International Olympic Committee Press Release

View this press release online

 
 
May 3, 2019

IOC Executive Board meeting and 134th IOC Session in Lausanne, Switzerland – Information for the media

1) General Information

  • IOC Executive Board (EB) from 19 to 21 June 2019

  • 134th IOC Session from 24 to 26 June 2019

The 134th IOC Session will take decisions on key policy issues and in areas under its authority, including the election of the host city for the Olympic Winter Games 2026 on Monday 24 June.

The Candidate Cities for the Olympic Winter Games 2026 are Stockholm-Åre (Sweden) and Milan-Cortina (Italy)*.

The EB meetings will take place at the Lausanne Palace Hotel. The IOC Session, the presentations of the Candidate Cities, the vote to elect the host city, the host city announcement ceremony, and the signature of the Host City Contract will all take place at the SwissTech Convention Centre.

The press briefings of the EB meeting will be streamed live on Periscope and YouTube.

The Candidate Cities’ presentations, the host city election, the IOC Session proceedings and the press conferences will also be streamed live on Periscope and YouTube.

Please regularly check @iocmedia, where we will send updates on timings.

*Cities are listed in the order of drawing of lots as performed by the IOC Executive Board.

2) Schedule of Events

Please click here for the complete schedule of events for the EB and the 134th IOC Session.

3) Accreditation

Media representatives wishing to cover the IOC meetings are required to complete the accreditation application on the IOC websiteby 7 June 2019. Any questions regarding the application procedure should be referred to the IOC Media Relations Team at pressoffice@olympic.org. As a reminder, your photo must be the same as a “passport photo format” (and not a scan of your passport!), jpg or gif, 20 KB minimum and 2 MB maximum. We do not allow black and white photos for accreditations.

To submit your request for accreditation, please click here.

Media accreditation cards will be distributed at the Media Accreditation Desk outside the Media Workroom at the Lausanne Palace Hotel from 19 to 21 June. The Media Accreditation Desk at the SwissTech Convention Centre will be open from 23 to 27 June. The same media accreditation card will grant access to both the Lausanne Palace Hotel and the SwissTech Convention Centre. The Media Accreditation Desks will be open at the same time as the media facilities – please see sections six and seven below for the opening and closing times.

4) Visas and Immigration

Media representatives from countries requiring a visa to enter Switzerland should apply for a visa. To request a Visa Invitation Letter from the IOC, please send your email before 31 May 2019 to pressoffice@olympic.org, clearly stating “Visa Invitation Letter Request Lausanne IOC Session” in the title of the email.

5) Accommodation and Transport

Media representatives are requested to make their own accommodation and transport arrangements for the event. There will be no dedicated media transport system. Media will be able to use the public metro network, with the Lausanne-Flon metro stop a two-minute walk from the Lausanne Palace venue, and the Ecublens VD, EPFL metro stop a two-minute walk from the SwissTech Convention Centre. Hotels in Lausanne provide guests with a free public transport card for the duration of their stay. Media representatives should ask their hotel for this upon arrival.

6) Media facilities at the EB Meeting (Lausanne Palace Hotel)

Media Workroom

The EB will meet at the Lausanne Palace Hotel in central Lausanne from 19 to 21 June. The EB meeting is closed to media. There will be a Media Workroom on the ground level of the hotel with a limited number of spaces, which will be open to media representatives for the duration of the EB meetings on those three days. There will be a press briefing in the Media Workroom at the end of each day’s proceedings.

The Media Workroom will consist of workstations equipped with power and Wi-Fi internet, which will be provided free of charge. Workplaces will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Only accredited media representativeswill have access to these facilities.

Media catering will be provided to cover lunches and coffee breaks.

Executive Board Photocall

There will be a photocall at 8.45 a.m. before the start of the proceedings of the EB meetings on 19, 20 and 21 June. Photographers and ENG camera operators who wish to attend a photocall should arrive on time to collect their accreditations for the event before the photocall. There will be no interview opportunities at the photocall.

Media Workroom and Media Accreditation Desk Opening Hours:

  • Wednesday 19 June 8 a.m. – 10 p.m.

