International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Jacques Rogge and United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon visited the Olympic Youth Development Centre in Lusaka, Zambia in February. The centre is the first in a series of multi-sport facilities scheduled to be built in developing countries as part of the IOC's Sports for Hope programme. The IOC President and UN Secretary-General met young athletes and witnessed the impact the centre - a pilot project established by the IOC in collaboration with International Federations and the local government - was having on young people in the region since its opening in 2010.The aim of the programme is to provide young people and communities in developing countries with opportunities to practise sport and receive education on the values of Olympism. The centre in Lusaka has already been visited by thousands of athletes from Zambia and neighbouring countries. The facility includes synthetic football and hockey pitches, a running track, tennis courts, a boxing ring and multi-purpose areas that can accommodate sports such as basketball, handball, weightlifting, volleyball, judo and gymnastics. The centre also offers a wide range of educational programmes, health services and community activities aimed at improving the quality of life in a country ravaged by HIV, poverty, crime and unemployment."This is my second visit to the Olympic Youth Development Centre and I am honoured by the presence of the UN Secretary-General - proof of the strong and increasing cooperation between the IOC and the United Nations," said President Rogge. "Having met with some of the young athletes, I can see firsthand how sport truly is bringing hope to the young people of Zambia. We look forward to replicating this in other parts of the world." The first stone of a new Sports for Hope Olympic Centre was symbolically laid in the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince, in February. This project for a centre combining sport, education and health will contribute to the rebuilding of local communities and promote social values in the wake of the devastating earthquake there in January 2010. The Haitian Olympic Committee and government and the IOC, represented in Haiti by IOC EB member Mario Vázquez Raña, have joined forces with a view to building this centre on a four-hectare plot of land. The official opening is scheduled for 2014. The centre will include open-air facilities, such as an athletics track, football fields and basketball, volleyball, tennis and handball courts, as well as indoor amenities, including a gymnasium and an administration and training building.During the ceremony, Mario Vázquez Raña said this concrete action would lead to the rebuilding of some of the sports infrastructure that had been destroyed, adding: "I am convinced that this effort will benefit young Haitian athletes, who are striving in the face of adversity. They are athletes who are working with great effort and dedication to make their dreams reality."The Working Group on Irregular and Illegal Betting in Sport has approved a list of measures aimed at raising awareness, improving monitoring, intelligence and analysis, and strengthening or encouraging the adoption of legislation and regulations to combat the problem.Composed of representatives from the sports world, governments, international organisations and betting operators, the Working Group endorsed a series of proposals and outlined methods for their implementation. These included the creation of a common monitoring or information exchange system among the various sports betting operators.Plans also include encouraging states to pass legislation that allows for irregular and illegal sports betting activity to be combated effectively.SPORT BRINGS HOPE TO YOUNG PEOPLE IN ZAMBIAFIRST STONE FOR SPORT FOR HOPE CENTRE IN HAITI IOC FIGHTS ILLEGAL BETTINGLeft IOC President Jacques Rogge and UN Secretary-Youth Development CentreAbove The first stone is laid in HaitiOLYMPIC REVIEW 13General Ban Ki-moon visit the