The International Olympic Committee (IOC) approved a half billion dollar investment for its Olympic Solidarity 2017-2020 Quadrennial plan. The aim of Olympic Solidarity is to organize assistance for all National Olympic Committees (NOCs) through a variety of world and continental programs prioritizing athlete development, training of coaches and sports administrators and promoting the Olympic values.
The Olympic Solidarity development and assistance budget approved the amount of $509,285,000, which corresponds to the share of the broadcast rights from the Olympic Games (Rio 2016 and PyeongChang 2018) that will be distributed to NOCs. This represents an increase of 16 percent in comparison with the 2013-2016 Quadrennial Plan, whose budget amounted to $439,870,000.
“This increase shows that the athletes remain at the heart of all our activity. The huge worldwide success of the Olympic Games Rio 2016 also means that the Olympic Movement continues to enjoy a sound financial situation. This enables us to distribute more than half a billion dollars over the next four years to the National Olympic Committees,“ said Deputy Director General for Relations with the Olympic Movement and Director of Olympic Solidarity Pere Miró.
The 2017-2020 Quadrennial Plan proposes two new programs:
Refugee Athlete Support: building on the experience of the Olympic Games Rio 2016, where a Refugee Olympic Team competed for the first time, it was decided to create a dedicated program that would provide NOCs with the opportunity to identify and support a small number of refugee athletes living in their countries to prepare for and participate in international competitions.
Athletes’ Career Transition: the aim of this program is to offer NOCs assistance to support athletes at various stages of their career through financial and supportive measures, with a view to enjoying a successful post-athletic career. NOCs will be offered financial support to fund various Athlete Career Program (ACPs) and encourage education for athletes.
“All of the Olympic Solidarity programs have been designed to take into account the recommendations of Olympic Agenda 2020, the strategic roadmap for the future of the Olympic Movement and puts athletes at the heart of our activity,” added Miró.
