International Olympic Committee (IOC) members have approved a series of proposals set to dramatically change the bidding process for the Olympic Games, including ending the seven-year period before the event is awarded and creating powerful commissions to control the selection of the host city.
The IOC Session gave unanimous backing to the changes, including those to the Olympic Charter, early last week in Lausanne, Switzerland.
It marked the latest step in a considerable overhaul of the troubled bid process.
The alterations, initiated following a spate of withdrawals for recent edition of the Summer and Winter Olympics will come into force once the Executive Board has determined how exactly they will be implemented but they could be used to select the host from as early as 2030.
Under the reforms, devised by a working group chaired by Australia’s John Coates, a flexible timeline has been installed by removing from the Olympic Charter the requirement for the host city to be elected seven years in advance.
Separate Future Host Commissions will be set up for the Summer and Winter Games to replace the current IOC Evaluation Commission.
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They will comprise 10 and eight members, respectively, and will be tasked with targeting and eventually recommending cities or joint-bid concepts to the IOC Executive Board before it is put to the Session.
The Session will remain the supreme body for the host city election but it is likely to have less of a say than under the previous process.
IOC President Thomas Bach has admitted it is possible only one candidate could be proposed to stage the Games by the Executive Board based on the recommendation of the Future Host Commission.
The Future Host Commissions, which have become part of the Charter following Session approval, will be made up of members who do not sit on the Executive Board.
The IOC Executive Board will choose the members on each of the two Commissions, while officials will be removed from the panel if their city or country is among those to express an interest in hosting the Games.
Cities considering entering the race for future editions of the Olympic Games will be asked to hold a referendum if so required before they can be considered as a candidate.
“We cannot, I suggest, continue to be damaged as we have in the past,” Coates told the Session.