14.4 Special 2012 Issue

Arete WWW.IOAPA.ORG

NEWSLETTER OF THE INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC ACADEMY PARTICIPANTS ASSOCIATION

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Editorial...... 3 Vagelis Alexandrakis

President’s message...... 4 Hector Arguelles

The IOAPA Reunion in London...... 5-6 Carolin Bischop

Reunion at the House of Hellenes...... 7 Vagelis Alexandrakis

The Czech Olympic House ……………...... 8-9 Daniel Taras

Volunteering in Heineken House … ...... 10-11 Lea van Breukelen

Covering the Olympics...... 12-13 Yoav Dubinsky

My first time at the Olympics...... 14-15 Rita Nunes

London 2012: from passion to fairy tail: my personal perspective(abridged)...... 16-17 John de Oliveira

Social Legacies of the London Olympics...... 18-19 Vagelis Alexandrakis

The IOA at the Pierre de Coubertin Symposium...... 20 Anita Sterea

Participants acclaim Disability sports: A vehicle for social change………...... 21 Ian Brittain

Celebration of the Olympic Truce during the XXX Games of the Olympiad...... 22-24 Hugh Dugan

Survey: Internationalism at the IOA...... 25 2

Editorial

Dear Readers,

Welcome to the Special Issue of the Arete Newsletter!

On the occasion of the London Olympic Games, IOAPA releas- es a special issue of the Arete Newsletter, totally focused on the Olympic and Paralympic Games!

Find out about the amazing IOAPA reunion on 3 August, the reunion organised by the IOA at the House of Hellenes on 2 August and read personal “Olympic” testimonies and first- hand experiences by IOAPA member who were actively pre- sent at the Olympics!

You can also find some commentaries highlighting the social legacies of the London Olympics and the celebration of the Olympic Truce during the Games as well as an overview of con- ferences held during the Games!

Last but not least, find out how you can participate in an in- teresting study about Internationalism at the IOA as well as in the IOAPA evaluation survey.

Enjoy your reading!

With Olympic regards, Vagelis Alexandrakis Arete Newsletter Editor

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President’s Message By: Hector Arguelles (Spain)

Dear Members,

I would like to welcome you to this special edition of Arete dedicated to Lon- don 2012 Olympic Games. As you might realize there has been a change in the editorial. I would like to say a big thank you to Anne Warner from Cana- da who for the last three years has made a great contribution to the Arete Newsletter, upgrading its design and constantly improving the Newsletter. New professional responsibilities had made difficult for Anne to keep the time commitment to the IOAPA.

Vagelis Alexandrakis who is also the IOAPA Secretary is now doubling his effort at the IOAPA Executive Committee. Vagelis has been appointed as Newsletter Editor for the rest of the current term until the next IOAPA Ses- sion in the summer of 2013. I think the quality of this edition speaks for itself. As you can see the Arete continues to be in great hands. A big thank you to Vagelis for stepping up and making the additional effort of designing and curating the Newsletter, on top of his current tasks at the IOAPA Committee.

We enjoyed great Games in London and IOAPA members have been in- volved as usual in many areas of the organization. You will be able to enjoy reading different perspectives of the games from our members: from volun- teers, to journalists, from researchers to spectators, from peace advocates to NOC staff.

Please remember to fill the IOAPA evaluation questionnaire. We have re- ceived a good number of valuable answers, but we would like to read from as many of you as possible in order to keep improving what the association is offering. You can fill the IOAPA evaluation at http://tuck.qualtrics.com/SE/? SID=SV_6RvtkgT8JuXnr4F

Enjoy the reading, Hector Arguelles

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The IOAPA Reunion in London By: Carolin Bischop (GER)

In 2008 my IOA experience started and since then I met many great peo- ple from all over the world. The Olympic Games in London in August marked the perfect occasion to gather again with old and new IOAPA members at the official Reunion. It took place in London Campus of the Coventry University and was or- ganised by long-time IOAPA member Ian Brittain, who was able to get a big conference room in the university with an extraordinary catering (!).

On August 3rd at 4pm around 100 former IOA-participants from all over the world gathered in London. It was great to see so many people from so many different countries meeting again after their experience at the IOA or meeting for the first time making new friends. There were IOA- participants from the very last Young Participants session 2012 as well as participants, who participated 20 or more years ago, like the amazing Laurel Brassey Iversen, who is one of the founders of the IOAPA and longtime president and who came all the way from Hawaii to experience the Olympics. Or Betz Hanley from the US, who many of you know from the Dance Workshop she used to lead for many years.

The Reunion lasted from 4 to 8 pm and some even came for only 10 minutes to meet their friends, but had to go back to work either in their NOCs or as volunteers.

