[Olympic Movement] - Tell the Olympics to Add Inline Skating

[Robert]

Press release:

Virtual Olympic Congress: Launch of public consultations

The public consultation process of the virtual Olympic Congress was officially launched today on the Olympic Movement website http://www.olympic.org. This is the first time in the history of Olympic Congresses that the general public can submit their views on the topics under consideration. An analysis of these contributions will be conducted, and the results published by the IOC in 2009.

“This is an exciting time for the Olympic Movement,” declared IOC President Jacques Rogge. “Modern communication methods have made it possible for us to tap into the views and opinions of those outside the immediate Olympic family. We feel it is critical to take on board the views of the public when considering the future path of the Olympic Movement. I hope that the public consultation process will encourage people to be forthcoming with their insights and ideas”.

The information gathered through the virtual Congress will form the basis of discussions at the 13th Olympic Congress held in Copenhagen, Denmark, in October 2009. Members of the public can submit their contributions via the following link: http://www.2009congress.olympic.org . More information on the submission guidelines can also be found at this address. The deadline for submissions is 31 December 2008.

The public consultation process is designed to “take the pulse” of the general public on the following themes:

Theme 1: The athletes
Relationship between the athletes, the clubs, federations and the NOCs
Health protection in training and competition
The social and professional life of athletes during and after elite competition
Theme 2: The Olympic Games
How to keep the Games as a premier event
The Olympic values
Universality and developing countries
Theme 3: The structure of the Olympic Movement
The autonomy of the Olympic Movement
Good governance and ethics
The relationships between the Olympic Movement and its stakeholders
Theme 4: Olympism and Youth
Moving towards an active society
Is competitive sport still appealing?
Youth sports events
Theme 5: The digital revolution
A new management of sports rights
How to increase the size of the sports audience
Communication with stakeholders in the digital age
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[Robert]

The process of adding a comment is rather lengthy, so be patient. First you have to register; then you have to provide some personal information. Finally, you are allowed to post comments on two subjects.

I chose Olympism and Youth ... and the Olympic Games.
Then you pick a sub-theme.
For "Olympic Games," I chose the sub-theme: How to keep the Games a s premier event.

I said: Add Inline Skating

Inline skating is practiced by many millions of people worldwide. It is a diverse, exciting and healthful sport. Yet, it is still not part of the Olympic Games!
This is unfortunate not only for the lovers of inline skating but also for the Olympic Movement. Excluding sports such as inline skating makes the Olympic Games an anachronism and leaves the impression that the Olympic Movement is no longer relevant — and worse, that it is unfriendly to modern sports.
Embrace the modern era. Add inline skating to the Summer Games!

The whole thing took about 15 minutes. ... I guess they wanted to make the process somewhat difficult to limit the number of off-the-cuff responses. ... YUK!

Robert