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IOC Executive Board meets in Sochi ahead of Olympic Winter Games Back To Main

With only five days to go until the Opening Ceremony of the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games, the IOC Executive Board (EB) convened today in the Host City and received its final update from the local organisers.

Sochi 2014 President and CEO Dmitry Chernyshenko provided the EB with an overview of the progress that Sochi has made since its election seven years ago, and outlined its readiness to deliver the Games. This readiness includes the recruitment and training of 25,000 volunteers for the Games, the construction of an Olympic Park that can accommodate around 80,000 people and the ability to feed 185,000 people a day, as well as 600 personnel to ensure snow removal. IOC President Thomas Bach, Coordination Commission Chairman for Sochi 2014 Jean-Claude Killy and the Executive Board all restated their full confidence that the hosts will deliver successful Games.

The EB also heard reports from the Chairs of the IOC Coordination Commissions for the Olympic Games in Rio in 2016 and in PyeongChang in 2018, as well as from the IOC administration and Olympic Movement stakeholders.

NOC matters
With regard to the currently suspended Indian Olympic Association (IOA), the EB noted that the National Olympic Committee (NOC) had set 9 February 2014 as the date for its next General Assembly and elections for a new board. The elections are to fully respect the recently passed NOC constitution, which complies with all IOC requirements, including the clause that no person convicted or charge-framed can run for a position within the organisation. IOC member Robin Mitchell will act as the official IOC observer during the General Assembly. Should everything proceed as expected by the IOC, the EB may reconsider the suspension of the NOC in the near future.

Concerning issues of government interference in the NOCs of Pakistan and Egypt, the IOC was recently approached by government representatives of both countries after several weeks of silence. The EB sees their willingness for dialogue as a positive step. However, it reserves its right to take strong measures should such dialogue not bear fruit in the very near future.