The Olympic Ideal

During the International Conference, held at the Sorbonne, Paris, Baron Pierre de Coubertin proposed reviving the Olympic Games and creating the International Olympic Committee as an umbrella organization of the Olympic Movement. The Olympic Movement consists of:

• the International Olympic Committee,
• the International Sports Federations (IFs),
• the National Olympic Committees (NOCs),
• the Organizing Committees of the Olympic Games (OCOGs),
• the national associations, clubs, and the persons belonging to them, particularly the athletes.

The Olympic Movement also includes other organizations and institutions as recognized by the IOC. At any one time the Olympic Movement will contain between three or five Organizing Committees for the Olympic Games. At present there are four: Atlanta 1996, Nagano 1998, Sydney 2000 and Salt Lake City 2002.

According to the "Olympic Charter", the fundamental principles of the IOC are: "to contribute to building a peaceful and better world by educating youth through sport practiced without discrimination of any kind and in the Olympic spirit, which requires mutual understanding with a spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play". The IOC aims to:

• encourage the coordination, organization and development of sport and sports competitions,
• collaborate with the competent public or private organizations and authorities in the endeavor to place sport at the service of humanity,
• ensure the regular celebration of the Olympic Games,
• fight against any form of discrimination affecting the Olympic Movement,
• support and encourage the promotion of sports ethics,
• dedicate its efforts to ensuring that in sports the spirit of fair play prevails and ban violence,
• lead the fight against doping in sport,
• take measures the goal of which is to prevent endangering the health of athletes,
• oppose any political or commercial abuse of sport and athletes,
• see to it that Olympic Games are held in conditions which demonstrate a responsible concern for environmental issues,
• support the International Olympic Academy (IOA),
• support other institutions which devote themselves to Olympic education.ii

These are contained in the "Olympic Charter", which governs the organization and operation of the Olympic Movement and stipulates the conditions for the celebration of the Olympic Games.

The IOC co-opts and elects its members from among such persons as it considers qualified. They must be nationals of a country in which they have their domicile or their main center of interests and in which there is an NOC recognized by the IOC. Members of the IOC are its representatives in their respective countries and not delegates of their country within the IOC. IOC members retire at the end of the calendar year in which they reach the age of 80, unless they were elected before 1966. Members elected before 1966 are elected for life. There are currently 106 IOC members.

The Executive Board consists of the IOC President, four Vice Presidents and six additional members, elected by the Session upon secret ballot, by a majority of votes cast. The Vice Presidents and the members are elected for terms of four years, beginning at the end of the Session during which they were elected. After their four-year term, Vice Presidents cannot re-enter the Executive Board for twelve months. An Executive Board member completing his or her term can only remain on the Executive Board if elected as Vice President. The Executive Board manages the IOC's affairs by ensuring the observance of the "Olympic Charter", controlling the administration and organizational structure, approving the annual budget, etc. It generally meets four to five times per year.

The President is elected by the members by secret ballot for an initial term of eight years. He may be re-elected for successive four-year terms. He presides over all the activities of the IOC and represents it permanently. Appointed by the President, the permanent and ad hoc Commissions (and working groups) have an advisory function. Their activities (and the duration of their mandate) are defined by the President. The IOC currently includes the following Commissions:

• International Olympic Academy and Olympic Education
• Eligibility
• Athletes
• Cultural
• Finance
• Juridical
• Medical
• Olympic Movement
• Sources of Financing
• Olympic Program
• Press
• Radio and Television
• Olympic Solidarity
• Sport and Law
• Sport for All
• Philatelic
• Coordination for the Olympic Games
• Olympic Order
• Evaluation for the future Games
• Pierre de Coubertin
• Sport and Environment
• Olympic Collectors.

Each commission meets for a plenary session at least once a year.