Not the worst way to get your legs moving and show off a nice smile: the executive committee opened its three-day meeting on Tuesday, December 3 in Lausanne, by talking numbers. Its own. Its revenue figures for the last Olympiad. The kind of numbers that make your head spin, even in Switzerland.
According to the latest count, presented to the Executive Board by the Chairman of the Finance Commission, Singaporean Ser Miang NG, the IOC will redistribute the record sum of 6,8 billion dollars for the last Olympic cycle, between 2021 and 2024. And this, insisted its spokesperson at a press conference, Mark Adams, despite high inflation and a tense economic situation for a large number of players in the movement.
This amount represents a 12% increase over the previous Olympiad, and a 45% jump over the 2009-2012 cycle.
With such a result, the IOC was able to redistribute the equally record, and perhaps even more telling, sum of 4,7 million dollars per day during the same period.
The miracle? It is well-known: the global marketing contracts signed with the members of the TOP programme, and the television rights to the Games. Mark Adams reminded us that no less than 90% of this revenue is distributed to the international federations, national committees and organisers of the Games, with the remainder (10%) being used to operate the IOC.
So, all is well. And even better than that. The future? No worries. Three global partners, the Japanese Toyota, Panasonic and Bridgestone, will leave the ship at the end of the year, preferring to spend their sports budget differently. But Mark Adams has announced it: the IOC has " secured commercial revenues totaling $13,5 billion" for the next Olympics, including 7,3 billion until the Los Angeles 2028 Games.
Three global partners are leaving, no new ones have arrived yet, but revenues are still increasing. Not really very logical from a purely accounting perspective. But Mark Adams certifies it without a shadow of a doubt: " The Olympic brand is stronger than ever". Cool.
Another figure debated on Tuesday, December 3 by the executive committee, but with less joyful faces: the bonus of 50.000 dollars promised by World Athletics to all Olympic champions in athletics at the Paris 2024 Games. A jackpot, the first in history, that the international body plans to extend to all medalists at the Los Angeles 2028 Games.
When World Athletics announced this initiative last April, the IOC coughed, but without condemning it too firmly. Since then, Lausanne has hardened its tone. There was broad agreement on the subject, I would even say unanimity, explained Mark Adams at a press conference on Tuesday. It is a question of principle, efficiency and distribution within the Olympic movement. The athletes are part of their national Olympic committees. They are the ones who prepare them, it is up to them to reward them. This has been done for many decades."
The IOC spokesman presented his figures to better develop the executive board's argument on the issue of bonuses. "As you know, 91 National Olympic Committees have won medals at the Paris 2024 Games. If all medallists – athletes and teams from all sports – were rewarded, that would be about 1.000 athletes and teams who would benefit. But 65% of individual and team medallists come from the top 15 NOCs in the medal rankings, well-funded and privileged NOCs. ».
Adding to their NOC bonuses another bonus paid by the international federation of their sport would only increase the already existing inequalities, insisted Mark Adams.
The British admitted: the issue was debated within the executive board. A consensus emerged to reject the initiative of World Athletics, with particular emphasis on the part of the representatives of the international federations and the chair of the athletes' commission, the Finnish Emma Terho. Sebastian Coe has been warned: their votes in the vote for Thomas Bach's succession will not be his.
