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Below Stars such as Esther Vergeer will provide expert insight ahead of Tokyo 2020 Above The NOC Uniform Support Programme will provide clothing for 18 NOCs in PyeongChang NOCs of Mongolia and Ukraine sign MoU On 14 October, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the NOCs of Mongolia and Ukraine. Under the agreement, both NOCs will promote an active exchange in areas including training, coaching, sports journalism and young athletes. The MoU was signed by Demchigjav Zagdsuren, President of the NOC of Mongolia, and Sergey Bubka, President of the NOC of Ukraine and IOC Executive Board member. ANOCA looks to the future On 12-14 October, the 34th Annual Seminar for Secretaries General of African NOCs was held in Cape Verde, and saw delegates from the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA) discuss their 2020 Strategic Plan. “Ours is a futuristic approach predicated on Olympic Agenda 2020, as well as on the profound changes taking place in our continent, where many countries have joined the club of emerging nations – and where sport and Olympism should play a frontline role as guarantees for prosperity and peace,” said ANOCA President Lassana Palenfo. NEWS IN BRIEF In October, the Dutch Olympic Committee (NOC*NSF) signed an innovative cooperation agreement with the Japan Sports Council and three municipal districts of Tokyo, aimed at making a meaningful and lasting contribution to the host country of the Olympic Games 2020. The five organisations will jointly establish a new social alliance in the build-up to the Games, supporting the integration of people with disabilities in Japanese society. The partnership follows the completion of the NOC*NSF’s successful Social Sports Project at the Olympic Games Rio 2016, and will see Dutch experts share insight and expertise on themes such as venue planning and public transportation relating to disability sports in Japan. “We firmly believe in the power of sports and the responsibility to strengthen its impact, not only in the Netherlands, but also across our borders,” said NOC*NSF head of international affairs Herbert Wolff. Building on the success of the first-ever NOC Uniform Support Programme at the Olympic Games Rio 2016, the IOC, in collaboration with the World Federation of the Sporting Goods Industry (WFSGI), will be providing 18 NOCs from four continents with free competition clothing for the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018. As a result, the participating NOCs have been working with six of the world’s leading sports brands – adidas, Descente, MDV Sports, Mizuno, Odlo, and Under Armour – to design and develop the uniforms to be worn by 53 athletes in PyeongChang. “This is solidarity in the true sense of the word, as the IOC and the WFSGI are supporting those athletes and NOCs that need it most,” said IOC President Thomas Bach. “We are thankful to have partners like the WFSGI on our side who help us to promote the development of sport and the welfare of athletes across the globe.” Robbert de Kock, WFSGI President and CEO, added: “We believe in sport as a powerful tool for sustainable development and it has been a wonderful joint effort between the IOC and WFSGI to assist a certain number of athletes and NOCs with uniforms that meet all technical requirements needed to perform at their best.” The NOC Uniform Support Programme, which reaches athletes and NOCs that have difficulties in the procurement of uniforms, was first piloted at Rio 2016 and was a huge success. In total, 350 athletes from 69 NOCs benefited from the programme, which was subsequently shortlisted for the “Corporate Social Responsibility Initiative of the Year” at the Peace and Sport Awards. DUTCH NOC TO CONTRIBUTE TO TOKYO 2020 LEGACY EIGHTEEN NOCS TO BENEFIT FROM UNIFORM SUPPORT PROGRAMME 22 OLYMPIC REVIEW