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Olympic cities
The Union is a non-profit association based in Lausanne, headquarters of the International Olympic Committee. To this day, 42 towns are members of the Union.
Goals & Members
The World Union of Olympic Cities was created by the City of Athens, host of the first Olympic Games and those of the XXVIII Olympiad, and the City of Lausanne, Olympic Capital and host of the 6th Youth Olympic Games.
The active members and associate members are cities – in the sense of public entities – that have already organised, have been elected host cities or selected as candidates to host the Olympic Games or the Youth Olympic Games. Cities that have hosted one or several events of the Olympic Games or the Youth Olympic Games can also be admitted as active members.
The goals of the World Union of Olympic Cities are to:
- facilitate an effective dialogue between former and future host cities, to ensure the continued positive impact of the Olympic Games and Youth Olympic Games and their related sport, cultural and educational initiatives
- support former Olympic host cities by discussing ideas and initiatives that can be implemented in order to maintain positive and sustainable Olympic legacies, and to promote sports and healthy lifestyles
- collaborate together in order to create a better life for future generations through the transmission of Olympic values and ideals from generation to generation
- display the educative nature of the Olympic Movement
- implement cultural activities relating to the functioning of Olympic institutions
- promote the support of cities to Olympic initiatives regarding integrated efforts in favor of peace
- support the cities with Olympic initiatives regarding integrated efforts in favor of sustainable development
- guarantee the transparency and efficiency of the association
City Members
- Amsterdam (Netherlands)
- Antwerp (Belgium)
- Athens (Greece)
- Atlanta (United States)
- Barcelona (Spain)
- Beijing (China)
- Buenos Aires (Argentina)
- Calgary (Canada)
- Chamonix (France)
- Dakar (Senegal)
- Gangneung (South Korea)
- Innsbruck (Austria)
- Jeongseon (South Korea)
- Lake Placid (United States)
- Lausanne (Switzerland)
- London (United Kingdom)
- Los Angeles (United States)
- Mexico City (Mexico)
- Montreal (Canada)
- Moscow (Russia)
- Munich (Germany)
- Nagano (Japan)
- Nanjing (China)
- Paris (France)
- Pyeongchang (South Korea)
- Qingdao (China)
- Qinhuangdao(China)
- Quebec (Canada)
- Reno Tahoe (United States)
- Richmond (United States)
- Rio de Janeiro (Brazil)
- Sapporo (Japan)
- Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
- Singapore (Singapore)
- Sochi (Russia)
- St. Louis (United States)
- St. Moritz (Switzerland)
- Stockholm (Sweden)
- Tokyo (Japan)
Associate Members
- Rotterdam (Netherlands)
Smart Cities & Sport
Smart Cities & Sport – Learn.Share.Connect
Smart Cities and Sport is an initiative of the World Union of Olympic Cities.
It offers an online platform to cities around the world interested in sharing and learning about the smart strategies to effectively connect cities and sport.
Its annual event, the Smart Cities & Sport Summit, stands as a unique opportunity for cities to learn, share and connect, bringing together over 250 cities/regions representatives as well as International Federations and sport world’s actors.
Smart Cities & Sport Summit
The conference is organized for representatives of cities, regions and countries around the world interested in learning more about effective and smart strategies that connect sport and cities. Whether the vision is, to host other sporting event or to create new ways to develop a city with an active and healthy life-style, the conference will provide the most high-level and prestigious platform ever for exchange of ideas and experience among cities of all sizes.
The World Union of Olympic Cities is very proud of the success of the sixth edition of the Smart Cities & Sport Summit that took place on November 12-14 2019 in Tokyo, Japan.
Informations
Annual Meeting of the World Union of Olympic Cities
The Annual Meeting of the World Union of Olympic Cities is exclusively reserved to Olympic Cities and is organized in strong collaboration with the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
The Annual Meeting is a platform to promote a proactive management of the Games’ legacies. With this platform, the Union will encourage the many ways former, current and future host cities of the Games can maximize the tangible and intangible legacies of the Games based on the sharing of experiences and knowledge.
The next Annual Meeting of the World Union of Olympic Cities will be held end of 2020.
Message from the President
World Union of Olympic Cities President
“Hosting the Olympic Games is a privilege and a huge challenge shared by only few cities around the World. The World Union of Olympic Cities is the only association which brings together the cities which has organized, or will organize the Olympic or Youth Olympic Games, both summer and winter. Joined together the Olympic Cities have the opportunity to exchange knowledge and best practices in order to improve and maintain the Olympic legacy within their cities, because the Olympic Games are not just 16 days of events and competitions; it can be a great opportunity for cities to develop projects and values.
With its new initiative the Smart Cities & Sport Summit organized in Lausanne, the Union now reaches out to cities of all sizes to share experiences and to learn from world class experts.
After last six years success, it will be my pleasure to receive cities from all around the world to the Smart Cities & Sport Summit, on October 26-28, in Lausanne – Switzerland.”
Grégoire Junod
President of the World Union of Olympic Cities
Word from the IOC
IOC President
“The World Union of Olympic Cities plays an important role in sustaining the dialogue between past and future Olympic Host Cities. As the IOC looks to give more flexibility to bid cities, this transfer of knowledge is even more crucial as the cities set out to determine what long-term social, economic and sporting benefits they want to derive from hosting the Olympic Games.
Through this dialogue, future host cities can learn how to reduce and control costs. They can better understand the difference between operational costs, which are largely offset by a substantial financial contribution from the IOC, and infrastructure investments.
Cities can therefore prepare budgets that suit their region’s individual needs. They can discover the best practices of previous Host Cities and adapt those lessons to their own context. Above all, cities interested in hosting the Olympic Games should be encouraged to take their own initiatives, based on how they see the Olympic Games benefiting their unique circumstances and the local population. Only then will they be able to get the most out of their projects.
By acting as a conduit between past and future Olympic Host Cities, the World Union of Olympic Cities has a critical function in helping Olympic Cities create sustainable legacies both before, during and long after the 16 days of competition are over.”
Thomas Bach, IOC President