u/ChristianKlaue

The newly named Athlete Role Models are:

▪️Lisa Barbelin (FRA, archery)

▪️Yasser Hefny (EGY, modern pentathlon)

▪️Yannick Languina (SEN, tennis)

▪️Omar Abdul Aziz Al Marzooqi (UAE, equestrian)

▪️Hiroto Ono (JPN, breaking)

https://preview.redd.it/nybadjy1ic2h1.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=851519d83b68f7697e42176c9854b3bf2e090e0b

Overall, there are now 36 Athlete Role Models, including multiple Olympic champions and medallists.

The Athlete Role Models will be on site in Senegal to provide mentoring and workshop training to young athletes during Dakar 2026

➡️ Full story: https://www.olympics.com/ioc/news/ioc-announces-five-additional-athlete-role-models-for-dakar-2026

The IOC and Marketing & Media Solutions (MMS) have reached an agreement for 2026-2032 free-to-view Olympic Games and Youth Olympic Games media rights in sub-Saharan Africa.

https://preview.redd.it/8snndcq7s22h1.jpg?width=960&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f2c38f3d31969229322fe6741405c9b114acec6b

The agreement covers the Los Angeles 2028 and Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games, and the French Alps 2030 Olympic Winter Games. In addition, MMS has acquired media rights for the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games and the Dolomiti Valtellina 2028 Winter Youth Olympic Games.

44 territories covered: Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad*, Comoros, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti*, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal**, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Togo, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

* Non-exclusive media rights in these territories

** Does not include Youth Olympic Games media rights in this territory

➡️ Full story: https://www.olympics.com/ioc/news/marketing-media-solutions-acquires-olympic-games-media-rights-in-sub-saharan-africa

https://preview.redd.it/zn7v9in8yh1h1.png?width=960&format=png&auto=webp&s=97b915bdd656a0a93f468490ca98a9c6c4126db0

The LA28 Cultural Olympiad will come to life through an expanding series of signature programmes and initiatives:

▪️ 16 official LA28 Art Posters, 8 Olympic and 8 Paralympic, will be created by local artists selected through a jury-led process. Olympic art posters are among the most enduring cultural legacies of any Games. The public unveiling is set for July 2027.

▪️ The Official LA28 Cultural Olympiad Mark ensures that the creative institutions and community organisations that already define the city's cultural life are recognised, amplified and connected to the world's biggest stage — regardless of their size or resources. Applications will open across the region in early 2027.

▪️ The Sport on the Silver Screen series will bring 28 sports films to audiences across the city. There will be free screenings at iconic LA locations, each paired with local food vendors and curated performances.

▪️ A Cultural Olympiad Calendar and Mapping platform will serve as a digital guide to the breadth of programming, launching in January 2028 and gifted to a local partner organisation as a lasting community tool long after the Closing Ceremony.

📎 The full story: https://www.olympics.com/ioc/news/la28-announces-cultural-olympiad-programme

When the “Condom crisis hits Milano Games on Valentine's Day” (Reuters), you have to brace yourself as an IOC communicator at the Olympic Games.

https://preview.redd.it/pzhdkgxfon0h1.jpg?width=1200&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a86bf0422d71c865fe36402fb2fb24451e29ae33

“The most engaging articles today come from leading media highlighting that the Olympic Villages ran out of free condoms only three days into the Games, with organisers assuring that new supplies are on the way,” observed our media monitoring team on the morning of this 14^(th) of February 2026 – Valentine’s Day. “The shortage of condoms at the Milan Olympic Village is also driving conversation on X with several trending posts relaying the story,” they continued.

And what do you do when the “Sex-Alarm!“ (German tabloid BILD) goes on? You roll up your sleeves and start investigating. Is it really true that the “winter athletes like it hot” (BILD)? Or is something else going on here?

But before you have found all the answers, you have to manage the daily press briefing with the global media. And here it is, the question of the day from a highly-experienced Olympic beat reporter, who has seen it time and time again over all these years: “Rule 62 of the Olympic Charter says there must and shall be a condom story.” Laughter breaks out in the press conference room, as there is, of course, no such rule. “Is it just a must have or a nice to have, did they just not order enough?”, he continues his question.