For me personally the IOAPA Reunion was the main reason to go Lon- don. I really wanted to see my friends from the IOA. When you are at the IOA you meet so many great, interesting and inspiring people and you quickly become friends. Unfortunately, after the time of the session you have to go back to your country knowing that you might not see everyone

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again. A reunion of IOA participants is of great importance as not only are you able to meet the friends from the session you attended, but also to get to know new people, who share the same experience with you and know what this experience can mean to you.

After the official reunion ended, some of went out to a bar near the uni- versity to bring back also some Zorbas-experiences to their minds. ;-)

A big THANK YOU to all of you who were able to attend the Reunion and especially to Ian Brittain who put a lot of effort and time to organize the event. I hope to see all of you again at the official IOAPA Session in summer next year in the beautiful premises of the International Olympic Acade- my!!!

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Reunion at the House of Hellenes By: Vagelis Alexandrakis (GRE)

Just one day before the official IOAPA reun- ion, on 2 August there was a great warming- up!

The IOA, which was based on the House of Hellenes, took this wonderful initiative and organized for IOAPA members and past IOA participants in general a very nice gathering!

About 40 past participants showed up and those of us who were there had the chance to meet the Dean and the President of the IOA, the great IOA staff and so many “Olympic friends”.

Also, we had the chance to see a nice small theatrical play, with the for- mer Gold Olympian in gymnastics, Ioannis Melissanides, starring in it.

We had such a great night that evening. We saw again our IOA friends, we met new ones, we had nice drinks and, all in all, a wonderful time!!

Thanks IOA for organizing this!!!

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The Czech Olympic House By: Daniel Taras (Czech Republic)

After participating in the IOA Young Participants’s session 2011 I recently had another amazing Olympic experience: I worked as a volunteer for The Czech Olympic House (COH). But let´s start from the beginning!

In Czech Olympic Magazin I saw an ad about hiring volunteers. So I tried my luck. I first had to write a motivation letter and, later, got an interview with the Head of volunteers at the Czech Olympic Committee Centre. Finally I was one from less than one hundred most lucky guys!! But as we were "just" volunteers for the COH we got almost no benefits. That means that we had to pay for our journey, transport in London, accomodation and partly also food. I couldn´t manage it without a big help of Niki Koutrou who offered me a free accomodation during the entire duration of the Olympics. Without her I couldn´t manage it. So thank You Niki one more time!

Up to Vancouver 2010 the COH was only for sportsmen and people from NOCs. During the Vancouver Games, at a day when Czech Republic had won some medals, the Vice-Chairman of the Czech Olympic Committee invited a Dutch friend of his. This Dutch person thought that instead of seeing a celebration, the atmoshphere in the COH reminded him of a funeral. This is how the idea was conceived to make the COH more friendly, open for all Olympic visitors.

After three years of hard work the final idea was born and The Islington Business Centre, located close to Angel metro station, was transformed to The COH. You couln´t miss that place. The COH had three main sections. In the first one you coud find a reception and a desk of Czech travel agencies. A few steps further there was a clothes store with the official Czech Olympic collection. (Maybe you remember the awesome (?) Wellington boots.) On the other side there was a court for streetball 3 on 3. By the way a sport which will be maybe seen soon in the Olympics programme.

There were also competitions of Czech and British professionals in the mornings. In the afternoon there were public tournaments for Olympic tickets. The second section was on such a higher plateau. You could watch there live Olympic events from three big screens, try some fittness machines or rather Czech beer in bar, enjoy a big exhibition of pictures with sport subjects, play table football or be a part of life broadcasting from Czech Olympic TV Studio.

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In the third section you could visit exhibition stands of some Czech regions (some wafers and liqueurs included), The Prague International Marathon, internet centre or a Czech restaurant full of typical delicacies. Of course there was also a VIP zone. All the moving in The COH was covered by The COH newspaper which was published every day.

The COH was visited by approximately 5000 visitors per day. Except for having a chance to get to know the Czech culture, be on TV, play basketball for tickets there were also other reasons: the visitors could listen to some live music concerts or get photos and autographs from Olympic sport stars. Let´s name at least Jan Železný (javelin), Věra Čáslavská (gymnastic) or Roman Šebrle (decathlon) from Czechs and Sebastion Coe (middle-tracks runner and Chairman of Olympics in London), Sergey Bubka (pole vault) or Hicham El Guerrouj (runner). There was also a chance to buy some Olympic tickets also.

I had the chance to visit some other National Olympic Houses. The most of them were very nice, friendly and interesting. But still I would give the gold medal to the COH. And it is not just my opinion. The prestigious American news agency „Associated Press“ evaluated The COH as the best between all Olympic Houses in London.

