FIH President,appoints IOC Olympic Solidarity Commission

The International Hockey Federation (FIH) was delighted to learn this week that FIH President, Tayyab Ikram, has been appointed by the International Olympic Committee’s President, Thomas Bach, to the IOC Olympic Solidarity Commission.

The Olympic Solidarity Commission is responsible for defining the main courses of action and managing the activities of Olympic Solidarity, for example by approving programmes and the related budgets, and monitoring their implementation. It enjoys financial, technical and administrative autonomy, and reports to the IOC Executive Board and President, keeping them regularly informed about the main decisions taken.

In a letter addressed to the FIH President, IOC President Thomas Bach wrote: “Having reviewed the composition of the IOC Commissions this year, in consultation with their respective chairs, it is a great pleasure for me to appoint you as a member of the Olympic Solidarity Commission. I thank you in advance for the valuable contribution you will provide to the work of the commission and look forward to the great pleasure of seeing you soon.”

Speaking on the appointment, Mr Ikram said: “It is a great honour for me to once again serve in the IOC Olympic Solidarity Commission, which has a huge impact on the athletes and in sports overall. It is a very important responsibility that I welcome wholeheartedly. The Commission does a lot for the welfare of athletes and the development of sport in all countries which has always been a personal mission of mine as well. My goal will be to not just help our sport of hockey, but also all athletes, no matter which sport they belong to.”

The Olympic Solidarity Commission administers the programmes adopted by Olympic Solidarity, which, as per the Olympic Charter (Rule 5), are to contribute to:

Promoting the Fundamental Principles of Olympism;
Assisting the NOCs in the preparation of their athletes and teams for their participation in the Olympic Games;
Developing the technical sports knowledge of athletes and coaches;
Improving the technical level of athletes and coaches in cooperation with NOCs and IFs, including through scholarships;
Training sports administrators;
Collaborating with organisations and entities pursuing such objectives, particularly through Olympic education and the propagation of sport;
Creating, where needed, simple, functional and economical sports facilities in cooperation with national or international bodies;
Supporting the organisation of competitions at national, regional and continental level under the authority or patronage of the NOCs, and to assist the NOCs in the organisation, preparation and participation of their delegations in regional and continental Games;
Encouraging joint bilateral or multilateral cooperation programmes among NOCs;
Urging governments and international organisations to include sport in Official Development Assistance
Supporting athletes who are refugees.
Such programmes are administered by the Olympic Solidarity Commission.

Three ways to support the NOCs

The three areas World Programmes, Continental Programmes and IOC Subsidies for NOCs’ Participation in Olympic Games and Youth Olympic Games, available through Olympic Solidarity, function autonomously and complement one another. They cover the objectives of the NOCs, which are mainly to improve their functioning and organisational ability; to create or develop efficient structures; to organise training courses at various levels; and to profit from the technical and financial resources available, which in turn will benefit their athletes.