Lausanne, Nov 1, 2013: International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach today paid a visit to the President of the Swiss Confederation, Ueli Maurer, in Bern.
In the presence of the Director of Switzerland’s Federal Office for Sport, Matthias Remund, and personal adviser Jean-Blaise Defago, Maurer welcomed President Bach to the Federal Palace for a one-hour courtesy meeting. President Bach was accompanied by IOC Director General Christophe de Kepper.
During the meeting, President Bach took the opportunity to praise the long ties between the Olympic Movement and Switzerland and the excellent relationship between the IOC, the Swiss Confederation, the Canton of Vaud and the City of Lausanne.
The newly elected IOC President stressed his commitment to nurturing relations with the local authorities in the future. He added that the renovation of The Olympic Museum, which is due to be inaugurated on 10 December in the presence of Maurer, and the planned extension of the IOC Headquarters were a clear indication of the IOC’s commitment to further strengthening its presence in Lausanne.
President Bach commended the energy and means deployed by the Confederation to promote and develop sport across the country and the capacity of Switzerland to host successful sports events.
With fewer than 100 days to go before the start of the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games, the two men also touched upon the Swiss team’s presence in Russia next February.
They also discussed topics of common interest and importance to the Olympic Movement, including the fight against doping, the efforts initiated by the sports movement to protect the integrity of sport from such threats as match-fixing, and the autonomy of sports organisations based on good-governance principles. —- IOC/Photo ©Keystone
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