From Olympic Administration To Olympic Governance

Lausanne, the Swiss city IOC (International Olympic Committee) President Juan Antonio Samaranch honored with the title "Olympic capital" in 1994, is now the administrative capital of world sport. The past century has presented Olympism with many challenges and that continues to be the case today; the issues may have changed, but they are no less numerous. Controversies over phony amateurism, the two Chinas and the creation of a modern Olympia have been resolved, only to be replaced by questions of governance, compliance, strategy, responsible management, the size of the Games, the scarcity of bids and new forms of doping and corruption. All these themes are examined in the articles that make up this book published about 100 years after the establishment of the IOC’s headquarters in Lausanne. This book was originally published as a special edition of Sport in Society.

When the athletes enter the stadium and the Olympic flame is lit, the whole world watches. Billions will continue to follow the events and to share in the athletes' joys and sorrows for the next sixteen days. Readers of this book, however, will watch forthcoming editions of the Olympic Games in a completely different light. Unlike many historical or official publications and somewhat biased commercial works, it provides -- in a clear, readable form -- informative and fascinating material on many aspects of what Olympism is all about: its history, its organization and its actors. Although public attention is often drawn to various issues surrounding this planetary phenomenon -- whether concerning the International Olympic Committee, the athletes, the host cities or even the scandals that have arisen -- the Olympic System as such is relatively little known. What are its structures, its goals, its resources? How is it governed and regulated? What about doping, gigantism, violence in the stadium? In addition to providing a wealth of information on all these subjects, the authors also show how power, money and image have transformed Olympism over the decades. They round off the work with thought-provoking reflections regarding the future of the Olympic System and the obstacles it must overcome in order to survive.

The Olympic Games is unquestionably the largest and most important sporting event in the world. Yet who exactly is accountable for its successes and failures? This book examines the legitimacy and accountability of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). This non-governmental organisation wields extraordinary power, but there is no democratic basis for its authority. This study questions the supremacy of the IOC, arguing that there is a significant accountability deficit. Investigating the conduct of the IOC from an international legal perspective, the book moves beyond a critique of the IOC to explore potential avenues for reform, means of improving democratic procedures and increasing accountability. If the Olympics are to continue to be our most celebrated sporting event, those who organise them must be answerable to the citizens that they can potentially harm as well as benefit. Full of original insights into the inner workings of the IOC, this book is essential reading for all those interested in the Olympics, sport policy, sport management, sport mega-events, and the law.

This book analyzes the International Olympic Committee, what makes the system work and whether it will survive in the twenty-first century considering the major changes that have taken place in sport over recent decades.

The Olympic Games are the world's most complex and challenging sport mega-event to organize. Managing the Olympics is the first ever attempt to bring together the world's leading Olympic management researchers in one book and draws on the latest research into the management challenges faced by the organizers and key stakeholders of the Games.

An exploration of how the Olympics are organised in response to risk. This book looks at the tension between the riskiness of mega-events, attributable to their scale and complexities, and the societal, political and organisational pressures that exist for safety, security and management of risk – leading to changes in how the Games are governed.

This case explores the complex multi-layered governance structure in the international Olympic sport of gymnastics, describing in detail the governance structures and operations of each layer - the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG), which is the international federation for gymnastics, and the national governing bodies (NGB) of gymnastics in the United States and Australia, USA Gymnastics and Gymnastics Australia. While both NGBs highlighted in this case are deemed to be successful on an international level, the case reveals many subtle differences between the two, which can be discussed in both governance and organizational behavior contexts. Finally, the timely issue of age fraud in gymnastics and the response from each level of governance are presented and provide an opportunity for further in-depth discussion.

Sport governance involves the structure, function, power, and influence of sport. The topic is comprised of information from several fields, which include management, administration, social psychology, history, political science, and group dynamics.