The International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) was founded on June 23, 1894 by French educator Baron Pierre de Coubertin who was inspired to revive the Olympic Games of Greek antiquity. The IOC is an international, non-governmental, non-profit organization and the creator of the Olympic Movement. The IOC exists to serve as an umbrella organization of the Olympic Movement. It owns all rights to the Olympic symbols, flag, motto, anthem and Olympic Games. Its primary responsibility is to supervise the organization of the Olympic Games.
In 1994, the IOC adopted the environment as the third pillar of the Olympic Movement and created a Sport and Environment Commission to advise the IOC Executive Board on policy positions regarding environmental protection and sustainable development.
The IOC and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) hosted the first biennial World Conference on Sport and the Environment in 1995 in Lausanne. In 1999, the IOC in collaboration with UNEP developed Agenda 21 for Sport and the Environment.
Recent conferences have been held in Nagano, Japan (2001); Torino, Italy (2003); Nairobi, Kenya (2005); and, Beijing, China (2007). The next in the biennial series will take place March 29 to 31, 2009 in Vancouver, Canada, marking the first time in history the event will occur on Canadian soil.
Sponsor support is crucial to staging the Olympic Games and the operations of every organization within the Olympic Movement. The International Olympic Committee would like to recognize the commitment and support of The Olympic Partner (TOP) Program sponsors.
