Nita Ambani, Founder and Chairperson of Reliance Foundation, has been nominated as a candidate to be a new member, pending election, of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), headquartered at Lausanne, Switzerland on Friday. The election will be held at the 129th IOC Session that will take place in Rio de Janeiro between 2nd and 4th August 2016. The independent selection process follows a new procedure for recruitment of IOC members based on the Olympic Agenda 2020 recommendations. Once elected, she will continue to be a member until the age of 70. She is the first Indian woman to be nominated to the International Olympic Committee and is a recognition of her passionate work in the area of education and sports, especially grassroots initiatives in India from football to basketball.
Nita Ambani has been involved in promoting multiple sports in the country with focus on developing talent through a number of large-scale grassroots level initiatives. The grassroots programmes that she has initiated has reached out to over 30 lakh children. Nita Ambani said, “It is truly a great honour and privilege to be nominated by IOC. I am humbled that my name has been recommended for election as a member of the IOC. I believe in the power of sport to consolidate communities and bridge gaps between cultures and generations. My Foundation focuses on how sport can galvanise communities’ particularly in rural areas and develop great leadership. I am looking forward to the opportunity to contribute in meeting the goals of the IOC.”
The International Olympic Committee is the supreme authority of the Olympic Movement. It acts as a catalyst for collaboration between all parties of the Olympic family, from the National Olympic Committees (NOCs), the International Sports Federations (IFs), the athletes, the Organising Committees for the Olympic Games (OCOGs), to partners and United Nations agencies. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) shepherds success through a wide range of programmes and projects. It ensures the regular celebration of the Olympic Games, supports all affiliated member organisations of the Olympic Movement and strongly encourages, by appropriate means, the promotion of the Olympic values.
