Olympic Solidarity is the funding agency for the International Olympic Committee. It is this agency, combined with the IOC’s NOC Relations Department, that manages funding programmes. The Olympic Solidarity provides guidance and support, and also scrutinizes the activities of NOCs, to ensure they conform to the Olympic Statutes and the Olympic Charter.
Annually, Olympic Solidarity organizes a regional workshop for all NOCs in the Americas, with various management themes and at the same time, provides information on the funding programmes available for the four-year Olympiad. This workshop was usually held in Mexico but recently, the IOC decided to hold two workshops per annum in the Americas: one for Spanish-speaking countries and a second for English-speaking countries. Barbados is honoured that, in 2014, the regional workshop for English-speaking countries in the Americas will be held here, commencing on October 14th and concluding on the 15th. This workshop will attract delegates from the English, French and Dutch-speaking countries in the Americas, inclusive of Canada and the United States.
The primary theme of this workshop is good governance and transparency programmes within NOCs and Barbados was chosen because we are renowned for maintaining a high level of governance procedures, management principles and structures. In this regard, our NOC will be making presentations on structure and legal requirements, the election process, decisions/appeals/disputes.
Olympic Solidarity will be travelling with a team of five persons from the Olympic headquarters in Lausanne, including the Manager of NOC Relations for the Americas and Senior Legal Officer in the Department of NOC Relations. The fact that Barbados has been selected to host this workshop again is an indication of the high esteem in which we are held by the International Olympic Committee. It is anticipated that 19 countries will send two delegates with support personnel. The total complement for the workshop will be approximately 50 persons and will be opened by the Hon Stephen Lashley, Minister of Family, Culture, Youth Affairs and Sport.