On the agenda were numerous points including reports by the IOC commissions and directors.

On the marketing front, it was reported that the Top Olympic Programme (TOP) is the strongest programme to date, with 11 partners currently on board. Revenue for TOP VI (2005-2008) is also expected to be up 31% from TOP V (2001-2004), which generated USD 603 million. TOP VII covering the Games in 2010 and 2012 currently has five partners signed up, with ATOS Origin being the latest, and 10 partners in total are expected.

It was also reported that the Organising Committee for the XX Olympic Winter Games – Torino 2006 (TOROC) had met its revenue target from marketing, while the Organising Committees for Beijing 2008 and Vancouver 2010 had already exceeded the revenue targets in their bid books for marketing.

The EB approved the Host City Contract for the Games of the XXX Olympiad, the contract that the winning city will sign on 6 July 2005 at the press conference that follows the Host City vote.

The EB also decided to uphold the request by the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF) to announce only the overall outcome of the votes cast for each sport by the IOC members when they decide on the composition of the 2012 Olympic Programme on 8 July.

With Torino 2006 less than nine months away, the EB approved the list of candidates nominated by their National Olympic Committees (NOCs) for the election to the IOC’s Athletes’ Commission during these Games. Fifteen athletes have been nominated.

Another decision of the EB was to reconfirm Pernilla Wiberg as the Athletes’ Commission representative to the IOC Ethics Commission. She initially took over from Mrs Yaping Deng to complete the two years remaining in that term. Pernilla Wiberg will now serve a further four years.

Further to the decision by the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) to disqualify the horse, Waterford Crystal, and its rider, Mr Cian O’Connor, from the show-jumping event at the Athens Games in 2004, the EB decided to redistribute the medals and diplomas according to the new results. The gold medal now goes to Rodrigo Pessoa of Brazil.

On the medical front, it was announced that the number of doping tests during the Games period at Torino 2006 will increase by 45%. The athletes doping control form will also now be adapted to include the name of the athlete’s coach and doctor after a proposal was made by the IOC’s Athletes’ Commission that this information be added.

During the press conference, the IOC President pointed out that the 117th IOC Session marked the half-way point of his first term as IOC President and took the opportunity to reflect upon his term so far and the previous quadrennial. The President commented on the two excellent Games that he has lived as President, namely Salt Lake City and Athens and looked at the healthy state of the finances of the IOC, with reserves now running at USD 244 million, which would allow the IOC to survive for four years should the Olympic Games not to take place.

After reports to the EB by the chairmen of each of the future Olympic Games Coordination Commissions, President Rogge gave a brief overview of the Organising Committee’s progress. Torino 2006 is moving ahead and has a good team in place, he said. Preparations for Beijing 2008 and Vancouver 2010 are progressing smoothly and Vancouver 2010 has begun extremely well. The President also mentioned the improved support that the IOC was offering to the Organising Committees to help them become more efficient at hosting the Games.

The President summed-up his first four years by commenting, “The past is the past; and it has gone extremely well. But I prefer to look to the future and to the good things that I believe lie ahead of us. The Olympic Movement is in excellent shape and this makes me a happy man.”

Source: IOC Press Release