Thomas BachPresident

Opening remarks to the 135th IOC Session
Lausanne, 10 January 2020

I assume that you have not only read but also studied all details of my written report as wellas my recent New Year’s message. This is why I would just like to highlight some of thedevelopments that have taken place since our last Session and put them into the overall
context we are living in.

We are starting this Olympic Year 2020 on a solid foundation of unprecedented strength andstability. This did not just happen by chance. We are in this strong position because we havelaid the groundwork for this over the past years with the implementation of Olympic Agenda
2020.

In our troubled times, with uncertainty and tensions rising everywhere, our situation is by nomeans a foregone conclusion. We are where we are today thanks to the collective andconcerted effort by all of us to take on the challenges of our times. In our fragile world, thestability that we are enjoying is perhaps the strongest currency that you can have. Not manyother organisations can claim to have this strong currency in our volatile times.

Especially in this Olympic Year, we see just how important our reforms have been.
Everything we do ultimately depends on the success of the Olympic Games. In this respect,
we can see a concrete example of the positive impact of Olympic Agenda 2020 alreadytoday.

The Winter Youth Olympic Games Lausanne 2020 are of course a special moment for all ofus here in the Olympic Capital. In line with Olympic Agenda 2020, and as we have heard
from the Mayor, the State Councillor and the President of the Organising Committee this is
the first winter edition of the YOG with complete gender equality. In all other respects, theorganisation of these YOG is following Olympic Agenda 2020 as well. These YOG will be
more inclusive than ever before. Tens of thousands of local schoolchildren will share thisOlympic experience with the athletes. The entire population of Lausanne will share theOlympic spirit with the many sporting and cultural activities taking place across the Olympic

2Capital. There are sports and new disciplines to make the programme more appealing to ayoung audience.

Also in line with Olympic Agenda 2020, sustainability is at the heart of the organisation ofthese Winter Youth Olympic Games. Great attention has been given to make sure thatexisting venues are being used wherever possible, even across national borders. New
constructions like the impressive Vortex building were built with a clear legacy plan and willserve as student housing after the Games. Thanks to other organisational innovations likethe two-wave arrival of athletes, Lausanne 2020 can accommodate 1,800 athletes from 79
NOCs for these Winter Youth Olympic Games. That is a 40 per cent increase from the lastedition, giving more young athletes than ever the chance to experience this unique Olympic
event without putting additional burden on the Organising Committee.

Beyond the Youth Olympic Games, we have also revolutionised the candidature procedureof selecting Olympic hosts with our reforms. This happened just six months ago, when you
approved these reforms. The establishment of the Future Host Commissions last year was
an important step in the evolution of this revolution. The Future Host Commission for thewinter editions of the Olympic Games hit the ground running under the chairmanship of ourcolleague Octavian Morariu. Thanks to the excellent work of the Commission, we are in aposition at this IOC Session, only six months after approving this reform, to present aproposal for a host for the 4th Winter Youth Olympic Games 2024. This clearly demonstrates
that our new approach is working and that it is successful.

At the beginning of this Olympic Year, let me highlight some important aspects of the context
that we will be facing in the coming months leading up to the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.

Since the last time we met, there have been some important developments in the fightagainst doping. This includes the ongoing CAS case concerning RUSADA as well as theallegations against the International Weightlifting Federation.

The IOC also made a significant announcement at the 5th World Conference on Doping inSport in Katowice, Poland, this past November. The four-point action plan worth 10 million
US dollars announced on this occasion will strengthen the protection of the clean athletes.

3We will be able to discuss all these points in more detail when IOC Vice-President, Professor
Ugur Erdener, gives his presentation, later today.

From the beginning of the year WADA has a new leadership team. The new WADAPresident Witold Banka is with us today.

President Banka, it is a great pleasure to welcome you to this IOC Session so early during
your presidency. The IOC and the Olympic Movement are looking forward to joining handswith you, as you bring a new energy and determination to WADA and to the fight against
doping.

This also gives us the opportunity to thank Sir Craig Reedie, the now former President ofWADA, who completed his term at the end of last year and can unfortunately not be with ustoday.

He had to lead WADA through some of the most difficult periods of this organisation. Nobody
envied him for this. But with all his diplomatic skills, his good sense of humour and hisopenness, he managed to navigate the rough waters and finally steadied the WADA ship. On
behalf of the entire Olympic Movement I say: thank you very much, Sir Craig.

We can start this Olympic Year with great confidence and optimism. It is an important
reminder of the relevance of our mission and the values we stand for. Today, the Olympic
Games are the only event that brings the entire world together in peaceful competition.

In our fragile world, with mistrust, selfishness and isolationism on the rise, the strong position
we find ourselves in should give all of us a sense of purpose. Our mission requires that westand against this zeitgeist of division, of nationalism and of discrimination. In fact, it is inthese troubled times that we need to stand up for the values that define us.

On the one hand, with our values of peace, unity and solidarity, we stand in sharp contrast to
the zeitgeist of our times. On the other hand, our stability puts us in a position of strength toprotect and even reinforce the values we stand for.

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In our world that is facing so many global challenges, the relevance of our mission, themission of the Olympic Games, to bring together the world in peace and friendship, is maybe
more important than ever before.

This is why the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 will not only be the greatest sporting event in theworld. When the athletes of the 206 National Olympic Committees and the IOC Refugee
Team come together, it will also be a celebration of the unity in diversity of all humankind. Itis this symbol, this unifying power of the Olympic Games that we need to protect witheverything we do every day.

