Thomas Bach

30 December 2024 – Dear Olympic friends,

What an Olympic year lies behind us. We celebrate the start of a new year with the outstanding Olympic Games Paris 2024 still fresh in our memory – the first Olympic Games to be fully aligned, inspired and delivered in line with our Olympic Agenda reforms from start to finish. These were truly Olympic Games of a new era: the youngest, most urban, most inclusive, most sustainable Olympic Games ever. These were also the first-ever Olympic Games with full gender parity. These Olympic Games captured the hearts and minds of the people around the globe: around 5 billion followed them, making these the most followed Olympic Games ever.

Despite all the geopolitical tensions, we were able to bring together the athletes from the territories of all 206 National Olympic Committees and the IOC Refugee Olympic Team. They competed fiercely against each other. At the same time, they lived peacefully together under one roof in the Olympic Village, even if many of their countries are at war. The athletes showed us how our world would be, if we all were to live in the Olympic spirit of peaceful co-existence. They created a culture of peace.

In this way our Olympic Agenda became a reality. Based on this success, we can build our future together. This future is looking very bright indeed: thanks to Olympic Agenda, interest in the Olympic Games is reaching new heights. We currently have a double-digit figure of countries and NOCs on four continents interested in hosting Olympic Games in 2036, and some even in 2040 and beyond.

At the start of this new year – indeed, at the start of a new Olympiad – we have every reason to look ahead with much anticipation and confidence to what the future has in store for us: Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026; Youth Olympic Games Dakar 2026; Olympic and Paralympic Games Los Angeles 2028 – and the first-ever Olympic Esports Games in Saudi Arabia.

We are also well underway when it comes to setting the course for the digital future of the Olympic Movement.

With the creation of Olympic Esports Games, we are entering a new era, keeping pace with the digital revolution, reaching new audiences and going to where the young people are – this time in the digital world of esports.

Another way we are future-proofing the world of sport is the launch of our Olympic AI Agenda. The rapid development of artificial intelligence is affecting every aspect of our lives. This is why it was so vital that we have started to seize these opportunities. With our Olympic AI Agenda, we are breaking new ground, by providing a holistic approach of how the world of sport can harness the benefits of AI in a responsible way. Our values are at the heart of this approach as well. This means: we are taking a human-centred approach, with the athlete at the heart of our Olympic AI Agenda. It also means: we will live up to our commitment to equality through solidarity by making the benefits of AI accessible to everyone in the Olympic Movement. Not just for a privileged few – but for everyone in our Olympic community.

In our difficult times, with wars and conflict on the rise, we need our Olympic values more than ever. There is a new world order in the making. In these times, our Olympic Movement has a unique and important role – because the Olympic Games are the only event that still manages to bring the entire world together in peaceful competition. We can only achieve this through our full commitment to equality through solidarity.

This is why the IOC supports the equal and just development of sport everywhere. We do not support just a handful of privileged few. We support all the athletes from all 206 National Olympic Committees and every single International Federation in the Olympic Movement.

Solidarity for us means: in the Olympic Movement, there is no “global south” or “global north”. In our Olympic community, we are all equal. And we are walking the talk of solidarity. Despite the existing disruptions of the global economy, we have secured great financial stability for our Olympic Movement. For the Olympiad that has come to an end, we will distribute 6.8 billion US dollars to the Olympic community. In other words, every day of the year, 4.7 million dollars go to support athletes and the just and equal development of sport around the world. Based on the revenues already secured for the next two Olympiads, and the many projects that are in the pipeline, the outlook is extremely positive – and this means that our distribution will even increase during this Olympiad 2025 to 2028.

In anticipation of this, we have already increased our Olympic Solidarity budget by 10 per cent to 650 million dollars for this new Olympiad. We will continue the distribution of a minimum of 90 per cent of our revenues. This is just another demonstration that for our Olympic Movement, money is not an end in itself. For our Olympic Movement, money is just a tool for solidarity –a tool to mitigate the inequalities of this world.

For the IOC, it is always “Values First”.

It is only by walking the talk of solidarity and by living our Olympic values – the values of solidarity, equality, human dignity for all – that we can bring the entire world together in peace.

Dear Olympic friends,

Since this is my last new year’s message as IOC President, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to the entire Olympic community. Thank you for your support, your solidarity, your love and friendship that have carried me throughout my presidency. Even during the most difficult times, we could overcome the many complex challenges by being united, by standing together. It is thanks to this unity and solidarity that we could lead our Olympic Movement to where we are today. For this, I am immensely grateful to you.

We all share our commitment and passion for our beloved Olympic Movement. We all want to see it shining even brighter in the future. This is why I ask you to offer to my successor the same spirit of solidarity and friendship that I was so fortunate to enjoy over the many years. Also in this new Olympiad, let us live our Olympic motto: Faster, Higher, Stronger – Together.

In this true Olympic spirit of solidarity and peace, I wish you all a very happy new year, from the bottom of my heart.