IOC committee reform and dissatisfaction: what is known about Italy's possible removal from the Olympics

Italy was threatened with exclusion from the competition and exclusion from the Olympic movement. The reason for such harsh measures may be accusations of government interference in national sports, coming directly from the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Italian media reported.

According to them, the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI) received a letter from the head of the Department of Olympic Solidarity and Relations with the NOC, Jame MacLeod. It expressed concern about the latest reforms in Italian sports, which influenced the independence of CONI from the state and changed its powers. IOC always considered such actions in relation to its national Olympic committees unacceptable.

Reforms in Italy began at the end of 2018, when a budget law was passed by parliament. He defined a new procedure for state financing of sports. Previously, all the money for training athletes and national teams, as well as for the development of mass sports and sports science, was allocated directly by CONI. The organization’s budget was € 408 million. It independently decided how to distribute this money to its needs.

Now, most of the funds will be allocated to the organization Sport and Health, which is completely controlled by the Ministry of Economy and Finance. It will be in her competence to deal with the distribution of money between sports entities in the country. CONI's budget will be reduced to € 40 million. Its authority will be limited to training sports teams for Olympic competitions.

The advantage of this reform was the increase in funds ultimately allocated to sports. The budget for Sport and Health should grow to € 468 million. In addition, this organization will receive part of the profit from taxes paid to the state by betting companies.

Last fall, the head of CONI Giovanni Malago sharply protested against the upcoming reform, but it was still launched. In August, amendments to the country's sports legislation were finally adopted by the Italian Parliament, despite Malago's warnings that the International Olympic Committee would not approve such actions.

In a letter addressed to the Italian National Olympic Committee, the IOC recalled that government agencies should not interfere in the activities of sports organizations and the need to maintain their autonomy. According to media reports, the appeal said that CONI cannot be reformed by a unilateral decision of the government, the organization’s powers should be determined on the basis of agreements with other government agencies, and the Olympic committee itself should continue to act in accordance with its charter. The IOC recalled that the United Nations adopted a resolution in 2014 that supported the principle of sport autonomy from the state.

At the same time, only a month and a half ago, the country received the right to host the Winter Olympics of 2026 in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo. In April, the Italian application was supported by the government, providing guarantees of financial assistance, which in many respects predetermined the victory over Stockholm and Auray, who also claimed to hold competitions.

If the IOC, CONI and the Italian government fail to come to an agreement and overcome the differences that have arisen, then the worst-case scenario could be realized. Athletes will be prohibited from representing Italy in competitions under the auspices of the IOC, including at the Olympic Games in Tokyo.

Kuwait has already been subject to the same sanctions twice in the past. Athletes of this country had to perform at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro as neutral participants under the flag of the IOC. In honor of the winner of the shooting competitions, Fehida ad-Dikhani, the Olympic anthem sounded then.

Under the same conditions, the Russian team played at the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, only then the reason for the suspension was the accusation of the systematic use of doping. Formally, the team took part under the name “Olympic Athletes from Russia”.

At the last six summer Olympics, Italy has always occupied a place in the top ten of the medal standings, winning at least eight gold medals. At the moment, Italian athletes are reigning world champions in seven Olympic types of program.