International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach held up the 2024 Summer Games in Paris as an example of sport’s contributions to the United Nations’ mission of advancing peace and prosperity during a speech at the agency’s New York City headquarters.
Bach, who is scheduled to be in Utah Friday and Saturday to tour 2034 Winter Games venues as part of his visit to the United States, spoke Sunday after U.N. members adopted a blueprint for taking on a long list of global challenges, including climate change, escalating conflicts, AI and responding to “complex shocks” such as pandemics, according to The Associated Press.
The IOC leader, whose final term as president ends next year, praised the U.N. General Assembly’s support for the “Pact for the Future” that contained several references to sport, including a commitment to “invest in accessible, safe, inclusive and equitable quality education for all, including physical education and sport.”
Bach focused on peace as the “most fundamental” goal, saying the IOC was proud of being able to bring together athletes from 206 countries with national Olympic committees as well as the largest-ever refugee team to compete in Paris. Athletes from Russia and Belarus, however, had to compete under a neutral status due to the ongoing attack against Ukraine.
Despite fierce competition during the Summer Games, Bach said the athletes “live peacefully together under one roof in the Olympic Village” and “respected each other, with no incident or discrimination whatsoever — even if their countries are at war,” modeling what he called a culture of peace.
Other Paris 2024 highlights cited in the IOC president’s speech:
From New York City, Bach is scheduled to make a stop at the Colorado Springs headquarters of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee. He’ll head Friday to Salt Lake City, where he’ll tour venues from the 2002 Winter Games that are set to be used again and meet with local and state leaders, including the donors who funded Utah’s bid.
Once a site has been selected for a future Games, the IOC president regularly visits the host soon after, according to a spokesman. IOC members voted to award the 2034 Winter Games to Utah in Paris on July 24. This will be Bach’s first trip to the state since the 2002 Winter Games. He is also expected to spend time in Los Angeles, site of the 2028 Summer Games, before leaving the U.S.
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Publish date : 2024-09-23 08:03:00
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