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Volunteering in Heineken House By: Lea Van Breukelen (NED)

In London, Heineken opened the doors of the famous Holland Heineken House for the eleventh consecutive Olympic Games. The Holland Heineken House is the official national house of the Neth- erlands where NOC*NSF (Netherlands Olympic Committee) is the host and where Heineken facilitates and organiz- es the venue. The House was based in Alexandra Palace in North London, an incredible venue with one of the best panoramic views on London. I was one of the 450 lucky vol- unteers that worked during the Olympic Games at the Holland Hei- neken House.

The first time I visited the Alexandra Palace I couldn’t believe my eyes: what a venue, a true palace! I was overwhelmed by the size of the venue and all the different areas. I will give you a short tour through “our” House. Just outside the entrance there were counters of the Dutch em- bassy and a ticket operator. In the beautiful Palm Court Entrance, an in- formation desk was located. During the day the fans could see all the live sporting actions on large screens throughout the House. At the Heineken Arena there was a grandstand offering seats for 500 fans, during events with Dutch athletes it was so crowded that it was impossible to pass. At the Fanzone, the sponsors of the NOC activated their sponsorship and fans participated in several activities. In the Heritage Hall, the 100th anni- versary of the NOC was celebrated with a beautiful photo gallery. During the day the visitors could participate in activities that were organized by different sport federations. The Olympic club was an exclusive area for athletes, sponsors and guests of the NOC. But the best area of the Holland Heineken House was the medal ceremo- ny hall. This was the place where the athletes were honored by the fans and the place were some of the best artist of the Netherlands gave spec- tacular shows. The parties were fantastic, especially when Afrojack and world’s number one DJ Armin van Buuren pumped up the volume. The best week was the second week because the Netherlands won many medals that resulted in some awesome medal ceremonies. Especially the celebrations of athlete Epke Zonderland (Gold medal high bar) and the golden medal of the women’s field hockey team were great! Imagine 6000 crazy Dutch people, dressed in orange, enjoying a beer, celebrating the Olympic Games and the medals, so if you missed us in London I hope to welcome you in Rio de Janeiro!

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Unfortunately it was difficult for the non-Dutch to buy tickets because the tickets were only available online and since many Dutch fans bough the tickets in advance so all the tickets were sold out during the first days of the Games. Over 100,000 tickets were sold, so again the Holland Hei- neken House was a great success.

I volunteered for Unilever, a NOC sponsor. Together with two other NOC sponsors, Unilever created the Ambition Zone, to motivate and challenge visitors to choose for a healthy lifestyle. Not only fans visited the Ambition Zone even the Royal Family and towards the end of the Games the ath- letes had time to visit the Holland Heineken House and the Ambition Zone.

Volunteering for the Holland Heineken House was an amazing experi- ence that I will never forget. It was special to celebrate the Olympic Games at such an amazing place. I was happy to experience the Olym- pic Games outside of the House as well. I loved the atmosphere of the Olympic Park, all the people, especially the volunteers were so friendly. Unfortunately it wasn’t possible to just pay a visit without a ticket, so I was lucky to enter the Olympic Park twice because I had tickets for swim- ming and field hockey. It was great to see Michael Phelps and of course he also won a gold medal that night.

I would like to thank the IOAPA for organizing the nice reunion in London, it was a great opportunity to see friends and meet new people. I hope to see you in Sochi, Rio de Janeiro or in Olympia ;).

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Covering the Olympics By: Yoav Dubinsky (Israel)

More than interviewing Lebron James and Roger Federer or seeing Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt smashing records, the moment I remember the most from the 2008 Beijing Olympics was when I got in to my hotel room for the first time. I put the luggage down, took off my shirt and fell down on the bed look- ing at some sings and words in Chinese up on the wall, above the mirror. I have no idea what they meant. All I do remember is that I thought: “Yes Yoav, you did it”.

Ever since I realized I will not become a top athlete, being sent to cover Olympic Games became a childhood dream of mine. After 4 years in the Israeli Sports Channel and 2 more in Keshet Broadcasting, it finally came true. These were 6 years of hard work, full of accomplishments, challenges, rejections and growth. But on that moment in Beijing, I felt it was all worth while.

There is a sense of pride just being part of this huge global event. We talk about the respect athletes show each other, but for us journalists who compete on a daily basis for exclu- sivity and stories, the Olympic Games also become a platform for collaboration. It’s just physically not possible to interview a rhythmic gymnast, if you’re covering a tennis tournament, so we help each other in many ways, like sharing quotes, up- dates, etc. Another example of the united feelings is when the Israeli athletes compete. Yes, of course we are trying to stay objective and you will rarely find a journalist waving a flag, but we were also hoping our athletes will do well. Unfortunately Israel didn't win any medals in London.

