www.olympic.org - Site Officiel du Mouvement Olympique

The Historical Archives section preserves the documents produced or received by the International Olympic Committee in the course of its activities, and others from private collections.

The section offers researchers, Olympic family members and members of the IOC administration more than one linear kilometre of text documents retracing the history of the IOC and the Olympic Movement since their creation, in 1894, to the present day (excluding the last 20 years).

• - Collecting, sorting and assessing the documents transferred by the IOC Document Management section (records and intermediate archives): the Historical Archives section selects durable documents, to be conserved indefinitely, based on their value in terms of information and evidence as to the ongoing work of the IOC, as well as for research purposes.
• - Preservation and conservation of documents in optimum conditions: the Historical Archives section provides the appropriate conditioning and storage for the files, ensuring that the proper temperature and humidity of the storage areas are maintained.
• - Archival description of the collections and archive files: the files are sorted, catalogued and inventoried in the Historical Archives database.
• - Communication and popularisation of the collections: the Historical Archives section performs research and provides expert support for a growing number of users in Switzerland and abroad. At the same time, it helps to make known the Olympic patrimony through digitisation projects and by making archive documents on CD-ROM available in the reading room.

The main collections of the Historical Archives, comprising around 20,000 files, include:

• - The IOC Presidents’ collections: Demetrius Vikelas, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, Count Henri de Baillet-Latour, Sigfrid Edström, Avery Brundage, Lord Killanin and Juan Antonio Samaranch.
• - The IOC decision-making bodies’ collections: IOC members, Session and Executive Board, Olympic Congresses, IOC commissions and working groups.
• - Collections on the Olympic Games: Games of the Olympiad (Summer Games) and Olympic Winter Games, reflecting the IOC’s relations with the Organising Committees for the Olympic Games (OCOGs) and the candidate cities. The OCOGs’ archives are kept in the countries hosting the Games. The list of institutions which hold these archives can be found in the Olympic Studies International Directory:

• Olympic Studies International Directory

• - Collections on the IOC’s relations with the Olympic Movement: National Olympic Committees (NOCs), International Federations (IFs) and national sports associations, and IOC-recognised organisations and institutions.
• - Collections on the IOC’s external relations: public administrations, governmental and non-governmental organisations, the media, and private companies and bodies.
• - IOC administration collections, organised by type of activity
• - Collections linked to the Olympic Museum, past (Mon-Repos and Ruchonnet) and present (Ouchy).
• - Collections linked to the Olympic Movement: regional games and sports events (excluding the Olympic Games).
• - Private collections: Paul Martin, Charles Waldstein, Francis Messerli, Albert Mayer and Otto Mayer.

Documents may be accessed, subject to IOC’s access rules.

• Rules on access to the IOC Archives

Research in the reading room

Anyone wishing to undertake research in the reading room must first complete a Request for Research Form and send this to the Information Centre (by e-mail, letter or fax).

• Request for Research Form

Distance searching

On request, the archivists can:

• - Perform a preliminary search (indication of the number of files on a given theme), which will enable the researcher to decide on the usefulness of visiting in person.
• - Undertake all the research needed, subject to agreement beforehand with the researcher. The first two hours of work are offered free of charge. For all additional time, the rate of CHF 80 per hour will be applied.

Photocopying prices:

• - CHF 0.10 per copy (when made at the OSC by the researcher)
• - CHF 0.50 per copy (when made by the OSC staff)

Opening hours:

Monday to Friday, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and from 2 to 5 p.m.

Closed on Mondays from November to the end of March