The IOC re- elected IOC President Jacques Rogge for a four- year term at the close of the 121st Session in October. After thanking the IOC members for their continued support, Rogge outlined an ambitious second- term agenda to strengthen and improve the Olympic Movement. Rogge said one of his top priorities is to implement the recommendations of the recently completed XIII Congress. He also emphasised the importance of the Youth Olympic Games, which will debut in Singapore in August, followed by the Youth Olympic Winter Games in Innsbruck in 2012. " We will take this initiative from infancy to maturity and leave a lasting legacy for the world's youth," he said. " We will safeguard and strengthen our assets, and improve our framework for sharing revenues. We will continue to support NOCs and the IFs, and we will defend the autonomy of sport wherever it is threatened. " We will be staunch allies for athletes. We will continue to lead the fight against doping, and we will establish a new independent monitoring body to combat irregular betting and match fixing. We will narrow the gap in sport between the developed and the developing worlds, and between men and women. " We will redouble our efforts to place sport at the service of mankind - to inspire young and old alike; to give athletes the opportunity to lead by example; and promote the Olympic values." Rogge, who was first elected at the 112th IOC Session in Moscow in 2001, is the eighth IOC President. The IOC has undertaken a series of reforms during his tenure to improve IOC governance and maintain the Games as the world's premier sporting event. The changes include a more structured system to routinely review and refresh the Olympic sports programme; improvements in judging and refereeing; an aggressive anti- doping programme; and steps to restrain the size and cost of the Games. The IOC has quadrupled its financial reserves during Rogge's term - from $ 105 million in 2001 to well over $ 400 million today - while distributing record revenues to IFs, NOCs and the Olympic Solidarity programme. Other initiatives have sought to spread the Olympic values through programmes in the fields of education, culture, women's advancement, the environment and Sport for All. The IOC adopted the UN's Millennium Development Goals and the environmental goals of Agenda 21, and forged closer ties with theUN to support the Olympic Truce, development through sport, education, humanitarian aid and health protection around the world. The IOC, represented by Mario Pescante and Anita DeFrantz, has been granted observer status by the United Nations ( UN) General Assembly in New York City. This decision pays tribute to the IOC's efforts to contribute to the achievement of the UN Millennium Development Goals. By using sport as a tool, the IOC and its partners implement various activities across the globe in fields such as humanitarian assistance, peace- building, education, gender equality, environment and the fight against HIV/ AIDS. The IOC now has the possibility of attending all UN General Assembly meetings where it can take the floor and thus promote sport at a new level. The list of UN observers is exclusive and features states and intergovernmental organisations as well as independent and non- governmental bodies, like the International Committee of the Red Cross for instance. " This is huge recognition of the role sport can play in contributing to a better and peaceful world," said IOC President Jacques Rogge. LeftIOC Vice- President Mario Pescante and UN Secretary- General Ban Ki- moon TOPPARTNERS SIGNNEWDEALS IOCRE- ELECTSPRESIDENT JACQUESROGGE IOCMADEUNOBSERVER The IOC announced extensions to its current partnerships with Omega and Visa through to 2020, including the XXII Olympic Winter Games ( 2014) in Sochi, Russia, the Games of the XXXI Olympiad ( 2016), the XXIII Olympic Winter Games ( 2018) and the Games of the XXXII Olympiad ( 2020). The Omega announcement, made at The Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland, means Omega will continue as the Official Timekeeper of the Olympic Games, bringing its relationship with the Olympic Movement to a total of 29 Olympic Games. IOC President Jacques Rogge welcomed Omega's commitment to the Olympic Movement: " Omega's devotion to the development of sports timekeeping, its commitment to athletes and its dedication to the Olympic Movement are a source of enormous confidence for the IOC and the organisers of the Olympic Games." The Visa announcement was made at a signing ceremony held in Moscow, Russia, which was attended by: Jacques Rogge, IOC President; Rupert Keeley, Group President, Visa Inc.; and