The IOC Athlete Career Programme in cooperation with Adecco trains young champions for life at the Lillehammer Youth Olympic Games

Coaching youngsters for life-long success through interactive games designed to boost life skills and career development

Zurich, Switzerland, February 11, 2016:Adecco Group, the world's leading provider of HR solutions,in cooperation with the International Olympic Committee Athlete Career Programme (ACP), is once again providing coaching to help young champions on and off the field of play. Over the 11 days of the Lillehammer Youth Olympics between 12-21 February, young athletes will receive dedicated training in preparation for life during and beyond sport and competition.

This year's Games in Lillehammer again feature the IOC Athlete Career Programme in cooperation with Adecco as part of the Compete, Learn & Share experience that includes more than 30 activities. The ACP focuses on advising the 15 to 18 year-old athletes on their education, life skills and career development, enabling them to become champions for life. The Compete, Learn & Share programme' offers a unique experience and runs from 8-21 February offering core educational activities centred on the Youth Olympic Villages in Lillehammer and Hamar.

The IOC Athlete Career Programme will deliver content through two online exercises: 'Balance Your Act' and 'Act On Your Time' which provide guidance on the importance of a supportive network and how fundamental time management is to combine sports, education and eventually a job. The ACP shows athletes the foundations for a successful career during and beyond sport. It helps them develop transferable skills that ease their eventual career transition and maximise educational and employment opportunities. Furthermore, the 'Sport Up Your Life' quiz helps young athletes discover a whole range of careers available in sport and guides them to those best suited to their abilities and interests.

The exercises are delivered by Adecco and the IOC ACP team along with members of the IOC Athletes' Commission and a group of 15 Athlete Role Models (ARMs). The ARMs include legendary Olympic and World champions, who play a key role in supporting, mentoring and offering advice to the young athletes.

Mark De Smedt, Adecco Group Chief Human Resources Officer and member of the IOC ACP Steering Committee, said: "Young people are our future, and young Olympians are highly talented, determined and goal-oriented champions, with profiles companies are looking for. With the IOC Athlete Career Programme, we are proud to help such gifted individuals focus and shape the soft skills and knowledge sought by employers and prepare and guide them to success in the labour market."

"Our key focus throughout the YOG is to 'inspower' young participants: to inspire them to perform, to learn new skills, to share with athletes of other nations and cultures but also to empower them to become leaders in sports and beyond the field of play. Going through the Learn & Share activities and workshops should be a life-changing experience for all participants and an invitation for them to stay in the world of sport and to leverage the power of sport for a better world," stated Philippe Furrer, Head of YOG Engagement, Learn & Share.

"A strong tradition bonds Adecco to sport and its values', said Torben Sneve, Country Manager Adecco Norway, which was the first company to sign a sponsor agreement with Lillehammer YOG 2016. "Not only are we proud to support such a great event which brings together the world's best young athletes, but we are also honoured that its success belongs to the strong commitment and passion of our employees and associates currently working to make it happen."

About IOC Adecco ACP

Since 2005 and 2007 respectively, the Adecco Group has been working with the International Olympic Committee and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) to support elite Olympic and Paralympic athletes in their transition from sport to the labour market through career training and job placement. More than 28,000 athletes from over 185 countries have been involved in both programmes since 2005. Agreements between National Olympic and Paralympic Committees and Adecco organisations have been in place since the global launch in 35 countries on five continents.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

The Lillehammer Youth Olympics involve 71 nations. Beyond the host country, most participants are from nations with winter sports traditions. But the Games also include states such as South Africa, East Timor, Nepal, Kenya, Libya, Cyprus and Jamaica. Almost 1,100 athletes aged 15-18 will compete in seven sports, 15 disciplines (such as Alpine and Cross Country skiing) and 70 events. Uniquely to the Youth Olympics, such events are particularly inclusive, at times involving mixed gender and mixed teams.

Links:

Adecco ACP pages: http://athlete.adecco.com/

Adecco Group Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adecco

Adecco Group twitter: https://twitter.com/AdeccoGroup

Olympic.org: http://www.olympic.org/

YOG Twitter: https://twitter.com/youtholympics

YOG Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/youtholympicgames

YOG youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/YouthOlympics

Hashtags: #iLoveYOG, @lillehammer2016, #mysportmylife, #IOCACP,@AdeccoGroup

Adecco Corporate Press Office

Press.office@adecco.com or +41 (0) 44 878 87 87

About the Adecco Group

The Adecco Group, based in Zurich, Switzerland, is the world's leading provider of HR solutions. With more than 32,000 FTE employees and around 5,100 branches in over 60 countries and territories around the world, Adecco Group offers a wide variety of services, connecting around 700,000 associates with our clients every day. The services offered fall into the broad categories of temporary staffing, permanent placement, career transition and talent development, as well as outsourcing and consulting. The Adecco Group is a Fortune Global 500 company.

Adecco S.A. is registered in Switzerland (ISIN: CH0012138605) and listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (ADEN).

About the International Olympic Committee

The International Olympic Committee (IOC), created in 1894, is a non-governmental organisation with volunteer members who represent its work around the world, and an administrative staff based in Lausanne, Switzerland. The vision of the IOC is to contribute to building a better world through sport. In addition to ensuring the regular celebration of the Olympic Games, the IOC also oversees a wide range of programmes and projects that aim to educate youth through sport, promote Olympism in society and to lead and support the Olympic Movement.


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