IOC official says charter changes on sports neutrality vital in ‘complicated’ world

LAUSANNE, June 25 : A senior International Olympic Committee official said on Thursday that Olympic Charter changes aimed at reinforcing sport’s political neutrality were vital for maintaining IOC independence in what he called an increasingly complicated world.The IOC approved amendments on Wednesday strengt


Sport

IOC official says charter changes on sports neutrality vital in ‘complicated’ world

IOC official says charter changes on sports neutrality vital in 'complicated' world

Olympics – IOC Extraordinary Session – SwissTech Convention Center, Ecublens, Switzerland – June 25, 2026 General view of Edgar Grospiron, President of the French Alps 2030 Organizing Committee during the session REUTERS/Denis Balibouse

IOC official says charter changes on sports neutrality vital in 'complicated' world

Olympics – IOC Extraordinary Session – SwissTech Convention Center, Ecublens, Switzerland – June 25, 2026 Edgar Grospiron, President of the French Alps 2030 Organizing Committee along with Vincent Roberti, chief executive officer of the French Alps 2030 Organizing Committee during the session REUTERS/Denis Balibouse

IOC official says charter changes on sports neutrality vital in 'complicated' world

Olympics – IOC Extraordinary Session – SwissTech Convention Center, Ecublens, Switzerland – June 25, 2026 French ski mountaineer Emily Harrop during the session REUTERS/Denis Balibouse

Read a summary of this article on FAST.

Get bite-sized news via a new
cards interface. Give it a try.

Click here to return to FAST
Tap here to return to FAST

FAST

LAUSANNE, June 25 : A senior International Olympic Committee official said on Thursday that Olympic Charter changes aimed at reinforcing sport’s political neutrality were vital for maintaining IOC independence in what he called an increasingly complicated world.

The IOC approved amendments on Wednesday strengthening language emphasising that sport should be free from political interference. Critics say the reforms could ease Russia’s return to international sport.

“It is more necessary than ever that the charter give us the power to maintain our independence. We have to keep the independence, it’s more difficult every day. It’s more complicated.
We are subject to more pressures. The world is getting more and more complicated,” Vice-President Juan Antonio Samaranch told reporters on the sidelines of the two-day extraordinary meeting in Lausanne.

“We need to arm ourselves and protect ourselves through the charter, to be able to take the right decisions,” he added. 

Guess Word

Guess Word
Crack the word, one row at a time


Buzzword

Buzzword
Create words using the given letters


Mini Sudoku

Mini Sudoku
Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser


Mini Crossword

Mini Crossword
Small grid, big challenge


Word Search

Word Search
Spot as many words as you can


Show More


Show Less

Samaranch said IOC changes to its sports programme which would evaluate Olympic inclusion by discipline rather than by sport were fair.

“Small sports are going to have their fair chance of competing fairly with bigger sports,” he said. 

WELCOMES SWISS OLYMPIC BID

The Lausanne meeting comes days after Switzerland’s government formally backed a bid to host the Olympic and ​Paralympic Winter Games in 2038. The country has not hosted the Games since 1948. 

Samaranch said a decision was expected soon, without giving specifics.

“We love the country, we are here. It’s our home, and we would like to see that go through,” he said. 

Source: Reuters

Sign up for our newsletters

Get our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inbox

Inbox

Get the CNA app

Stay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best stories

Get WhatsApp alerts

Join our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat app

Whatsapp

Get bite-sized news via a new
cards interface. Give it a try.

Click here to return to FAST
Tap here to return to FAST

FAST

About The Author

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

About the Author

Easy WordPress Websites Builder: Versatile Demos for Blogs, News, eCommerce and More – One-Click Import, No Coding! 1000+ Ready-made Templates for Stunning Newspaper, Magazine, Blog, and Publishing Websites.

BlockSpare — News, Magazine and Blog Addons for (Gutenberg) Block Editor

Search the Archives

Access over the years of investigative journalism and breaking reports