International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach and Panam Sports President Neven Ilic visited seven countries during a marathon 11-day tour.
Inaugurations of venues, meetings with sports authorities and above all, sharing moments with the athletes of each country were the objectives of the visits. Click here to view photos.
Across 11 days, two renowned leaders of the worldwide Olympic Movement visited various countries in Central America and the Caribbean, including: Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, Barbados and Aruba. These countries welcomed the President of the International Olympic Committee, Thomas Bach, and Panam Sports President Neven Ilic with open arms.
The tour was an opportunity for both sport leaders to spend time with athletes, NOC leaders and government authorities of each nation.
This “Olympic Tour” included several inaugurations of sport venues and NOC offices and their respective ribbon cuttings. The Athletics Track of the Pan American Stadium in Havana, Cuba; the new headquarters of Centro Caribe Sports in the Dominican Republic; and the new offices of Aruba’s Olympic Committee.
Thomas Bach spoke with the press in Aruba and gave a positive assessment of this important tour for the countries of the Americas.
“We are very happy with this visit. It was exciting to have the opportunity to meet the entire Olympic community and meet so many children, young athletes, where you could see the passion for Olympic sports and the value of sports. We are very grateful to all the NOCs,” said IOC President Thomas Bach.
“Having the President of the IOC with us touring different countries in our region fills us all with pride. It is impressive how they have welcomed us with open arms. We are very happy with this tour and we look forward to doing it again in the near future,” added Panam Sports President Neven Ilic.
The scheduling of the tour unfortunately prevented the two renowned leaders from attending the inaugural Women in Sport Forum held in Panama, although both managed to connect via video calls to speak with the participants and congratulate them on the beginning of a successful new tradition for the Americas.
Click here to view the impressive photo gallery from the tour.