  • Thursday 20 June 8 a.m. – 10 p.m.

  • Friday 21 June 8 a.m. – 6 p.m.

7) Media facilities at the IOC Session (SwissTech Convention Centre)

Main Media Centre (MMC)

The Main Media Centre consists of the Media Press Centre (MPC) and the International Broadcast Centre (IBC), which are both located on the lower ground floor (garden level) of the SwissTech Convention Centre. Media should follow the signage from the metro stop and take the stairs down to the Media Entrance on the lower ground floor. All ingress and egress will be via this entrance.

The MPC will consist of workstations equipped with power and Wi-Fi internet, which will be provided free of charge. There will also be a limited number of cabled internet connections to use at the workstations. Workplaces will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Only accredited media representatives will have access to these facilities.

Media representatives will be able to follow the 134th IOC Session live on closed circuit TV on large screens and TV sets within the MPC and IBC. Headsets will be available with interpretation from within the MPC.

Media catering will be provided to cover lunches and coffee breaks.

Media Conference Facilities

The MPC will house media conference facilities as part of the shared media working space. The Candidate Cities for the Olympic Winter Games 2026 will hold press conferences after their respective Technical Briefings in the morning of Monday 24 June, which will be in camera. The Joint IOC-Host City 2026 Press Conference will take place after the announcement of the selection of the host city. There will also be press conferences after the day’s proceedings have been completed for the IOC Session on Tuesday 25 and Wednesday 26 June.

MMC and Media Accreditation Desk Opening Hours:

  • Sunday 23 June 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.

  • Monday 24 June 7 a.m. – 11 p.m.

  • Tuesday 25 June 8 a.m. – 8 p.m.

  • Wednesday 26 June 8 a.m. – 8 p.m.

NB: The operating hours might change depending on the needs of the media. There will be a security sweep. Further information on this will be available on-site.

Mixed Zones and Interview Areas

There will be various mixed zone opportunities available during the 134th IOC Session for short interviews. Media representatives are advised that space may be limited, and that access may be controlled by the use of supplementary access devices, which can be requested on-site via IOC Media Operations in the MPC for press and photographers, and at the OBS Office in the IBC for broadcasters. Further information on mixed zone operations will be available during the event. Media representatives will be able to follow proceedings in the afternoon of 24 June on closed circuit TV in the mixed zone.

Media Access to the IOC Session Room / Candidate Cities’ Presentations / Announcement Ceremony Room

Auditorium A in the SwissTech Convention Centre will host the IOC Session, the Candidate Cities’ presentations and the Announcement Ceremony for the Olympic Winter Games 2026. Media will be able to follow the majority of proceedings live by closed circuit TV and on large screens within the MPC and IBC. There will be a limited number of ENG and photographer platforms available in the room. These positions are fixed, with no roaming permitted.

Access may be controlled with the use of supplementary access devices, which can be requested on-site via IOC Media Operations in the MPC for press and photographers, and at the Olympic Broadcasting Services Office in the IBC for broadcasters.

8) Golden Rings Award Ceremony

The Golden Rings Awards Ceremony for the best broadcast coverage of the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018 and the Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018 will take place at the Salle Métropole in Lausanne at 5 p.m. on 22 June. There is limited space available for media, so those wishing to attend should send a request via email to pressoffice@olympic.org by the end of the accreditation process (7 June).

There will be a mixed zone for media pictures and interviews as guests enter and exit the ceremony. Olympic champions, broadcasters and IOC members will be in attendance.

Due to space limitations for cameras inside the main room, broadcasters are advised to take the signal to be made available by Olympic Broadcasting Services/Olympic Channel Services.

9) Broadcast coverage of the IOC Session

IOC Production

For the 134th IOC Session, the IOC has appointed Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) and Olympic Channel Services (OCS) as the host broadcaster and the producer. OBS and OCS will produce the live radio, television and digital coverage. The international signals will be made available as “Pool Coverage” to participating broadcasters and other bona fide media organisations at the IBC for live broadcast. The international signal will be in high-definition with a 16:9 picture ratio, HD-SDI 1080i 50Hz, and will be distributed to the broadcasters in the IBC in HD-SDI. Please click here for the production schedule which outlines the live coverage of the events, bearing in mind that this schedule is tentative and subject to change.

