The IOC Olympic Prize
by Benno M. Nigg
The joint program of the IOC Medical Commission and Pfizer has four components dealing with movement, exercise and sport:
- IOC Olympic Prize
- IOC World Congress
- IOC Olympic Academy of Science
- IOC Research Projects
This article focuses on the World Congress.
Issues related to movement, exercise and sport are typically interdisciplinary in nature; a single-discipline approach is rarely productive. To come up with answers and to make progress, teams of experts from many different backgrounds must work together. Yet most scientific congresses related to movement, exercise and sport are discipline-oriented. The goal of the IOC World Congress (www.iocworldcongress.org) is to provide an interdisciplinary, topic-related forum for scientists from many fields to meet and to exchange ideas. The IOC World Congress unites scientists from the biological, physical, behavioral and medical disciplines for the purpose of sharing their knowledge with an international audience of physicians, therapists, scientists, and coaches. Past Congresses have proved to be valuable launching pads for advances in the science related to movement, exercise and sport.
As a rule, the IOC World Congress takes place in the host city for the Olympic Games a few months before the Games. The next one, the sixth since its initiation, will take place in Salt Lake City September 16-21, 2001. Its theme is Science and Medicine of Human Movement. The various sessions will deal with questions related to movement, exercise and sport, general physical activity, healthy lifestyles and the prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation of injuries. There will also be a special session (Wednesday) highlighting technology related to the study of movement, exercise and sport and the application of the internet in relation to these issues.
The Fifth IOC World Congress in Sydney in 1999 was very successful and attracted about 1200 participants. It is expected that the Sixth Congress in Salt Lake City will attract even more participants.
The Congress Program includes over 25 keynote and invited speakers. The keynote lectures of the IOC Congress include several highlights such as:
- Dr John O. Holloszy, University of Washington, St. Louis, USA Recipient of 2000 IOC Olympic Prize: Establishing the Relationship between Mitochondria, Exercise and Health.
- Dr Jim Sallis, San Diego State University, San Diego, USA Keynote for the Behavioral Section: Motivating Youth to Exercise: A Public Health Perspective.
- Dr Ben Levine, Institute for Exercise and Env. Medicine, Dallas, USA and Dr Jim Stray-Gundersen, Norges Idrettschøgskole, Oslo, Norway Keynote for the Biological Section: Living High, Training Low: Development of the Paradigm.
- Dr Erich Müller, University of Salzburg, Austria Keynote for the Physical Section: Biomechanics and Training of Elite Skiers.
- Dr Andrew Pipe, University of Ottawa, Canada Keynote for the Medical Section: Responsible Medicine in Amateur Sports
- Dr Jos de Koning, University of Amsterdam, Netherlands Keynote for the Technology Section: Ideas to Practice Using New Technology and Science to Derive Practical Applications to Help Coaches/Athletes Improve Performance.
Further invited speakers and symposia organisers include:
Ackland, Tim, PhD. Australia
Baumann, Adrian, PhD, Australia
Burke, Louise, PhD. Australia
Carron, Albert, PhD, Canada
Foster, Carl, PhD. USA
Hahn, Allan, PhD, Australia
Hartfield, Brad, PhD, USA
Hay, James G. PhD, New Zealand
Heil, John, MD, USA
Johnson, Robert, J., MD, USA
Johnson, Steven C. PhD, USA
Kram, Roger, PhD, USA
McNitt-Gray, Jill, PhD, USA
Mester, Joachim, PhD, Germany
Mohr, Tom, PT, PhD, USA
Mutrie, Nanette, PhD, Scotland
Nigg, Claudio, PhD, USA
Paulos, Lonnie, MD, USA
Richardson, Bill, PhD. Canada
Rollins, Douglas E., MD, PhD, USA
Rosenberg, Thomas, MD, USA
Rundell, Ken, PhD, USA
Rusko, Heikki, PhD, Finland
Saltin, Bengt, PhD, Denmark
Steadmann, Richard, MD, USA
Stone, Mike, PhD, Scotland
Van den Bogert, Antonie, PhD, USA
Yeadon, Fred M.R. PhD, UK
- Special Highlight of the Congress
The Opening Ceremony of the IOC World Congress has a very special highlight. The winner of the prestigious IOC Olympic Prize, valued at $500,000 will be announced. The prize is awarded every two years to one or more scientists for specific findings resulting from outstanding basic and/or applied research in the fields of medical, biological, physical, or psychological science related to human movement, exercise and/or sport. The Selection Committee for the IOC Olympic Prize will meet immediately before the Congress to determine the winner. This will be the fourth time the prize has been awarded.
- Research Awards
Four research awards of $US2500 will be given to the best conference papers in each of the four Sections of the Congress: behavioral, biological, medical, and physical.
- Closing Dinner Ceremony
The closing dinner for the IOC World Congress will be ice-side in the Utah Olympic Oval, site of the 2002 Games long track speed skating events. Musical entertainment and speed skating will make this a memorable event.
- Olympic Venue Tour
Participants will tour some of the 2002 Games venues, including the Rice-Eccles Stadium, site of the opening and closing ceremonies, the Utah Olympic Park, site of the bobsleigh, luge, ski jumping and Nordic combined events and Park City (ski and snowboarding venues).
All lunches, the Olympic Venue Tour, the Opening Ceremony, and the closing ceremony are included in the registration fee making this event an excellent value.
For more information visit www.iocworldcongress.org; Telephone: (801) 212-3472; Fax: (801) 212-2440
The Sixth IOC World Congress is under the auspices of the IOC's Medical Commission and is endowed by Pfizer Inc. The Congress is endorsed by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the Federation Internationale de Medicine du Sport (FIMS). The local organiser of the Congress is Todd Allinger, PhD.