Mission
The Medical and Scientific Commission’s mission is to provide a guiding reference for all other sports organisations on matters relating to the protection of the health of athletes.
The Commission advises the IOC Session, the IOC Executive Board and the IOC President on athletes’ health, the promotion of health and physical activity, and the protection of clean athletes in support of Agenda 2020. In undertaking this role, the Commission considers itself to have the following key responsibilities:
- Supervising the provision of health care and doping control services during the Olympic and Youth Olympic Games.
- Delivering evidence-based education to athletes and their entourage.
- Developing and promoting the adoption of ethical standards in sports science and medicine.
- Exploring the potential of new technologies to optimise athletes’ health, and preventing their potential damaging effects.
- Promotion of health and physical activity for the whole population
What objectives do we want to achieve by having these responsibilities :
- Provision of excellent healthcare and doping control at Games to athletes and their entourage
- Better informed and educated athletes and entourage leading to effective prevention of injury and illness, better health care and faster recovery.
- Good medical practice to the highest ethical standards by individuals and organisations responsible for athletes’ health.
- Effective new technologies implemented in healthcare and anti-doping.
Prevention of harm to health of new technologies - Increase physical activity and improve health in the general population
What key strategic priority actions will be taken to achieve these Objectives:
- Olympic Games knowledge management
Communication with OCOGs including pre-games visits and Games time monitoring. - Increase research and surveillance
Maximise relevance and dissemination of consensus statements and publications
Focused and effective conferences/meetings and courses - Adoption and implementation of Olympic Movement Medical Code by all stakeholders for good
medical practice and to respect medical standards.
Safeguarding athletes. - Establish Research expert groups to explore and disseminate new technologies in health care and anti-doping, and identify potential dangers and harms.
- Legacy including increased physical activity and health in the general population from the Games through Global Active Cities Initiative (GACI) and improved sport and exercise medicine
The Medical and Scientific Commission is supported by the Medical and Scientific Department.
Composition
Chair
Vice Chair
Members
- Astrid UHRENHOLDT JACOBSEN
- Cheri BLAUWET
- Fiona BULL
- Jorg DEBATIN
- Lenka DIENSTBACH-WECH
- Vidya MOHAMED-ALI
- Sophia PAPAMICHALOPOULOS
- Yannis P. PITSILADIS
- Fabio PIGOZZI
- Benedict TAN
- Maher ZAHAR
Director in charge
- Medical and Scientific Director
More information
Consensus statements

IOC Medical and Scientific Educational Events

Educational Tools

Games Group

Fight against doping - Who does what?

Olympic Movement Medical Code

IOC Medical COVID-19 Hub

This IOC Medical Covid-19 hub has been created to help support staff provide good medical care of Olympic athletes. Over a year ago, the IOC brought together an international group of experts in respiratory illnesses to develop a Consensus statement on Acute respiratory illness in athletes led by Martin Schwellnus from South Africa.
IOC Medical and Scientific Educational Events
