The Olympic Games are competitions between athletes in individual or team events and not between countries.
They bring together the athletes selected by their respective NOCs, whose entries have been accepted by the IOC. They compete under the technical direction of the IFs concerned.
The Olympic Games consist of the Games of the Olympiad and the Olympic Winter Games.
Only those sports which are practised on snow or ice are considered as winter sports.
The authority of last resort on any question concerning the Olympic Games rests with the IOC.
Notwithstanding the applicable rules and deadlines for all arbitration and appeal procedures, and subject to any other provision of the World Anti-Doping Code, no decision taken by the IOC concerning an edition of the Olympic Games, including but not limited to competitions and their consequences such as rankings or results, can be challenged by anyone after a period of three years from the day of the Closing Ceremony of such games.
Bye-law to Rule 6
An Olympiad is a period of four consecutive calendar years, beginning on the first of January of the first year and ending on the 31st of December of the fourth year.
The Olympiads are numbered consecutively from the first Games of the Olympiad celebrated in Athens in 1896. The XXIX Olympiad will begin on 1 January 2008.
The Olympic Winter Games are numbered in the order in which they are held.
Rights over the Olympic Games and Olympic properties
The Olympic Games are the exclusive property of the IOC which owns all rights and data relating thereto, in particular, and without limitation, all rights relating to their organisation, exploitation, broadcasting, recording, representation, reproduction, access and dissemination in any form and by any means or mechanism whatsoever, whether now existing or developed in the future.
The IOC shall determine the conditions of access to and the conditions of any use of data relating to the Olympic Games and to the competitions and sports performances of the Olympic Games.
The Olympic symbol, flag, motto, anthem, identifications (including but not limited to “Olympic Games” and “Games of the Olympiad”), designations, emblems, flame and torches, shall be collectively or individually referred to as “Olympic properties”.
All rights to any and all Olympic properties, as well as all rights to the use thereof, belong exclusively to the IOC, including but not limited to the use for any profit-making, commercial or advertising purposes.
The IOC may license all or part of its rights on terms and conditions set forth by the IOC Executive Board.
The Olympic symbol
The Olympic symbol consists of five interlaced rings of equal dimensions (the Olympic rings), used alone, in one or in five different colours, which are, from left to right, blue, yellow, black, green and red.
The rings are interlaced from left to right; the blue, black and red rings are situated at the top, the yellow and green rings at the bottom.
The Olympic symbol expresses the activity of the Olympic Movement and represents the union of the five continents and the meeting of athletes from throughout the world at the Olympic Games.