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≡ IOC ANNUAL REPORT ≡
The 2025 annual report from the International Olympic Committee was a familiar, colorful recitation of an important year in 2025, as the leadership of the organization transitioned from German Thomas Bach to Zimbabwe’s Kirsty Coventry.
The report details the IOC’s many activities, notably including its direct payments to athletes through its Olympic Solidarity programs, including 1,027 Olympic Scholarships for the LA28 Games, with athletes from 125 National Olympic Committees receiving support. There are also 28 NOCs which are receiving special support, mostly for teams.
In terms of finances, the IOC dropped the headline that it distributes 90% of its revenue back to the Olympic Movement, but stated it had $7.7 billion in revenues and $6.8 billion in distributions for the period of 2021-24, or 88.3%, which is pretty close. A review in June 2025 by The Sports Examiner evaluated the IOC’s financials a little differently and showed about 74% of its revenue between 2021-24 was distributed back to the Movement.
The IOC’s revenue base continues to be heavily weighted to broadcast rights at 55% of the total for the quadrennial and another 36% to its TOP sponsorships: that’s 91% of the total.
The audited financial statements showed an oddity: the IOC lost money in 2025:
● $649.969 million revenue ($0 broadcast rights)
● $218.157 million for Olympic-related costs (including Solidarity)
● $358.296 million distributions to organizers, federations, NOCs
● $191.935 million for Promotion of the Olympic Movement (digital)
● $213.020 million for administration (32.7% of revenues)
● Operating loss of $331.439 million
● Investment gain of $291.879 million
● Net loss of $39.569 million
Throwing out the Covid-19-impacted year of 2020, in which broadcast rights payments were delayed, causing a paper loss, this was the first time that the IOC had an annual loss since 2017, the year following the Rio 2016 Olympic Games (–$117.167 million).
No cause for worry, however, as the IOC stated in mid-2025 that it had already contracted for $7.7 billion in revenue for the 2025-28 quad, with more to come.
Further, the IOC has substantial resources, with $6.969 billion in assets and $4.907 billion in reserves.
The IOC’s distributions in 2025 included some big money to organizing committees:
● $891.974 million in broadcast money to Milan Cortina 2026
● $391.774 million in broadcast money to LA28
● $94.978 million in TOP sponsorship money to Milan Cortina 2026
● $99.344 million in TOP sponsorship money to LA28
The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee, as part of its revenue-sharing agreement with the IOC, received $81.588 million for its share of the TOP sponsorship program in 2025. The USOPC also received $150,000 in licensing rights revenue from the IOC.
The IOC also paid significant support payments to the World Anti-Doping Agency ($23.616 million), $9.380 million to the Court of Arbitration for Sport and $2.000 million to the International Paralympic Committee.
Observed: An item to watch for the future is the IOC’s administrative costs, which reached 32.7% of revenues for 2025 and totaled $213.020 million in a non-Games year. This is up significantly from $173.875 million in the 2022 (Winter Games), $185.464 million in 2023 (no Games) and even $196.318 million in the Olympic year of 2024.
It was be fascinating to see how Coventry, who was a government minister in Zimbabwe before her election to head the IOC, deals with a rapidly expanding bureaucracy built by her predecessor.
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