The Prime Minister of Malta Dr Lawrence Gonzi invited Team Malta, Monaco 2007 last Wednesday to the Auberge de Castile in Valletta. Athletes and officials had the opportunity to exchange views and experiences they encountered during the last positive participation in Monaco. The Prime Minister went on to congratulate individually all the contingent and praised their efforts during the games.
The Maltese Olympic Committee President, Mr Justice Lino Farrugia Sacco thanked the Prime Minister for meeting Team Malta and on behalf of those present presented Dr Gonzi with a memento of Monaco 2007 as well as the flag of Malta signed by medal winners in Monaco.
Lino Farrugia Sacco stated that the Maltese athletes were well trained and talented and could achieve greater heights. Consequently it is important that the authorities provide more funds as well as increase the sports infrastructure to make it possible for the Maltese athletes to further improve their achievements. With greater help, Malta could place fourth in the games to be held in Cyprus in 2009.
The Prime Minister was more than happy to meet Team Malta once again and confirmed that during the games, all Maltese were following what was happening in Monaco with great enthusiasm. He pledged his support to the MOC and that he would continue following the achievements of Maltese athletes.
London 2012 laying solid foundations for the future
The IOC’s Coordination Commission for the London 2012 Games, led by its chairman, Denis Oswald, concluded three days of meetings with the Organising Committee for the Games of the XXX Olympiad – London 2012 (LOCOG) with a strong endorsement of the quality and professionalism of the work being carried out.
Having reviewed a thorough cross-section of areas of Games preparation with LOCOG and its partners – the British Olympic Association, the Mayor of London’s office, the Department of Culture Media and Sport and the Olympic Delivery Authority – the IOC stated that sound planning and consistency of vision were combining to ensure that robust foundations were being laid for the five years ahead.
“The IOC has been very impressed with what we have seen this week,” commented Oswald. “There is an excellent team in place, who work together with real spirit. Across the board – from venue construction, sport, the Olympic village, through to technology, media operations and the progress being made in sponsorship negotiations, we see that the work is thoroughly thought through. Operationally and financially they are on track; interest from the business community is high, with key new commercial partners signing up in the coming months. All this has progressed without any deviation from the vision that was laid out in Singapore. The commission members – all of whom have a huge amount of Olympic Games experience – and I, are confident in the structures and people, and feeling energised by how the London Games will have a positive legacy and help move sport higher up the agenda – something that is so close to the IOC’s heart.”
Oswald continued: “We have known since the London bid that legacy – both “hard” and “soft” – was an important element. From the presentations we heard this week, it is clear to me that London 2012 will serve as a model in this area. Also evident, alongside sport, is the strength of the cultural and educational aspects of these Games.”
London 2012 chairman Sebastian Coe said “This has been an extremely useful and rewarding week for all of us at London 2012. Members of the Coordination Commission have a wealth of experience and expertise as competitors, sports administrators, broadcasters and technical officials at many Olympic and Paralympic Games. We have been able to show clear, demonstrable progress in all areas, illustrated the integration of all stakeholders and partners in the project, and introduced our senior management team.”
On the first day of its visit, the commission viewed the progress that has been made at the Olympic Park and saw the Dome just before its grand opening. The commission then became the first passengers to travel from Stratford International Station to St Pancras in Central London, a trip that will allow spectators to travel from Central London to the Olympic Park in only seven minutes at Games time. The meetings in the British capital ran from Tuesday till Thursday, and were the second time that the full IOC Commission had visited the host city for 2012
The athlete representative on the Coordination Commission, Olympic medallist Frank Fredericks, commented, “Having toured the Olympic Park, seen the Dome and heard the presentations given by LOCOG this week, I’m really excited about the quality of the London Games. I’m sure that if LOCOG keeps up the good work, the athletes competing in 2012 will have a great Olympic experience – one that will stay with them for the rest of their lives.”
During the meetings, the Commission heard reports on Games-related topics such as sport, the Olympic Village, venue development, NOC Services, transport operations, communications, commercial activities, environment and sustainability and the Paralympic Games.
These discussions allow not just for the commission to be informed of LOCOG’s progress but also for the commission members to share their Games experience and provide LOCOG with advice and guidance on elements of the 2012 project, thus helping the organisers to organise truly successful Games.
IOC Coordination Commission
The IOC, as the guardian of the Olympic Games, assists and monitors the work of the Organising Committee for the Olympic Games through the work of the Coordination Commission. The Commission visits the host city once a year until four years from the Games, when the visits become twice yearly until the Games are held. The Commission’s full meetings are supplemented by the regular visits of smaller IOC teams involving the Commission Chairman, selected members of the Commission and members of the IOC administration. The next visit of the full Coordination Commission to London is expected to be in late spring 2008.
