1982: Opening of the provisional Olympic Museum,
Library and Olympic Studies Centre in Avenue Ruchonnet

On 23 June 1982, an interim museum in Avenue Ruchonnet was inaugurated by IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch and Lausanne Mayor Paul-René Martin.

With a surface area of 220 square metres, it was seen as the modest beginnings of an adventure that was certain to have a global impact. It featured a fresco of the history of Olympism and the Games, a reconstruction of Pierre de Coubertin’s study, including his desk, and also Coubertin’s own fencing equipment.

A small library and Olympic Studies Centre were created, with the aim of contributing to the understanding, teaching and study of Olympism, which was seen as a vital stepping stone towards the construction of a permanent facility. By providing complete, classified and inventoried documentation to people interested in the Olympic phenomenon, but also by producing, creating and publishing content from monographs to university-level theses, the goal was to help raise awareness of the veritable essence, universality and permanence of the Olympic Movement, and to highlight the ultimate goal of Olympism, an educational movement, as instrument of civilisation.

More information

The Olympic Museum

The Olympic Museum is a destination and a content creator, as product are distributed by the cultural hub.

The Olympic Museum in Lausanne (Switzerland) (TOM) is the essential storyteller for the Olympic idea. The Museum is not about a collection, it is about an idea: Olympism. Its vocation is to let people discover the Olympic Movement, witnessing its essential contribution to society, and to transmit the Olympic values beyond the celebration of the Games and competitions.

History, culture, design, technology and sociology are some of the themes addressed beyond sport, in turn reflecting the richness and diversity of Olympism.

The Olympic Studies Centre

The IOC Olympic Studies Centre is the world source of reference for Olympic knowledge. Its mission is to share this knowledge with professionals and researchers by providing information, giving access to its unique archive and library collections, enabling research and promoting dialogue between the academic community and the Olympic Movement.

The Studies Centre collaborates with a network of academics and university-based Olympic Studies Centres around the globe and funds Olympic-related research via two grant programmes.

IOC in Lausanne

1915: Establishment of the IOC headquarters in Lausanne

1922: The IOC establishes its offices in Mon-Repos

1948: Olympic Flame in Lausanne

1968: The IOC offices/general secretariat moved to the Château de Vidy

1986: Inauguration of the first Olympic House in Vidy

1993: Inauguration of the Olympic Museum and the Olympic Studies Centre in Ouchy

1994: Formalisation of Lausanne as the “Olympic Capital”

2019: Inauguration of the new Olympic House

More about IOC history

Evolution of the IOC

Founded at the first Olympic Congress in Paris in 1894, the IOC is the leader of the Olympic Movement and the guardian of the Olympic Games. It acts as a catalyst for collaboration across the entire Olympic community. Discover some of the key milestones in the IOC’s history, from the first publication of the Olympic Charter in 1908 to the founding of the Executive Board in 1921 to the first ever Olympism in Action Forum in 2018.

IOC Presidents

Since the creation of the IOC in 1894, there have been nine presidents. The president is elected by the Session in a secret ballot among the IOC Members. Today, the president is elected for a term of office of eight years, renewable once for a period of four years. The current President is Thomas Bach – meet him and his predecessors here.

IOC Congresses

The first Olympic Congress took place in Paris in 1894 and resulted in the creation of the IOC. Since then, there have been 13 Congresses, the most recent of which took place in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 2009. Less formal than the IOC Session, the Olympic Congress has a consultative function and is convened by the IOC President. It is a meeting of representatives of the constituents of the Olympic Movement.