The Dialectics of the International Olympic Committee

The purpose of the paper is to present a dialectical and materialist analysis of the nation-class struggle taking place in the Olympic Movement and the International Olympic Committee (I.O.C.) in particular. Benson’s model of organizational and institutional change has been employed. The dialectical study of the ideology and structure of the I.O.C. elucidates possible limitations imposed upon the further development of the process of democratization in the Olympic Movement. Relations of power and control in the I.O.C. are examined in connection with the current selection system for the membership of the I.O.C. The conclusion is reached that it may be necessary to reform the I.O.C. ideology and structure in order to accommodate evolutionary progress. New criteria and standards are suggested for the selection of I.O.C. members