Dmitry Chernyshenko, President and CEO of Sochi 2014. In 1986, Visa became one of the founding members of the Worldwide TOP Partner programme. The announcement means Visa will continue as the exclusive payment services sponsor for the Olympic Games and the only card accepted through to 2020. IOC President Jacques Rogge said: " Our partnership with Visa demonstrates a shared commitment - to the future of youth and sport, to the future of the Olympic Games and to the strengthening of the Olympic ideals and values we respect. On behalf of the IOC, the 205 National Olympic Committees around the world, and the athletes themselves, I would like to thank Visa, its clients and partners for their commitment through to the 2020 Olympic Games." OLYMPIC REVIEW9

The 121st IOC Session elected six new members from four different continents to the IOC. In other decisions, Mario Pescante and Ser Miang Ng became IOC Vice- Presidents, and Craig Reedie as well as John Coates joined the IOC Executive Board. The Session also elected five honorary members. The new IOC members are: Richard Peterkin ( St Lucia); HRH Frederik, the Crown Prince of Denmark; Habu Ahmed Gumel ( Nigeria); Habib Abdul Nabi Macki ( Oman); Lydia Nsekera ( Burundi); and Göran Petersson ( Sweden). Petersson joined the IOC in his role as President of the International Sailing Federation ( ISAF). The others were elected as independent individuals. The geographic diversity of the new IOC members reflects the universality of the Olympic Movement. The members will serve eight- year terms. The IOC currently has 112 members. Mario Pescante and Ser Miang Ng, who were EB members to date, have been elected as Vice- Presidents. They are replacing Lambis Nikolaou ( Greece) and Chiharu Igaya ( Japan) whose terms of office for Vice- Presidency ended. Furthermore, Craig Reedie and John Coates were elected as members of the Executive Board. An IOC member since 1994, Reedie is also a member of the London 2012 Organising Committee Board. Coates, an IOC member since 2001, is President of the Australian National Olympic Committee. Chaired by President Jacques Rogge, the EB now comprises Thomas Bach, Zaiqing Yu, Mario Pescante and Ser Miang Ng as Vice- Presidents; and Sam Ramsamy, Gerhard Heiberg, Denis Oswald, René Fasel, Mario Vázquez Raña, Frank Fredericks, Nawal El Moutawakel, Richard L. Carrión, Craig Reedie and John Coates. Zhenliang He ( China), Walther Tröger ( Germany), Tamás Ajan ( Hungary) and Fernando Lima Bello will cease to be IOC members at the end of this year. As they have served more than 10 years and rendered exceptional services to the IOC, the Session has elected them as IOC honorary members from 1 January 2010. Mustapha Larfaoui, whose membership recently ceased, was elected honorary member with immediate effect due to his outstanding contribution to the IOC. Below ( left to right) Göran Petersson, Lydia Nsekera, Habib Abdul Nabi Macki, Jacques Rogge, Habu Ahmed Gumel, HRH Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark, Richard Peterkin 121STIOCSESSIONELECTS SIXNEWMEMBERS GOLF& RUGBY TOJOIN2016 OLYMPICGAMES Golf and rugby sevens were voted for inclusion in the programme of the 2016 Olympic Games. The two sports had been recommended by the IOC Executive Board ( EB) in August following an extensive evaluation by the Olympic Programme Commission of the seven sports seeking to enter the programme. " Both golf and rugby are very popular sports with global appeal and a strong ethic," said IOC President Jacques Rogge. " They will be great additions to the Games." " The International Golf Federation is absolutely delighted. We thank the IOC for the thorough process and we are looking forward to playing our part as a member of the Olympic Movement," said Peter Dawson, Secretary General of the International Golf Federation. Bernard Lapasset, President of the International Rugby Board, said: " Rugby is honoured to be a part of the Olympic Sports Programme and we are already looking forward to Rio 2016." Golf was played at the Games in 1900 in Paris and in 1904 in St Louis, while rugby was part of the programme of four editions of the Games between 1900 and 1924. In addition to the two new sports, the Session also voted to accept the list of 26 core sports on the programme for the Olympic Games in 2016. During the 119th Session in Guatemala City in 2007, the IOC approved a simplified voting process for new sports to enter the programme. The IOC members also requested guidance from the EB in the selection of the new sports and entrusted it to make a proposal to the Session based on the work of the Olympic Programme Commission. 10OLYMPIC REVIEW