IOC amends Olympic Charter to strengthen its human rights commitments

Subject :IR

Section: International Organisation

Context: During the 141st session of International Olympic Committee being held at Mumbai changes were introduced in the Olympic Charter,

More about the news:

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) amended the Olympic Charter to reinforce its commitment to human rights during its 141st Session.
The IOC incorporated additional wording emphasizing respect for human rights into the Fundamental Principles of Olympism.
This change reflects the work of the Legal Affairs Commission and the Advisory Committee on Human Rights.
IOC President Thomas Bach considered it a significant step towards human rights in the Olympic Movement.
The Olympic Charter was also aligned with the Guidelines on Athlete Expression, ensuring freedom of expression for all Olympic Games participants while adhering to Olympic values and principles.
The International Federation of American Football gained full IOC recognition.
Russia’s IOC members Yelena Isinbayeva and Sharmil Tarpishchev were absent, and a human rights activist, Peter Tatchell, claimed to be prevented from leaving his hotel room by Mumbai police, intending to protest the IOC Session.
Salt Lake City in the USA expressed interest in hosting the 2034 Winter Olympics and potentially the 2030 Games.

What is Olympic Charter:

Olympic Charter is the codification of fundamental principles of Olympism and rules and bye-laws adopted by the International Olympic Committee.
The Charter was first published in 1908, under the title of Annuaire du Comité International Olympique.
Some of the rules contained in this first Charter had, however, been written by Pierre de Coubertin around 1898.
Although the title Olympic Charter is generally used in reference to all the editions, it is only since 1978 that it has actually appeared as the title on the publication.
It governs the organization, actions and functioning of the Olympic Movement and establishes the conditions for celebration of Olympic Games.
It establishes the relations between International Federations, National Olympic Committees and Olympic Movement.

Some details about International Olympic Session:

An IOC session is the annual meeting of the members of the IOC.
It comprises 101 voting members and 45 honorary members.
It decides on the key activities of the global Olympics movement.
The powers of the Session are:
- To adopt or amend the Olympic Charter.
- To elect the members of the IOC, the Honorary President and the honorary members.
- To elect the President, the vice-presidents and all other members of the IOC Executive Board.
- To elect the host city of the Olympic Games.
An Olympic Session is the general meeting of the members of the IOC and its supreme organ.
All IOC Session decisions are final.
India hosted the 141st International Olympic Committee (IOC) session at the Jio World Centre in Mumbai.
In this session newly added sports in the 2028 Olympics are Cricket, Baseball, Softball, Lacrosse Return, Flag Football.

Some details about International Olympic Association:

The International Olympic Committee is a non-governmental sports organizationbased in Lausanne, Switzerland.
It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swiss Civil Code (articles 60–79).
It was founded in 1894 by Pierre de Coubertin and Demetrios Vikelas, it is the authority responsible for organizing the modern Summer, Winter, and Youth Olympic Games.
Demetrios Vikelas was the first president of the IOC.
The 141st session of IOC is being held in Mumbai.

Some details about Indian Olympic Associations:

Indian Olympic Association (IOA) was established in 1927 as a Non-Profit Organization under Societies Registration Act, 1860.
It was founded by Sir Dorabjee Tata and Dr. A.G. Noehren.
It is an autonomous body recognised by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.
India first participated in the Olympics in 1900 in Paris. The country was represented by Norman Pritchard, an Anglo Indian.
A 32-member Executive Council, headed by President and assisted by different Standing Committees that includes subject-field experts work for effective governance.
The election for the Executive Council is held once every 4 years.