IOC Unveils Bach Compensation, Payments to Members

(ATR) In a bid to increase its transparency, the IOC has approved an indemnity policy and revealed what Thomas Bach and members are being paid.

The ethics commission on Thursday sent a letterto all IOC members to inform them about the new policy.

The IOC president, who is a volunteer, will be paid an annual fixed amount linked to inflation of €225,000 ($244,000).

IOC members and honorary members will receive payment $7,000 for what is described as "annual administrative support".

The daily payment for IOC Executive Board members is $900. IOC commission chairs will receive compensation per day of $900.

IOC members participating in all types of meetings are to be paid $450 as a daily indemnity. Bach can allocate the respective indemnity when he requests a member to take part in a special IOC mission.

The IOC already covers the travel and accommodation expenses for members during the execution of their functions.

The IOC Executive Board decided on the indemnity policy at its February meeting in Rio following a proposal from its ethics commission.

ATR understands that ethics chief Youssoupha Ndiaye advised Bach to publish the figures as soon as possible at a meeting in Lausanne last week. The policy is in line with Agenda 2020’s recommendation 29 – to increase the transparency of its management.

It’s a big move by the IOC – the first time a sports organization has taken such a step. The announcement comes as the IOC seeks to show the Olympic Movement it is improving good governance and becoming more transparent in the way it operates. The IOC makes clear the policy will deliver savings for the organization.

ATR has obtained a copy of the ethics commission letter in which Ndiaye calls for every sports organization in the Olympic Movement to "establish a similar policy and make this public" in the interests of transparency.

FIFA, the biggest summer Olympic federation, refuses to publish the salaries of its president Sepp Blatter and executive committee members, despite a recommendation made by its anti-corruption chief Mark Pieth in the package of reforms following the World Cup bidding scandal.

IOC President Salary

ATR has seen the indemnity policy document approved by the IOC’s ruling body at its Feb. 26 to 28 meeting.

A significant portion is devoted to how Thomas Bach will be compensated for the work he does.

Noting that the German is, like all IOCmembers, a volunteer the IOC Ethics Commission explains the rationale for paying him $244,000 per year.

"The IOC has and is applying the principle that on the one hand the president should not financially benefit from his position, and on the other hand that he should not have to finance activities related to his function from his personal savings," chair Ndiaye said.

Ndiaye proposed that the IOC President be treated in the same way and entitled to the same indemnity as the Executive Board members for its meetings and during the Olympics.

As Bach occupies the function of an executive president in the Olympic Charter, Bach is said to be "on a mission for the IOC 365 days a year".

Previously, the IOC president has received an indemnity to partially cover his expenses. For the sake of transparency the indemnity will now come from one single source. Bach will receive neither the fixed annual support nor the daily indemnity related to all commission meetings or other missions that he is entitled to as IOC member.

Instead, it was agreed that to cover some of the president’s personal costs related to the execution of his function, "the ethics commission is fixing a single annual fixed amount linked to inflation of €225,000 as indemnity".

"This procedure will lead to savings for the IOC and to transparency," said the ethics commission document.

Agenda 2020 Implementation

Publication of the indemnity policy is one of a wave of measures regarding transparency and compliance with Olympic Agenda 2020 that have already been implemented. Announced in February, these include the introduction of an invitation phase in the Olympic bidding process, reducing costs in the 2022 race and making savings of $1 billion in the Tokyo 2020 revised budget.

The IOC has appointed Pâquerette Girard Zappelli to the newly-created position of chief ethics and compliance officer. Will Keenan has taken up the role of chief internal audit officer.

The IOC will be audited externally according to the enhanced International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), even though these higher standards are legally not required.

Reported by Mark Bisson

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