Reflections on 24 hours in Lausanne

Heading to Lausanne to present my manifesto to IOC members fighting the threat of a cold that has been hanging over my head for a few days, was not the plan.  But I have to say the warm welcome I received more than made up for it.

Noone does cozy quite like the Swiss in winter so it was a great place to catch up with friends, colleagues, collaborators and competitors.

People often talk about the Olympic Family and, perhaps it has been used so often it loses its real meaning, but it is a family and like all families your connections, shared values and common experiences far outweigh your differences.

Waking up to the news of the horrific plane crash over DCs Potomac River, and a quick call to members of my family based in the USA, cast an inevitable but potent sadness over everyone here.  Not just because of news of top athletes being on board, but the sheer sense of helplessness at the tragic loss of life, which was shared by us all as our thoughts and prayers turned to the families of those involved.

And ‘family’ was a theme that ran through my presentation this morning – the Olympic family - my own family - who supported my athletics career and the joy, pride and sense of belonging of families watching their loved ones compete at the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.  

I also covered our purpose of coming together to put sport first, to excite and involve tomorrow’s generation, to place athletes at the heart of every decision we make, to pursue growth opportunities in true partnership and with urgency and our need for greater empowerment amongst the membership. You can read my speech here.

My 15-minute presentation was followed by a 10-minute media Q&A session which was livestreamed on the IOC’s YouTube channel, then snatching a quick bite before taking my place as an IOC member for other IOC decisions.

Any thoughts of ending my day flew out of the window as I embarked on a flurry of requested one to one media interviews from 4-7pm.  I am always grateful to the media for their interest and determination to raise questions, challenge and report what we are doing.  Without them I am not certain the wider world would know what has been happening here in Lausanne today.

As I grabbed my bags and headed to the station I looked back on my day and as always was grateful I made a point of going for a run this morning.  Invited by my Diamond League colleagues based in Lausanne and joined by my son and some of the braver members of the media, the clear, albeit chilly, Swiss air gave me time to clear my head and focus.  It is the way I start every day.  A habit I learned from a very early age.  A habit I have carried through my whole life.  A habit I would like to form part of every adult’s life which means creating the habit from a young age.

I am now sitting on a train heading to Paris with the promise of more media tomorrow and then some great weekend sport in the form of the Judo Paris Grand Slam.