With fewer than 500 days to go until the XXI Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, the eight women’s ice hockey teams which will be taking part in the Olympic tournament in February 2010 are already known. The last two places were allocated at the Olympic qualifying competitions in Bad Tölz (Germany) and Shanghai (China). The Slovak and Chinese players will join their American, Canadian, Finnish, Russian, Swedish and Swiss counterparts, who had already qualified.

 

From 13 to 25 February, Canada Hockey Place and the UBC Thunderbird Arena will be hosting the competitions for the two Olympic tournament groups and deciding which team will succeed Canada.

Group A: Canada, Sweden, Switzerland and Slovakia
Group B: USA, Finland, Russia and China

The final schedule for the women’s competition will be known by the end of December 2008 or early January 2009, as with the men’s tournament.

In the men’s tournament, we shall have to wait until February 2009 to know the names of the last three teams going to Vancouver with their American, Canadian, Belarusian, Finnish, Russian, Slovak, Swedish, Swiss and Czech counterparts.

How to turn theory into concrete action for a healthier and active lifestyle for all generations was at the centre of the 12th World Sport for All Congress, which was held in Malaysia from 3 to 6 November 2008. Under the motto “Sport for All – Sport for Life”, 505 participants from 96 countries worked together to share knowledge, discuss best practice and find progressive solutions to counteract trends of physical inactivity. The event was organised by the Olympic Council of Malaysia under the patronage of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and its Sport for All Commission, in collaboration with the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the General Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF).

 

Declaration shows way forward         
The most important insights and conclusions were wrapped up in a declaration, which was adopted unanimously by all the participants and presented by Walther Tröger, Chairman of the IOC’s Sport for All Commission.  The declaration addresses current challenges in this field and gives recommendations for future action as well as partnerships. It also appeals to the various stakeholders involved, such as sports organisations on international, national, regional and local levels, governments, public authorities and schools. The next World Sport for All Congress, to be held in Jyväskylä, Finland from 14 to 17 June 2010, will offer the opportunity to closely follow up whether, and how, the contents of the declaration have been brought to life.        

 

From a Malaysian point of view

Tunku Imran, President of the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM), is very happy with the success of the event, and hopes Malaysians will put into practice what they have learnt from other successful nations: “We can establish policies, but what is more important is implementing them at the grassroots level and in schools,” he said. “Malaysians know the theories, but they must start putting them into practice. Unfortunately, that’s something that’s clearly lacking. Some schools have only one hour of physical education in a week.”

 

Spirit for joint efforts   
Walther Tröger thanked the Malaysian hosts for staging an “extraordinary Congress”. “It has been a great experience to see so many Sport for All experts and practitioners on one spot benefitting from each others’ experience”, he said at the closing of the event. “You could really feel the overall spirit for joint efforts during the sessions and during the breaks. I look forward to seeing concrete outcomes of these interactions at the next World Sport for All Congress in two years in Finland. But also the Olympic Congress in October 2009 in Copenhagen will set another milestone in pushing for a healthier lifestyle in society.”

 

Under the overall Congress theme “The Olympic Movement in Society”, one focus will be on “Moving towards an active society”.

  Read the full text of the declaration here

Have you already heard about Olympic Day? This is where you can move, learn and discover at the same time. Yesterday, participants at the 12th World Sport for All Congress, which is currently taking place in Malaysia, took a closer look at this fascinating event which has evolved enormously over the past decades.

Reaching out across the globe           
Since 1948, Olympic Day has served to celebrate the anniversary of the International Olympic Committee, created on 23 June 1894, and the revival of the Olympic Games. In 1987, the IOC’s Sport for All Commission initiated the Olympic Day Run to build a programme of sporting and educational actions around that anniversary, with the objective of getting as many people as possible across the globe moving and experiencing the Olympic values of excellence, friendship and respect.           

How is it done?           
But how do you reach out to people on all the continents? This is possible through the National Olympic Committees (NOCs) and is supported by Worldwide Olympic Partner McDonald’s. The NOCs organise public sports, educational and cultural activities for millions of people every year, on or around 23 June. The development has been amazing: From 45 participating NOCs in the first edition in 1987, the numbers have grown to around 170 participating NOCs in recent years. Twenty-six per cent of these NOCs are in Africa. Many NOCs are now using local trends to develop the event into a large nationwide celebration.

More than a run
As a result, the Olympic Day Run is much more than just a run. Recent NOC activities include all kinds of variations of “move, learn and discover”, be they sports activities customised for different age groups, educational sessions for children and youngsters with top athletes, new websites that direct you to sports programmes in your neighbourhood, or a discovery tour of sports you could never try before. It is all about spreading the joy of sport and promoting the Olympic values of excellence, friendship and respect.

Warm up now and keep your eyes open for next year’s Olympic Day activities that will be taking place near you!

The 12th World Sport for All Congress kicked off yesterday in Genting Highlands, Malaysia. “Sport for All – Sport for Life” is the Congress theme, around which the discussions of the participants from the Olympic family, universities, the UN system, governments and NGOs will centre in the coming days. The event is organised by the Olympic Council of Malaysia, under IOC patronage, in collaboration with the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the General Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF).

Reversing the trend towards inactivity           
The motto indicates what it is all about: creating favourable conditions to get as many people as possible moving whilst addressing all age groups. In his message to the participants at the Opening Ceremony, IOC President Jacques Rogge underlined the urgent need to reverse the overall trend towards inactivity: “In today’s society, we face new challenges. We must work to reverse the decline in physical activity and convince people of all ages and walks of life of the need to do sport or physical activity. We have to get kids moving again by finding new ways to arouse their interest in the thrill of active sports and reduce the increase of obesity that threatens their well-being.” He concluded: “Sport more than ever looks to be the social movement capable of offering all generations, and especially young people, the chance to live a life that is not only healthier and more balanced, but also better, with more meaning. Because sport can play such an important role in helping shape the individual and society, we have the responsibility to encourage and support the development of sporting activities through all generations.”

Solutions wanted!       
Lambis Nikolaou, IOC Vice-President, added his voice to this plea during the Congress opening, appealing to the participants to use the event as a platform to exchange information about practical approaches and find solutions: “All together, let us rise to these challenges and give back to physical activity and sport the role and status they deserve! All you here present – make the most of the platform provided by this Congress to make your voices heard. Discuss, share and benefit from each other’s reflections and experiences. Then disseminate a strong message about sport for all within and beyond your communities!”

Follow news about the Congress in the coming days on www.olympic.org.

Learn more about the IOC's Sport for All Commission and related activities.

The official Congress website