The Olympic Movement is the concerted, organised, universal and permanent action, carried out under the supreme authority of the IOC, of all individuals and entities who are inspired by the values of Olympism.
It covers the five continents. It reaches its peak with the bringing together of the world’s athletes at the great sports festival, the Olympic Games. Its symbol is five interlaced rings.
The goal of the Olympic Movement is to contribute to building a peaceful and better world by educating youth through sport practised in accordance with Olympism and its values.
Belonging to the Olympic Movement requires compliance with the Olympic Charter and recognition by the IOC.
The three main constituents of the Olympic Movement are the International Olympic Committee (“IOC”), the International Sports Federations (“IFs”) and the National Olympic Committees (“NOCs”).
In addition to its three main constituents, the Olympic Movement also encompasses the Organising Committees of the Olympic Games (“OCOGs”), the national associations, clubs and persons belonging to the IFs and NOCs, particularly the athletes, whose interests constitute a fundamental element of the Olympic Movement’s action, as well as the judges, referees, coaches and the other sports officials and technicians. It also includes other organisations and institutions as recognised by the IOC.
The IOC has implemented internationally recognised standards of governance in all its activities. With Olympic Agenda 2020, all Olympic Movement stakeholders have agreed to comply with the Basic Universal Principles of Good Governance of the Olympic and Sports Movement.
The IOC was the first sports organisation to establish an Ethics Commission, in 1999. The IOC has an efficient and transparent framework for dealing with ethical issues, based on a Code of Ethics and the principles enshrined in the Olympic Charter.
One of the major threats to the credibility and integrity of sport is competition manipulation. The IOC encourages and supports sporting regulations as well as national legislation and international instruments that protect the integrity of athletes and sport.
The mission of the NOCs is to develop, promote and protect the Olympic Movement in their respective countries, in accordance with the Olympic Charter. NOCs encourage the development of high performance sport as well as sport for all, while also providing training of sports administrators based on the Fundament Principles of Olympism.
The International Sports Federations are responsible for establishing and enforcing the rules concerning the practice of their respective sports and to ensure their application. The role of the IFs is to also oversee the development of their sports worldwide while acting in accordance with the Olympic Charter, including the adaption and implementation of the World Anti-Doping Code.
The organisation of the Olympic Games is entrusted by the International Olympic Committee to the National Olympic Committee of the country of the host city as well as to the host city itself. The NOC forms, for that purpose, an Organising Committee that, from the time it is constituted, communicates directly with the IOC, from which it receives instructions.
The IOC recognises and supports a number of organisations with common interests and values, including a number of IOC Recognised International Sport Federations, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), World Olympians Association (WOA), the International Fair Play Committee (CIFP), and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC).
