Page 48

IOC MASTERCLASSESIf you want to become an Olympic champion, who better to learn from than a gold medallist? That was the case for 30 aspiring young fencers at Brazil’s Clube Municipal Tijuca when IOC President Thomas Bach went back to his sporting roots to give a special clinic. During a visit to Brazil in February, President Bach joined athletes aged between five and 17 at their club in the north of Rio de Janeiro, host city of the 2016 Olympic Games. After sharing some advice about the sport, the IOC President – who won gold in the team foil event at Montreal in 1976 – took part in some bouts with the athletes. “I haven’t used this equipment for a long time, but being here with these kids is a great feeling,” President Bach said. “It brings back memories of when I started fencing as a kid.”Following in President Bach’s footsteps, other inspirational Olympians stressed the importance of giving back to sport at grassroots level. IOC Executive Board members Anita DeFrantz, Sergey Bubka and Nawal El Moutawakel, also in Rio de Janeiro, showed how sport can IOC PRESIDENT THOMAS BACH AND OTHER INSPIRATIONAL OLYMPIANS RETURNED TO THE SPORTS THAT MADE THEM STARS AND GAVE SOME VALUABLE LESSONS TO ASPIRING YOUNG ATHLETES48 OLYMPIC REVIEW