Solidarity and Peace: the IOC publishes 2022 Annual Report and Financial Statements

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) today published its 2022 Annual Report after this was approved by the IOC Members at the 140th IOC Session, held remotely from Olympic House in Lausanne.

In addition to outlining the activities carried out during the past year, the Report includes the audited consolidated financial statements for 2022, along with the IOC Members’ Indemnity Policy. The consolidated financial statements are prepared in accordance with the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), even though the IOC is not legally obliged to comply with these higher standards.

Once again, the IOC, which is entirely privately funded, has continued to redistribute 90 per cent of distributable revenues to support the organisation of the Olympic Games, the promotion of athletes and sport at all levels worldwide, and the dissemination of the Olympic values. In 2022, the IOC contributed USD 2 billion to support the Olympic Movement through direct IOC contributions as well as various IOC activities, projects and programmes aimed at supporting the staging of the Games and promoting the worldwide development of sport and the Olympic Movement.

The IOC Annual Report 2022 has as its subtitle "Solidarity and Peace", which reflects the emphasis of the activities of the IOC and the Olympic Movement during the year. This year it has again been structured around the five key trends that underpin Olympic Agenda 2020+5.

Highlights of the year include the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022, which took place in February. Some 2,897 athletes from 91 National Olympic Committees participated. Forty-five per cent of the athletes were women, making these the most gender-balanced Olympic Winter Games to date. Although the pandemic was still very present in February 2022 and spectator numbers restricted to a small Chinese audience, this did nothing to dim the enthusiasm, with fans tuning in from around the world to watch the action on digital platforms. The result was the most digitally engaged Olympic Winter Games to date, with a record 3.2 billion engagements on Olympic social media handles, while 2.01 billion viewers tuned in to watch coverage on Media Rights-Holders’ linear and digital platforms.

In the days after these Games, the IOC’s mission of peace and solidarity took on even greater importance when Russia invaded Ukraine in a blatant violation of the Olympic Truce and the Olympic Charter. The IOC immediately condemned the war, sanctioned the Russian and Belarusian governments in an unprecedented way, and took protective measures to safeguard the athletes and the integrity of sport. Concurrently, and fully aligned with its mission, the IOC began supporting the athletes and members of the Ukrainian Olympic community everywhere.

At the same time, the IOC also continued its support to the wider sports community and athletes through the Olympic Solidarity programmes and athlete support programmes, including those to assist athletes with career transition and athlete welfare programmes. The Athlete365 programme numbered 130,000 members in 2022.

Meanwhile, the IOC’s commitment to sustainable development continued apace. Among the highlights, the IOC took tangible steps to lower its carbon footprint by reducing its emissions and compensating for residual emissions, notably through the Olympic Forest. In 2022 also, the IOC approved its Strategic Framework for Human Rights. At the same time, the IOC ramped up its commitment to use sport as a tool for social development and as an enabler for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, through its Olympism365 strategy.

In other highlights, the IOC’s digital strategy continued to drive engagement with new and younger audiences. Among others, coverage was provided for all 31 Olympic qualifier events for Paris 2024 via live stream or editorial coverage on Olympics.com. Meanwhile preparations continued for the first-ever Olympic Esports Week, which is currently taking place in Singapore.

Finally, the IOC continued to strengthen its commitment to good governance and transparency, notably by upgrading the IOC Code of Ethics to incorporate the new Basic Universal Principles of Good Governance. These and other activities are outlined in the Report.

The IOC Annual Report 2022 is accessible online at: IOC Annual Report 2022.

Thursday, 22 June 2023