About the International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee (IOC), created in 1894, is a non-governmental organisation with volunteer members who represent its work around the world, and an administrative staff based in Lausanne, Switzerland. The IOC and its 203 National Olympic Committees worldwide promote the Olympic Movement, whose vision is to contribute to building a peaceful and better world by educating youth through sport. In addition to selecting the host city and coordinating the staging of the Olympic Games, the IOC and NOCs collaborate with a range of organisations and their members in the public and private sectors to place sport at the service of society. The main goal is to promote the values of Olympism, which include excellence, respect and friendship. For more information one may visit www.olympic.org.
Olympic Day Run 2007 – 24 June
In commemoration of the setting up of the International Olympic Committee, the IOC every year organises an Olympic Day Run with the participation of national Olympic committees of the world. The first World Olympic Day Run organised by the International Olympic Committee was held in 1987, over a distance of 10km, with 45 participating national Olympic committees.
Throughout the years this event has grown way beyond expectations, with the 2006 event hosting an impressive 1,291,819 participants from 164 NOCs including Malta. This year’s 30th-year anniversary Olympic Day Run will aim to break last year’s record number of participants.
The Olympic Day Run is held every year around the 23 June, the birth of the Olympic Movement and IOC which was created on 23 June 1894. As a result of this movement, the first Olympic Games of the modern era as we know it today opened in Athens on the 6 April 1896; and the Olympic Movement has not stopped growing ever since.
The IOC together with hosting countries of the Olympic Games has resulted in 25 editions of the Summer Games and 20 editions of the Winter Games being organised. The next editions we can look forward to will be the Beijing Olympic Games 2008 and the Vancouver Winter Olympic Games in 2012.
Behind the IOC and the Olympic Movement is a philosophy and goal which is to contribute to building a peaceful and better world by educating youth through sport practised without discrimination of any kind, in a spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play. The Olympic Day Run symbolises more than a run; it is a symbolic celebration of the integration of sports in people’s lives. Its primary objective is the promotion of participation in sport by men, women and children from all corners of the world, regardless of their diversity and athletic ability. The Maltese Olympic Committee was one of the first national Olympic committees to participate by organising the Olympic Day Run in Malta way back in 1988; since then the MOC has regularly ensured that this annual event is held in Malta. This activity has been carried out in various localities around the Maltese islands, including Valletta, Mdina, St Paul’s Bay and Gozo to name a few.
Various organisations have also contributed to the success of this event including all local running clubs through the Malta Amateur Athletics Association; worth mentioning is the participation of the AFM – Company C (Armed Forces of Malta) in two past editions.
Last year, the Malta Cycling Federation took part with a large group of cyclists that included the Life Cycle team; the Malta Canoeing Federation also did their bit as an Olympic sport by showing their support to the movement in Malta and encouraged its members to follow the same route along the shoreline of St Julian’s/Sliema. This event hosted more than 500 participants from all over the islands and was a great success; a similar experience can be expected for this year’s activity.
The MOC will be organising this event next Sunday following the same routes as last year namely starting and finishing at Spinola Bay, St Julian’s from 8am onwards. The fun runs will consist of three distances, that is, 2.5km, 5km and 10km. Participation is free of charge and all organisations, clubs, groups, schools, companies and the general public are encouraged to participate in this event. Parents are also encouraged to involve their children, and are very welcome to join in the run. This run is not a race; it is a fun run organised to express solidarity with the Olympic movement and the Olympic sports recognised by the IOC and supported by the Maltese Olympic Committee. This run is made possible as a result of the support of McDonald’s Malta and the Malta Amateur Athletics’ Association. All participants will be given a free Olympic Day Run T-shirt, and an official Olympic Day Run IOC certificate signed by the President of the IOC, Dr Jacques Rogge. The Maltese Olympic Committee in collaboration with McDonald’s Malta will also be giving out token prizes to groups and organisations which have the largest number of individuals involved in the run. Besides the run, other activities involving other forms of sports will be held on this day like last year, involving the Malta Canoe Federation who will be encouraging their members to make their way along the seashore once again with their canoes and the Malta Cycling Federation will also be encouraging their cyclists to do the 10km route ahead of the runners.
This year, the MOC welcomes the Malta Triathlon Association who will be organising an aquathlon which will consist of a 1.5km run a 400m swim and a 1.5km run. The participation, extra effort and self-fulfilment of this event help to enhance the promotion of an active lifestyle for today’s and future generations. Interested persons can obtain applications from all McDonald’s restaurants and through the offices of the MOC (and our website www.nocmalta.org). Registration is also accepted on the day of the run at 7.30am.
For more information about the Olympic Day Run, contact the Maltese Olympic Committee on tel: 2133-2801 or by email to: moc@
nocmalta.org. Persons interested in joining the cyclists can contact the Malta Cycling Federation on mob: 7947-1935 or by email to: john.
[email protected]. Persons interested in the aquathlon can contact the Malta Triathlon Association by email to: [email protected].