IOC increases Olympic Solidarity funding by 10 per cent overall and by 16 per cent for direct athlete support programmes
The support of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for athletes, National Olympic Committees (NOCs) and Continental Associations of NOCs and the Olympic Movement continues to grow, strengthening even further the solidarity within the Olympic Movement. Following a proposal by the Olympic Solidarity Commission, which met in Paris on 19 July, the IOC Executive Board (EB) today approved an increase in the overall Olympic Solidarity budget for 2025 to 2028 by 10 per cent, reaching an unprecedented total of USD 650 million.
“Solidarity is at the heart of the Olympic Movement. It is even more important in the difficult times that we are living in,” said IOC President Thomas Bach. “By increasing the budget of Olympic Solidarity over the next four years, we will strengthen even further the solidarity within our Movement. Not only will we allow more athletes to pursue their Olympic dreams thanks to individual scholarships, we will also provide assistance to the least privileged NOCs that are the most affected by ongoing crises and deserve our full support.”
"The Olympic Solidarity Plan for 2025-2028 embodies our commitment to strengthen our support to all NOCs and their athletes, and the solidarity within our Movement,” said Robin Mitchell, an EB member and Chair of the Olympic Solidarity Commission, when presenting the plan.
This 10 per cent budget increase means more athletes benefitting from individual scholarships, more teams supported, and more coaches and sports administrators trained. As for young athletes, we are particularly pleased that the Olympic Solidarity youth programmes will focus on Africa, in anticipation of the next Youth Olympic Games Dakar 2026.
16 per cent increase for athlete support programmes
With its increased budget, the 2025-2028 Olympic Solidarity plan will bring additional support for athletes, while also empowering NOCs and their communities. The main elements of the Olympic Solidarity plan for 2025-2028 are as follows:
- An increase of 16 per cent for athlete support programmes, up to a total of USD 66 million. This will allow more athletes from all backgrounds and from NOCs with traditionally smaller Olympic teams to benefit from individual Olympic scholarships and team support grants, thus helping them in their quest to reach the Olympic Games.
- An expanded investment in youth programmes, delivered in partnership with the International Sports Federations, will focus on Africa during the upcoming quadrennial, in anticipation of the Youth Olympic Games Dakar 2026.
- Increased support for refugee athletes will reflect the continuing increase in the number of refugees and forcibly displaced persons across the world.
- An 11 per cent increase for all NOCs in the budget allocated to their management programmes, with additional support for those NOCs with specific administrative needs.
- A 15 per cent budget increase for programmes linked to the Olympic values and initiatives advancing Olympism365. This will support NOCs in their endeavours to actively contribute to the IOC’s strategy to strengthen the role of sport as an important enabler for the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Supporting athletes and their entourage on the road to the Games
In the framework of the 2021-2024 quadrennial plan, Olympic Solidarity provided support to NOCs and their athletes on the road to Tokyo 2020, Beijing 2022, Gangwon 2024 and, of course, Paris 2024, with a total development and assistance budget of USD 590 million, a 16 per cent increase from the 2017-2020 period.
This assistance was crucial in the preparations of NOCs and their athletes for the upcoming Games. “The Olympic Games in Paris are just around the corner. With 1,331 individual scholarships allocated and 215 teams supported in advance of the Games, the Athletes’ Support programmes are central to our efforts,” said Mitchell.
The support provided through these scholarships is currently showcased through a series of interviews with 10 athlete scholarship-holders on the road to Paris 2024.
Individual Olympic Solidarity scholarships have been awarded directly to athletes since 2000.
The support from Olympic Solidarity goes beyond the direct support received by athletes. “It takes a lot more for athletes to be ready for the Games,” Mitchell explains. “Since Tokyo and across the world, over 22,000 coaches and over 15,000 sports administrators have attended courses funded by Olympic Solidarity, leading to a stronger entourage for athletes competing in Paris. Olympic Solidarity is proud to support NOCs and their athletes on their journey to Paris 2024,” he added.
Solidarity throughout the Olympic Movement
The aim of Olympic Solidarity is to provide assistance to all NOCs for athlete development programmes, particularly those with the greatest need. This assistance is achieved through multi-faceted programmes prioritising athlete development, but also training coaches and sports administrators, and promoting the Olympic values.
The Olympic Solidarity budget corresponds to the share of the broadcast rights from recent Olympic Games that the IOC redistributes to the NOCs. Olympic Solidarity redistributes these funds to all NOCs recognised by the IOC through various programmes aimed at developing and promoting sport worldwide, and encouraging athletes’ participation in the Olympic Games, thus ensuring true universality and diversity at the Olympic Games.