FIB delegation, Stein Pedersen, President, and Attila Adamfi, General Secretary and Vice President have met with Kit McConnell, IOC Sports Director, Irina Gladkikh, Associate Director, Winter and Recognised Sport and IF Relations, and Tania Tchea, Head of Recognised Federations and Organisations.
The meeting has taken place at the IOC Headquarters and the current situation of FIB and the different possibilities to include Bandy on the Winter Olympic Sports Programme has been discussed.
FIB delegation updated IOC on the developments and sound accomplishments that took place within the Federation and the sport in general in the last one year since the new leadership was elected. The report was greatly appreciated by the IOC as they haven’t had an in-person meeting with FIB delegates in the last years. In the second half of the meeting the main topic of discussion was the different possibilities, procedures, and timelines to include Bandy on the Olympic Programme.
Stein Pedersen, FIB President, after the meeting:
-Today we had a fruitful meeting with the IOC representatives who warmly welcomed us in the Olympic House and it was great opportunity to promote our beloved sport.
Attila Adamfi, FIB General Secretary added:
-Today’s meeting was the first step in strengthening the partnership between the new leadership of FIB and the IOC and we will continue the dialogue in order to ensure the positive future of our sport.
Baron Pierre de Coubertin
The father of modern games is the French Baron Pierre de Coubertin (1863–1937). He drew inspiration from the sports competitions held in ancient Greece. In ancient times, athletic competitions were held all over Greece, but most were held in Olympia. The oldest list of Olympia competitions dates back to 776 f.Kr and there is evidence of at least 239 different competitions, which took place every four years for almost 1200 years. The competitions are also regarded as the first documented events in the Greek history.
Baron de Coubertin presented his concept at a congress held at the Sorbonne in Paris in June 1894, which today is considered the first Olympic Congress. On the last day of the congress, the participants decided that the first modern games would be held in Athens in 1896. To host the Games, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) was created.