THE EXECUTIVE BOARD OF THE INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE (IOC) EXPRESSED ITS SYMPATHY TO THE PEOPLE AFFECTED BY THE RECENT HURRICANE IN THE CARIBBEAN.
“All our sympathy and thoughts are with the victims and the families who have lost relatives in this natural disaster and with those who have lost their homes and livelihoods,” said the IOC President, Thomas Bach.
“The IOC stands ready to help the National Olympic Committees (NOCs) of the affected countries to help them rebuild sports infrastructure that has been destroyed,” the President continued.
The IOC is contacting the affected NOCs to find out more about the situation in their countries.
An emergency fund of USD 1 million has been set up to support the Caribbean NOCs and the immediate recovery efforts in the countries affected by the hurricane. The contribution is being made jointly by the IOC, Olympic Solidarity and the Pan-American Sports Organisation (PASO).
The IOC will work closely with the NOCs to assess how badly the sports infrastructure has been damaged and to understand their respective situation. Based on the assessment, a decision will be made on the best way to assist them. Once the full picture is clear, the IOC would consider increasing the original amount of the emergency fund.
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The International Olympic Committee is a not-for-profit independent international organisation made up of volunteers, which is committed to building a better world through sport. It redistributes more than 90 per cent of its income to the wider sporting movement, which means that every day the equivalent of 3.25 million US dollars goes to help athletes and sports organisations at all levels around the world.
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Tel: +41 21 621 6000, email: pressoffice@olympic.org, or visit our web site at www.olympic.org.