Olympic Agenda 2020 – “the Olympic programme is the fundamental core of the Olympic Games as decisions regarding the programme have an impact on virtually all other areas of the Olympic Games and Olympic Movement.”

The Olympic Programme Commission has the responsibility for analysing Summer, Winter and Youth Olympic Games programmes and forms proposals for consideration by the IOC Executive Board.

The Olympic Programme Commission is composed of IOC Members, representatives from the National Olympic Committees (NOCs), International Federations (IFs) and Organising Committees for the Olympic Games (OCOGs), Olympians and other stakeholders.

The framework set by Olympic Agenda 2020, Olympic Agenda 2020+5 and Rule 45 of the Olympic Charter gives flexibility to review the Olympic programme for each edition of the Games in order to introduce innovation and sustainability and promote gender equality.

The responsibilities of the Olympic Programme Commission are to:

• Develop a programme that maximises the popularity of the Olympic Games while containing costs and complexity;
• Make sure that the Olympic programme remains relevant to young people by ensuring innovation and adapting to modern tastes and new trends, while respecting the history and tradition of the sports;
• Thoroughly evaluate the sports and events in close cooperation with the respective International Federations;
• Respect the framework and principles outlined in Olympic Agenda 2020 Recommendations 9, 10 and 11 and Olympic Agenda 2020+5 Recommendations 1, 2, 4 and 5.

The Olympic Programme Commission is supported by the IOC Sports Department.

Chair

• Karl STOSS

Members

• Odette ASSEMBE ENGOULOU
• Aïcha GARAD ALI
• Lingwei LI
• Gunilla LINDBERG
• Giovanni MALAGO
• Octavian MORARIU
• Camilo PEREZ LOPEZ MOREIRA
• Bernard RAJZMAN
• Seung-min RYU
• Emma TERHO
• Jassim Rashid AL-BUENAIN
• Yuko ARAKIDA
• Alejandro BLANCO BRAVO
• Sally FITZGIBBONS
• Heike GROESSWANG
• Nese GÜNDOGAN
• Sarah HIRSHLAND
• Sophia PAPAMICHALOPOULOS
• Stanislav POZDNYAKOV
• Hugh ROBERTSON
• Andrew RYAN
• Walter SIEBER
• Daishun WEI

Director in charge

• Sports Director

The programme of the Olympic Games is the programme of all sports competitions established by the IOC for each edition of the Olympic Games. The components of the programme are sports and events.

The inclusion of a sport in the programme of any Olympic Games edition shall be decided seven years prior to the Olympic Games and normally coincides with the Session that elects the host of that edition of the Olympic Games. Only sports that comply with the Olympic Charter and the World Anti-Doping Code are eligible to be in the programme.

An event is a competition in a sport, resulting in a ranking and giving rise to the awarding of medals and diplomas.

The decision to include an event in the programme falls within the competence of the IOC Executive Board. The event programme must be finalised no later than three years prior to the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games concerned.

Under the recommendations of Olympic Agenda 2020, passed unanimously by the IOC Session in December 2014, the IOC now allows an OCOG to make a proposal for the inclusion of one or more additional events on the Olympic programme for that edition of the Olympic Games.