IOC Review of Olympic Host Selection Process

[AustralianFan]

Olympic Host Selection Process Paused - Review Underway

Shortly after taking office in June 2025, IOC President Kirsty Coventry paused the entire Olympic Host selection process.

This was to undertaking a review of the host selection process, driven by calls from IOC members to be more engaged and understand the process better.

The Olympic Host Selection Review will analyse experiences from recent host cities like Los Angeles 2028 and Brisbane 2032, varying timelines and the effectiveness of the current approach.

The goal is to find a more effective, transparent, and sustainable method for selecting future host cities.

Key Drivers for the Review 

• Member Engagement: 

  IOC members want greater involvement and more information about the process, feeling excluded from discussions on candidacies and future awards.
• Process Understanding: 

  There's a desire among members to better understand the process, including the timing of award selections and how information is shared.
• Analysis of Recent Experiences: 

  Lessons learned from the host selections for the Brisbane 2032 and LA28 Games, as well as the French Alps 2030 Games, are being studied to inform improvements.

 

Areas of Focus

• Timing: 

  The review will examine when it is most appropriate to award future Games to ensure a more effective process. 

   
• Effectiveness: 

  The effectiveness of the current selection model and how it burdens stakeholders will be assessed. 

   
• Geopolitical Influences: 

  The new geopolitical landscape is also being considered, as it significantly influences the candidate profile and institutional dynamics within the IOC. 

   
• Transparency and Information Flow: 

  A working group will be established to refine the methodology and ensure interested parties, including potential host cities, are better informed. 

   

What's Next

• A Paused Process: 

  While the review is ongoing, the IOC is pausing the formal awarding of future Games to allow time for the evaluation and new strategy to be developed. 

   
• Consultation with Stakeholders: 

  Interested parties, including delegations from potential host nations like India, will be consulted as part of the review process. 

   
• Future of the Selection Process: 

  The IOC aims to implement a more transparent, inclusive, and efficient process for selecting future host cities. 

   

  ——————————————————————

  The current New Norm Selection Process was the baby of previous IOC President Bach.

   With the 2036 Summer Games Host next in line to be selected and the 2038 Winter Host (Switzerland) yet to be confirmed, it will indeed be very interesting to see what findings and recommendations this Olympic Host Selection Review process produces.

 

• IOC Review of Olympic Host Selection Process

[sebastien1214]

@Sir Rols Seems like someone typed this prompt into ChatGPT: "Get me an article praising Coventry's action on the suspension."

[Sir Rols]

18 minutes ago, sebastien1214 said:

@Sir Rols Seems like someone typed this prompt into ChatGPT: "Get me an article praising Coventry's action on the suspension."

He just seems to be having a sugar rush at the moment.

i’m just interested why he’s so engaged with this review now, after years and years of shooting down any critiques of Bach’s “New Norm”.

[AustralianFan]

44 minutes ago, AustralianFan said:

Olympic Host Selection Process Paused - Review Underway

 

Shortly after taking office in June 2025, IOC President Kirsty Coventry paused the entire Olympic Host selection process.

This was to undertaking a review of the host selection process, driven by calls from IOC members to be more engaged and understand the process better.

The Olympic Host Selection Review will analyse experiences from recent host cities like Los Angeles 2028 and Brisbane 2032, varying timelines and the effectiveness of the current approach.

The goal is to find a more effective, transparent, and sustainable method for selecting future host cities.

Key Drivers for the Review 

• Member Engagement: 

  IOC members want greater involvement and more information about the process, feeling excluded from discussions on candidacies and future awards.
• Process Understanding: 

  There's a desire among members to better understand the process, including the timing of award selections and how information is shared.
• Analysis of Recent Experiences: 

  Lessons learned from the host selections for the Brisbane 2032 and LA28 Games, as well as the French Alps 2030 Games, are being studied to inform improvements.

 

Areas of Focus

• Timing: 

  The review will examine when it is most appropriate to award future Games to ensure a more effective process. 

   
• Effectiveness: 

  The effectiveness of the current selection model and how it burdens stakeholders will be assessed. 

   
• Geopolitical Influences: 

  The new geopolitical landscape is also being considered, as it significantly influences the candidate profile and institutional dynamics within the IOC. 

   
• Transparency and Information Flow: 

  A working group will be established to refine the methodology and ensure interested parties, including potential host cities, are better informed. 

   

What's Next

• A Paused Process: 

  While the review is ongoing, the IOC is pausing the formal awarding of future Games to allow time for the evaluation and new strategy to be developed. 

