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Jens Weinreich
It is 5 January 2026. At the Olympic House in Lausanne, an email arrives at the inboxes of employees that at first glance looks like a routine personnel announcement. Christophe De Kepper, the powerful Director General of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), provides information about Marie Sallois, long-time Director of Corporate and Sustainable Development (CSD). The work of this department has long played a central role in IOC propaganda.
Some may describe the wording of this email as a masterpiece of Olympic diplomacy – for quite a few employees at IOC headquarters, however, the letter is a lesson in obfuscation. It is yet another disappointment after a long, gruelling process that has led to numerous burnouts and resignations in a ‘culture of fear’, ‘psychological violence and emotional manipulation’.
De Kepper writes:
