Olympians to benefit from newly launched Olympic Athletes’ Hub

24 | 2 | 2016

A new digital platform developed for Olympians by Olympians is being launched today by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The Olympic Athletes’ Hub will bring Olympians closer together by creating an active, online community of elite athletes around the world.

With a focus on information sharing, athlete welfare and education, the Olympic Athlete’s Hub will offer an accessible platform for Olympians everywhere to seek support, knowledge and insight at each stage of their career; from pre-Games training, tips and techniques to assistance during Games-time and post-Games career transition advice and support.

Born out of the Olympic Agenda 2020 reforms which advocated increased support for athletes both on and off the field of play, ensuring the athlete experience was at the heart of the Olympic Games and engaging more effectively with the athlete community, the virtual hub will make it easy for Olympians to stay up to date on the latest news, events and projects from within the Olympic Movement.

Olympian Ana Jelušic, who represented Croatia at three Winter Olympic Games, has been managing the project from the early stages of its development since she joined the IOC in June 2015. She sees the Hub as an ideal way for Olympians to support each other throughout their careers.

“Having a structured way of viewing IOC resources and direct access to all the relevant information will hopefully make a huge difference to Olympians especially in the lead up to, during and directly following an Olympic Games. We built a platform which will allow athletes to be part of an active community of Olympians who are all going through similar experiences and that can make a big difference to the athlete experience.

“It’s definitely a tool I would have found helpful at previous Games – there is so much going on for an Olympian during Games-time and this platform will allow easy access to any support or information they might need.

“As an Olympian, working on this project has been a very rewarding experience. Being able to bring an athlete’s perspective and input to the design and functionality of the Hub has been one of the most fun parts of the process and a great way to stay connected to my sports background.”

IOC Athletes’ Commission Chair Claudia Bokel said:

“We at the IOC Athletes’ Commission are excited to welcome you to the new Olympic Athletes’ Hub. We hope that you enjoy using it as much as we do!”

WOA President Joël Bouzou said:

“We are very excited about the IOC’s Olympic Athletes’ Hub and can see it having an enormous benefit for Olympians at all stages of their careers. Agenda 2020 has been an important factor in ensuring Olympians remain at the heart of the Olympic Movement and we applaud the IOC for following through on the recommendation to create a virtual hub for athletes that will grow and develop with the Olympian community in the coming months and years.”

The Olympic Athletes’ Hub is aimed at all athletes that have previously competed at a Summer or Winter Olympic Games and those preparing for one of the next editions. Once signed in, Olympians will have access to a range of perks including special offers, courses and programmes, the IOC resource library and an Olympians-only online forum.

For first time Olympians who have qualified for Rio 2016, the App will be pre-loaded onto the Samsung phone which will be given to athletes upon arrival so all Olympians will be plugged into the Hub from the start of the Games to help guide them through their Rio experience.

You can find out more and access the Olympic Athletes’ Hub via the following link: www.olympic.org/athleteshub