The Olympic Games are awarded by the International Olympic Committee seven years before delivery after an intense bidding process between other candidate cities (something that I will be writing about further in the coming weeks). When the rights to host the Games are handed over to the winning nation, an Organising Committee is formed and the host city contract is signed between them and the IOC, promising that the certain measures are undertaken to ensure the smooth and consistent delivery of the Games.

When we hear stories about changes to bylaws, opportunities to allow stakeholders such as sponsors access to VIP services (like the Olympic Lanes) and to develop on particular land area, many of these decisions were made very much in advance of the bidding process and signed off as being a ‘given’ in terms of the development process. This is because the IOC see the Olympic Games very much as their ‘baby’ and in a way, is the only product that they have to see to the world. The exclusivity of access and association to those internationally recognised five rings.

If you have questions about why particular things are happening for London 2012, then you can almost always find those details set out in the host city contract. It is available, thanks to Games Monitor, here as a PDF.

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