   
• Consultation with Stakeholders: 

  Interested parties, including delegations from potential host nations like India, will be consulted as part of the review process. 

   
• Future of the Selection Process: 

  The IOC aims to implement a more transparent, inclusive, and efficient process for selecting future host cities. 

   

  ——————————————————————

  The current New Norm Selection Process was the baby of previous IOC President Bach.

   With the 2036 Summer Games Host next in line to be selected and the 2038 Winter Host (Switzerland) yet to be confirmed, it will indeed be very interesting to see what findings and recommendations this Olympic Host Selection Review process produces.

 

IOC President Coventry covers here the pause and Review of the Olymoic Host Selection process:

 

[Sigh]

8 hours ago, Sir Rols said:

He just seems to be having a sugar rush at the moment.

i’m just interested why he’s so engaged with this review now, after years and years of shooting down any critiques of Bach’s “New Norm”.

No surprise at all. Perfectly consistent behaviour by HMV.

[cfm Jeremie]

9 hours ago, Sir Rols said:

He just seems to be having a sugar rush at the moment.

i’m just interested why he’s so engaged with this review now, after years and years of shooting down any critiques of Bach’s “New Norm”.

Maybe he is an IOC influencer... or more likely just trying to increase his number of posts.

[Sir Rols]

I’d love to be wrong, but I’d be surprised if much came out of the review beyond the minimal tinkering around the edges that they can get away with.

The selection process was hardly mentioned by Kirsty during her campaign, while everyone else was putting forward various plans to reform it. I suspect her hand was forced to make some gesture about it as the price to ensure she’d get over the line. But I don’t think her heart’s in it, and it’s certainly not what her mentor Bach wants. So we get a very Kirsty solution - appear to be doing something decisive by setting up a committee/taskforce/review while in fact just kicking the can down the road and doing nothing in the hope some sort of compromise can be hammered out to show she’s “listened” and “studied”.

More transparency and clearer guidelines and information (as opposed to the constantly shifting goalposts the “New Norm” has operated under to date) should be the bare minimum to come out if the review, but it’s hard to be confident we‘ll get more than lip service for even that.

[AustralianFan]

In Olympic bidding history it’s rare that the entire Olympic Host Selection process is paused to review that same bidding process.

I’d be very cautious to assume that nothing much is going to come out of it.

 

 

[Sir Rols]

When you’ve got 11 years up your sleeve, it’s not like there’s any time pressure against a pause - unless you’re in the midst of an epidemic and want to slip in a “vice captain’s pick” while everyone’s distracted.

It would be interesting if the scheduling window gets considered as part of the review.

Whatever, they”ll come up with something to make a chart about, and however major or minor the recommendations end up being, they’ll dress it up appropriately. And certain people will hail it as “historic” and proof of Kirsty “Press Pause and Start a Committee” Coventry’s stunning leadership.

[AustralianFan]

14 hours ago, Sir Rols said:

I’d love to be wrong, but I’d be surprised if much came out of the review beyond the minimal tinkering around the edges that they can get away with.

The selection process was hardly mentioned by Kirsty during her campaign, while everyone else was putting forward various plans to reform it. I suspect her hand was forced to make some gesture about it as the price to ensure she’d get over the line. But I don’t think her heart’s in it, and it’s certainly not what her mentor Bach wants. So we get a very Kirsty solution - appear to be doing something decisive by setting up a committee/taskforce/review while in fact just kicking the can down the road and doing nothing in the hope some sort of compromise can be hammered out to show she’s “listened” and “studied”.

More transparency and clearer guidelines and information (as opposed to the constantly shifting goalposts the “New Norm” has operated under to date) should be the bare minimum to come out if the review, but it’s hard to be confident we‘ll get more than lip service for even that.

During the IOC President Election campaign, IOC members reportedly engaged with Kirsty Coventry regarding the Olympic Host Selecrion process and how they felt they were being side-lined and did-engaged from the process.

This was reported by several media outlets.

Further, we did not see or hear Coventry’s, nor any other candudate’s final pre-election address to members prior to the Presidential election as it was a closed shop.

So, here we are now, seeing this being played out:  

1. March: Coventry elected President

2. June:  On taking office, her first major act as President was to pause or suspend  the current Olympic host selection process while a Review of the whole shebang was undertaken.

Rare indeed.

[AustralianFan]

*dis-engaged

(re IOC members dis-engaged from the Olympic host selection process)