The International Olympic Committee was founded on 23 June 1894 by the French educator Baron Pierre de Coubertin who was inspired to revive the Olympic Games of Greek antiquity.

The IOC is an international non-governmental non-profit organisation and the creator of the Olympic Movement. The IOC exists to serve as an umbrella organisation of the Olympic Movement. It owns all rights to the Olympic symbols, flag, motto, anthem and Olympic Games. Its primary responsibility is to supervise the organisation of the summer and winter Olympic Games.

MISSION OF THE INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE

The International Olympic Committee is the supreme authority of the Olympic Movement. Its role is to promote top-level sport as well as sport for all in accordance with the Olympic Charter. It ensures the regular celebration of the Olympic Games and strongly encourages, by appropriate means, the promotion of women in sport, that of sports ethics and the protection of athletes.

The IOC is composed of a maximum of 115 co-opted members (however until 31 December 2003, the total number of IOC members may reach 130) who meet in Session at least once a year. The Session elects a President for a term of eight years, renewable once for four years, and Executive Board members for terms of four years.

By retaining all rights relating to the organisation, marketing, broadcasting and reproduction of the Olympic Games, the IOC ensures the continuity of a unique and universal event.
The Olympic Movement receives most of its funding from the Olympic Games rights bought by broadcast networks. However, it also benefits from the Olympic Partners world-wide sponsorship programme (TOP) comprising multinational companies.

EVOLUTION OF ITS STRUCTURE

Following the corruption allegations made in December 1998 against the Bid Committee for the XIX Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City in 2002, IOC President Samaranch immediately appointed a Commission to gather evidence. Six weeks later, the IOC published the results of its inquiry and recommended to the Session that the members involved be punished. The crisis resulted in four resignations, six expulsions and ten official warnings.

This crisis showed the IOC members how much they needed to modernise their institution. This was undertaken in a very short space of time, with radical decisions taken during 1999:

- Procedure for electing candidate cities for 2006 amended and visits by IOC members to candidate cities abolished.
- 15 active Olympic athletes, elected by their peers at the Olympic Games.
- Creation of a Nominations Commission for IOC membership.
- Mandate of IOC Members to last eight years, renewable through re-election.
- IOC to have a maximum of 115 members.
- Presidential mandate limited to eight years, renewable once for four years.
- 15 members to come from IFs, 15 from the NOCs and 70 other as individual members.
- Age limit lowered to 70.
- Creation of the IOC Ethics Commission.
- Creation of the World Anti-Doping Agency.
- Greater financial transparency through the publication of financial reports on the sources and use of the Olympic Movement’s income.
- IOC Session opened to the media for the first time.