Light-hearted question, light-hearted answer from Mark Adams, our experienced spokesman: “All I would say is that it clearly shows that Valentine’s Day is in full swing in the village and I don’t think I can add much more to that.” (Laughter breaks out again)

First thought when we get back to the office: Groundhog Day again! Just like in so many editions of previous Games.

But let’s see and scan the web. One search and there it is: Olympic-branded condoms on resale platforms. Is this the big secret behind this condom crisis and all the ones before? They seem to work well as souvenirs.

This is confirmed a few days later by a story from Olympian Elizabeth Swaney, who competed at PyeongChang 2018. She writes on Buzzfeed: “With all the headlines about the thousands of condoms handed out at the Olympic Village, people always imagine it’s one giant, international dating app. In reality? Most athletes and coaches are laser-focused on their events. The Village is friendly, yes, but it’s not exactly spring break,” she notes.

On another morning a news alert comes up: “Winter Olympics condoms being sold for £90 online after shortage,“ writes Pink News. “The reason for the extraordinarily quick shortage may be down to people nabbing them as souvenirs or to sell them online.”

I am glad it is over before it really started. Or not: “They’re baa-aaack! Olympics condom supply restocked for horny athletes after 10K were snapped up in just 3 days.“ (New York Post)

Of course, it is Rule 62 of the Olympic Charter! – There must and shall be a condom story at the Olympics. Or two, or three, or more.

Safe sport, safe health, good stories.

When the “Condom crisis hits Milano Games on Valentine's Day” (Reuters), you have to brace yourself as an IOC communicator at the Olympic Games.

https://preview.redd.it/vyhv7oef8k0h1.jpg?width=1200&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2e8ee2a7a8b1089fd60ba319761288d6a51d7173

“The most engaging articles today come from leading media highlighting that the Olympic Villages ran out of free condoms only three days into the Games, with organisers assuring that new supplies are on the way,” observed our media monitoring team on the morning of this 14^(th) of February 2026 – Valentine’s Day. “The shortage of condoms at the Milan Olympic Village is also driving conversation on X with several trending posts relaying the story,” they continued.

And what do you do when the “Sex-Alarm!“ (German tabloid BILD) goes on? You roll up your sleeves and start investigating. Is it really true that the “winter athletes like it hot” (BILD)? Or is something else going on here?

But before you have found all the answers, you have to manage the daily press briefing with the global media. And here it is, the question of the day from a highly-experienced Olympic beat reporter, who has seen it time and time again over all these years: “Rule 62 of the Olympic Charter says there must and shall be a condom story.” Laughter breaks out in the press conference room, as there is, of course, no such rule. “Is it just a must have or a nice to have, did they just not order enough?”, he continues his question.

Light-hearted question, light-hearted answer from Mark Adams, our experienced spokesman: “All I would say is that it clearly shows that Valentine’s Day is in full swing in the village and I don’t think I can add much more to that.” (Laughter breaks out again)

First thought when we get back to the office: Groundhog Day again! Just like in so many editions of previous Games.

But let’s see and scan the web. One search and there it is: Olympic-branded condoms on resale platforms. Is this the big secret behind this condom crisis and all the ones before? They seem to work well as souvenirs.

This is confirmed a few days later by a story from Olympian Elizabeth Swaney, who competed at PyeongChang 2018. She writes on Buzzfeed: “With all the headlines about the thousands of condoms handed out at the Olympic Village, people always imagine it’s one giant, international dating app. In reality? Most athletes and coaches are laser-focused on their events. The Village is friendly, yes, but it’s not exactly spring break,” she notes.

On another morning a news alert comes up: “Winter Olympics condoms being sold for £90 online after shortage,“ writes Pink News. “The reason for the extraordinarily quick shortage may be down to people nabbing them as souvenirs or to sell them online.”

I am glad it is over before it really started. Or not: “They’re baa-aaack! Olympics condom supply restocked for horny athletes after 10K were snapped up in just 3 days.“ (New York Post)

Of course, it is Rule 62 of the Olympic Charter! – There must and shall be a condom story at the Olympics. Or two, or three, or more.

Safe sport, safe health, good stories.