The International Olympic Committee (IOC) (French: le Comité international olympique) is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president. Today its membership consists of the 205 National Olympic Committees (though Kuwait is suspended since 2010).

The IOC organizes the modern Olympic Games and Youth Olympic Games, held in Summer and Winter, every four years. The first Summer Olympics organized by the International Olympic Committee were held in Athens, Greece, in 1896; the first Winter Olympics were in Chamonix, France, in 1924. Until 1992, both Summer and Winter Olympics were held in the same year. After that year, however, the IOC shifted the Winter Olympics to the even years between Summer Games, to help space the planning of the two events two years apart from one another, and improve the financial balance of the IOC, which receives greater income on Olympic years. The first Summer Youth Olympics were in Singapore in 2010 and the first Winter Youth Olympics were held in Innsbruck in 2012.

Thomas Bach (born on December 29, 1953 in Würzburg, Lower Franconia) is a German fencer and, as of 2009, a vice-president and member of the executive board of the International Olympic Committee. He is also the President of the Arbitration Appeals Division at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

He won a gold medal in the team foil event at the 1976 Summer Olympics. Bach recently headed Munich's bid for the 2018 Winter Olympics.

Mario Pescante (born July 7, 1938 in Avezzano) is an Italian politician and entrepreneur. He is a vice president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Pescante began his career as a university sports manager and was appointed secretary general of the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI) in 1973. He served as Italy's chef de mission for seven Summer Olympics and five Winter Olympics. In 1993, Pescante was elected president of CONI. He resigned in October 1998 over a doping scandal.

He served as vice president of the Association of National Olympic Committees from 2001 to 2006. He teaches sports law at LUISS University in Rome and has authored numerous publications. In 2009, he became the first Italian to become a vice president of the IOC.

In February 2011, he was chosen to head Rome's bid for the 2020 Summer Olympics, however the bid was withdrawn due to the lack of government support.

Pescante is a member of the People of Freedom party, and has been a member of the Italian Chamber of Deputies since 2001. He served as an undersecretary of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities under prime minister Silvio Berlusconi from 2001 to 2006. At present, he is the president of the 14th Commission of the Chamber of Deputies (in charge of European Union affairs).