The Beijing Olympics influenced me profoundly, both as a journalist and a researcher. They drove me into research about the impact of Olympic Games, to do the first IOA Master Program, join the IOAPA, become a coordinator in 3 Young Participants Sessions and start my PhD on the topic of Place Branding and the Olympics. So as much as I was waiting for the London Games, I never though anything could match my first Olympic experience. I was wrong.

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Unlike in Beijing where my company paid all my expenses, flights and accommodations, in London I went as an accredited freelance journalist writing for 2 Israeli media organizations (the negotiations for 2 other projects collapsed) and mostly doing research for my PhD. During the Olympics, a Press Accreditation is like a golden ticket that gives access to the media tribunes in all the venues, the different press centers, shuttles, the Olympic lanes, etc.

There were a few organizational issues with LOCOG but the atmos- phere in the stadiums was electric. The British athletes and fans stole the show, but chants like “Allez les bleus”, “Vamos Argentina” and the sea of Orange Dutch fans, made the Games colorful and diverse. The Opening and Closing Ceremonies, especially with Mr Bean’s performance in Chariots of Fire and Monty Python’s “Always look on the bright side of life” made me laugh out loud and were a brilliant celebration of British humor, art, culture and music.

Having the chance to meet so many IOA friends during the Olym- pics was as special to me as covering Bolt's new records, gold med- al matches in Wimbledon and Wembley, gymnastics or swimming or any interview or ceremony. August 3rd was one of the highlights, as Anita Sterea, Panos Trikaliotis, Vagelis Alexandrakis and I pre- sented in a conference about Olympism in Canterbury. Carolin Bis- chop and Alexandra Dospinescu, also joined he trip, where we met Prof Jim Parry, Prof Norbert Muller and Dr Dikaia Chatziefstathiou. After the presentations we went back to London, joining the IOAPA Reunion, where many past and present IOA participants reunited and shared experiences from Olympia.

The 2012 London Olympics tried to be “the people’s Olympics”. LO- COG Chairman Seb Coe said "Britain, we did it right", IOC Presi- dent Jacques Rogge called them "Happy and Glorious". For me it was indeed the people, especially from the IOA, who made the 2012 Olympic Games unforgettable.

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My first time at the Olympics By: Rita Nuners Ferreira (Portugal)

Of course I love sports. There’s no other way of explaining why one craves to attend Olympic Games. But it’s passion that leads you to aim for that objective almost two years in advance. And that’s precisely what I’ve done when I tried to buy tickets for the first time. It was a draft- like sale where one had to apply for some tickets and cross fingers to be one of the lucky ones: I wasn’t lucky enough at first, but I’ve kept on trying and trying, and finally I was rewarded with the chance to buy some tickets.

It wasn’t easy to deal with the internet page! LOGOG had commissioned TicketMaster, a known online sales provider, to manage the sales, but finding an available session and complete a transaction was like finding a needle in a haystack. But persistence, some sleepless nights and determination resulted in being able to buy tickets to some promis- ing events: Archery, Volleyball, Taekwondo, Basketball, Tennis (semi-finals), Athletics (including 100m Final, yeahhhh), Modern Pentathlon and, right on the last day before leaving to London, some very affordable tickets for the Opening Ceremony popped-up like a prize before my eyes. At last: I’m going to London…

The City was ready for the Olympics. I mean: the City was VERY ready for all that was about to happen. Pink signs where everywhere. The ‘Tube’ had all the Venues directions marked on the walls and on the floor. It was almost impossible to walk for a couple of minutes without finding one of the 70.000 volunteers with flyers, with paper guides or with big pink foam hands pointing the right direction. And, something that was quite valued by every visitor: the unforgettable, contagious and inspiring sympathy all the volunteers showed throughout the two weeks of the Olympics. Simply amazing!

Most probably you’ve seen the Opening Ceremony on the television, so I won’t try to de- scribe it. How could I? Right? But let me just share one feeling: - Unity! That’s what I felt when I understood that I was in the same place with 204 nations, imagining that all world it’s concentrated in this little place of the earth.

But I can tell you about the Olympic Park. It’s was quite easy to get there from the City. I read at a newspaper that at peak times there was an underground train, overground train or bus, leaving or arriving every 15s. And since I’ve experienced a “sardine like” situation

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only once, probably that was a fact. But back to the Olympic Park: this was where most of the action was happening, from Swimming to Basketball, Handball, Hockey, Water Polo, Indoor Cycling and, of course, Athletics. But for me, the experience of observing this large number of persons just wandering around the Park, watching the venues, en- joying the sun or resting on the grass was enough to feel part of the Olympic Spirit. This people were calm, happy, sharing good vibrations and soaking up this atmosphere.

