IOC Video Contest: The Future of the Olympic Games

What’s your vision for the future of the Olympic Games? The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and three-time Olympic gold medallist, sprinter Usain Bolt, want to know and they’re asking to see your ideas in the form of a YouTube video.

Attend the Olympic Congress 2009

In conjunction with the Olympic Congress — held October 3 to 5, 2009 — the IOC is offering two free trips to Copenhagen, Denmark, for the best YouTube video about the future of the Olympic Games. The lucky winners will attend the entire Congress.

Interested in sharing your ideas? Pull out a video camera out and have your say on youtube.com/olympiccongress before September 15. Contest rules and eligibility are available on the IOC website.

What is the Olympic Congress?

Held every few years, an Olympic Congress is a discussion lead by the IOC President, IOC members and the Olympic Family to generate ideas for improving the Olympic Games. Themes vary for every congress.

The Olympic Congress 2009 will encourage dialogue on the following themes:

•The athletes
•The Olympic Games
•The structure of the Olympic Movement
•Olympism and youth
•The digital revolution

The congress is attended by IOC members and honorary members, representatives of the International Federations, National Olympic Committees, Organizing Committees for the Olympic Games, athletes and athlete support staff (coaches, doctors and medical staff), referees, judges and technical officials, the IOC's Olympic Partners, and the media.

A Fast-Paced World

The IOC uses Olympic Congresses to discuss not only sport, but world issues and changes that influence sport. Previous congresses have introduced themes such as amateurism in sport, athletes’ voice and the health of the environment. A current topic is the power of the Internet and how the digital revolution impacts the Olympic Games.

Main outcomes of the last three Olympic Congresses (information courtesy of the IOC):

Varna 1973
Re-thinking the idea of amateurism was at the centre of discussion. The new eligibility rule for the Olympic Games authorized the financial and material assistance which had meanwhile become crucial to elite-level training, while only personal profit derived from a sports activity remained prohibited.

Baden-Baden 1981
Unprecedented attention was devoted to the concerns of the athletes. For the first time, the athletes played a leading role in a congress. Their narratives rang with an authenticity that nobody dared contradict and the congress in Baden-Baden thus paved the way for the creation of the IOC Athletes' Commission, which celebrated its 25th anniversary last year.

Paris 1994
The congress in Paris proved trend-setting in an area of great interest today: protection of the environment, with the environment declared to be an essential component of Olympism. A survey was conducted and measures to optimize the Olympic Movement's contribution to preserving the environment were defined. Also, for the first time, the media were invited to speak at the congress, and an entire theme was given over to them.

Related Links:

The Olympic Congress
YouTube/OlympicCongress
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