IOC President Thomas Bach participates in brand new Athletes' Townhall event

Lausanne (IOC/FIL) Athletes from around the world gathered online on 27 and 28 July 2022 for the Athletes' Townhall - a first-ever event organised by the IOC Athletes' Commission for Olympians who participated in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games. On the first day, participants discussed their experiences and celebrated their successes at these Games and put their questions to IOC President Thomas Bach in an exclusive Q&A session. 
"Athlete365 is a community of over 130,000 athletes and members of the surrounding community," said IOC Athletes' Commission (AC) Chair Emma Terho at the Town Hall opening. "Over 30,000 Olympians are members of Athlete365, and through our website and social media we offer a wide range of resources, offers and support for you, the athletes, to help you succeed on and off the field."

Exclusive Q&A with IOC President Thomas Bach

The two-day event was hosted by British Olympian Jeanette Kwakye. The highlight of the first day was an exclusive Q&A session with the IOC President, who took questions on a range of topics. As an Olympic champion in fencing and a founding member of the IOC Athletes' Commission (AC), President Bach is very familiar with the needs of athletes and was able to share some news from the Olympic movement in recent months. Athletes from all over the world had the opportunity to ask questions directly via the livestream.
"I am very relieved that we were able to make Tokyo 2020 a reality with all our partners and I am still very touched by the many comments from so many athletes, whether from Tokyo or Beijing, who came to us and confirmed this," President Bach said after being asked about the challenges that had to be overcome to make Tokyo 2020 and Beijing 2022 a success.

For more information on Athlete Town Hall and the support the IOC provides to athletes, visit Athlete365.

photos: IOC / Christophe Moratal