International Olympic Committee

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is the governing body of the Olympic Games. It is composed of individual members who are chosen to represent a large number of participating countries and sports federations. All of the IOC members are former athletes who have also been successful in other professional areas. The IOC decides which sports are included in the Olympic Games and which cities are designated to host the Summer and Winter games every four years.

The International Olympic Committee's headquarters are located in Lausanne, Switzerland. Its first president was France's Pierre de Coubertin, the creator of the first modern Olympic Games in 1896, and the current president is Thomas Bach of Germany (since 2013).