Olympic bids and the Olympic programme: At its 146th Session in Lausanne, the IOC has abandoned several key elements of the Thomas Bach era and is returning to a number of principles that were largely developed under the Belgian Jacques Rogge.
By aping the Olympic status quo that says no matter how wealthy we become, sports stars should not be paid, Kirsty Coventry has triggered a revolution in which the real Athlete Voice could finally be heard through the truly independent collective that is essential to change.
An open letter addressed to IOC President Kirsty Coventry and the leadership of the Fédération Internationale d'Escrime has been signed by 2,981 people from at least 94 countries. Never before has a community within an Olympic IF mounted resistance and a demand for accountability of this scale.
Off the record, fencers and officials complain; publicly, they claim resistance is "too risky". Two YouTubers exposing the sport's existential crisis challenge this culture of cowardly indifference. Marius Dobel-Ober issues a rallying cry: there is no neutral ground when dealing with autocrats.
What is the status of the Olympic Truce right now? Does anyone remember it? IOC Napoleon Thomas Bach once wanted to unite divided Korea at the Winter Games and dreamed of winning the Nobel Peace Prize. His chosen successor, Kirsty Coventry, remains silent in these days of war, of course.
What I outlined in Thursday's newsletter has been confirmed by CAS' Ad Hoc Division: Denis Oswald made the decision on Wednesday on behalf of the IOC Disciplinary Commission. The IBSF jury was instructed to act in accordance with IOC guidelines. The next day, the IOC pulled off its deception again.
The disqualification of Ukrainian Vladyslav Heraskevych becomes the biggest political issue of the 2026 Winter Olympics – with unforeseen consequences for the IOC and its president, Kirsty Coventry, who are attempting to rectify the situation with propaganda measures. Details on the opaque process.
Read the figures for the 2021–2024 Olympic cycle: more than $55 million was paid to IOC directors – much more than the top-tier Olympic federations (World Athletics & Co) receive from the IOC revenue. The total amount is significantly higher, as some salaries are kept secret.
The World Olympians Association (WOA) is not the first organisation that the IOC has dissolved or arranged to be dissolved. In autumn 2022, the more important GAISF was killed off – the trail led to the IOC headquarters. The WOA case is much better documented. Read the most important correspondence!
Why Kirsty Coventry will become IOC president next week. What would have to happen to prevent it – an ethics complaint against Bach et al, for example. What the latest multi-billion dollar TV deal has to do with the election, and the dubious paths that led Coventry in the IOC in the first place.
The salaries of the IOC directors remain exorbitantly high. Frontrunner Christophe Dubi gets more than Christophe De Kepper. More than $50m are paid in the four-year cycle – most likely several millions more. Read the full list for 2023. And: Jacqueline Barrett passes the baton to Mattias Kaestner.
The salaries of the directors of the International Olympic Committee remain exorbitantly high. Around $50 millions are paid over the four-year cycle - probably several millions more. Read the full list for 2022 after we published it last autumn for 2021.
What to make of the IOC's new passion for safeguarding & crossing borders into the jurisdiction of sovereign states? An analysis by Craig Lord.
