Members area
THE IOC AND WFSGI ROAD TO PARIS
ENSURING GREATER SUPPORT AND VISIBILITY FOR ATHLETES ON THEIR OLYMPIC JOURNEY
Author: Elisabeth Allaman, Deputy Managing Director of IOC Television & Marketing Services
The International Olympic Committee (IOC)’s mission is to place athletes at the heart of the Olympic Movement. Under President Bach’s leadership, Olympic Agenda 2020 and Olympic Agenda 2020+5 set out the strategic roadmap to achieve this mission. The athletes’ dreams, dedication and determination are what inspire and captivate us at each edition of the Olympic Games, as they strive for excellence on sport’s biggest stage.
In recent years, the IOC has reinforced this commitment to ensuring that athletes’ interests are central to everything that we do. This has included strengthening and expanding various programmes that aim to assist athletes at every stage of their careers – from providing funding for athlete development through Olympic Solidarity to offering career and education programmes, helping athletes develop off the field of play during and after their careers.
It was this commitment that paved the way for our transformative partnership with the WFSGI and the creation of the National Olympic Committee (NOC) Competition Uniform Support Programme – a shining example of supporting athletes and Olympic teams on their Olympic journeys.
Established ahead of the Olympic Games Rio 2016, the programme emerged from a shared belief that Olympic teams and athletes should not face barriers due to a lack of access to cutting-edge competition clothing. Athletes, no matter where they come from, should have equal opportunities to excel and shine on the Olympic stage. By providing competition apparel to athletes whose NOCs do not have a sponsor or the means to provide it, the programme ensures every athlete can feel proud wearing their national colours.
This solidarity lies at the core of the Olympic Movement, and we are incredibly grateful for the support that the WFSGI and its members have provided through this programme, which has now equipped 94 NOCs since its inception.
Road to Paris 2024 Pilot Project
As the sporting world evolves, so too does our partnership with the WFSGI and its members. Recognising that sporting goods brands are a key part of an athlete’s journey, our new “Road to Paris 2024” pilot project will offer eligible companies greater flexibility to use images of the athletes they sponsor – both during the qualification journey and at the Olympic Games themselves.
With the investments that the WFSGI’s members are able to make in their marketing campaigns – and their large social media reach – this initiative promises to amplify and celebrate the achievements of athletes on a whole new scale, as well as the promotion of the athletes on the road to the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
Through this project, sporting goods brands will support athletes in narrating their journeys to the Olympic Games, increasing engagement with younger generations and driving awareness of the Olympic Movement. It offers a thrilling opportunity for these companies to showcase athletes’ stories through their unique perspectives, providing athletes with an additional platform to share their remarkable journeys.
For the IOC, through closer collaboration with WFSGI members, we share the aim to promote athletes’ journeys and thereby amplify the Olympic Games. This embodies the power of collective efforts in advancing the Olympic Movement and ensuring that the magic of the Olympic Games reaches every corner of the globe.
As we eagerly await Paris 2024, we can look forward to witnessing the stories of Olympians and Olympic hopefuls come to life through the lenses of global sports brands, enriching the Olympic experience for us all.
There will be unprecedented global broadcast and social media coverage, and we expect they will be the most widely distributed and engaged-with Olympic Games in history.
Paris 2024 is well on track to living up to its slogan of “Games Wide Open” – and the enhanced collaboration between the IOC and the sporting goods industry epitomises this approach.
XENER & by ATEX is the Made in Italy excellence in the design and production of lithium battery packs, BMS, motor drivers, integrated with IoT technologies, for the e-mobility industry and off-grid devices.
McKinsey & Company is a consulting firm advising on strategic management to corporations, governments, and other organizations. WFSGI partnered with McKinsey & Company to support its members in understanding their business environment and take the right business decisions. Among others, sports brands and retailers have been advised on how to cope with the “new normal” that is shaping as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Gominga provides a software solution that enables tool-based interaction with the customer: review management in one-stop shop and on various eBusiness platforms. WFSGI partnered with Gominga to support its members in managing online product reviews.
