Executive Board Submits Amendments To Olympic Charter To Be Taken Up In Mumbai IOC Session

Executive Board submits amendments to Olympic Charter to be taken up in Mumbai IOC Session (Image Source: IANS)

The International Olympic Committee: The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has announced its plans to amend the Olympic Charter over human rights commitments, which will be taken up during the 141st IOC Session in Mumbai next month.

The IOC also brought in a change in Rule 40, allowing participants at the Olympics to enjoy freedom of expression in keeping with the Olympic values and the Fundamental Principles of Olympism and made it mandatory for them to respect and comply with the Olympic Charter, the World Anti-Doping Code and the Olympic Movement Code on the Prevention of the Manipulation of Competitions.

The first proposal aims to include additional wording in the Fundamental Principles of Olympism as an overarching commitment to respect for human rights, specifically in Fundamental Principles of Olympism 1 and 4. The proposal is a result of the work of the Legal Affairs Commission and its consultation with the Advisory Committee on Human Rights.

The IOC also plans to align the Olympic Charter with the Guidelines on Athlete Expression that were introduced by the IOC Executive Board on April 21, 2021, and applied successfully at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 and then at the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022.

The proposed additional wording to Rule 40 will make it clear that all competitors, team officials and other team personnel at the Olympic Games shall enjoy freedom of expression in keeping with the Olympic values and the Fundamental Principles of Olympism, and in accordance with the Guidelines determined by the IOC Executive Board.

It also makes it mandatory that to participate in the Olympic Games, a competitor, team official or other team personnel must respect and comply with the Olympic Charter, the World Anti-Doping Code and the Olympic Movement Code on the Prevention of the Manipulation of Competitions, including the conditions of participation established by the IOC, as well as with the rules of the relevant IF as approved by the IOC, and the competitor, team official or other team personnel must be entered by his NOC.