IOC strengthens its stance in favour of human rights and against corruption in new Host City Contract

As part of the implementation of Olympic Agenda 2020 (Recommendation 1), IOC President Thomas Bach met representatives of the Sport and Rights Alliance (SRA), which includes Transparency International Germany, UNI World Athletes, Terre des Hommes, the International Trade Union Confederation, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.

Reiterating its commitment to integrate the results of its collaboration with the SRA, the IOC adopted new procedures and made changes to the Host City Contract 2024, which now includes a section designed to strengthen provisions protecting human rights and countering fraud and corruption related to the organisation of the Olympic Games.

“Strengthening transparency, good governance and accountability are key elements of Olympic Agenda 2020. Based on these principles, the IOC is moving forward by including provisions in the Host City Contract aimed specifically at protecting human rights and countering corruption,” said IOC President Thomas Bach.

“The organisation of the Olympic Games should always promote and enhance the fundamental values of Olympism. This latest step is another reflection of the IOC’s commitment to embedding these values in all aspects of the Olympic Games.”

 “We worked closely with SRA and we welcome its input, which is now reflected in the new version of the Host City Contract”, he added.

Through their candidatures, candidate cities commit themselves to respect the Olympic Charter and the Host City Contract for all participants of the Games and all Games-related matters and are henceforth subject to the following obligations:

• prohibit any form of discrimination with regard to a country or a person on grounds of race, colour, sex, sexual orientation, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status;
• protect and respect human rights and ensure any violation of human rights is remedied in a manner consistent with international agreements, laws and regulations applicable in the Host Country and in a manner consistent with all internationally recognised human rights standards and principles, including the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, applicable in the Host Country;
• refrain from any act involving fraud or corruption, in a manner consistent with any international agreements, laws and regulations applicable in the Host Country and all internationally-recognised anti-corruption standards applicable in the Host Country, including by establishing and maintaining effective reporting and compliance;
• carry out all activities foreseen under the Host City Contract in a manner which embraces sustainable development and contributes to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals;
• take all necessary measures, where necessary in cooperation with Host Country authorities and other third parties, to ensure that their activities in relation to the organisation of the Games comply with any international agreements, laws and regulations applicable in the Host Country, with regard to planning, construction, protection of the environment, health and safety, labour and working conditions and cultural heritage.

In light of Olympic Agenda 2020, the IOC had previously distilled over 7,000 pages of Technical Manuals into fewer than 350 pages of contractually binding Host City Contract Operational Requirements, and published in September 2015 all the documents related to the Candidature: Candidature Process Olympic Games 2024, Candidature Questionnaire Olympic Games 2024, Host City Contract Principles, and Host City Contract Operational Requirements. This was the first time that the full package of documentation had been made public at the very outset of the process. 

To learn more about the Olympic Games candidature process, visit Olympic.org.

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 3.25 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: 
Tel: +41 21 621 6000 e-mail: pressoffice@olympic.org, or visit our web site at www.olympic.org.

Videos

YouTube: www.youtube.com/iocmedia

Photos

For an extensive selection of photos available shortly after each event, please follow us on Flickr.

To request archive photos and footage, please contact our Images team at: images@olympic.org.

Social media

For up-to-the-minute information on the IOC and regular updates, please follow us on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.