Frequently Asked Questions

History and origin of the Games

Why does the International Olympic Committee have its headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland?

The IOC headquarters have been in Lausanne, on the shores of Lake Geneva, since 1915.

It was Pierre de Coubertin who chose this city. He explained later that not only did he see Lausanne as an ideal location for the administrative headquarters, but also that in the midst of the First World War the city could offer the stability that had become essential for Olympism.

Learn more:

"La Cérémonie de Lausanne", Bulletin du Comité International Olympique, n°2, Lausanne, 1915, p.2 (in French only)

Pierre de Coubertin, "Olympic Memoirs – XVI", Olympic Review, n. 123, January 1978, p.53 (first published in 1931)