The NOC of Singapore, created in 1947, is, like its country, a model of efficiency and modernity, which fulfils its mission with perfection.

 
I should also like to pay tribute to our colleague, Ser Miang Ng, for his dynamism and great support for Olympism.

 
This 117th IOC Session will be very important and comes at a time in which the IOC is in an excellent state.

 
The Olympic Movement has just enjoyed a series of Olympic Winter and Summer Games of extremely high quality, and I once again pay tribute to our Greek friends for their unforgettable, dream Games in Athens.

 
The IOC has been able to affirm its values by making important progress in our first priority, the fight against doping, in both Salt Lake City and Athens. This reinforces the trust of the athletes in clean competition, and that of the general public in the image of the Games.

 
In Turin, Beijing and Vancouver, we shall intensify our efforts even more by increasing the number of tests. The IOC will continue to support WADA, which it created with the Olympic Movement and governments in 1999. We are delighted by the progress demonstrated by our American friends and in particular the United States Congress to bring the American professional leagues in line with international standards.

 
For the Olympic Games of 2012, the Olympic Movement has received candidatures from five prestigious cities, all perfectly capable of organising Games of the highest quality. Numerous candidatures are already emerging for the 2014 and 2016 Games. The IOC will continue to give its valuable financial, technical and expert support to the Bidding and Organising Committees. We shall also pursue our efforts to control the size, cost and complexity of the Games.

 
The IOC’s financial resources are solid for the short-, medium- and long-term future, thanks to broadcasting and sponsorship contracts showing a considerable increase. These increases enabled us to give a very significant and unprecedented financial support to the International Federations and the National Olympic Committees after the Athens Games.

 
During this Session, the IOC members will have to make some important choices.

 
The election of the host city for the 2012 Games will not be easy in view of the very high quality of the candidates. The members will be assisted in their task by the objective, in-depth and impartial report of the Evaluation Commission. I should like to pay a particular tribute to Mrs Nawal El Moutawakel and her colleagues for their remarkable work.

 
Four cities will, of course, be deeply disappointed, but they should know that a candidature, even if it is not selected, leaves a tangible legacy. Indeed, a candidature allows city’s resources to be pooled around one project and results in a pioneering vision for future sporting and urban development by analysing strengths, weaknesses and priorities.

 
This highly useful exercise would be unlikely to come to fruition without the inspiring project of the Games.

 
In view of their assets and qualities, we would, of course, be very pleased to see at future elections the cities not chosen now as the host city. They should know that the quality of their Candidature File would give them an excellent chance.

 
The other important choice faced by the members is that of the composition of the Olympic programme for 2012. The IOC and the Olympic Movement are currently enjoying a favourable situation, thanks to the appeal and success of the Games, the values that we defend, and thanks to the great financial resources that we are able to re-distribute. We must ensure that this is the case in the future.

 
Any responsible and prudent organisation must think ahead to the long term and acquire, especially in periods of affluence, the tools and mechanisms which will allow it to anticipate rather than react.

 
In this framework lie the 117 measures taken by the IOC to control the size and complexity of the Games. The Olympic Games are today still perfectly manageable but cannot be allowed to grow.

 
It was for this reason that we took the decision to limit the programme to a maximum of 28 sports, 301 events and 10,500 athletes. This limit must not be exceeded since it would risk creating organisational difficulties.

 
It is in the same framework that we took the decision to review the Olympic programme after each edition of the Games, while at the same time, respecting a period of seven years in order not to penalise the athletes of the actual generation. The members will use their vote responsibly and with circumspection.

 
Their decision will have a great impact on the athletes, including those whose sports are currently on the programme and those whose sports aspire to one day be part of it.

 
Whatever the immediate decision taken by the Session, whether confirming or eventually modifying the programme, the most important thing is that the IOC is equipped with a process that will allow it, after each Games, to manage and prepare the future of the programme by having the capacity to anticipate, rather than the obligation to react.

 
The members will be assisted in their task by the excellent report prepared by Mr Carraro and his colleagues on the Olympic Programme Commission.

 
Le futur du Mouvement olympique et du CIO est prometteur. Cette Session nous permettra de bien préparer l’avenir.

 
Je tiens à remercier les membres du CIO pour leur soutien sans faille.

 
Je remercie aussi la famille olympique tout entière de son partenariat - les Fédérations Internationales, les Comités Nationaux Olympiques et les athlètes, les villes candidates et les comités d’organisation.

 
Je remercie nos partenaires de la télévision et du monde de l’entreprise, et ainsi que les médias, indispensables, qui répercutent notre message et nos valeurs.`

Source: IOC Newsletter