FAQ - Australian Olympic Committee

The AOC did not organise the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, SOCOG did. The AOC is responsible for organising and sending Australian athletes, coaches and teams to every Summer and Winter Olympic Games and dealing with the National Federations in Australia regarding Olympic matters. It also fully funds and organises the Australian Youth Olympic Festival (AYOF) which is held biennially, the next one is set for 2007.

Australia has a proud Olympic history. We are one of only two countries that have been represented at every Olympics since the birth of the modern Games in 1896.

The IOC is an international non-governmental non-profit organisation and the instigator of the Olympic Movement. The IOC exists to serve as an umbrella organisation of the Olympic Movement. It owns all rights to the Olympic symbols, flag, motto, anthem and the Olympic Games. Its primary responsibility is to supervise the organisation of the summer and winter Olympic Games.

The Olympic Charter contains the fundamental principles, rules and by-laws adopted by the IOC. It governs the organisation and operation of the Olympic Movement and stipulates the conditions for the celebration of the Olympic Games. The main purpose of the IOC and the Olympic Movement is to contribute to building a peaceful and better world by educating youth through sport, practised without discrimination of any kind and in the Olympic Spirit, which requires mutual understanding, friendship, solidarity and fair play. For the IOC site click here.

An OCOG is an Organising Committee for the Olympic Games and it is the body responsible for organising and staging the Olympic Games in the countries selected to host the Olympic Games. For example, TOROC is responsible for the Torino Winter Games and BOCOG (Beijing Organising Committee for the Olympic Games) is the body organising the Olympic Games in 2008. LOCOG is the London Organising Committee for the Games in 2012.

The AOC is represented in each state and territory (except Northern Territory) by a State Olympic Council. Their role is to promote Olympism and to implement fundraising initiatives to assist in the preparation, participation and recognition of Australia's Olympic Teams. In addition the SOCs conduct various education initiatives including Olympic Academies and the annual Pierre de Coubertin Awards.

No, the AOC is a non-for-profit organisation independent of government other than the contributions made by State Governments to the State Olympic Councils for the Olympic Team Appeal. The AOC is an Incorporated Association whose members are the National bodies of sports on the Olympic program.

The AOC raises the necessary funds for the preparation, participation and recognition of members of Australia's Olympic Teams through corporate sponsorship, licensing and traditional fundraising activities. Each State Olympic Council has the task of raising funds via traditional fundraising activities. The AOC also receives an annual distribution from the Australian Olympic Foundation.

Yes, through the AOC Funding for Medallists and their Coaches. The program provides direct financial support and incentive to medal-winning athletes and their coaches during the years leading up to the Olympic Games and the Olympic Winter Games.

Australia won 17 gold, 16 silver and 16 bronze medals, a total of 49 medals in Athens. This was the most gold medals ever won and the most medals won outside Australia. At the Sydney 2000 Games Australia won 16 gold, 25 silver and 17 bronze for a total of 58 medals, our most in history.

Edwin Flack. He won two gold medals at the 1896 Games in Athens. His success came from the athletics track where he won one gold medal in the 1,500m and the other in the 800m. He also competed in the tennis event and won a bronze medal.

482 athletes represented Australia in Athens, across every sport with the exception of handball. This was the largest team ever to leave our shores.

The 2000 Team was the largest to ever represent Australia in Olympic competition. 632 athletes competed in Sydney.

The AOC has a strict privacy policy which respects and upholds the rights of individuals to privacy in relation to personal information. We therefore are unable to provide contact details of athletes. You may wish to search the Internet for your favourite athlete.

CoSports are Partners of the Australian Olympic Teams of 2008 -10 – 12 and are a provider of tickets, accommodation and hospitality for the Australian market in relation to the Olympic Games. For all ticket enquiries please refer to the CoSport website http://australia.cosport.com/

The Olympic symbol - five interlocked rings - represent the union of the five original continents (Africa, America, Asia, Australia and Europe) and the meeting of the athletes from throughout the world at the Olympic Games.

The five colours of the rings from left to right are blue, black and red across the top and yellow and green along the bottom.

The colours of the rings and the white background represent the flags of the nations of the world, and at least one of these colours appears in each flag.

There may be no age limit for competitors in the Olympic Games other than as prescribed for health reasons in the competition rules of certain International Federations.

For more information about the International Federations, visit the IOC site www.olympic.org.

"Olympism is not a system, it is a state of mind. It can permeate a wide variety of modes of expression and no single race or era can claim a monopoly of it."

This quote from Pierre de Coubertin goes some way to explaining how Olympism operates. He believed that people could learn from the spirit of competition shown in the Ancient Olympic Games.

He also believed that through sport, people from all countries could strive for excellence, enhance human development and make the world a better place in which to live.

The Olympic motto "Citius, Altius, Fortius" is Latin for "Faster, Higher, Braver," but is universally accepted to mean "Swifter, Higher, Stronger."

The Olympic oath is a symbolic gesture of sportsmanship that traces its origins to the 1920 Olympic Games. One athlete from the host country takes an oath at the Opening Ceremony on behalf of all the athletes.

The oath is "In the name of all the competitors, I promise that we shall take part in these Olympic Games, respecting and abiding by the rules which govern them, in the true spirit of sportsmanship, for the glory of sport and the honour of our teams."

A similar oath is also taken by a coach or team official at each Game.

"The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well."

The words of the Olympic creed are attributed to Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the Modern Olympic Games.

Olympic medals must be at least 60 millimetres in diameter and at least three millimetres thick.

Gold and silver medals must be made of 92.5 percent pure silver; the gold medal must be gilded with at least six grams of gold.

The design of the medal is the responsibility of the host city's organising committee, with the approval of the IOC.

To be included on the Olympic Games program, Olympic sports must conform to the following criteria:

Olympic sports widely practised by men must be played in at least 75 countries on four continents; and by women in at least 40 countries on three continents.
To be added to the Olympic Winter Games program, a sport must be practised widely in at least 25 countries on three continents.
Sports are admitted to the Olympic program at least seven years before the next Olympic Games and no changes are permitted after that time.

The IOC decides the program.

There are a number of sports that meet these base criteria that are not included on the Olympic or Olympic Winter Games programs. These sports are defined as Recognised Sports.

The IOC has established the Olympic Program Commission to review the current Games programs with the view to recommending additions, modifications and reductions of sports, disciplines and events for future Games.