The NIV process on sustainability, innovation and legacy of Grisons 2022 is producing the first concrete results. In the first NIV report, Graubünden 2022 publishes projects that can be tackled after a “yes” to the Olympic candidacy. The candidacy will be subject to the principles of sustainability and the budget for NIV projects will be increased by 80 percent to 5.2 million francs.
Almost four weeks after the publication of the “NIV Charter” on sustainability, innovation and legacy, the Grisons Association 2022 is now also giving an account of the project activity in its NIV process. The board of the association has declared the NIV Report and thus the NIV Charter binding. Sustainability will thus become the defining core element of Grisons's entire 2022 Olympic candidacy.
The NIV report describes the initial results of the two working groups “Life in the Mountains” and “Youth, Sport and Olympic Values”. As specialists from a wide range of disciplines, around 80 personalities from all over Switzerland work together in the two groups. They developed around 30 project ideas, a selection of which has now been presented.
Long-term thinking, rapid implementation
The projects presented include valorizing the historical heritage of the Olympic Games in the Alps, retaining and promoting highly qualified people in the alpine region, using virtual resources to optimize the Olympic Games, giving children access to winter sports and promoting ice sports in Switzerland, particularly with a focus on top female athletes. Following a “yes” from the people of Graubünden and the Federal Councils, the projects can be further developed and have an impact in the canton of Grisons and throughout Switzerland.
The working group “Living in the Mountains” is led by Thomas Egger, Director of the Swiss Association for Mountain Areas: “The work was very demanding for everyone involved because the group is very heterogeneous. When defining the project, the aim was to find a combination of long-term thinking with rapid implementation. I think it worked out well.”
Pierre-André Weber from the Federal Office of Sport heads the working group “Youth, Sport and Olympic Values”: “Access to sport should not be a luxury but a right for young people of all walks of life. Sport is not just fitness and leisure activity, it also conveys important values and trains young people for life. In our projects, we have therefore combined the interests of elite, youth and grassroots sports.”
Support from the Graubünden government
“The work of the NIV groups far exceeded our expectations,” summarizes Tarzisius Caviezel, President of the Grisons Association 2022. “We have therefore decided to increase funding from the candidate budget for the NIV process from the original 2.9 million francs to 5.2 million francs. The board of the association has also announced its intention to support the work by creating an independent NIV Foundation and has initiated the appropriate clarifications.”
“By increasing budget funding by 80 percent and intending to establish an NIV Foundation, Graubünden is reaffirming its importance and commitment in 2022,” says Urs Lacotte, chairman of the Graubünden 2022 NIV Committee. “NIV is an essential part of Grisons 2022 candidacy and will play a very important role in awarding the Games.”
The Graubünden government also underlined the binding nature of the NIV Charter and the importance of the NIV projects last week. In a letter to the NIV Committee, she reaffirmed her earlier statement that she supported the work on the NIV process because it was “an elementary part” of the Grisons 2022 concept. The government wanted to “closely accompany the work in this regard and the definition of measures to implement the NIV Charter.”
NIV Report Note
The first NIV report is available for download at www.gr2022.ch/downloads.
gartmann.biz supports Graubünden 2022 in media and marketing: Christian Gartmann is Head of Marketing & Communications at the Graubünden 2022 Association.