SOURCE: FASANOC
IF bringing the world’s greatest young athletes together for the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) wasn’t enough, Buenos Aires will also be hosting the first Olympism in Action Forum in October.
Former Olympian Carl Probert and FASANOC Women in Sports chair Hamidan Bibi will be attending the forum as a prelude to the games.
Hamidan said the forum would be a valuable opportunity to see what other countries and individuals were doing to promote the Olympic Agenda 2020 and use it in the Fijian context.
“Women, who make about 50 per cent of Fiji’s population continue to make increasing levels of contribution to sports in various ways, including as athletes, coaches, managers, leaders, technical officials, supporters and volunteers,” Bibi said.
“Women also face a lot of barriers in making these valuable contributions. The Olympic Agenda 2020 would be a way of addressing these challenges and making sport more participatory for all groups.”
Bibi said the future of sport and its various related aspects, whether it be male or female sport in nature, depended a lot on the values of Olympism and promoting these would bring sound relations and understanding among all people, and help continue the legacies of not only Olympic Games, but of many others.
“Fiji’s experience is a way of coming together using sports is a great example to share and promote alongside other countries.”
Taking place on October 5 and 6 – just before the opening ceremony starts the third Summer YOG – the forum will bring together about 2000 participants from across society to discuss how sport can create positive change around the world.
Among those taking part will be athletes, international federations, National Olympic Committees, business partners, UN agencies, NGOs, governments, private and public-sector leaders, academics, the media and artists.
Across the two days, they will be addressing a number of challenging questions relating to sport and society and discussing fresh thinking and new trends in sport.
Topics will cover women in sport, ethical conduct, the legacy of the Olympic Games, the future of sport, populations in conflict, gender equality, health in society and youth education.
Speakers and guests will include Ban Ki-moon (former Secretary-General of the United Nations), Horacio Rodríguez Larreta (mayor of Buenos Aires), Muhammad Yunus (Nobel Peace Laureate) and Yusra Mardini (Olympic swimmer and member of the Refugee Olympic Team at Rio 2016).
Just like at the YOG, youth will be a key focus of the forum, with former young change-makers, young reporters and athlete role models from the YOG all involved to highlight how young people will be the next leaders in sport and society.
The aim is that the ideas, perspectives and experiences shared during the forum will shape the future of the Olympic Movement, bring about real change and help the IOC advance its mission to build a better world through sport in practical ways.