Use of Pool Coverage

The Pool Coverage of the IOC Session is available for its broadcast, and is available to participating broadcasters and other bona fide media organisations, in accordance with the production schedule (the “IOC Pool Coverage”) and the following terms and conditions.

All broadcasters and bona fide news media organisations which make use of the IOC Pool Coverage or which otherwise broadcast coverage of the 134th IOC Session shall be deemed to agree to these conditions.

a) Editorial purposes:The coverage of the Session shall be used for editorial purposes only, and shall not be commercialised in any way.

b) Content available:A live broadcast feed/stream of the IOC Pool Coverage will also be available via the Olympic Channel, with the possibility to be embedded on websites and platforms controlled by all broadcasters and bona fide news media organisations.

c) Linear Broadcast:Broadcasters may broadcast the IOC Pool Coverage, in whole or in part, either live or for a maximum of seventy-two (72) hours after each meeting or event of the Session (the “Linear Term”).

d) Non-linear/On-demand Broadcast:Broadcasters and bona fide media organisations may make available the IOC Pool Coverage, in whole or in part, either live or on demand, without time or territorial restriction until thirty (30) days after each meeting or event of the Session (the “Non-linear Term”).

e) No sponsorship/No association:Without limitation to paragraph 1, the Linear Broadcast and the Non-linear/On-demand Broadcast shall not be sponsored in any way which gives the impression that third parties are linked to the Candidate Cities or to the IOC, the Olympic Games or the Olympic Movement, unless such third parties are Olympic sponsors in the territory in which such broadcasts take place. In particular, no sponsorship or commercial/ad superimposition on the video footage is permitted, unless with the IOC’s prior written consent. No association with the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad and/or the Candidate Cities is permitted, unless based on the rights granted by the IOC pursuant to a standing agreement between the IOC and a Rights-Holding Broadcaster or a TOP Partner.

f) Use after the Session: Upon expiration of the Linear Term and the Non-linear Term, broadcasters and bona fide media organisations may broadcast/make available only short excerpts for news reporting purposes in regularly scheduled news programmes.

Contact Information

  • For any issue related to these news access rules, including reporting on infringements, please contact: newsaccessrules@olympic.org.

  • To access the IOC Pool Coverage, please contact: iocsession@obs.tv.

  • To obtain Olympic archival content, please contact: images@olympic.org.

10) Broadcast-specific facilities and services

International Broadcast Centre (IBC)

The IBC will be located on the lower ground floor of the SwissTech Convention Centre and will be made available to broadcasters in booked facilities, such as modular or tailored space. Please note that IBC space is extremely limited, and facilities such as broadcaster booths, furniture and technology are available only on a request basis; there is no rate card part A.

Stand-up Locations

As part of the broadcast infrastructure, there will be a number of dedicated and bookable stand-up locations with and without camera operators.

Commentary Positions

A limited number of commentary positions for the Announcement Ceremony only will be available. ISDN technology is not available. AoIP codecs will be provided on fully equipped commentary positions, but broadcasters are required to book any additional connectivity or power. Please contact OBS (iocsession@obs.tv) for further information.

Broadcast Rate Card

The Broadcast Rate Card is available only for broadcasters to book technical facilities and receive the international signals from the events. More information is available in section 11 below.

International Connectivity

Broadcasters can book connectivity from Lausanne to their various home countries for all or specific portions of the IOC Session.

Use of Radio Frequencies - certification

Broadcasters who wish to operate wireless equipment in SwissTech during the IOC Session are kindly asked to fill in the required application forms (links below).

Satellite: https://www.bakom.admin.ch/bakom/en/homepage/frequencies-and-antennas/frequency-use-with-or-without-licences/satellite-links.html

Wireless camera: https://www.bakom.admin.ch/bakom/en/homepage/frequencies-and-antennas/frequency-use-with-or-without-licences/wireless-camera.html

Temporary Radio Handheld: https://www.bakom.admin.ch/bakom/en/homepage/frequencies-and-antennas/frequency-use-with-or-without-licences/radiocommunications-for-professional-use.html

Completed forms must be submitted to kf-fk@bakom.admin.ch for processing no later than 10 working days before the event. All applicants will receive an email from BAKOM confirming that their device is (or is not) approved for use.

