Who We Are

Our vision

Our vision is to build a better world through sport – to inspire, by being the best that we can be. The best of what we can achieve. Together.

What can sport accomplish in a complex and ever-evolving world? A lot. Sport shows us we’re all chasing the same dreams — that anyone, from anywhere, can aspire to compete at the highest level. Sport can help people find their confidence, their spirit, their creativity. Sport can build friendships and bridge nations. Athletes are competitors, but respect each other in victory and defeat. Sport is a universal language accepted everywhere. It shows us we’re not that different from each other after all.

Our missions

We have five missions linked to delivering our vision and reflecting our values of excellence, respect and friendship:

• ensure the uniqueness and regular celebration of the Olympic Games
• put athletes at the heart of the Olympic Movement
• promote sport and the Olympic values in society, with a focus on young people
• lead and support the Olympic Movement
• maximise the performance of the organisation.

Our values: excellence, respect and friendship

Our values help bring out the best in us. We strive for excellence and encourage people to do the best they can. We promote respect in many different ways, respect for yourself, for the rules, for your opponents, for the environment and for the public. We celebrate friendship, which is the hallmark of the Olympic Games. There is more that unites than divides us.

Our organisation

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is a not-for-profit, civil, non-governmental, international organisation. Created on 23 June 1894, just under two years before the first Olympic Games of the modern era in April 1896, the IOC is the supreme authority of the Olympic Movement. Its mission is to lead and support the Olympic Movement. The IOC administration, which is composed of about 700 employees, works to maximise the performance of the organisation and implements the decisions taken by the IOC Executive Board and the IOC Session.

As the leader of the Olympic Movement, the IOC acts as a catalyst for collaboration between all parties of the Olympic family, from the National Olympic Committees (NOCs), the International Sports Federations (IFs), the athletes and the Organising Committees for the Olympic Games (OCOGs) to the Worldwide Olympic Partners, broadcast partners and United Nations (UN) agencies. It leads a wide range of programmes and projects. On this basis, it ensures the regular celebration of the Olympic Games, supports all affiliated member organisations of the Olympic Movement and strongly encourages, by appropriate means, the promotion of the Olympic values.