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≡ IOC FINANCIALS ≡
The International Olympic Committee’s 2025 financial statements were released on Wednesday and showed the lowest revenue total since 2020. It had a loss for the year.
But the IOC’s total assets rose to $6.969 billion from $6.120 billion at the end of 2024 and its reserves are now at $4.907 billion, up from $4.880 billion at the end of 2024.
In truth, not that much happened.
The financial report showed a quiet, post-Olympic Games year for the first time since 2017 and it’s against that backdrop that the IOC’s finances have to be evaluated. Revenues for the past 10 years, including the confusing COVID period show:
● 2016: $3.518 billion (Rio Games)
● 2017: $523.4 million
● 2018: $2.206 billion (PyeongChang Winter Games)
● 2019: $695.5 million
● 2020: $623.8 million (Tokyo Games postponed)
● 2021: $4.162 billion (Tokyo Games)
● 2022: $2.363 billion (Beijing Winter Games)
● 2023: $902.1 million
● 2024: $4.415 billion (Paris Games)
● 2025: $650.0 million
The IOC states that it does not include television rights revenue until the year in which a Games is held and that revenue is matched against the delivery of the event paid for. Respecting this protocol, the IOC’s “off-year” revenue of $650.0 million for 2025 is better than the non-Games year of 2020 ($623.8 million) and much better than the post-Games year of 2017 ($523.4). It’s also not far away from the 2019 total of $695.5 million.
But the IOC also lost money, with total operating expenses of $981.4 million, an operating deficit of $331.4 million and a total loss of $39.6 million thanks to investment income of $291.9 million. Where did the money go?
● $358.3 million (36.5%): Federations, national committees, organizers
● $218.2 million (22.2%): Olympic Solidarity, grants
● $191.9 million (19.6%): Promotion of the Olympic Movement
● $213.0 million (21.7%): Administration
So, that’s 78.3% distributed to various groups around the world and the rest for administration and internal operations.
The IOC often touts that it re-distributes 90% of its income to the Olympic Movement, but a TSX analysis in 2025 showed that for the 2021-24 quadrennial – not including the Tokyo 2020 TV rights shown in the 2024 financials – the IOC passed out 64.9% of its revenue, with the remainder to reserves and administration.
Among those expenditures were payments to support the World Anti-Doping Agency ($23.62 million), International Council of Arbitration for Sport ($9.38 million) and the International Paralympic Committee ($2.00 million). In terms of the Olympic Channel and the IOC’s digital reach, $126.75 million was spent in 2025.
Against a promised total of $1.335 billion, the IOC advanced the LA28 organizing committee a significant amount of $381.7 million in 2025.
As for direct payments to athletes, the 2025 financials showed $10.261 million for Olympic Scholarships and another $3.568 million for team grants. Of course, some funds sent to National Olympic Committees and International Federations also ends up going to athletes, but under the direction of those entities.
The IOC also has significant revenue already booked for the future, having previously announced commitments for:
● $7.5 billion for 2025-28
● $6.9 billion for 2029-32
● $4.0 billion for 2033-36
For a non-Olympic year, the IOC’s finances were solid but not spectacular. That performance is already under discussion in one of the working groups now considering the future of revenue for the IOC and the Olympic Movement in a changing media and business environment.
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