IOC amends Olympic Charter to strengthen its human rights commitments

The IOC Session approved the inclusion of additional wordings to the Olympic Charter to strengthen its human rights commitments. IOC President Thomas Bach termed it a major step in IOC's commitment towards respect for human rights. The IOC also aligned the Charter with the Guidelines on Athlete Expression.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Sunday amended the Olympic Charter to strengthen its human rights commitments during the the first day of its 141st Session here.

The IOC Session approved the inclusion of additional wordings relating to the respect of human rights after the executive board made a recommendation to this effect in September this year.

“Additional wording has been included in the Fundamental Principles of Olympism as an overarching commitment to the respect for human rights, specifically in Fundamental Principles of Olympism 1 and 4,” the IOC said.

“The change is a result of the work by the Legal Affairs Commission and its consultation with the Advisory Committee on Human Rights,” it added.

IOC President Thomas Bach termed the amendment as a major step in IOC's commitment towards respect for human rights in the Olympic Movement.

“With this change to the Olympic Charter, we are also sending a strong message to our stakeholders. It marks an important milestone in the IOC’s human rights work,” he said.

The IOC also aligned the Olympic Charter with the Guidelines on Athlete Expression, which were introduced by the IOC EB on April 21, 2021 and applied successfully at the Tokyo Olympic Games and then at the Beijing Winter Games.