COC Visits With U.S., International Olympic Committees to Strengthens International Relations
Joint reviews of sponsorship, marketing and sport were the foundation of recent meetings held with the US and International Olympic Committees as the Canadian Olympic Committee continued to forge ahead and bolster international relations with several of the world’s leading sport governing bodies.
“We are proud of the close relationship we hold with our neighbours to the south – true world-class advocates and leaders of the Olympic Movement,” said Marcel Aubut, COC President. “Having the opportunity to meet, share best practices and build cooperative relationships with them and other great leaders such as the IOC, is a reminder that we must strive to continually push ourselves to surpass expectations.”
“We are on the right track,” stated Jean R. Dupré, COC CEO and Secretary General. “Our thinking and philosophy mirrors those of our peers, and acts as reinforcement that we are headed in the right direction. We will continue to do everything in our power to promote and support the elite athletes of our nation and provide them with the resources to excel on the world stage.”
While in Colorado Springs, the Canadian delegation, with Aubut, Dupré, COO Chris Overholt and Executive Managing Director of Sport and NSF Relations Caroline Assalian, met with the USOC and explored the possible pursuit of mutual opportunities in marketing, sponsorship, sport and international relations. Throughout the three-day meeting, the groups also identified similarities in such areas as bid processes and national sport governing body services.
“Meeting and learning from other established NOC’s will allow us to offer a higher level of service to our sports,” said Assalian. “In addition, collaboration in the area of Games Operations will not only mutually benefit our respective Teams, it will assist organizers of multi-sport Games.”
Following the conclusion of the meeting in Colorado, both the Canadian and American committees agreed to pursuit further bilateral meetings in other areas of business. The first of those meetings will provide an opportunity for the respective marketing and communications teams to meet over the next few months to share and review best practices, ways of collaborating and new initiatives.
While in Switzerland, Aubut and Dupré benefitted from productive sessions with the IOC President and executives, touching on areas such as Olympic solidarity, commercial and television rights and governance structure. The COC’s objective was to gather further information and determine ways in which it could best serve and benefit its national sport federations and partners and expand the Olympic Movement in Canada.
“Though the Olympic Movement is prevalent around the world, it still remains a close-knit and welcoming community where everyone can contribute and benefit from others experience and expertise. By developing and maintaining these relationships, the COC is in a position to be more efficient and pertinent in both its dealings with the Canadian sport community and within the international sport landscape,” concluded Aubut.
