The International Olympic Committee was created in 1894 for the revival, subsequent development and promotion of the Olympic movement. The IOC can have no more than 115 members, and they are not required to be professional athletes.
The main function of the IOC is the organization and conduct of the Olympic Games, but the tasks of the committee are not limited to this. Its special purpose is to promote the Olympic movement and ideology based on mutual understanding between citizens of different countries and love for sports. To validate these ideas, the IOC uses a variety of methods and, in particular, turns to the governments of different countries and private sports organizations for help. According to the idea of Pierre de Coubertin, who initiated the revival of the Olympic Games, the IOC's function should be to teach sports ethics, eliminate violence at the Games, convince people that sport should serve the good of humanity, and fair competition should replace war.
The IOC is obliged, among other things, to pay special attention to athletes, to take care of them and at the same time to ensure that the rules of the Olympics are strictly followed. Its functions include the elimination of discrimination based on gender, nationality and age. The members of the committee are coping with this task successfully: women's competitions held within the framework of the Games are becoming more and more popular, representatives of various states participate in the Olympics, and in 2010 special Youth Games were established in which junior athletes can participate. Regarding compliance with the rules, the IOC also organizes anti-doping controls in an effort to prevent fraud at the Olympics.
It is the responsibility of the IOC to provide the best possible conditions for the competition. This is especially true for the safety of athletes. Also, the IOC is obliged to resist the politicization of the Olympics and prevent attempts to carry out terrorist acts at such events. In addition, he is involved in supporting the International Olympic Academy, as well as many other institutions that are in one way or another associated with the Olympic Movement and contribute to its development and promotion.