‘What about Sports’ you may ask. Well this was my first time at the Olympics, but for what I’ve read, the way Sports were ‘delivered’ for the audience and for the athletes was professional but also creative here and there. For instance, the music was playing every time athletes were not in action, in between sets, dives, shots, services, etc. This music was not disturbing athletes and provided an excellent atmosphere at the venues. Another good example is the amount of information provided before the session, with outdoors, banners and videos explaining the Sport you were about to watch. And this was very useful to educate people on history, mechanics and rules of some sports less known, and allow athletes to share their performance with a vibrant, participating audience.

The number of records that have been broken was something very positive. Athletes gave their best, I’m sure, but I’m also sure that they had some of the best conditions ever created in this state-of-the-art venues. And, of course, is always impressive to be near an athlete that is pushing his limits to the maximum. “Citius, Altius, Fortius”.

But I need to share with you another awesome moment during the Olympics, the IOA meeting on the “House of Hellenes”. It was absolutely fantastic to meet with my “Olympic family”, my colleagues of the Youth Participant Session and the Master Degree, profes- sors and staff,… IOA was really well represented by this amazing group.

Well, London 2012 Olympic Games was an unforgettable experience that fulfilled my wildest expectations. I returned richer from there, knowing that this richness will allow me to better understand and share the Olympic Spirit. A word of advice: Get ready for Rio 2016. We’ll meet there ;)

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London 2012: From passion to fairytale: my personal perspective (abridged!) By: John de Oliveira (UK)

1990s

Sport in Britain had for many years been dulled-down and become syn- onymous with only football (soccer), rugby, cricket and the occasional day at the races. Media reporting of sport typically meant blanket cov- erage of soccer, soccer and yet more soccer. Where were the swim- mers, gymnasts and other athletes! It was rare to see other sports get the attention they merited. Britain’s failure to deliver success at international sports meets (through championships and previous Olympics) was noticeable. Many things needed to be ad- dressed and change.

There was a lack of grass-root sports facilities and structures; and world-standard venues through- out the Land were few and far between. There weren’t any fifty-metre swimming pools in central London for me to use at the time and this was a huge frustration in my early-to-mid teens. This emotion was soon to bare positive fruit when I realised that the way forward was to harness my energy and actively support bringing a major sports event to Britain: a World Championships or even an Olympics perhaps.

At the time, the British Olympic Association had sponsored a couple of failed Olympic bid at- tempts (Birmingham 1992 and Manchester 1996). Manchester was bidding again in the early 1990s for the 2000 Games. At that time, I contacted their bid office to volunteer and offer my support: that’s where my Olympic journey began. The services I could offer were limited due to school commitments and inexperience but the passion, determination and motivation of youth was there in abundance.

Manchester 2000 was never really in the running for a variety of reasons but predominantly due to lack of government support. This was the third unsuccessful British attempt at being awarded an Olympic Games.

2000s

It was evident (and subsequently confirmed by the IOC) that any future British success would only be achieved by a bid from the Capital: an impossibility without substantial stakeholder sup- port, notably from and led by government.

London didn’t have a unitary local government structure at the time; that fact alone was a definite show-stopper. Fortunately and coincidentally, political expediency resulted in the Blair govern- ment legislating for and introducing in 2000 a London Mayoralty. The final true barrier to any bid was now gone.

I attended my first British Olympic Academy in the late 1990’s and added my energy to the grow- ing call for a London bid. The National Association (BOA) was hesitant to confirm its support as behind-the-scenes political cajoling continued for years. Tessa Jowell MP led the charge in Cabi- net and finally managed to convince her colleagues that a London bid was not only timely (an area of East London was awaiting re-development) and viable economically but would be beneficial in

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many other ways.

The scene was now set for the official launch of the bid in 2003. The cynicism and resistance to a bid that had dogged the process from the start didn’t stop there. In some ways, the efforts to lobby and convince had only just begun…

The day London was awarded the Games was one of the happiest and most memorable of days. I was in Trafalgar Square, resting my arms on a barrier and looking up at a big screen in nervous antic- ipation with tens of cameras glaring up in front, lenses focused out onto the vast crowd behind me to record the mood and reactions.

Moscow, New York and Madrid dropped out and then after a lengthy wait, Rogge read out those memorable words that I will resist from paraphrasing! London had done it! (winning over Paris by 54 to 50 votes). As the result was announced, my emotions didn’t hold on ceremony and minutes of cheers, smiles and jumping soon turned to relief and tears of joy.

The Games in London brought atmosphere, spirit, happiness, connection, understanding (…the list can go on) and of-course sport. Never have I seen the city and the country embrace an event that has brought with it an ability to focus on a nation’s journey of re-discovery and acceptance of itself.

