International Olympic Committee (IOC) is an international non-governmental non-profit organization, founded in 1894. It is the foundation of the Olympic Movement. The main responsibility of the Committee is to supervise the organization of the summer and winter Olympic Games.

Jacques Rogge is the eighth IOC President, elected in July 2001.

The International Olympic Committee is UNEP's first, and perhaps the most influential partner on sport and the environment

UNEP and the IOC have been working together since 1994 when they signed an Agreement of Cooperation to incorporate environmental issues in Olympic Games. The IOC subsequently established a Sport and Environment Commission to advice its Executive Board on environmental issues as they relate to the Olympics. UNEP is represented in the Commission. In 1999, UNEP collaborated with the IOC in developing an Agenda 21 for Sport and the Environment which is currently being implemented by members of the Olympic Family and by several other sport organizations.

UNEP has supported the IOC in organizing biennial World Conference on Sport and Environment. The World Conference brings together hundreds of representatives from National Olympic Committees and IOC affiliated sports federations and associations to review their impact and contribution to the environment and previous Conferences have been held in Torino in 2003, Nairobi, Kenya in 2005 and the next Conference will be held in Beijing, China in October 2007.  The IOC, on its part has supported UNEP to organize its biennial Global Forum for Sport and Environment. The Forum brings together sport and environment stakeholders to recognize best practices on sport and the environment and to encourage sport organizations to do more for the environment. Previous Forums have been held in Tokyo, Japan, Lahore, Pakistan and Lausanne, Switzerland.

In 2007, the President of the IOC, Mr. Jacques Rogge and the IOC received the UNEP “Champions of the Earth” award in recognition of President Rogge and the IOC’s efforts to reinforce the environment in the Games

For more information visit: International Olympic Committee (IOC)

For more information on the partnership, please contact:

UNEP Sport and the Environment Unit
P.O. Box 30552
Nairobi
Kenya
Tel: 254 20 7623262
Fax: 254 20 7623927
E-mail: sport.environment@unep.org