The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is the international, non-governmental, sports governing body of the modern Olympic Games. Founded in 1894 by Pierre de Coubertin and Demetrios Vikelas, it is based in Lausanne, Switzerland. The IOC is the authority responsible for organising the Summer, Winter, and Youth Olympics. The IOC is also the governing body of the National Olympic Committees (NOCs) and the worldwide Olympic Movement, which includes all entities and individuals involved in the Olympic Games. As of 2020, 206 NOCs officially were recognised by the IOC. Since 2025, the IOC president has been Kirsty Coventry.
Mission
Its stated mission is to promote Olympism throughout the world and to lead the Olympic Movement:
To encourage and support the promotion of ethics and good governance in sport;
To ensure the regular celebration of the Olympic Games;
To cooperate with competent public or private organisations and authorities endeavouring to place sport at the service of humanity and thereby to promote peace;
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To take action to strengthen the unity, independence, political neutrality, and autonomy of the Olympic Movement;
To encourage and support elected representatives of athletes, working with the IOC Athletes' Commission as their official representative;
To encourage and support the promotion of women in sport in pursuit of equality between men and women;
To protect clean athletes and the integrity of sport, by leading the fight against doping, and by taking action against all forms of manipulation of competitions and related corruption;
To encourage and support measures relating to the medical care and health of athletes;
To oppose any political or commercial abuse of sport and athletes;
To encourage and support the efforts of sports organisations and public authorities to provide for the social and professional future of athletes;
To encourage and support the development of sport for all;
To encourage and support a responsible concern for environmental issues, to promote sustainable development in sport and to require that the Olympic Games are operated accordingly;
To promote a positive legacy from the Olympic Games to the host cities, regions and countries;
To encourage and support initiatives blending sport with culture and education;
To encourage and support the activities of the International Olympic Academy ("IOA") and other institutions which dedicate themselves to Olympic education;
To promote safe sport and the protection of athletes from all forms of harassment and abuse.
As defined by the IOC, Sport pertains to a form of competitive and organised physical activity or game; that aims to use or improve physical fitness and skills while providing passion, cooperation, and entertainment to participants and spectators alike.
IOC member oath
All IOC members must swear to the following:
"Honoured to be chosen as a member of the International Olympic Committee,
I fully accept all the responsibilities that this office brings:
I promise to serve the Olympic Movement to the best of my ability.
I will respect the Olympic Charter and accept the decisions of the IOC.
I will always act independently of commercial and political interests as well as
of any racial or religious consideration.
I will fully comply with the IOC Code of Ethics.
I promise to fight against all forms of discrimination and dedicate myself
in all circumstances to promote the interests of the International Olympic
Committee and Olympic Movement."
History
The IOC was created by Pierre de Coubertin, on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president. The IOC is one of the earliest and is still one of the most powerful international NGOs. As of February 2022, its membership consists of 105 active members and 45 honorary members. The IOC is the supreme authority of the worldwide modern Olympic Movement.
The IOC organises the modern Olympic Games and Youth Olympic Games (YOG), held in summer and winter every four years. The first Summer Olympics was held in Athens, Greece, in 1896; the first Winter Olympics was in Chamonix, France, in 1924. The first Summer YOG was in Singapore in 2010, and the first Winter YOG was in Innsbruck, Austria in 2012.
Until 1992, both the Summer and Winter Olympics were held in the same year. After that year, however, the IOC shifted the Winter Olympics to the even years between Summer Games to help space the planning of the two events from one another, and to improve the financial balance of the IOC, which receives a proportionally greater advertising and other income in Olympic years.
Since 1995, the IOC has worked to address environmental health concerns resulting from hosting the games. In 1995, IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch stated, "the International Olympic Committee is resolved to ensure that the environment becomes the third dimension of the organisation of the Olympic Games, the first and second being sport and culture." Acting on this statement, in 1996 the IOC added the "environment" as a third pillar to its vision for the Olympic Games.
In 2000, the "Green Olympics" effort was developed by the Beijing Organising Committee for the Beijing Olympic Games. The Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics executed over 160 projects addressing the goals of improved air quality and water quality, sustainable energy, improved waste management, and environmental education. These projects included industrial plant relocation or closure, furnace replacement, introduction of new emission standards, and more strict traffic control.
In 2009, the UN General Assembly granted the IOC Permanent Observer status. The decision enables the IOC to be directly involved in the UN Agenda and to attend UN General Assembly meetings where it can take the floor. In 1993, the General Assembly approved a Resolution to further solidify IOC–UN cooperation by reviving the Olympic Truce.
The IOC received approval in November 2015 to construct a new headquarters in Vidy, Lausanne. The cost of the project was estimated to stand at $156m. The IOC announced on 11 February 2019 that the "Olympic House" would be inaugurated on 23 June 2019 to coincide with its 125th anniversary. The Olympic Museum remains in Ouchy, Lausanne.
Since 2002, the IOC has been involved in several high-profile controversies including taking gifts, its DMCA take down request of the 2008 Tibetan protest videos, Russian doping scandals, and its support of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics despite China's human rights violations documented in the Xinjiang Papers.
Detailed frameworks for environmental sustainability were prepared for the 2018 Winter Olympics and 2020 Summer Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea, and Tokyo, Japan, respectively.
In September 2024, the IOC revealed its list of candidates for the presidency, featuring Sebastian Coe, David Lappartient, Kirsty Coventry, and Juan Antonio Samaranch Salisachs among the seven contenders. The other candidates included Prince Faisal bin Hussein and the Presidents of the International Ski and Snowboard Federation and the International Gymnastics Federation, Johan Eliasch and Morinari Watanabe.
In February 2025, the IOC announced the inaugural Olympic Esports Games would take place in 2027 in Riyadh, the capital city of Saudi Arabia. The IOC will collaborate with the Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF) to produce the event, which President Thomas Bach called "historic".
In March 2025, Kirsty Coventry became the first woman and the first African to be elected as President of the IOC. Coventry's vision for the Olympics emphasises making the Games accessible to everyone again, no matter where they were born, while aiming to leverage sports as a global unifier. In parallel, the IOC is focused on strengthening its collaboration with BRICS nations, fostering a spirit of unity and cooperation through sports, and encouraging the idea of the Olympics as a truly global event.
Organisation
It is an association under the Swiss Civil Code (articles 60–79).
IOC Session
The IOC Session is the general meeting of the IOC, held once a year, at which each member has one vote. It is the IOC's supreme organ and its decisions are final.
Extraordinary Sessions may be convened by the President or upon the written request of at least one-third of the members.
Among others, the powers of the Session are:
To adopt or amend the Olympic Charter.
To elect the members of the IOC, the Honorary President and the honorary members.
To elect the President, the vice-presidents and all other members of the IOC Executive Board.
