International Olympic Committee

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is the group that oversees the modern Olympic Games. It was started in 1894 by Pierre de Coubertin and Demetrios Vikelas and is based in Lausanne, Switzerland. The IOC is in charge of organizing the Summer, Winter, and Youth Olympics.

The IOC also leads the National Olympic Committees (NOCs) and the Olympic Movement, which includes everyone and everything connected to the Olympic Games. As of 2020, the IOC recognized 206 NOCs from different countries. Since 2025, Kirsty Coventry has served as the president of the IOC.

Mission

The International Olympic Committee wants to help spread the joy of sports around the world. Its mission is to lead the Olympic Movement by supporting fair play, encouraging young people to learn through sports, and making sure everyone plays safely and without violence.

The IOC works to organize and support sports events, keep the Olympic Games happening regularly, and team up with others who want sports to bring people together for peace. It also stands up for clean competition, supports athletes' health, and tries to make sure sports stay fair and open to everyone. The IOC promotes equality, cares for the environment, and helps make sure the Olympic Games leave positive impacts for the places that host them.

IOC member oath

All members of the International Olympic Committee promise to do their best to support the Olympic Movement. They agree to follow the rules set by the Olympic Charter and to make decisions that are fair and not influenced by money, politics, race, or religion. They also promise to work against unfair treatment of any kind and to always put the Olympic Movement first.

History

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) was started by Pierre de Coubertin on June 23, 1894, with Demetrios Vikelas as its first leader. The IOC helps organize the Summer, Winter, and Youth Olympic Games, which happen every four years. The first Summer Olympics took place in Athens, Greece, and the first Winter Olympics was in Chamonix, France.

Since 1995, the IOC has also focused on protecting the environment during the Games. In 2000, the Beijing Olympics included many projects to improve air and water quality, manage energy better, and teach people about taking care of the Earth. In 2025, the IOC announced that the first Olympic Esports Games will be held in 2027 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, working with the Esports World Cup Foundation. That same year, Kirsty Coventry became the first woman and first African to lead the IOC, aiming to make the Olympics open to everyone and bring people together through sports.

Organisation

See also: President of the International Olympic Committee and Olympic Congress

The International Olympic Committee is a group organized under the Swiss Civil Code (articles 60–79).

IOC Session

See also: List of IOC meetings

The IOC Session is the big meeting of the IOC, held once a year. Each member gets one vote, and the group makes important final decisions.

Special meetings can be called by the President or if enough members ask for it.

The Session can do several important things:

• Change the rules of the Olympic Charter.
• Choose new members of the IOC, including the Honorary President and honorary members.
• Pick the President, vice-presidents, and other leaders of the IOC Executive Board.
• Select the city where the Olympic Games will be held.

Subsidiaries

• Olympic Foundation (Lausanne, Switzerland)
• Olympic Refuge Foundation (Lausanne, Switzerland)
• IOC Television and Marketing Services S.A. (Lausanne, Switzerland)
• The Olympic Partner Programme (Lausanne, Switzerland)
• Olympic Broadcasting Services S.A. (Lausanne, Switzerland)
• Olympic Broadcasting Services S.L. (Madrid, Spain)
• Olympic Channel Services S.A. (Lausanne, Switzerland)
• Olympic Channel Services S.L. (Madrid, Spain)
• Olympic Foundation for Culture and Heritage (Lausanne, Switzerland)
• IOC Heritage Management
• Olympic Studies Centre
• Olympic Museum (Lausanne, Switzerland)
• International Programmes for Arts, Culture and Education
• Olympic Solidarity (Lausanne, Switzerland)

IOC members

Further information: List of members of the International Olympic Committee

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) can have up to 115 members. When they join, they represent their own countries, not the IOC itself.

IOC members can be in different groups, such as:

• Athletes chosen by the IOC Athletes' Commission (IOC AC);
• People from international sports federations (IFs), groups of IFs, or other groups approved by the IOC;
• People from National Olympic Committees (NOCs), or groups of NOCs from around the world;
• Special members who do not have a specific job in any of these groups.

Cessation of membership

A member can stop being part of the IOC in several ways:

• They can choose to leave by writing a letter to the President.
• If they are not chosen again, they stop being a member.
• Members must leave when they get older — at age 70 or 80, depending on when they joined.
• If they miss meetings or do not work with the IOC for two years in a row, they may stop being a member.
• If they move to live in a different country from the one they had when they joined, they may stop being a member.
• Athlete members stop when they leave the IOC Athletes' Commission.
• Leaders of certain sports groups stop when they leave their leadership jobs.
• A member can be removed if they break their promise or do something that could hurt the IOC’s reputation.

Sports federations recognised by IOC

The IOC recognises 82 international sports federations (IFs):

• The 33 members of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF).
• The 7 members of the Association of International Olympic Winter Sports Federations (AIOWF).
• The 42 members of the Association of IOC Recognised International Sports Federations (ARISF).

Honours

The International Olympic Committee gives out special awards to honor great achievements in sports. Winners of Olympic events receive gold, silver, and bronze medals for first, second, and third place.

There are also other special honors, such as the Pierre de Coubertin Medal for athletes who show excellent sportsmanship, the Olympic Cup for groups that help the Olympic Movement, the Olympic Order for people who make important contributions to the Olympics, and the Olympic Laurel for those who use sports to support education, culture, and peace. Some towns may also receive special recognition for their support of the Olympic Movement. There are also awards for coaches who have achieved a lifetime of success.

