INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC ACADEMY 7th JOINT - IOA

things to the diffusion of Olympism in the teaching programmes of
physical education and sport in schools and university establishments.
They see to the creation of institutions, which devote themselves to
Olympic education. In particular, they concern themselves with the
establishment and activities of National Olympic Academies, Olympic
Museums and cultural programmes related to the Olympic Movement.
The purpose of the eight special fields programme is to promote
sport in the specific sectors that are not covered by the other areas of
Olympic Solidarity and to compliment the Olympic Charter. Most are
implemented jointly with the certain IOC Commission. For this
quadrennial two new programmes have been added to the existing
ones. The first “NOC Legacy” assists NOCs to preserve their national
Olympic history and heritage and thus be able to hand down to future
generations the history of Olympism and great stages of development
of sport in their country. The second “Culture and Olympic
Education” makes it possible for NOCs to establish and disseminate
national programmes for promotion of culture and Olympic education
as well as research in this field. This programme is a natural
complement to the International Olympic Academy programme whose
education mission includes the study and teaching of the history of the
Olympic games, the promotion of their ideals among future sports
administrators.
During this Olympic year, we are seeing many cultural
programmes and events being developed. Of course, one of the most
important will be the Cultural programme of “Athens 2004” which
will demonstrate the cultural aspects of the Olympic Games and
transfer the Olympic Experience beyond the Competition Venues.
Many NOCs and NOAs have put in place a wide variety of
specific programmes with the common aim of promoting the cultural
activities prior to the Olympic Games.
In the year 2000, the IOC organised an Olympic Sport and Art
Contest which was a great success and building on this, a second
Contest was organised to further develop an active synergy between
the worlds of art and sport. The most recent competition took place
first at national level and all NOCs were invited to encourage art
schools and other cultural organisations to identify possible works of
art in two categories, sculptures and graphic works within the theme
of “Sport and Olympism” and organise a national contest in order that
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