128th IOC Session opens in Kuala Lumpur

The 128th Session of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) officially got under way Thursday night with a music-themed opening ceremony at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The IOC members were greeted by Olympic Council of Malaysia President and IOC member HRH Prince Tunku Imram, who delivered the welcome speech.

The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics bid team headed by Chinese vice premier Liu Yandong also attended the opening ceremony.

In the keynote speech, IOC President Thomas Bach detailed the great impact the Olympic Agenda 2020 reforms, approved at the last IOC Session in December 2014, have already had on the Olympic Movement. He called on the IOC members to continue the process of change with the same energy as on the day the strategic roadmap for the future of the Olympic Movement was passed, December 8, 2014.

"We have a big year ahead of us and a big agenda to tackle. These are exciting times. There are a lot of 'firsts' on our plan - the first Olympic Games in South America; the launch of the first Olympic Channel; the first full participation of the IOC with the United Nations to shape the future of the global community," said Bach.

"Let us use these many 'firsts' as an inspiration to celebrate our unity in diversity. The Olympic Agenda 2020 has set us on the right path forward. If we are united in our vision and our values, then our future will be one of progress."

The election of the host cities for the Olympic Winter Games 2022 and the Winter Youth Olympic Games 2020 will be the highlights of the upcoming IOC Session, which begins Friday and concludes on August 3.