IOC statement regarding adapting its working practices
The situation around the COVID-19 virus is developing day by day, and many measures are being taken internationally to address the situation. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) wants to support these concerted efforts to proactively limit the risk of spreading the COVID-19 virus, while at the same time continuing to work at full speed on the preparations for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, which start on 24 July 2020, and in particular the qualification process for athletes and teams. This is the main priority of the IOC.
At the same time, the IOC is taking action to protect the health of its staff and their families.
In order to support the concerted efforts to proactively limit the risk of spreading the COVID-19 virus, the IOC has decided to adapt its way of working:
- All Lausanne staff will work from home starting Monday 16 March 2020, until further notice, with the exception of some essential functions.
- Following a series of preventive measures announced by the Madrid Regional Government, Olympic Channel Services (OCS) and Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) staff in Madrid have been encouraged to work from home.
Because of the high number of visitors to The Olympic Museum, which regularly hosts more than 1,000 visitors per day, it has been decided to close The Museum from Monday, 16 March 2020, for two weeks. After this time, the situation will be reassessed.
To date, there have been no reported coronavirus cases amongst the IOC’s respective staff members.