In an attempt to control the influence of governments on the Olympics, the International Olympic Committee was created. The IOC regulates the games to try to uphold the Greek ideals. They act against athletes using performance-enhancing drugs. They oppose political and commercial abuse of the games. They make rules for the games and enforce them. In essence, they are the government of the Olympics.
As is the case with all governments, the IOC also imposes certain biases on the games and is open to the same type of corruption. The IOC decision to sell the rights to use the Olympic Rings logo brought them a large profit. Jeremy Eagle, a writer who investigates modern controversies, discovered that “the decision to sell the licensing rights to the rings has brought the IOC hundreds of millions of dollars. In 1988, nine companies paid more than $100 million for the right to use the rings in advertising. The 1996 summer Olympic games brought in $400 million for those rights” (Eagle). The 2002 Olympic host country selection ignited a scandal that the IOC has yet to recover from. The IOC was accused of accepting bribes that ranged from guns to medical help in exchange for the host bid to go to the United States (Eagle). Even this international, (supposedly) unbiased committee is subject to the same vices as national governments. The mentality of claiming victory over nations in the Olympic games has spoiled the original meaning of the competition: to foster international friendships. To fix this problem, the IOC should be reinvented to focus the games around the spirit of healthy competition and building community among nations.
The IOC underwent many reforms to try to solve the problem of its government-like behavior. However, it still retained all of its previously held power. It still has the power of a government. One way to end the threat of the IOC on the spirit of the Olympics is to have the Committee stripped of all of its enforcement powers; however, in doing this, the IOC would no longer be able to regulate countries in their treatment of the Olympics. The IOC is necessary to the Olympic games, if only to provide a deterrent for dishonest competitors.
Eagle, Jeremy. "Olympic Bidding Process." Facts on File: Issues and Controversies (2002): n. pag. Web. 21 Apr 2010.
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