the rain and the odd storm, they are still standing. But they are only made of sand…

The two giant sculptures were created as part of the Heroes exhibition at The Olympic Museum in Lausanne until 13 September. Because of the material used to make them, they symbolise the fact that the glory and fame of the athletes celebrated in the exhibition can be as ephemeral as a castle made of sand…

Seventy-five tons of sand were needed to produce these statues. They were created by Dutch sculptors who specialise in these kinds of works, which they create on beaches or in supermarkets. Once the subject is sculpted, it is sprayed with a mixture of water and glue, which holds the whole thing together.

There are two of these statues. The first, standing 2.5m tall, represents the great Michael Phelps, whose achievements in Beijing last year (eight gold medals) astounded the world. The second, 5 metres high, pays tribute to sports heroes from various eras. These include the Greek Spiridon Louis, the first Olympic and marathon champion, in 1896 in Athens; boxer Muhammad Ali; the German skater Katarina Witt, who made her name with her unforgettable Carmen; and the man who is now the greatest tennis player of all time, Switzerland’s Roger Federer…

The statues will remain on show until 13 September, when the Heroes exhibition closes. On that day, the public will be invited to destroy these magnificent, but rightly ephemeral creations…

 

     

 IOC factsheet - Women in the Olympic Movement