International Olympic Committee

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Comité International Olympique
International Olympic Committee

Motto Citius Altius Fortius
Formation 23 June 1894
Type Sports federation
Headquarters Lausanne, Switzerland
Membership 205 National Olympic Committees
Official languages French, English, and host country's official language when necessary
President Jacques Rogge
Website http://www.olympic.org

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is a corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Demetrios Vikelas and Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894. Its membership consists of the 205 National Olympic Committees.

The IOC organizes the modern Olympic Games held in Summer and Winter, every four years. The first Summer Olympics organized by the International Olympic Committee were held in Athens, Greece, in 1896; the first Winter Olympics were in Chamonix, France, in 1924. Until 1992, both 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 two years apart from one another.

Presentation

On June 22, 1894 the Olympic games were re-created by Pierre de Coubertin after a hiatus of 1500 years. The baron hoped to foster international communication and peace through the Olympic Games. The IOC is a parent organization intended to localize administration and authority for the Games, as well as to provide a single legal entity which owns copyrights, trademarks, and other intangible properties associated with the Olympic games. For example, the Olympic logos, the design of the Olympic flag, the motto, creed, and anthem are all owned and administered by the IOC. There are other organizations which the IOC coordinates as well, which are collectively called the Olympic Movement. The IOC President is responsible for representing the IOC as a whole, and there are members of the IOC which represent the IOC in their respective countries.

Professor David C. Young of the University of Florida has conducted research suggesting that the revival of the modern Olympic Games was planted firmly in both Greece and the United Kingdom by Evangelis Zappas and Dr William Penny Brookes respectively.

Original members of the International Olympic Committee

Member Country Since Until Notes
Mario Lucchesi-Palli Italy 1894 1894
Demetrios Vikelas Greece 1894 1897 President (1894-1896)
Arthur Russell, 2nd Baron Ampthill  Great Britain 1894 1898
Alexei de Butowski  Russian Empire 1894 1900
Leonard A. Cuff  New Zealand 1894 1905
Charles Herbert  Great Britain 1894 1906
José Benjamín Zubiaur  Argentina 1894 1907
Ferenc Kemény Austria-Hungary 1894 1907
Ernest Callot  France 1894 1913 Treasurer (1894-1895)
Viktor Balck Norway-Sweden 1894 1921
William Milligan Sloane  United States 1894 1924
Baron Pierre de Coubertin  France 1894 1925 General Secretary (1894-1896), President (1896-1925)
Jiří Guth-Jarkovský Bohemia 1894 1943

Presidents

No. Name Origin Date of birth/death Took office Left office Notes
1 Demetrius Vikelas  Greece 15 February 1835
–
20 July 1908 1894 1896
2 Pierre de Coubertin  France 1 January 1863
–
2 September 1937 1896
–
1919 1916
–
1925 Longest serving President
(29 years).
— Godefroy de Blonay
(acting)  Switzerland 25 July 1869
–
14 February 1937 1916 1919
3 Henri de Baillet-Latour  Belgium 1 March 1876
–
6 January 1942 1925 1942 Died in office.
4 Johannes Sigfrid Edström  Sweden 21 November 1870
–
18 March 1964 1942 1952
5 Avery Brundage  United States 28 September 1887
–
8 May 1975 1952 1972 only non-European member to hold the post
6 Lord Killanin  Ireland 30 July 1914
–
25 April 1999 1972 1980
7 Juan Antonio Samaranch  Spain 17 July 1920
–
21 April 2010 1980 2001 second longest serving President
(21 years).
8 Jacques Rogge  Belgium 2 May 1942
–
Present 2001 scheduled for 2013 second Belgian to hold the post

• source: [1]

Mission and role

The mission of the IOC is to promote Olympism throughout the world and to lead the Olympic Movement.^{[citation needed]}

The IOC's role^{[citation needed]} is to:

1. Encourage and support the promotion of ethics in sport as well as education of youth through sport and to dedicate its efforts to ensuring that, in sport, the spirit of fair play prevails and violence is banned;
2. Encourage and support the organization, development and coordination of sport and sports competitions;
3. Ensure the regular celebration of the Olympic Games;
4. Cooperate with the competent public or private organizations and authorities in the endeavor to place sport at the service of humanity and thereby to promote peace;
5. Take action in order to strengthen the unity and to protect the independence of the Olympic Movement;
6. Act against any form of discrimination affecting the Olympic Movement;
7. Encourage and support the promotion of women in sport at all levels and in all structures with a view to implementing the principle of equality of men and women;
8. Lead the fight against doping in sport;
9. Encourage and support measures protecting the health of athletes;
10. Oppose any political or commercial abuse of sport and athletes;
11. Encourage and support the efforts of sports organizations and public authorities to provide for the social and professional future of athletes;
12. Encourage and support the development of sport for all;
13. Encourage and support a responsible concern for environmental issues, to promote sustainable development in sport and to require that the Olympic Games are held accordingly;
14. Promote a positive legacy from the Olympic Games to the host cities and host countries;
15. Encourage and support initiatives blending sport with culture and education;
16. Encourage and support the activities of the International Olympic Academy (IOA) and other institutions which dedicate themselves to Olympic education.

Organization

The IOC Session

The Session is the general meeting of the members of the IOC, held once a year in 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.
• To elect the host city of the Olympic Games.

The IOC Executive Board

The IOC Executive Board consists of the President, four Vice-Presidents and ten other members. All members of the IOC Executive Board are elected by the Session, in a secret ballot, by a majority of the votes cast. The IOC Executive Board assumes the general overall responsibility for the administration of the IOC and the management of its affairs.

The IOC Session elects, by secret ballot, the IOC President from among its members for a term of eight years renewable once for a term of four years. The current IOC President, Jacques Rogge, was re-elected for a second term that consists of four years on 9 October 2009. Former President Juan Antonio Samaranch has been elected Honorary President For Life.

Honours

In addition to the Olympic medals for competitors, the IOC awards a number of other honours:

• the IOC President's Trophy is the highest sports award given to athletes who have excelled in their sport and had an extraordinary career and created a lasting impact on their sport.
• the Pierre de Coubertin medal is awarded to athletes who demonstrate a special spirit of sportsmanship in Olympic events
• the Olympic Cup is awarded to institutions or associations with a record of merit and integrity in actively developing the Olympic Movement
• the Olympic Order is awarded to individuals for particularly distinguished contributions to the Olympic Movement, and superseded the Olympic Certificate.

Publications

The IOC publishes Olympic Review and Revue Olympique since 1894.^{[clarification needed]}