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.
Change in IOC’s administration is set to begin with a SharePoint site and joint morning coffee catchups: unsettled staff can ask any questions they like, says the IOC President. During a video meeting attended by almost 600 employees, Coventry warned against negativity, rumours and silo thinking.
The IOC has survived the 2026 Winter Games but faces enormous challenges: Trump, LA 2028, the search for TOP sponsors, the hospitality disasters, the toxic climate in the administration, program reform, and the abolition of the Olympic Channel. Doubts about president Kirsty Coventry are growing.
IOC employees describe a culture of fear not only in the offices in Lausanne. The situation in Madrid, where a quarter of the IOC workforce is based, is also described as toxic in some departments. The incidents and the way in which management deals with them reveal a worrying Olympic pattern.
EXCLUSIVE: Following internal investigations, IOC director Marie Sallois has been relieved of her duties, but strangely enough, she is now coordinating president Coventry's ‘Fit for the Future’ project. Who is protecting her? Employees report similar problems in other IOC directorates.
