From Olympic Administration To Olympic Governance

Lausanne, the Swiss city IOC (International Olympic Committee) President Juan Antonio Samaranch honored with the title "Olympic capital" in 1994, is now the administrative capital of world sport. The past century has presented Olympism with many challenges and that continues to be the case today; the issues may have changed, but they are no less numerous. Controversies over phony amateurism, the two Chinas and the creation of a modern Olympia have been resolved, only to be replaced by questions of governance, compliance, strategy, responsible management, the size of the Games, the scarcity of bids and new forms of doping and corruption. All these themes are examined in the articles that make up this book published about 100 years after the establishment of the IOC’s headquarters in Lausanne. This book was originally published as a special edition of Sport in Society.

This book analyzes the International Olympic Committee, what makes the system work and whether it will survive in the twenty-first century considering the major changes that have taken place in sport over recent decades.

The Olympic Games is unquestionably the largest and most important sporting event in the world. Yet who exactly is accountable for its successes and failures? This book examines the legitimacy and accountability of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). This non-governmental organisation wields extraordinary power, but there is no democratic basis for its authority. This study questions the supremacy of the IOC, arguing that there is a significant accountability deficit. Investigating the conduct of the IOC from an international legal perspective, the book moves beyond a critique of the IOC to explore potential avenues for reform, means of improving democratic procedures and increasing accountability. If the Olympics are to continue to be our most celebrated sporting event, those who organise them must be answerable to the citizens that they can potentially harm as well as benefit. Full of original insights into the inner workings of the IOC, this book is essential reading for all those interested in the Olympics, sport policy, sport management, sport mega-events, and the law.

Lausanne, the Swiss city IOC (International Olympic Committee) President Juan Antonio Samaranch honored with the title "Olympic capital" in 1994, is now the administrative capital of world sport. The past century has presented Olympism with many challenges and that continues to be the case today; the issues may have changed, but they are no less numerous. Controversies over phony amateurism, the two Chinas and the creation of a modern Olympia have been resolved, only to be replaced by questions of governance, compliance, strategy, responsible management, the size of the Games, the scarcity of bids and new forms of doping and corruption. All these themes are examined in the articles that make up this book published about 100 years after the establishment of the IOC’s headquarters in Lausanne. This book was originally published as a special edition of Sport in Society.

An exploration of how the Olympics are organised in response to risk. This book looks at the tension between the riskiness of mega-events, attributable to their scale and complexities, and the societal, political and organisational pressures that exist for safety, security and management of risk – leading to changes in how the Games are governed.

Provides informative and fascinating material on many aspects of what Olympism is all about: its history, its organization and its actors. As public attention is often drawn to the athletes and the scandal, the Olympic System as such is relatively little known.

The Olympic Games are the world's most complex and challenging sport mega-event to organize. Managing the Olympics is the first ever attempt to bring together the world's leading Olympic management researchers in one book and draws on the latest research into the management challenges faced by the organizers and key stakeholders of the Games.