40th Anniversary of The IOC Olympic Studies Centre

The Olympic Studies Centre of the International Olympic Committee organized an impressive event to celebrate its 40^th anniversary. The IOC President, Thomas Bach, gave a welcome speech accompanied by some IOC members, senior IOC officials, directors of Olympic Studies Centres and scholars. He stressed the value of the IOC Olympic Studies Centre for its work on generating knowledge and providing an objective and almost complete overview of the Olympic Movement. In addition, the IOC President reminded all present that the establishment of an Olympic Studies Centre was an idea of Pierre de Coubertin already in the early 1930s. Prof. Dr Stephan Wassong, Director of the Olympic Studies Centre at the German Sports University Cologne and President of the International Pierre de Coubertin Committee, was invited as a special guest to deliver a short speech on the 20 motivating years of close collaboration with the OSC on various projects. He stressed that the OSC must be regarded as a guardian that provides Coubertin’s timeless legacy to academics, the society at large and to all those involved in the Olympic Movement (https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1128903/olympic-studies-centre-anniversar).

On behalf of the International Pierre de Coubertin Committee, Prof. Dr Stephan Wassong presented the OSC with a Coubertin bust.

Another special guest was Prof. Nelson Schneider Todt, Director of the Olympic Studies Centre in Brazil at the Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul. Prof. Nelson delivered a message online and stressed the importance of the global network of Olympic Studies Centres.

It was mentioned in all speeches and words of congratulations were addressed to Maria Bogner, Nuria Puig and their team for their excellent work carried out for the Olympic Studies Centre of the IOC.