Above all, it’s amazing how sport can be a catalyst in bringing together humanity.

Bring on Summer 2016! Boa Sorte Rio! Vamos Rio! Vamos Rio 2016!

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The Social Legacies of London 2012 By: Vagelis Alexandrakis (GRE) Before London being awarded with the Games, Seb Coe made a pledge to the IOC that if London hosted the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games they would reach young people all around the world and connect them to the inspi- rational power of the Games’.

This promise and dream actually came true! International Inspiration’s vision of enriching the lives of 12 million chil- dren across 20 countries worldwide is unique. No previous host nation has aspired to engage millions of global youth as a social legacy commitment.

International Inspiration is London 2012’s official interna- tional sports legacy programme and is bringing to life the promise made by the London 2012 bid team - who pledged to reach young people all around the world and connect them to the Games, so they are inspired to choose sport.

Its original vision was to reach 12 million children in 20 countries by the start of the London 2012 Games, vision which came true

It was delivered as a partnership between UK Sport, UNICEF and the British Council. The programme aimed to use physical education, sport and play to enrich the lives of millions of children and young people of all abilities.

In addition, the London 2012 Games brought huge oppor- tunities in terms of employment and LOCOG tried to en- sure as many people as possible could benefit from these opportunities, including those who were long-term unem- ployed and young people.

Now that the Games are over, new homes are left behind, some incredible sporting facilities, improved transport links and the opportunity for thousands of new jobs to be creat- ed.

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Moreover, in terms of the Olympic Truce, the latest Olym- pic Truce Resolution for the London Games was co- sponsored at the UN General Assembly by all 193 UN Member States. Never before had a UN resolution gar- nered such a large number of co-sponsors.

Furthermore, UK Government initiated an important mo- mentum by delivering around 50 projects worldwide as a key part of their conflict prevention and peace building work, and signed in May in Moscow, together with the Rus- sian Federation, a joint declaration “to promote and sup- port the ideals of the Olympic Truce.”

This issue was extensively discussed during the meeting that Mr. Lemke had in London on 30 August with UK’s Foreign Office Minister Henry Bellingham, during which the former took the chance to also praise the UK Government for their implementation of the International Inspiration programme.

The two officials agreed on strengthening the collaboration between their respective organisations in harnessing the potential of sport-based programmes in promoting devel- opment and conflict prevention worldwide.

The resolution was finally violated by the continued fighting in numerous ongoing armed conflicts around the world. However, it is positive that at a recent meeting Mr. Ban and Mr. Lemke insisted on the need to work closely with Governments in order to ensure the observance of the Truce in connection with future editions of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Therefore, the Games might be over now. However, it seems that there are some social legacies that will go on and probably this is the greatest achievement of the Lon- don Games.

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The IOA at the Pierre de Coubertin Symposium By: Anita Sterea (ROM)

One month ago, during the Olympics, in Can- terbury, at the Christ Church University was organized the International Pierre de Coubertin Olympic Symposi- um on “Olympism, Olympic Education and Learning Legacies”. Olympic scholars from all over the world accepted the invitation and took part in this Symposi- um. Also a number of young researchers was invited to present their work at this academic meting. Among these researchers there were also some former participants of the International Olympic Academy. The subjects that they presented were very diverse and interesting, from international relations (paper presented by Panag- iotis Trikaliotis), to ambush marketing (Vagelis Alexandrakis) or history (Yoav Dubinski and Anita Sterea). The IOA and IOAPA were very well represented at this academic meeting, which shows the role that this institution can play in the development of new researchers involved in the Olympic movement. Also 3 stu- dents from the first version of the masters program in “Olympic Studies, Olympic Education and Organizing an Olympic event”, organized by the International Olympic Academy and the University of Peloponnese were present in the Sym- posium. The reunion with distinguished professors, such as professor Norbert Muller, Jim Parry and Dikaia Chtaziefstathiou, was a reason for celebration and brought back memories from Olympia and the time spent there.

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Participants acclaim Disability sports: A vehicle for social change? conference a big suc- cess

By: Ian Brittain (UK)

From Thursday 23rd to Saturday 25th August 2012 the Centre for Peace and Reconciliation Studies (CPRS) at Coventry Uni- versity in the UK hosted a three day international conference entitled Disability Sport: A vehicle for social change? The brainchild of conference organiser Dr Ian Brittain, who is a Research Fel- low in Sport and Peace in CPRS and Project Manager for their 'Peace, Olympics, Paralympics, programme' the conference brought together around forty academics and practitioners in the field of sport for people with disabilities from around the world. They came from all corners of the globe including Afghanistan, Australia, Canada, Germany, Ghana, Japan, The Netherlands, Nor- way, Spain, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States and Zimbabwe and spent their time discussing a wide variety of ways in which sport and help change and enhance the lives of people with disabilities from grass roots to the elite level and in a variety of situations including post-conflict zones and areas devastated by natural disasters such as earth quakes to soldiers disabled in combat and individuals either born with impairments or disabled as a result of an accident.