Olympic marketing

During the early 1900s, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) did not have much money. A leader named Avery Brundage thought that letting companies support the Olympics could change how the IOC made decisions, so he did not allow it. Because of this, groups that organized the Olympics had to find their own ways to get money.

Later, when Juan Antonio Samaranch became the leader of the IOC, the group started working with companies to get more money. This helped the IOC grow from having just a few million dollars to having much more. A man named Michael Payne helped create big marketing plans that brought in a lot of money for the Olympics.

Revenue

The Olympics get money in several ways:

• Partnerships with TV stations, managed by the IOC.
• Companies that support the Olympics worldwide.
• Support from companies in the country where the Olympics are held.
• Ticket sales.
• Allowing companies to use Olympic symbols in their ads.

The groups that organize the Olympics use some of this money to put on the games. The IOC keeps a small part of the money for its own work. In recent years, most of the money has come from TV rights and company support.

Organising Committees for the Olympic Games

The IOC gives money to the groups that organize the Olympics to help them put on the games. This includes money from companies and TV rights.

National Olympic Committees

The IOC also gives money to groups in each country to help train athletes for the Olympics.

International Olympic Sports Federations

The IOC helps groups that manage different sports by giving them money to develop their sports.

Other organisations

The IOC also supports other international sports groups with money from marketing the Olympics.

Environmental concerns

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) wants cities that host the Olympics to think carefully about protecting the environment. They ask these cities to share plans showing how they will keep the air, water, and soil clean before, during, and after the Olympic Games.

The IOC uses several ways to help protect the environment. They have a special group that gives advice on making Olympic plans better for the environment. Every city that wants to host the Olympics must tell the IOC about their plans for clean air and water. Host cities can also make special promises to help the environment. They work together with the United Nations to meet important goals for taking care of our planet.

Building places for the Olympics can sometimes hurt the air. Cities try to keep the air clean by controlling traffic and stopping old, dirty vehicles from driving. For example, during the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, many steps were taken to keep the air clean, like banning some cars and using cleaner fuels.

Building can also affect the soil. In some places, soil has been cleaned up before the Olympics. However, sometimes soil can get dirtier during building. This can affect plants, animals, and even the food we eat.

The Olympics can also change water quality. Rain can wash pollutants from the air into water sources. Studies in Beijing showed that rain helped clear some dirty particles from the air, which made the air cleaner during the Games.

Reception and incidences

Amateurism and professionalism

The idea of amateur athletes changed over time. Early Olympic rules favored aristocratic athletes, but as sports evolved, professional athletes were allowed to compete.

Bid controversies

1976 Winter Olympics

Denver was originally chosen to host the 1976 Winter Olympics but withdrew after costs became too high.

1998 Winter Olympics

Nagano faced criticism for excessive entertainment spending on IOC members.

2002 Winter Olympics

A scandal involving gifts to IOC members led to stricter rules and new membership limits.

2008 Summer Olympics

Concerns about human rights in China arose when Beijing hosted the Games.

2016 and 2020 Summer Olympics

Investigations into corruption during the bidding processes for these Olympics uncovered suspicious payments.

2022 Winter Olympics

Oslo withdrew its bid due to disagreements with IOC demands. Beijing faced criticism for human rights issues.

Sex verification controversies

Rules about ensuring fair competition in women's categories have changed over time, leading to debates and adjustments in how athletes are evaluated.

London 2012 and the Munich massacre

The IOC decided not to hold a moment of silence for victims of the Munich massacre during the 2012 Games.

Wrestling

Wrestling was temporarily removed from the Olympic program but was later reinstated.

Russian doping

Accusations of state-sponsored doping in Russia led to various sanctions and investigations, affecting Russian athletes' participation in Olympics.

2018 plebiscite in Taiwan

A referendum in Taiwan about changing the name of its National Olympic Committee faced international reactions.

Fencing handshaking controversy

Changes in fencing rules regarding handshakes led to a controversy when a Ukrainian athlete was disqualified for not shaking hands with a Russian opponent.

Russian invasion of Ukraine

Following the invasion, the IOC banned Russia and Belarus from many international sports events and recommended similar actions to other organizations.

Israel at the 2024 Summer Olympics

Calls for sanctions against Israel due to conflicts in Gaza led to debates about its participation in the 2024 Olympics.

2024 WADA scandal

The IOC threatened to withdraw Salt Lake City's bid to host the 2034 Winter Olympics if investigations into doping allegations against Chinese swimmers continued.

IOC Executive Board

The executive board helps manage the International Olympic Committee (IOC). It was started in 1921 and includes the President, four Vice Presidents, and ten other members. These members are chosen by voting for four-year terms.

The board has many important jobs. It looks after the IOC’s work, checks that rules are followed, and makes decisions about how the IOC is organized. It also handles money matters, prepares reports, and helps choose who can host the Olympic Games. The board sets meeting schedules and does many other tasks to support the IOC.

IOC Commissions

The IOC has special groups called commissions that help with different tasks in the Olympic Movement. These groups can be started by the president, the IOC executive board, or the Olympic Charter. The president is automatically a member of all these groups, chooses who else joins, and decides when their work is done. These groups can only meet if the president says it’s okay, unless there’s a special rule allowing them to meet without asking.

The Olympic Partner programme

The Olympic Partner programme includes companies that help support the Olympic Games. These partners include well-known names such as AB InBev, Airbnb, Allianz, Alibaba Group, Coca-Cola-Mengniu Dairy as a joint partnership, Deloitte, JPMorgan Chase, Omega SA, Procter & Gamble, Samsung Electronics, TCL Technology, and Visa Inc.. Their support helps make the Games possible.