International Olympic Committee

Lausanne/Zurich, Switzerland, July 5, 2012: The International Olympic Committee (IOC) today underscored its firm commitment to the IOC Athlete Career Programme IOC ACP by agreeing to an eight-year extension of its cooperation agreement with the Adecco Group, the world’s leading provider of Human Resources solutions.

The deal, signed by IOC President Jacques Rogge and Adecco Group CEO Patrick De Maeseneire at the IOC’s headquarters in Lausanne, ensures that athletes around the world will continue to receive a wide range of assistance aimed at helping them transition smoothly into life after sport.

Adecco worked with the IOC to implement the ACP in 2005 and since then the programme has provided career development and job placement services to more than 10,000 Olympic athletes from over 100 countries. The programme is based on providing athletes with three key tools: education, life skills and employment.

“The extension is another example of how committed the Olympic Movement is to athletes,” said President Rogge. “Athletes are the heart of the Olympic Games and the IOC strives to make sure they are well looked after, both during their athletic careers and after. We are very happy our friends at Adecco will continue to support the IOC Athlete Career Programme and help athletes make the transition from competing on the field of play to competing in the labour market.”

“The Athlete Career Programme is embedded in Adecco’s core values team spirit, entrepreneurship, customer focus and responsibility. Every day our 33,000 colleagues make sure that around 700,000 people have a good job to help them develop their careers. Integrating athletes into the workforce is part of our focus. Together with the IOC, we recognise athletes’ transferable skills such as passion, persistence and flexibility. We see it as our duty to ensure they have a future after their sports careers. So far, we have supported 10,000 athletes around the globe. We are proud to provide HR services to the Olympic Movement and to be a partner to elite athletes,” said Adecco’s CEO Patrick De Maeseneire.

Also on hand for the signing were IOC Director General Christophe De Kepper, IOC Sports Director Christophe Dubi, Adecco Head of Group Communications Stephan Howeg, and Senior Vice President for the IOC ACP Patrick Glennon.

The IOC Athlete Career Programme is developed and delivered in over 30 countries by the Olympic Movement – including National Olympic Committees, International Federations and National Federations – in cooperation with Adecco.

Athletes at this summer’s Olympic Games are encouraged to learn more about the IOC ACP, which will have a strong presence within the Athletes’ Village.

For further information please contact:  

Adecco Corporate Press Office

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

Websites: http://www.olympic.org/athletes-space or http://athlete.adecco.com/Pages/Home.aspx 

Forward-looking statements

Information in this release may involve guidance, expectations, beliefs, plans, intentions or strategies regarding the future. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. All forward-looking statements included in this release are based on information available to Adecco S.A. as of the date of this release, and we assume no duty to update any such forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements in this release are not guarantees of future performance and actual results could differ materially from our current expectations. Numerous factors could cause or contribute to such differences. Factors that could affect the Company’s forward-looking statements include, among other things: global GDP trends and the demand for temporary work; changes in regulation of temporary work; intense competition in the markets in which the Company operates; integration of acquired companies; changes in the Company’s ability to attract and retain qualified internal and external personnel or clients; the potential impact of disruptions related to IT; any adverse developments in existing commercial relationships, disputes or legal and tax proceedings.

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. 

About the Adecco Group

The Adecco Group, based in Zurich, Switzerland, is the world’s leading provider of HR solutions. With more than 33,000 FTE employees and over 5,500 branches, in over 60 countries and territories around the world, Adecco Group offers a wide variety of services, connecting around 700,000 associates with over 100,000 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)