TOKYO, 05 AUGUST 2021‍

Did you know that you’re already involved?‍

If you’re reading this, chances are you and your friends are already taking part in Olympic Solidarity. You may have been for some time.

If you’re reading this, it’s highly likely you’re following the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. 

And if you’ve been watching Tokyo Olympic Games news and livestream, you have contributed to the purchase of sporting equipment for a sport federation in Kiribati, an Olympic scholarship for a swimmer in Micronesia, travel for a weightlifter from Nauru to attend competitions.

You may have contributed to internet connection for an athlete to attend an online training from a remote island in the Pacific Ocean.

Put running shoes on the feet of a child. 

That’s through the Olympic Solidarity Programme, better known in the Olympic Movement as OS. It is the flagship programme of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and primarily funds athlete development. 

Click here to find out more about the IOC OS programme‍

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How you build and fund the Olympic Solidarity Programme‍

If you’ve followed an Olympic athlete or team, you’re a microstat that contributes to the development of athletes, sport development, and sending athletes to Games, and most recently, to enabling post-sport career pathways for the best among us.

Your patronage and engagement through media is what drives the Olympic Games’ top sponsors to invest in the four-year quadrennial cycles through broadcasting. 

The  broadcasting rights for all editions are sold and about 90 percent of revenues channelled to direct athlete development, support to National Olympic Committees in almost 200 countries, and to sporting federations across the world. 

Click here to find out more about broadcasting rights and sponsorship

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The Oceania Continent

According to Meli Cavu, Officer-in-Charge at the Oceania National Olympic Committees (ONOC), had it not been for OS, four Pacific island countries would not have been able to attend the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. 

“For four of our National Olympic Committees, OS funding has allowed their athletes and team officials to come to Tokyo,” said Cavu.

“Due to travel restrictions, these four NOCs would otherwise not have been able to travel for these Games.”

Cavu added that, “In terms of preparation towards these Games, OS has made it possible for athletes to go into training camps and attend elite competitions. 

“A good example is the Team Support Grant that the Fiji NOC helped secure for the Fiji Women’s 7s Rugby team.

“At the same time, through the Oceania Sport Education Programme [OSEP], it has meant more trained people in the region to support our athletes.”

Click here to access the ONOC OS page

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‍Importance to Oceania‍

The Olympic Solidarity Programme is designed to respond to the needs of regions and NOCs ‘where it is most needed’. 

Cavu said, “The OS programme is very important to NOCs as a large number of them depend solely on this funding to carry out sporting activities in their countries, as well as preparation for national, regional and International Games. 

“Governments assist in some way with these NOCs. However, OS’s involvement in the region means there is a definite source of funding available to them.

He further said, “While we would like to see more NOCs taking advantage of the many more grants and programmes on offer by OS, the common ones that all NOCs use are a big help to them.

“These include the administration subsidy, national activities programme grants, and preparation toward national and regional games.”‍

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How COVID-19 pandemic has impacted OS in Oceania‍

One of the positive outcomes of the OS programme is its overall 16 percent increase and support to athletes increased by 25 percent despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. This was due to top Olympic sponsors pledging to continue sponsorship despite the one-year delay of the Tokyo Olympic Games.

This translated to targeted funding lines to athletes, coaches and other specialist sporting personnel to assist the maintaining of physical form with due care to mental health. 

Read more about the story announcing the increase in funding

It has also led to a significant increase as to what is available to athletes, NOCs and Continental Associations. 

However, the Pacific islands NOCs face a different complexity. 

According to Cavu, “Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic has meant that a number of our NOCs have not been able to conduct planned activities. 

“This leaves them with unspent funds so our NOCs are exploring new concepts such as moving to virtual training and stronger and more creative collaboration with their governments and other partners to conduct sporting activities.”

These are particularly important in countries where COVID-19 is contained and also in the Pacific island countries which have remained COVID-free to date. 

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Some important achievements under OS in Oceania‍

Cavu shared an impressive list of notable achievements that Pacific island countries have achieved through their NOCs. 

One of Oceania’s most unique programmes under OS is called OlympOceania which funds every NOC to secure infrastructure in home countries, a permanent home to host the NOC and where possible, administrative space for member national sporting federations.

Its most recent achievement is the podium finish of the Fiji Men’s and Women’s Sevens Rugby Teams in Tokyo. 

There was also an increased degree of trained athlete entourage in the form of team managers, coaches and administrators able to support athletes better.

Cavu said, “In the lead up to the Games, there was preparation through the ‘Road to Tokyo’ national activities programme.  

He added that highlights include, “normal annual grants of support toward the purchase of sports equipment, specialist sports personnel salary grants, and in the Games year, travel to the Tokyo Games for all NOCs.

‘Our support also covers facilitation of the internal Olympic principles of good governance, under theme 4 which covers Accountability, Transparency and Control where we are assisting our NOCs to practice responsible autonomy.”

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Message from Oceania Olympic Solidarity to young Pacific islanders

Cavu said there is a dearth of opportunities in sport whether one comes in as an athlete or through other innovative career pathways.

“I encourage young people to explore opportunities and learn more about the sporting industry in Oceania.

“Go for it! You could either be a professional athlete, vying for a medal in future Olympics or you may want to pursue a career in sports management, or being any member of the athlete entourage as a team doctor, psychologist, physiotherapist, nutritionist to help support athletes.”

Cavu added that, “If anything, this Games has taught us a lot about courage - whether it is courage needed to train at home and adjusting to the ’new norm’, courage to give it your best despite your circumstances, courage to not only participate but to medal or just the courage to travel in the face of a pandemic and being mentally tough and possessing the right attitude to deal with it head on." 

“A number of records have already been broken. Japan has been courageous too through it all, hosting an amazing Games thus far. Courage in the face of adversity is to me what this Games is all about."

The Olympic Solidarity Programme is governed by the Olympic Solidarity Commission. The Commission President is Dr Robin Mitchell of Fiji.

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