The conference also contained two keynote speakers. The first, Tony Naar from the Australian Paralympic Committee, gave a very interesting insight into the huge impact that a project to gath- er the history of Australia at the Paralympic Games has had on the workings of the current organi- sation. This includes the putting up of street signs within their London 2012 Paralympic Village accommodation corridors named after famous Australian Paralympians of the past and posters showing famous former Australian Paralympians with messages of support for the team for Lon- don 2012. The second keynote, Anne Wafula-Strike, a Paralympian and Author, gave an inspiring presentation based on her own life story from the impact of her family being forced to leave their village when she contracted polio at a young age to the impact that sport has had on helping her to re-build her life and her identity as an individual.

The conference coincided with the City of Coventry's Paralympic Celebration festivities, which Dr Brittain also helped to organise. This lead to the conference being visited by the Paralympic Flame lantern on the Friday afternoon, which can be seen in the photograph below. The confer- ence also included a dinner that was attended by staff from the International Wheelchair and Am- putee Sports Federation (IWAS) that historically was one of the founders of the Paralympic Games as well as the President of the National Paralympic Committee of Barbados, Wesley Wor- rell and his wife Maureen.

The conference participants spent the last part of the conference discussing how practitioners and academics in the field of sport for people with disabilities could work together more productively in the future in order to raise greater awareness of the issues and to ensure a greater and more pos- itive impact of everyone's efforts. They were also unanimous in their feeling that there should be a similar conference held on a fairly regular basis.

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Celebration of the Olympic Truce during the XXX Games of the Olympiad By: Hugh Dugan (USA)

On Day Six of London 2012, the Truce Foundation of the USA hosted a celebration of the Olympic Truce. IOAPA members were among 100 of the Olympic “extended” family extolling the Olympic Truce and lauding its champions in the modern era.

The ceremony was held in London’s historic East India Club where Pierre de Coubertin campaigned for the revival of the Games at the Club which was his last rally before the 1894 Olympic Congress in Paris. Truce Foundation guests met among the trophies and trap- pings of the International Rugby Hall of Fame located there.

IOC Vice President Mario Pescante was awarded the Foundation’s “’Ekecheiria’ Award” presented to a person inspired by the ancient Greek tradition of “ekecheiria” - a joining of hands - and the desire to promote dialogue and human understanding through sport and the Olympic Ideal. Mr. Pescante is the first Permanent Observer of the International Olympic Committee to the UN General Assembly where he continues his years of distinguished service to the Olym- pic Movement advocating effectively for peace and development through sport.

The UK’s Lord Michael Bates was awarded the Foundation’s “Open Fields Award” presented to a representative of the host country to enable the Olympic Games to educate the youth of the world through sport and culture. Lord Bates, as founder of Walk for Truce, in June concluded a 3,000 mile walk from Olympia to Lon- don to promote practical measures for the peaceful settlement of international conflicts and to focus attention on the Olympic Truce prior to the London Games and beyond. London to promote prac- tical measures for the peaceful settlement of international conflicts and to focus attention on the Olympic Truce prior to the London Games and beyond.

The program opened with the Olympic Anthem by Greek soprano Anastasia Zannis, who as a child sang at the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Calgary. The Truce Foundation’s Hugh Dugan provided a status report on the Olympic Truce, extolling London’s ambitious program to educate on the Truce and lauding the IOC’s Department of Int. Cooperation and Develoment and its

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and its Truce Wall outreach at the Olympic Village. Participants absorbed a treatise on the philosophy of Olympism by renowned scholar Dr. Curtis Carter, President of the International Associa- tion for Aesthetics, and enjoyed a presentation by The Truce Arts Project working with London’s youth to create and install public and digital art expressing the idea of truce. Among the diverse group present were student groups from Western New England University and George Washington University.

A discussion of the Olympic Truce drew out its traditional purpose for the safe passage and participation of those at the Games, not to diminish the hope that the Truce one day might inspire outright cessation of international hostilities. This concept in our time in- cludes post-911 realities, and by extension the need for wide broadcasting, internet freedom and cyber-security to sustain the growth of remote participation worldwide.

