IOC — International Olympic Committee

What is the IOC?

The International Olympic Committee "constituted itself on 23 June 1894" at the close of the International Athletic Congress convened in Paris by Pierre de Coubertin; the first Games followed in Athens in 1896 and the first Winter Games in Chamonix in 1924. In law it is "an international non-governmental not-for-profit organisation, of unlimited duration, in the form of an association with the status of a legal person, recognised by the Swiss Federal Council in accordance with an agreement entered into on 1 November 2000" — Rule 15 of the Olympic Charter, which also fixes its seat in Lausanne. The Charter "also serves as statutes" for the IOC itself.^[1]

The Olympic Movement has three main constituents — the IOC, the international federations and the national Olympic committees — and reaches down to organising committees, clubs and individuals. Anyone belonging to it is bound by the Charter and by IOC decisions (Rule 1). The IOC's power over the rest is the power of recognition: it may recognise NOCs and their continental associations, international federations and their associations, and sport-related NGOs; NOC statutes are subject to its approval; recognition may be provisional (a decision of the Executive Board) or full (a decision of the Session), and can be withdrawn (Rule 3).^[1]

How is it governed?

Members. The IOC's members are natural persons, at most 115: up to 70 not linked to any function (of whom up to seven need no nationality link), up to 15 active athletes, up to 15 presidents or senior leaders of international federations and up to 15 linked to NOCs or their continental associations. Terms are eight years and renewable; membership ends in the calendar year a member turns 70, though the Session may extend up to ten members for four years. Members "represent and promote the interests of the IOC" in their countries and are "not their country's delegate within the IOC" (Rule 16). In September 2026 there were 104 members, plus 36 honorary members and Thomas Bach as Honorary President.^[1] [2]

Organs. Power is exercised by the Session, the Executive Board and the President (Rule 17). The Session — the annual general meeting of members — is "the supreme organ": it amends the Charter, elects members, the President and the Board, elects Olympic hosts and approves the accounts. The Executive Board is fifteen: the President, four Vice-Presidents and ten members, elected for four-year terms with a two-term limit. The President is elected for eight years, renewable once for four (Rules 18–20). Commissions advise; the Charter itself mandates an Athletes' Commission with a majority elected by athletes at the Games, an Ethics Commission and a Members Election Commission among others.^[1]

The President. Kirsty Coventry was elected on 20 March 2025 at the 144th Session in Costa Navarino, with 49 of 97 votes in the first round from seven candidates — the first woman and first African to hold the office — and took over from Thomas Bach on Olympic Day, 23 June 2025.^[3]

What does the IOC not do?

Three things people assume it does, it does not.

• It does not govern the sports. Each international federation "maintains its independence and autonomy in the governance of its sport" and establishes the rules for its practice (Rules 25–26); the federations set Olympic qualification criteria, subject to Executive Board approval. The Session removed the list of federations from the Charter on 24 June 2026; the programme is now defined by sports, disciplines and events.^[1] [4]
• It does not enter athletes. "Only NOCs recognised by the IOC may submit entries"; the IOC may refuse any entry, and "nobody is entitled as of right to participate" (Rule 44). See National Olympic committees and Olympic qualification.^[1]
• It does not run Games-time anti-doping itself. Since 2018 the International Testing Agency, a Lausanne foundation, "manages the Olympic anti-doping programme" under the World Anti-Doping Code; the IOC adjudicates cases through its own disciplinary process. See Anti-doping.^[5] [6]

What it can do to a member of the Movement is set out in Rule 59: suspend an NOC or withdraw provisional recognition (Executive Board), withdraw full recognition (Session), or withdraw the right to host.^[1]

Money

Commercial revenue from broadcasting and the TOP partner programme — created in 1985 and offering category-exclusive rights across Summer, Winter and Youth Games — rose from USD 5.2 billion in 2013–2016 to 6.9 billion in 2017–2021 and 7.7 billion in 2021–2024; USD 7.5 billion is contracted for 2025–2028, 6.9 billion for 2029–2032 and 4.0 billion for 2033–2036. Twelve TOP companies served Milano Cortina 2026, and JPMorganChase joined as the first global banking partner on 28 April 2026.^{[7] [8] [9] [20] [10]}

The IOC states that it "continues to distribute 90 per cent of its revenue" — USD 4.7 million a day in 2021–2024. A reading of the audited statements in the same annual report puts the share actually distributed in that cycle at roughly 74–75 per cent, with about USD 2.4 billion added to reserves that stood at USD 4.88 billion at the end of 2024; Olympic Solidarity received USD 590 million and the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee USD 785 million under its long-standing revenue share. Olympic Solidarity's budget for 2025–2028 is USD 650 million, ten per cent more than the previous cycle and "the largest budget in our history".^{[7] [8] [11]}

The Coventry presidency so far

The new President's first year ran under the title "Fit for the Future". Four working groups were created on 5 September 2025 — the Youth Olympic Games, the Olympic programme, protection of the female category, and commercial partnerships — and had grown to nine by May 2026, adding fundamental principles, Games delivery, autonomy and good governance, "a better world through sport" and an Olympic qualifier series.^[12] [13]

Decisions that followed: on 26 March 2026 the Executive Board approved a Policy on the Protection of the Female (Women's) Category, limiting the female category at IOC events to athletes screened once for the SRY gene, from LA28 and not retroactively (see Eligibility in the women's category); on 7 May 2026 it withdrew its 2022–23 recommendations restricting Belarusian athletes; on 7 July 2026 it provisionally lifted the suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee, imposed on 12 October 2023 (see National suspensions and neutral athletes).^{[14] [15] [16] [17]}

An extraordinary 146th Session in Lausanne on 24–25 June 2026 endorsed the strategy to 2032, amended the Charter — a new obligation "to apply neutrality at all times, free from governmental, cultural, societal or economic pressure", a discipline-based programme, the federation list removed — created a USD 10,000 "Olympian Grant" for every Olympian (USD 140 million per Olympiad, beginning with the Milano Cortina 2026 athletes), and reformed host selection with a shortlist due in March 2027 and the 2036 host to be elected in mid-2029.^{[4] [18] [19]}