This Olympic Year also reminds us that we can only send this strong message of unity indiversity to the world with solidarity. Universality at the Olympic Games is only possible ifeveryone can participate under fair conditions.

This is why our Olympic Solidarity model is so important. This model benefits all athletes
from all NOCs in the world. Not just a few countries. Not just a few sports. It benefits all theathletes from all NOCs and from all Olympic sports, thereby ensuring true universality at theOlympic Games. As the athletes of the world set their sights on Tokyo and beyond, theyneed to know that they can rely on our support, that they can rely on solidarity. For thisreason, let me reiterate our unwavering commitment to the solidarity model.

We want all athletes to continue to benefit from the commercial success of the Olympic
Games. At the Olympic Games, the athletes are participating as members of their Olympic
team. It is this Olympic team that receives the funds from us. This is the same situation likefor instance in football. In the UEFA Champions League, it is the clubs that are receiving thefunds. The same happens at the FIFA World Cup, where the national teams receive thefunds. They then in turn, like our NOCs, are supporting the athletes, the players, and thedevelopment of their sport.

In the same way, we distribute 90 per cent of all our revenues for the benefit of the athletes
and the development of sport around the globe. The money goes to the organisers ofOlympic Games who are giving the athletes the stage to shine, to the Olympic teams – theNOCs, and to the IFs. It goes towards the fight against doping. It is used for medical
prevention programs and for direct scholarships for athletes. Currently, there are more than51,600 Olympic Scholarship holders for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. We also cover thetravel and accommodation costs of all teams at Olympic Games. These are just a few
examples of many more of how the solidarity model works.
In this respect, it was encouraging to see that at last year’s International Athletes’ Forum, theathletes’ representatives recognised the central importance of this solidarity model for all ofthem. This Forum was the biggest-ever gathering of legitimate athlete representatives and in
the final recommendations, they called for continued support to strengthen this model. We
will follow this recommendation of the athletes of the world. It is precisely because thesolidarity model is different from purely commercial organisations that all of us and inparticular the IFs and NOCs need to communicate clearly and transparently on the support
that the athletes receive both directly and indirectly.

However, the solidarity model continues to be challenged by commercial interest. If we wereto give in to those interests, then the Olympic Games would devalue to a purely profit-driven
business model.

There would not be 33 Olympic sports in Tokyo 2020 and seven in Beijing 2022, but only amuch more limited number. We would not have athletes from all 206 National Olympic
Committees participating in the Olympic Games, but only a much more limited number. Our
global appeal, our universality, indeed our relevance as a symbol of unity for the world, wouldfade away.

Here we need to stand firmly and declare that our solidarity model is not for sale. We are avalues-based organisation. We are a solidarity-driven organisation. For us, money is not anend in itself. Money is just a means to achieve our mission.

Another important element to our mission is political neutrality. We can only accomplish ourmission to unite the world if the Olympic Games stand above and beyond any and all politicaldifferences. We can only achieve this global solidarity and true universality if the IOC and theOlympic Games are politically neutral.

With the unfortunately growing misuse of sport for political purposes that we are seeing
today, it is more important than ever to stand firmly for our values and declare that we are6neutral in every respect. At the Olympic Games, all people are equal, regardless of theirrace, gender, sexual orientation, cultural background, or political belief. Therefore, we standagainst discrimination of any kind.

Our political neutrality is undermined whenever organisations or individuals attempt to use
the Olympic Games as a stage for their own agendas – as legitimate as they might be. The
Olympic Games are first and foremost a sports celebration of our shared humanity. The
Olympic Games are always a global platform for the athletes and their sporting
performances. They are not, and must never be, a platform to advance political or any otherpotentially divisive ends. If this political neutrality is not respected, then the Olympic Games
will divide, and not unite, the world.

This is especially important to bear in mind in an Olympic Year, when the eyes of the world
will be on the athletes and on the Olympic Games. In this respect, I very much welcome theRule 50 guidelines which were developed by the IOC Athletes’ Commission in consultation
with athletes and the worldwide network of athletes’ commissions.

I was able to address these issues of solidarity and political neutrality at the recent G20
Summit in Osaka and at the UN General Assembly in New York. On both occasions, ourmessages of solidarity and political neutrality were well received by the world leaders and therepresentatives of the UN Member States. They showed their support for our politicalneutrality by unanimously adopting the Olympic Truce Resolution for the Olympic GamesTokyo 2020. This is why I would like to thank all UN Member States for their support, inparticular the 186 co-sponsor countries. This shows the strong support and relevance that
we and our values are enjoying in the fragile world.

We welcome and appreciate this support because we know that we can only achieve ourmission if the political leaders respect our political neutrality and the unifying mission of theOlympic Games. At the same time, we also know that we cannot take such support forgranted. We have to fight for it.

With the support we are also enjoying from our TOP Partners and Rights-Holding
Broadcasters, the Organising Committees of future Olympic Games and Youth OlympicGames, and all our stakeholders, with all this support we can look ahead to this Olympic

7Year with confidence and optimism. But let us not take anything for granted. In our fragile
world, we have to continuously strive to uphold our mission. We have to continue to build
bridges and build these bridges on our strength. We have to stand together even stronger for
our values. Yes, we live in uncertain times. But let us take courage once more from ourfounder Pierre de Coubertin who said: “Charge boldly through the clouds and do not beafraid. The future belongs to you.”

So let us shape our future together.