Athletes' Commission

Reflecting the Olympic Agenda 2020 goal of placing the athletes at the heart of the Olympic Movement and strengthening the support to athletes, the Athletes’ Commission serves as a link between athletes and the IOC. The Athletes’ Commission advises the IOC Session, the IOC Executive Board (EB) and the IOC President on matters concerning athletes. 

The mission of the Commission is to ensure that the athletes' viewpoint remains at the heart of the Olympic Movement decisions. To that effect, the Commission is invited by the IOC President to submit proposals, recommendations and/or reports to the IOC Executive Board or the IOC Session. In a next step, the Commission develops toolkits, guidelines and projects to support athletes on and off the field of play. The Commission members have representation all relevant IOC commissions, including the IOC Executive Board, subject to the applicable rules of the Olympic Charter. 

The responsibilities of the Athletes' Commission are to:

Partner, liaise and lead the Athletes’ Commissions from across the Olympic Movement

- Within the IOC

i. Bring together athletes representatives from around the world every two years through the International Athletes Forum;
ii. Represent athletes throughout the Olympic Movement and give input on activities related to the implementation of Olympic Agenda 2020, specifically focusing on protecting and supporting clean athletes, both on and off the field of play;
iii. Develop recommendations for other IOC Commissions, such as Women in Sport, Sustainability and Legacy, Sport and Active Society

- Within the Olympic Movement:

i. Lead the Athletes' Engagement Strategy to liaise, communicate and engage with athletes worldwide. This includes developing the Olympic Athletes' Hub, and being present at the Olympic Games and Youth Olympic Games to interact with athletes, as well as liaising with relevant IOC Recognised Organisations such as International Federations, WADA, the IPC, WOA, ANOC, Continental Associations, CAS and others;
ii. Act as role models to promote the Olympic values and history among the youth of the world and the wider population
iii. Encourage and support the development of IF and NOC Athletes Commissions throughout the world, in line with Olympic Agenda 2020 recommendations.

Represent athletes in the Olympic Movement:

- On the field of play

i. Protect clean athletes:  Representing the athletes on the WADA Executive Committee and Foundation Board

ii. At the Olympic Games:

1. Take part in the evaluation of the candidate cities seeking to host the Olympic and Youth Olympic Games (through the Evaluation Commissions) and monitor the organisation of each edition of the Games (through the Coordination Commissions);
2. Take part in the evaluation of the Olympic sports programme;

- Off the field of play

i. Holistic development of athletes (including education, etc.)
ii. Career transition: Develop and take part in the delivery of the IOC Athlete Career Programme (ACP) and the Athlete Learning Gateway (ALG);

If you are an Olympic athlete, there are a few ways that you can get involved in the work of the Commission. You can stand as a candidate in the elections organised at each edition of the Olympic Games or you can vote to elect representatives of your choice.

You can liaise with the Athletes’ Commission of your NOC or IF or you can forward your comments to the IOC Athletes’ Commission

IOC Sports Department
Château de Vidy
1007 Lausanne, Switzerland

Athletes’ Commission members are involved in many activities - below is a list of a few of them:

Olympic Games

• Candidate city evaluation process
• Monitoring the organisation of the Olympic Games
• Working on the programme of the Olympic Games

Fight Against Doping

• Awareness-raising among athletes of all categories
• Supporting and being involved in the initiatives of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), e.g. promoting the anti-doping passport, and harmonising rules and sanctions
• Warning about the risks of using nutritional supplements

Women in Sport

• Encouraging women’s participation in the Olympic Games and in the practice of sport in general
• Encouraging women to take leadership positions in sports administration
• Developing training and education projects for women
• Raising awareness and providing information through continental seminars and world conferences

IOC Athlete Career Programme

In February 2005, the IOC launched the IOC Athlete Career Programme (IOC ACP), which now comprises three main axes:

Education: providing information, a list of criteria and a checklist enabling athletes to undertake a “dual career” (sport and studies) in the best conditions.

Life skills: making available practical files giving athletes information, advice or a checklist concerning subjects related to their daily lives (nutrition, the fight against doping, financial planning, etc).

Employment: services related to career preparation and management (drafting CVs preparing job interviews, etc.) offered to the athletes, during and after their high-level sports career.
Find out more

The Environment

• Promoting a healthy environment for everyone
• Raising awareness of environmental issues among sports event organisers
• Contributing to the best possible integration of sports facilities into the environment
• Athletes are important role models, as their commitment to promoting the sustainability agenda has the potential to influence and inspire others, particularly young people, to take action.

Support for Humanitarian Schemes

• Promoting healthy lifestyles through sport – preventing HIV and AIDS and discrimination of people living with HIV
• Promoting the Olympic ideals of peace and mutual understanding in communities through sport and Olympic Truce
• Promoting sustainable development and environmentally friendly behaviours in the sporting community
• Informing about the Olympic Values Education Programme, an initiative to encourage the dissemination of our values and history among the youth of the world