IOC joins forces with OECD under new agreement

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) have agreed on a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aiming at strengthening their collaboration on promoting ethics, integrity and good governance, as well as peace and sustainable development in sport. The agreement was signed in Lausanne by IOC President Thomas Bach and OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurría.

The collaboration between the IOC and OECD will focus on:

• combating corruption and promoting integrity in sport, including through the International Partnership against Corruption in Sport (IPACS);

• promoting responsible governance for sports organisations and sports events;

• fostering major sports events that aim to promote sustainable growth and development; and

• developing tools to evaluate the contribution of global events to local development and citizens’ well-being, based on rigorous and evidence-based analysis.

“Whilst the IOC’s vision is to build a better world through sport, the OECD works to build better policies for better lives. Therefore our organisations have many synergies − it is a natural match,” said IOC President Thomas Bach. “The IOC is looking forward to making the best use of the OECD’s remarkable expertise in anti-corruption and in addressing social, economic and environmental challenges. We will also spread its evidence-based solutions within the Olympic Movement,” the IOC President added.

“I am pleased to have signed this Memorandum of Understanding with the IOC. It is the next important step in our cooperation after the OECD and the IOC have been both founding partners of IPACS. This MoU illustrates our common objective to combat corruption, to promote integrity in sport, to ensure responsible business conduct, and to foster sustainable and inclusive growth which helps improve the integrity and credibility of sports organisations,” said OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurría.

This cooperation with the OECD is another step forward by the IOC in its new approach to good governance and the fight against corruption. With Olympic Agenda 2020, the IOC has turned the page. However, it still has to deal with issues and cases from before these reforms, and does so with great determination. The partnership with the OECD will facilitate these efforts.

For instance, the OECD will support the IOC in protecting the integrity of sport by providing guidance to the organisers of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 on how to mitigate the risks of corruption linked to procurement. Such guidelines will also be useful for the organisers of other future Games or major sports events. The IOC’s and OECD’s collaboration in this area will complement the work of the International Partnership Against Corruption in Sport (IPACS), of which both organisations form part.

The IOC and the OECD will also work together to maximise the impact of their activities aimed at contributing to the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The IOC already aims to ensure that sustainability is included in all aspects of the planning and staging of the Olympic Games, and that the host cities can leverage the Games as a catalyst for their sustainable development.

As part of the agreement, the IOC will promote the OECD’s Recommendation on Global Events and Local Development within the Olympic Movement. The Recommendation provides guidance on how events can be deliberately designed and executed to generate long-term benefits, in particular positively impacting communities and contributing to economic growth and development. In this context, the IOC and the OECD will work with the organisers of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 to develop tools to evaluate the contribution of their Games edition to local development and citizens’ well-being, based on rigorous and evidence-based analysis.

The International Olympic Committee is a not-for-profit independent international organisation made up of volunteers, which is committed to building a better world through sport. It redistributes more than 90 per cent of its income to the wider sporting movement, which means that every day the equivalent of 3.4 million US dollars goes to help athletes and sports organisations at all levels around the world.

For more information, please contact the IOC Media Relations Team:
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