Upon arrival, the media concerned must prove that their device is certified for use.

11) Booking for broadcast facilities

OBS is using Eurovision as the Technical Service Provider for the broadcast facilities.

Broadcasters should begin the ordering process for services and facilities for the event by first completing the Broadcaster Survey Form. The Broadcaster Survey Form asks for general information about the broadcasters’ specific operations during the IOC Session. It is required for broadcasters who intend to book facilities and services for the event.

As mentioned above, the Broadcast Rate Card is for broadcast technical services. The items and rates listed in the rate card are subject to change and will depend on availability and demand. Requests for items not included in the rate card can also be made, but these cannot be guaranteed. Bookings and requests for broadcast facilities should be directed to the contacts whose details can be found below for the Broadcast Rate Card.

Bookings for items from the Broadcast Rate Card:

Please place your bookings directly on the Eurovision database. The contact person is Nathalie Minard.

Email: bookings@eurovision.net, minard@eurovision.net and iocsession@obs.tv

Tel: +41 22 717 28 44 / +41 79 244 32 94

For more operational information, updates and rate card details, please log onto the Eurovision website:

134th IOC Session and Election of 2026 Winter Olympic Host City - (MULTILATERAL DISTRIBUTION) https://www.eurovision.net/events/sports/on-demand-news/44314

Broadcasters are invited to place their participation request online directly here: www.eurovision.net.

My Eurovision / Booking - https://beta.eurovision.net/myeurovision/booking/event/

134th IOC Session and Election of 2026 Winter Olympic Host City - (NEWS EVENT) https://www.eurovision.net/events/news/sport-entertainment/44592

Broadcasters are invited to place their requests online directly here: www.eurovision.net.

My Eurovision / Booking - https://beta.eurovision.net/myeurovision/booking/event/

General Broadcast Enquiries:

 All bookings and requests for broadcast facilities should also copy OBS at the email address below.

Olympic Broadcasting Services

Contact: Matt Mason/Nuno Barradas

Email: iocsession@obs.tv

Tel: +34 91 839 7500

The deadline for broadcast bookings is Friday 24 May 2019, and priority for facilities and services will be given to broadcasters from the countries of the Candidate Cities. Once the bookings have been confirmed, these two organisations will process their respective invoicing. 

12) Copyright

All broadcasters should note that their broadcasts may not be sponsored in any way which would give the impression that third parties are linked to the Candidate Cities or to the Olympic Games, unless such third parties are Olympic sponsors in the territory in which such broadcasts take place.

13) IOC key contacts

IOC Media Relations:

Contacts: Rachel Rominger, Michael Noyelle, Bernardo Domingues

Phone: +41 21 621 6000

Email: pressoffice@olympic.org

IOC Media Operations:

Contact: Anthony Edgar, Colin Banks

Phone: +41 79 6151327 (Anthony Edgar) / +44 7792 115571 (Colin Banks)

Email: anthony.edgar@olympic.org or cb@colinbanksmedia.com

Important documents to download:

###

The International Olympic Committee is a not-for-profit independent international organisation made up of volunteers, which is committed to building a better world through sport. It redistributes more than 90 per cent of its income to the wider sporting movement, which means that every day the equivalent of 3.4 million US dollars goes to help athletes and sports organisations at all levels around the world.

###

For more information, please contact the IOC Media Relations Team:
Tel: +41 21 621 6000, email: pressoffice@olympic.org, or visit our web site at www.olympic.org.

Broadcast quality footage

The IOC Newsroom: http://iocnewsroom.com/

Videos

YouTube: www.youtube.com/iocmedia

Photos

For an extensive selection of photos available shortly after each event, please follow us on Flickr.

To request archive photos and footage, please contact our Images team at: images@olympic.org.

 
         
   
         
 
If you would like to unsubscribe click here