The idea of combining sport and development is not a new one. The founder of the IOC and reviver of the modern Olympic Games, Pierre de Coubertin, was already in his time a strong advocate of international cooperation and of the social and human values of sport.
Based on this long-time commitment as a socially responsible organization, the IOC is engaged in sports development at grass-roots level, aiming to both increase access to physical activity worldwide and to improve social and human wellbeing at large.
In partnership with the National Olympic Committee of Zambia, the government of Zambia and a group of International and National Sports Federations, the IOC launched the Sport for Hope Program in Lusaka, Zambia, in May 2010. In addition to training mid-level athletes in six sports, the sports complex offers education programs, health services and community activities in the neighboring districts.
The objective is now to replicate the project in other developing countries and thereby institutionalize the program. The construction of a center in Haiti, to be inaugurated in 2014, is already underway.
The AIDS epidemic poses a real and serious threat to human existence, development and security. The fact that it targets and incapacitates mainly the young people who form the backbone of the Olympic Movement programs raises concern for the IOC. It is in this framework, and based on the Fundamental Principle of Olympism, striving to place sport at the service of mankind, that the IOC has developed a policy and related programs of activities to contribute to this global fight.
It is proved by the history that Olympic Games bring great changes to the holding city and the whole country. To hold the Olympic Games, surely prepared athletic stadium, hotel facilities, or transportation are needed. These are the minimum requirements. So many countries have constructed new facilities or a network of roads for holding Olympic Games.
However, for doing so, the countries are needed a great deal of money. From Rio de Janeiro on down, there are areas suffering from extreme poverty, many people are suffering in poor and needy at extreme.
In order to aid those people from poverty, Brazilian government has to take a variety of measures to deal with it. Brazil has to make sure the Olympic Games in 2016, working out solutions against economical and various social issues from now on. There are a large number of problems.