As regards the awards, given that the ancient Olympic Truce was engraved on a bronze discuss and kept ceremonially in the Temple of Hera adjacent to the stadium, Mr. Pescante and Lord Bates were each presented with a vintage discus inscribed with their tribute. UN Special Representative for Sport for Development and Peace, Wilfried Lemke, attended the event with family members, remind- ing that the recent UN General Assembly resolution proclaiming the Truce for London 2012 was the most supported resolution in United Nations history - co-sponsored by 100% of the 193 member states. Adding to tradition, there was issued a joint communiqué from host countries the United Kingdom and Russian Federation pledging to promote the Olympic Truce during this Olympiad. All were pleased to see the UN Secretary-General for the first time in the Torch Relay and the Olympic Flag Honor Guard at the Opening Ceremonies. And, again, this year the United Nations Flag flew in the Olympic Stadium.

The Truce Foundation of the USA exists independently and in co- operation with the purposes of the International Olympic Truce Center, represented at the event by its director Kostantinos Fillis, and of the International Olympic Truce Foundation. The Truce Foundation is inspired by the Olympic Truce across the centuries, during the Games, and in our lives.

The Truce, spanning 12 centuries in ancient time and revived in 1993, is the longest international accord in human history, and the Foundation seeks its wider understanding. To this end, during the Games the Foundation holds a ceremonial event. Previous awardees include IOC President Emeritus Juan

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Antonio Samaranch, Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis, HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco, Liberian President Ellen Johnson- Sirleaf, Nigerian President Oleusegun Obasanjo, Greek Foreign Minister George Papandreou, Italian Foreign Minister Gianfranco Fini, and Salt Lake Games Director Mitt Romney.

Finally, the Truce Foundation reminds each of us to be inspired by truce-like moments emanating from the Games so as to make a difference in our world, in our communities, and in our lives. IOAPA members are encouraged to contact the Foundation at [email protected] as it prepares for its Sochi 2014 cele- bration of the Olympic Truce.

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Survey: Internationalism at the IOA

Dear former participants of the IOA,

The following survey concerning the aspect of “internationalism at the IOA” refers to all former participants of the diverse sessions at the IOA. The official survey is a scientific project of the Johannes Guten- berg University of Mainz.

The Olympic Games, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) or the Olympic Movement are often being connected with the idea of inter- nationalism.

But what meant internationalism as a part of the Olympic Idea for you during your time at the IOA? The survey (about 15 minutes) concentrates on the participation in a session at the IOA and the international contact and exchange be- tween the participants. The questionnaire is NOT an exam - it’s about your opinion regarding the international exchange at the IOA. The data will be analyzed anonymously and will utilized only for scientific pur- poses. The results are also very important for future sessions at the IOA. Thus, your opinion concerning internationalism at the IOA is in great demand! Below you can find the link to the web-based survey and the corre- sponding language:

English: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/CVKYKS2

French: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/D5RQZCH

Spanish: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/D5GVGZC

German: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/M6KSGB2

IOAPA Evaluation Survey

Help us improve ourselves!!

IOAPA Evaluation Survey

As we try to improve the services of the IOAPA to all of you, we would like to

kindly ask you to fill the questionnaire at the link below. It is an evaluation of the current activities of the IOAPA. We also ask for your input on potential new projects. It will take just 5-8 minutes and it will be very valuable for the IOAPA. Thank you!

http://tuck.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_6RvtkgT8JuXnr4F

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"OLYMPIC EDUCATION IN EUROPE"

The German Olympic Academy together with the Government of the Federal State of Hesse and the Willibald-Gebhardt Institute will organize a workshop on "Olympic Education in Europe: Nation- al Experience – International Perspectives".

The main focus of the conference is on the exchange of national ex- periences and initiatives of communicating Olympic values and ide- as and on the improvement of co-operation between the European Olympic Academies.

This conference is directed to Presidents, Directors and other repre- sentatives of National Olympic Academies throughout Europe. The conference will take place from 19 to 21 October 2012 in Wiesbaden. Please register until 7 September 2012.

Find out more info here: http://www.doa-info.de/doa1/termine/140-conference-olympic-education-in-europe-national-experiences -international-perspectives

IOAPA session 2013

Don’t forget: The next IOAPA session will be held during

the summer 2013 in Olympia!! We will let you know soon about the exact dates of the

session!!!

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WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! !

Is anything interesting related to Discussion sport happening in your country?

What are your thoughts about the Has something exciting happening London Olympic and Paralympic Games? Do you have any special mem- in your life that you would like to ories or moments you would like to share with your IOAPA friends? share?

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! Let us know what you think and we’ll publish your comments in the If you are interesting in contributing next newsletter. Contact Vagelis at [email protected] to the IOAPA newsletter we would love to hear from you!

Please contact the newsletter editor, Vagelis, at [email protected] if you’re interested.

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