Olympic Solidarity

The aim of Olympic Solidarity is to provide assistance to all National Olympic Committees (NOCs) for athlete development programmes, in particular those with the greatest need for it.

This assistance is achieved through multi-faceted programmes that prioritise athlete development, train coaches and sports administrators, and promote the Olympic values (Olympic charter, rule 5).

Today’s resources

The development and assistance budget approved by the Olympic Solidary Commission for the 2025-2028 plan amounts to USD 650 million, corresponding to the share of the broadcast rights from the Olympic Games (Paris 2024 and Milano Cortina 2026) that belongs to the NOCs. Olympic Solidarity redistributes these funds through programmes offered to all NOCs recognised by the IOC.

2025-2028 Key Priorities

To achieve Olympic Solidarity’s long-term outcomes, a number of new strategic initiatives have been approved for the 2025-2028 period:

• more Olympic scholarships aimed at championing athletes are now offered, with a priority on those from smaller NOCs and gender parity. Investment in youth programmes has been expanded ahead of the Youth Olympic Games Dakar 2026, focusing in particular on African NOCs, while support for refugee athletes has been boosted in response to the rising number of forcibly displaced people around the world;
• NOCs also stand to benefit from an optimised approach to the IOC Subsidies for NOCs’ Participation in the Olympic Games, while athlete representation has been strengthened with the formalisation and standardisation of annual support for continental Athletes’ Commissions;
• to build capacity among NOCs, more funding is available to strengthen their administrative structures, while Continental Associations can also take advantage of greater financial support, allowing them to offer additional bespoke support to NOCs while considering the specific needs of their region; and
• finally, to empower communities, more options are available for NOCs committed to contributing to Olympism365 at the local and national levels, thereby enhancing sport’s contribution to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Role and responsibilities

The Olympic Solidarity Commission is responsible for defining the main course of action and managing the activities of the Olympic Solidarity international office in Lausanne. This office takes care of all operational aspects of the implementation of the programmes and cooperates with five continental offices within the Continental Associations, as well as with the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC).