2024: what a year! Can you give a brief overview of the key moments which marked this extraordinary year and contributed to bringing our Association to a new dimension?   

Indeed, 2024 is a magical year, for Olympism in general, and for the Union. If we take the year chronologically, it began with the Youth Olympic Games in Gangwon. The celebrations of the centenary of the first Olympic Games in Chamonix, followed by those of the 30th anniversary of the designation of Lausanne as the Olympic capital created a festive spring atmosphere! The torch relay lit up the spring and summer, from Olympia to Paris, via Athens, Marseille and many cities in France, including a very spectacular and symbolic stop in Chamonix on Olympic Day. In May, the Union also officially concretised the opening of the membership to Olympic legacy stakeholders as Affiliate Members, which shows the vitality of our association. During the summer, the Olympic & Paralympic Games delighted, surprised, enchanted us, individually and collectively! And finally, autumn was rich in exchanges with the Annual Meeting, the Olympic Legacy Forum, and the smartcities & sport summit for which we designed a unique dive into the Lausanne Olympic Capital backstage, at the heart of International Federations. And the year ended at the top, in Chamonix-Mont-Blanc for our traditional additional trip!

As the Paris Olympic & Paralympic Games are still fresh in all of our memories, what would you like to share with the Union’s Members?  

We all agree that these Games are a fantastic opportunity for Olympic Cities and Olympic legacy stakeholders to fuel their own reflections on how to create legacy for future events and /or activate and reactivate legacy from the past. From intangible to tangible legacy, Paris offers us a great deal of inspiring ideas that have already nurtured our recent gathering and will continue to do so in the future! At the initiative of the City of Paris, Olympic Cities present in Paris had opportunities to discover on-site many initiatives put in place by the city in various districts and for the benefit of the local population, not only during the Games but in the future. After such a shot of collective emotions, doubled with remarkable achievements in terms of inclusiveness and accessibility, we also remain focused on the work which lies ahaed in our respective cities.

In 2023, the World Union of Olympic Cities opened its membership to all Olympic legacy stakeholders, who are now able to join as Affiliate members. What are the opportunities for Olympic legacy stakeholders in joining the Union?  

This year, the Union has never been so strong and the Active members so numerous. We were delighted to welcome as new Members the Métropole du Grand Paris as well as the Australian Cities of Gold Coast and The Sunshine Coast, co-hosts of Brisbane 2032 Olympic & Paralympic Games. They are both already very much involved in preparing the event and its legacy! To enlarge the network and bring more inclusion and diversity to our organisation, in 2023 the General Assembly decided to open the doors of the Union to a new form of Membership dedicated to Olympic legacy stakeholders. In the run up to this year’s annual meeting, no less than 19 Affiliate Members joined the Union! And representatives of 18 of them were present in Lausanne. This brings different expertise and institutional organisation as well as other perspectives on a challenge that we all share: Olympic legacy activation. Olympic legacy stakeholders interested in sharing inspirational initiatives, expanding their networks, strengthening collaborations, and stimulating creativity are welcome to join the Union as Affiliate Members.

The curtain has now fallen on the 2024 annual event. A lot happened during this week of events. What are three highlights from the 2024 edition that have an impact on the Union?  

The Olympic Legacy Forum (OLF) was held for the first time in Lausanne, and the Union is delighted to welcome future editions of the OLF. Olympic Legacy entities joined with interest and dynamism. The Forum allowed for the showcasing of several inspiring and relevant cases of collaboration among a great range of Olympic Legacy stakeholders from Paris, Sarajevo, Lake Placid, London, and the Republic of Korea. We were delighted to welcome so many new Members who will enrich the network, enlarge the field of work, and bring in new perspectives of work and collaboration.
The additional trip to Chamonix-Mont-Blanc allowed us to measure the power of legacy. “Once an Olympic City, Always an Olympic City” is the motto of the Union. No matter when a city hosted the Games, all rely on the mobilisation of all stakeholders – from local and regional authorities to schools, inhabitants, sports clubs and associations, etc. to activate legacy. Reviewing how Chamonix prepared and achieved its centenary celebrations is very inspiring, above all for Olympic Cities who are preparing major anniversary celebrations as well. We are looking forward to learning more about plans from Montréal, Amsterdam, St. Moritz, and many more, and to see how they connect among themselves and with other current and past Host Cities!
And as the Union is already on track for next year, stay tuned and get prepared for a first edition in Seoul and PyeongChang. The Republic of Korea hosted Summer Olympic Games, Winter Olympic Games and Winter Youth Olympic Games. Olympic Cities & Olympic legacy stakeholders have a lot to share with the Union Members on how to foster sport and physical activity while activating their rich and lively Olympic legacies. See you in Seoul & PyeongChang in 2025!