Changes to the IOC’s governance during Thomas Bach’s presidency: intense institutional work to achieve balance and compromise

Abstract

Recent changes in broadcasting, culture, economics, geopolitics, and technology have affected both the way International Olympic Committee (IOC) operates and its systemic, political, and organisational governance. These changes have created a more complex and more challenging world for international sport and led to a crisis of legitimacy for the IOC. The present qualitative study provides a critical analysis of the new governance principles the IOC has adopted in response to this crisis since Thomas Bach was elected president in 2013. Bach’s strategy, which combines careful assessment of the forces in play and deft risk management, can be considered a form of realpolitik. The current paper highlights parallels between Bach’s realpolitik approach and neo-institutional sociological theories on how change occurs within a sector. Under Bach’s presidency, the IOC has carried out intense institutional work to achieve the balance and compromise needed to strengthen its leadership of world sport.