The Olympic Studies Centre

Reading advice: OSC Reference Document “Key milestones in the history of the International Olympic Committee” This resource offers an in-depth look at the IOC's journey from its inception in 1894 to the present day, highlighting significant events, leadership, and developments that have shaped the Olympic Movement: https://lnkd.in/eiAcH7Hx This document is part of our OSC Reference Collection. You can access the entire collection on the Olympic World Library https://lnkd.in/eMTuzwq7. The content of these documents can be used for non-commercial, educational, research, analysis, review or reporting purposes.

The IOC made history in July last year when the 142nd IOC Session decided to create the Olympic Esports Games. It has now been announced that the inaugural edition will take place in 2027 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The “Road to the Games,” featuring the first Olympic esports competitions, will begin this year. The Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF) will be the Founding Partner of the Olympic Esports Games. The IOC-EWCF partnership aims to create a lasting impact by bridging the gap between esports and traditional sports while expanding opportunities for players and teams representing their countries. More information here https://lnkd.in/dKgk_sQj For additional resources, explore our ZOOM IN page on the Olympic World Library, featuring a comprehensive list of links and publications on esports and gaming https://bit.ly/3wb1Wt7

131 new publications have been added to the Olympic World Library in January. Some highlights are: IOC marketing report - Paris 2024 https://lnkd.in/eFETbMnt The Paris 2024 Olympic Games in review https://lnkd.in/epihmMbn Sex Differences in Performance and Performance-Determining Factors in the Olympic Winter Endurance Sports https://lnkd.in/enRZc4TY Sports Media Rights in the Age of Streaming and Platformisation https://lnkd.in/eszh7s99 To stay up to date with new publications by signing up to the automatic weekly alert. You can find the link on the home page at https://lnkd.in/erdq2u46, click on “my account”, and either register if you are visiting for the first time or log in if you already have an account. Once connected, select “my searches” from the menu and personalise your alerts.

One year from today, on 6 February 2026, the Olympic Winter Games Milan-Cortina 2026 will begin. To support your research on these Games, we are not only collecting publications related to Milan-Cortina but also making available all publications from the Organising Committees (OCOGs) of past Olympic Games hosted in Italy - Cortina d'Ampezzo 1956, Rome 1960, and Torino 2006. More information here https://lnkd.in/eXqKKiVH Whether you're interested in the sports on the programme, the legacy and impact of the Games, media and broadcasting, venues, mascots, ticketing, sustainability, or other topics, you can explore all our resources on the Italian Winter Games here: https://lnkd.in/ePJwMXkv For publications on other editions of the Olympic Games, the Olympic Movement, athletes, sports, or the philosophy of Olympism, visit the Olympic World Library - your portal to Olympic knowledge: https://lnkd.in/ewPQxawN #MilanoCortina2026 #1YearToGo #OlympicWorldLibrary #OlympicStudies

An updated list of conferences offering Olympic-related content to be organized in 2025 by universities or institutions involved in the Olympic Movement is available here https://lnkd.in/e_YasQrU The new entries include, among others, THE SPOT, the “1st International Congress on Safe Sport Research” and the " 8th International Sport & Discrimination Conference". We update this list regularly, and try to make it as exhaustive as possible, so please keep us informed about any conference missing, by writing to studies.centre@olympic.org #OlympicStudies

On 20 March 2025, the members of the International Olympic Committee will elect the 10th IOC President from a pool of seven candidates. The candidates presented their programmes to the IOC membership during a meeting on 30 January 2025. You can watch the press conference that followed here https://lnkd.in/eS9S_ms2, and find information about the candidates and their manifestos here https://lnkd.in/en_QU6ng. Here is an overview of the nine IOC presidents since the creation of the IOC: Dimitrios Vikelas (Greece): 1894–1896 Pierre de Coubertin (France): 1896–1925 Henri de Baillet-Latour (Belgium): 1925–1942 Sigfrid Edström (Sweden): 1946–1952 Avery Brundage (USA): 1952–1972 Lord Killanin (Ireland): 1972–1980 Juan Antonio Samaranch (Spain): 1980–2001 Jacques Rogge (Belgium): 2001–2013 Thomas Bach (Germany): 2013–present   In our reference document "Elections of the Presidents of the International Olympic Committee" available on the Olympic World Library here https://lnkd.in/eFEBUY4d, we provide detailed information on each past election, including dates, locations, candidates, voting results, outcomes, and any relevant rule changes of previous votes.   #OlympicKnowledge #IOC #InternationalOlympicCommittee 

Dolomiti Valtellina in the Italian Alps are set to host the next Winter Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in 2028. This decision was taken by the IOC Members during the 143rd IOC Session in Lausanne, following a presentation by the project leaders. Dolomiti Valtellina 2028 will be the fifth edition of the Winter YOG. Competitions will take place only in existing venues across three clusters in Valtellina, Trentino and Cortina, returning to some of the iconic sports venues that will be used for the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026. The 2028 YOG will be part of the Milano Cortina 2026 legacy, and will reinvest in communities with strong winter sports traditions. More information here https://lnkd.in/eBv362PH Just as for Olympic Games, we have a large number of official and academic reading resources about the YOG in our collection. For more information don’t miss our Zoom-In page on the Olympic World Library here https://bit.ly/2QtL7EX

The Olympic programme has changed considerably since the first Games of the modern era in 1896. The programme for the very first Games of the Olympiad included nine sports and 43 events (an event being a competition in a sport, resulting in a ranking and the awarding of medals and diplomas), while Tokyo 2020 featured no fewer than 329 events across 32 sports. The Winter Games programme has also evolved, with 109 events on the programme of the Beijing 2022 Winter Games, in comparison to the 16 events at the first edition in Chamonix in 1924. In his article “The Olympic Programme”, Jean-Loup Chappelet, Professor emeritus at the Swiss Graduate School of Public Administration of the University of Lausanne, Switzerland, examines the evolution of the Olympic Games' roster of sports and events and explores the reasons behind modifications to the programme, the criteria for including or excluding sports, and the role of the IOC Olympic Programme Commission in these decisions. The article also delves into how the process for altering the Olympic programme has transformed over time, providing insights into its current state and the challenges it faces. The article, part of our "Olympic Knowledge - Essential Readings Series", is available on the Olympic World Library here https://lnkd.in/eWQ59uky Find the entire "Olympic Knowledge - Essential Readings Series" here https://lnkd.in/de-CSEEK, and for more information on the Olympic Programme, please consult our Reference Document “The Olympic Programme Evolution” here https://lnkd.in/ej8qqPJs, and our dedicated Zoom-In page here https://lnkd.in/emxmaDTq

We recently held our twelfth “On the Line with an Expert” session, this time focusing on the topic of " Athletes’ mental health". Scott Sloan, IOC Safe Sport Unit Project Manager, Alan Currie, Consultant Psychiatrist at the UK Sports Institute, and Margot Putukian, Chief Medical Officer of he Major League Soccer, presented the IOC Mental Health Action Plan to more than 90 academic researchers, discussed the research strategy, and answered questions from the audience. We invite you to watch the presentation and Q&A session here https://lnkd.in/ecUeR4Py. You can also access the entire series here https://lnkd.in/ec3WFWUp Additionally, don’t miss our ZOOM IN page on the Olympic World Library, featuring a vast collection of official and academic publications on this important topic: https://lnkd.in/e2e44yKA