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14 OLYMPIC REVIEW IOC PRESIDENT ADDRESSES 1,000 MAYORS AT CLIMATE SUMMITIn Paris (France) on 4 December, IOC President Thomas Bach attended the Climate Summit for Local Leaders, held in the framework of the 21st United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 21). Addressing 1,000 mayors from around theglobe, President Bach highlighted the sustainability reforms of Olympic Agenda 2020 and stressed that the experiences of past Olympic host cities demonstrate that it is possible to deliver successful Games while minimising environmental impact. The IOC President told the Conference that, for the 2024 Olympic Games, the host city will have to implement a carbon management and reduction plan.Before speaking at the Climate Summit, President Bach met French President François Hollande. He also met the Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, accompanied by IOC Members Guy Drut and Tony Estanguet, and the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Cities and Climate Change, Michael Bloomberg.During the Summit, the IOC President spoke to the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, as well as the Mayor of Rio de Janeiro, Eduardo Paes. He met the mayors of many other previous and future host cities, including Montreal, Barcelona, Seoul and Lausanne.IOC PRESIDENT VISITS OPEN RECEPTION CENTRE FOR REFUGEES IN ATHENSPRESIDENT BACH LOOKS INTO THE FUTURE OF TECHNOLOGY, SOCIETY AND SPORTOn 28 January, IOC President Thomas Bach visited the Open Reception Centre for refugees in Athens to take a first-hand look at the refugee crisis and witness how the IOC’s USD 2 million emergency fund is aiding humanitarian efforts in Greece.Joined by the IOC Honorary President, Jacques Rogge, who is also the United Nations Special Envoy for Youth Refugees and Sport, they talked to refugees and got a closer look at the sporting facilities provided by the Olympic Movement. They were invited to visit the camp by the Greek government and the Hellenic Olympic Committee (HOC) in the presence of the representative of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Greece. “Together with the Hellenic Olympic Committee we have helped provide sporting facilities here in this camp,” said President Bach. “By providing these sports facilities we want to give some hope to these refugees. We want to give them at least a little joy of life in these difficult circumstances.” The IOC made the USD 2 million emergency fund available in September 2015 to NOCs organising programmes to help refugees worldwide. By February, 13 NOCs had received USD 1.4 million in funding.In February, IOC President Thomas Bach explored the future of technology, society and sport on a three-day tour through Silicon Valley, California (USA). Accompanied by an IOC delegation, President Bach visited IOC Top Partners VISA and Samsung, as well as major companies such as Facebook and Twitter. When visiting VISA, the delegation found out about new payment methods, including those involving cars, and met VISA President Ryan McInerney. At Samsung, they got a first glimpse into 360-degree cameras and Virtual Reality by simply using a regular smart phone. The group also spent a day at Google’s Mountain View Campus, where they discussed the opportunities and challenges of the digital future, and saw first-hand the bikesand sporting activities availableto employees.“We had very encouraging and inspiring discussions. The visits showed the great opportunities technology provides to reach, in particular, a young audience”, the IOC President said after the visit. “Everyone we met talked about the high expectations for the Olympic Games Rio 2016, generating massive global traffic. We are expecting some great social media interaction and are exploring the chances to support this.”Below President Bach meets a child at the refugee camp in Elaionas, Athens (Greece)