All you need to know about the IOC session

The IOC session is a meeting of all the members of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board and is also attended by a selection of members from the IOC members. The upcoming session will be the 141st IOC session. Usually, important decisions regarding host cities for upcoming events, inclusion or exclusion of sports and federations and changes in the Olympic Charter are made at the IOC Sessions. An IOC session is usually held during every Summer and Winter Olympics barring a few exceptions.

When will it be held?

The 141st session of the IOC will be held in Mumbai, India on 15, 16 and 17 October this year. The session will be preceded by an IOC Executive Board Meeting on 12 and 13 October. The opening ceremony of the IOC session will be held on 14 October.

How did India get the hosting rights?

The decision to hold the 141st IOC Session in India was taken by the IOC Members during the 139th IOC Session held in Beijing in February 2022. Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra, IOC member Nita Ambani, IOA president Narinder Batra and sports minister Anurag Thakur presented India’s proposal for the hosting rights. India won the bid after 75 members voted in favour of Mumbai while one voted against it.

"The Olympic Movement is back in India after a 40-year wait. I am truly grateful to the International Olympic Committee for entrusting India with the honour of hosting the IOC Session in Mumbai in 2023," Mrs Ambani had said after the successful bid.

Has India ever hosted the session before?

Hosting the IOC session is a big achievement for India as they have only hosted it once previously, exactly 40 years ago in New Delhi in 1983.

Where will the session be held?

The session will be held at the state-of-the-art Jio World Centre in Mumbai.

Who are some of the big names in attendance?

Apart from all the members of the IOC Executive Board, the session will be attended by IOC members including two-time Olympic 1500m champion and World Athletics President Mr Sebastian Coe, FIFA President Mr Gianni Infantino, seven-time Olympic swimming medallist and Chair of the IOC Coordination Commission Dakar Youth Olympics 2026 Kirsty Coventry, Prince Souverain Albert II of Monaco, two-time Olympic pole vault gold medallist Yelena Isenbaeva, two-time Olympic 10000m silver medallist and National Olympic Committee of Kenya President Paul Tergat, Olympic pole vault gold medallist Sergey Bubka, Olympic shooting champion Abhinav Bindra, to name a few.

IOC members on importance of the session:

“We have chosen India because it is the second-most populous nation in the world, with a very young population and a huge potential for Olympic sport.”

IOC president Thomas Bach on why India was awarded the hosting rights

“The IOC session is a mark of the trust that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has in India. We know the potential that India holds and we are very excited about partnering with our colleagues in India to be able to host the IOC session. As you know, an IOC session does attract a lot of attention because a lot of important decisions happen in that forum amongst the IOC membership relating to the future of the Olympic movement, the future of the Olympic games but also other that haven’t been discusses earlier. For us, it is a great opportunity and we are very excited about it.”

James Macleod, Director of NOC Relations, Olympic Solidarity and Olympism365 at IOC on why the upcoming session is of huge significance

“This will be a significant development for India’s Olympic aspiration and will herald the start of a new era for Indian sport.”

Nita Ambani, the first woman to be elected as an IOC member from India.

Possible Key Outcomes

The session is likely to see the announcement of the final sports program for the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028. The following sports are in contention to be added:

Cricket

Break-dancing

Baseball/Softball

Flag Football

Lacrosse

Karate

Kickboxing

Squash

Motorsport

India’s chance to show its capability to host big events

The IOC session is also a chance for the IOC’s members to witness the strides that India has made in the last few years and also see the readiness of the country to host a major event like the Olympics or Youth Olympics.