01 October 2025 - IOC President Kirsty Coventry welcomed a delegation of the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of Palestine, led by its President, Jibril Rajoub, today at Olympic House in Lausanne. During the meeting, they discussed the impact of the ongoing conflict on sport and the athletes in Palestine, and what support the IOC can provide in this tragic context.
President Coventry expressed her deep concerns at the current situation: “Like everyone interested in peace for the region, we follow the current diplomatic developments very closely and hope that they can soon lead to a pathway to peace. Our deepest sympathy continues to go out to all those affected by this conflict, and we naturally stand in solidarity with the Olympic community in the region.”
The IOC President also highlighted the fundamental role of sport to unite the world in peaceful competition. As the IOC reiterated recently, this is currently more vital than ever. “With so many wars and conflicts affecting millions of innocent people all around the world, sport has the ability to bring the whole world together in peaceful competition,” she said.
This was demonstrated during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, when the athletes from the territories of 206 NOCs, including the NOC of Palestine and the NOC of Israel, and the Refugee Olympic Team lived together under one roof in the Olympic Village.
In addition, the IOC President reiterated the IOC’s support for the “Palestinian Sports Revival Plan”, which President Rajoub presented to the IOC last year. At that time, the IOC announced that it would coordinate an international solidarity effort to mobilise funding from various international contributors for this plan, which is aimed at rebuilding the destroyed sports facilities on the territory of the Palestinian NOC and resuming sporting activities.
During the meeting today, the NOC of Palestine and the IOC agreed on the allocation of a number of Olympic Solidarity scholarships for Palestinian athletes training for the 2025 Asian Youth Games in Bahrain, the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games, the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games and the LA 2028 Olympic Games.
The NOCs of Israel and Palestine have been recognised by the IOC within their internationally recognised territories, with equal rights, and coexist peacefully within the Olympic Movement. Both NOCs are in compliance with the Olympic Charter. The IOC remains in regular contact with representatives of both NOCs and continues to work closely together with them to provide support for their athletes.
