Citius – Altius – Fortius
(The Olympic Values and Sports)


This is just a short primer on the Olympic Games, with more focus on the Games Programme. The discussion below is based on the Olympic Charter and “The Modern Olympic Games” (both published by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

It is hoped that the information here enlightens, encourages and prepares you to further enjoy the coming XXIX Olympiad, Beijing 2008.

Let the Games begin.

The Olympic Games

Let’s start with some basic rules about the Games as set forth in the Charter (Chapter I, Rule 6):


  1. “The Olympic Games are competitions between athletes in individual or team events and not between countries.” In fact, the Charter prohibits the IOC and Organizing Committee to provide medal rankings per country. (Chapter IV, Rule 58). There’s nothing they can do about media outlets doing it though.


  1. “The Olympic Games consist of the Games of the Olympiad and the Olympic Winter Games. Only those sports which are practiced on snow or ice are considered as winter sports.” By the way, the 1st Olympiad was held in 1896 in Athens, Greece while the Winter Games started only in 1924 in Chamonix, France.


  1. “The authority of last resort on any question concerning the Olympic Games rests with the IOC.” However, “any dispute arising on the occasion of, or in connection with, the Olympic Games shall be submitted exclusively to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, in accordance with the Code of Sports-Related Arbitration.” (Chapter V, Rule 59)


  1. “Notwithstanding the applicable rules and deadlines for all arbitration and appeal procedures, and subject to any other provision of the World Anti-Doping Code, no decision taken by the IOC concerning an edition of the Olympic Games … can be challenged by anyone after a period of three years from the day of the Closing Ceremony of such Games.” Fair enough. There shouldn’t be any more controversy carried from the old Olympiad at the start of the new one.

xxx


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