Olympic Solidarity

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Solidarity news

The aim of Olympic Solidarity is to provide assistance to all National Olympic Committees (NOCs) for athlete development programmes, in particular those with the greatest needs of it.

This assistance is achieved through multi-faceted programmes prioritising athlete development, but also training of coaches and sports administrators, and promoting the Olympic values (Olympic charter, rule 5).

Olympic Solidarity and NOC Services Annual Report

The Olympic Solidarity and NOC Services Annual Reports illustrate how solidarity is at the heart of the Olympic Movement and the NOCs’ activities, and how the Olympic Solidarity, NOC Relations and Olympism365 team support these efforts.

Olympic Solidarity and NOC Services Annual Report

Today’s resources

The development and assistance budget approved by the Olympic Solidary Commission for the 2021-2024 plan amounts to USD 590,000,000, corresponding to the share of the broadcast rights from the Olympic Games (Tokyo 2020 and Beijing 2022) which belongs to the NOCs. Olympic Solidarity redistributes these funds through programmes offered to all NOCs recognised by the IOC.

2021-2024 Budget

USD 258,270,000 for the World Programmes, which cover and reinforce all areas of sports development;
USD 222,100,000 for the Continental Programmes, which meet some of the specific needs of each continent;
USD 70,500,000 for the IOC Subsidies for NOCs’ Participation in Olympic Games and Youth Olympic Games, which offer financial support to NOCs for the Games.

For the 2017-2020 plan, Olympic Solidarity supported:.

Over 25,000 athletes;
Over 13,500 NOC activities, including 3,000 scholarships for athletes, 1,600 training courses for coaches and sports administrators, and 2,000 initiatives to promote the Olympic values;
64 forums, workshops and seminars;
180 MEMOS scholarships;
8,500 coaches through the Development of the National Sports System programme.

2021-2024 Key Priorities

In line with the IOC’s own strategy for 2021-2024, the key priorities of the Olympic Solidarity 2021-2024 Plan are to further develop the NOC opportunity offer and place Olympic Solidarity as the main reference of the Olympic Movement for the development of sport. As a result, the strategic objectives of the Olympic Solidarity 2021-2024 plan are the following:

Empower NOCs to keep athletes at the heart of the Olympic Movement
Ensure good governance, financial control and compliance
Strengthen the Olympic Movement’s solidarity funding model
Align with the IOC’s strategy for the post-coronavirus world
Enable NOCs to contribute to the promotion of the Olympic Values
Provide individualised services to NOCs
Measure the real impact of the Olympic Solidarity programmes and funding on the worldwide development of sport

A long history

1960

Creation of an NOC assistance programme

1962

IOAC founded

1971

Olympic Solidarity Committee set up

1973

More assistance for NOCs in need

1979

Support from television rights

1981

Olympic Solidarity Commission created

1984

New structure put in place

1985

Quadrennial plan started

2001

Programme structure established

2018

Current Chair

The IOC decided to set up its own assistance programme for the NOCs, with a particular focus on supporting a certain number of NOCs that had been created when their countries gained independence.

The International Olympic Aid Committee (IOAC) was created by IOC Member Count Jean de Beaumont.

The Committee for Olympic Solidarity was created when the IOAC merged with the International Institute for the Development of NOCs, which was founded in 1969 by the Permanent General Assembly of the NOCs.

Efforts continued with the aim of improving assistance to those NOCs in greatest need. With more than 50 new NOCs created in countries that had very few resources to develop sport in their territories in the 1960 and 1970, these efforts were of utmost importance for the development of sport.

The IOC granted 20% of revenues from television rights to the NOCs at the constitutive assembly of the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) in Puerto Rico.

The Olympic Solidarity Commission was created at the Olympic Congress in Baden-Baden by IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch and ANOC President Mario Vázquez Raña. Its mission was to serve the interests and meet the needs of the NOCs. It was chaired by the IOC President.

Olympic Solidarity was moved to an income management structure that met IOC criteria, rather than providing a general subsidy, a move made possible by the increase in television rights revenues beginning with the Games of the XXIII Olympiad in Los Angeles.

The Olympic Solidarity Commission started to conduct its activities on a quadrennial plan basis and to enjoy administrative independence in line with its functions, scope and structure.

The current structure of Olympic Solidarity’s programmes was established by IOC President Jacques Rogge.

The Olympic Solidarity Commission is now chaired by the IOC Member Robin E. Mitchell.

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Role and responsibilities

The Olympic Solidarity Commission is responsible for defining the main course of action and managing the activities of the Olympic Solidarity international office in Lausanne. This office takes care of all operational aspects of the implementation of the programmes and cooperates with five continental offices within the Continental Associations, as well as with the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC).