ABSTRACT
The role of the members of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as umbrella organisation of the international sport system has been little discussed so far in previous research. This is despite the fact that IOC members’ influence in the decision-making processes of almost all spheres of the Olympic movement has been widely acknowledged. Hence, this chapter focuses on the roles and responsibilities of IOC members as defined within the Olympic Charter and presents different phases in the historical development of IOC membership. The central argument of the chapter is that the change in tasks and set-up of the IOC membership in each phase is linked to overall transformation processes in the Olympic movement. These developments are signified through reforms in the IOC. The historical approach taken in this chapter develops a broad and in-depth knowledge about the genesis of IOC’s governance structures. Such insights contribute to a better understanding of the IOC’s institutionalised strategies to govern the international sport system in general and to organise the Olympic Games in particular.
