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during the opening of the General Assembly of the International Committee
of the Mediterranean Games in Tunis on 31 st August.
During the Opening Ceremony on the Hill of the Pnyx, the Greek Undersecretary
for Sport Mr Georgios FLORIDIS, the Mayor of Athens Mr Dimitris
AVRAMOPOULOS and the President of the International Paralympic Committee
Mr Robert STEADWARD — the latter representing the Lecturers of the Session -
addressed the Participants.
The President of the Hellenic Olympic Committee and IOC Member Mr Lambis
NIKOLAOU declared the 41 st International Session for Young Participants opened
on 20 th June 2001.
One hundred and sixty-two Participants (79 women and 83 men), 13 Lecturers,
23 Guests and 30 Co-ordinators, i.e. a total of 228 persons from 84 countries, took
part in the Session.
78.8% of the Participants in the Session were University graduates, while
18% among them had already done or were at the time doing post-graduate
studies, which is indicative of the high level of the works of the Session. Nevertheless,
quite a few of the Participants admit that, before taking part in the Session,
they knew very little about the Olympic Movement, which means that some
National Olympic Academies do not train their Participants adequately. It is an
issue to which special attention must be paid by those in charge of the National
Olympic Academies.
All Participants expressed great interest in the works of the Session. The
presentations were for the most part outstanding. Special reference should
be made to the presentations by the Greek Foreign Minister Mr George
PAPANDREOU, Mr Jacques ROGGE, who was elected IOC President a month
later at the Moscow Session, and the Greek Secretary General for the Olympic
Games of the Ministry of Culture Dr Konstantinos KARTALIS.
Participants were also fascinated by the presentations on Doping, Olympic
Education in Sydney, Olympic Solidarity, Volunteers in the Olympic Games and
the Women's Participation in the Games.
The wide-ranging program of the Session and the various activities included
in it, such as the discussion groups, the social evenings, the cultural events, the
dance lessons, the painting, sculpture and poetry workshops, the projections of
films on the Olympic Games, the sports activities and the educational workshops
on the Internet and Olympic Education make the Session a unique learning
experience for Students, but also for Lecturers and Guests alike. More information
on the above-mentioned activities is included in the present Yearbook in the
reports of the Co-ordinators in charge of the various discussions groups and
workshops.
The live transmission of all IOA Sessions on the Internet for the second year
is a special challenge and one of the most successful innovations introduced in
recent years. The experience the group of students learning how to use the
Internet had — in which participated for the first time young men and women from
various regions of our planet — was also very positive. The Co-ordinator of the
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