IOC World Conference on Sport, Culture and Education: 8th Edition in Amsterdam
The 8th edition of the IOC World Conference on Sport, Culture and Education will join the line-up of key international events in 2012 such as the first ever Winter Youth Olympic Games in Innsbruck, the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD) Rio +20, and the Games of the XXX Olympiad in London, providing the perfect close to an Olympic year.
The IOC, in partnership with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and in collaboration with the National Olympic Committee of the Netherlands (NOC*NSF), will host this important event. The city of Amsterdam, with no fewer than 177 different nationalities, will be the venue for the Conference, which will highlight the importance of sport as a mediator for social and economic development within the context of a sporting, educational and cultural framework.
Signature of an MoU
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the Conference was signed on Wednesday, 7 March at the IOC headquarters in Lausanne. The IOC President, Jacques Rogge, led the IOC delegation, along with Christophe de Kepper, Director General, and T.A. Ganda Sithole, Director of the Department of International Cooperation and Development. The host NOC delegation from the Netherlands included André Bolhuis, President, and Marije Dippel, Director of the International Office, who were accompanied by the Director of Sport representing the city of Amsterdam, Henk Stokhof.
Conference programme
The theme of the Conference will draw on the value of sport in the broader forums of its societal impact with emphasis on the role of family and local structures, and will focus on the UN Year of International Cooperatives, Energy for All and the Decade for Sustainable Education. The format of the Conference will expand on its engagement of young people, as initiated during the previous Conference in Durban in 2010, by including working group sessions targeting young participants and including practical ways of engaging them in educational and cultural activities through sport in their respective communities and cultures.
Amsterdam, a city of sport and culture
The 1928 Olympic city of Amsterdam combines its characteristic and breathtakingly beautiful cultural heritage of canals, bridges and monumental buildings with sport as a key driver to create enthusiasm within the communities, increase social cohesion and develop local talent to make the city a better place to visit, live and work.
Conference web site and registration
The on-line registration and Conference web site will be launched in June 2012. Come back to the IOC web site www.olympic.org at that time for further information on the Conference programme and event details. In the meantime, feel free to contact the Department of International Cooperation and Development by email (elizabeth.sluyter_mathew@olympic.org) or by telephone at +41 21 621 6418.